Saturday night, waiting for a crowd to accumulate in Lakewood’s , Bella Sin worked on the costume she’ll wear in the upcoming New York Burlesque festival.
Digging through a pile of multicolored jems, she lazily extracted the gold ones then proceeded to glue them to her jacket.
“I’m doing my voodoo priestess number,” she explained, pointing out two voodoo dolls stitched to the jacket’s lapel.
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For over a year, Sin has been touring with the burlesque troupe she created: Le Femme Mystique – Cleveland’s largest and longest running burlesque troupe.
“I’ve been everywhere,” she said, batting her false eyelashes coated with silver glitter. “And it’s exhausting.”
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Rather than focus on the fact that so few people showed up to her fundraiser, which was supposed to help with the cost of going to New York, Sin just talked about burlesque.
She talked about the fact that it’s an art form, a drama or comedy for which getting into character is required.
She talked about growing up in a traditional Mexican family only to find out that her great aunt had also been a burlesque performer. Pausing, she imagined the photograph she has documenting that fact.
“I guess this is in my blood,” Sin said.
She talked about Cleveland and how much she loves it. And about the difficulties she’s had taking care of her family since her mom got diagnosed with cancer, all the while still gluing sparkly things to her costume.
“I just don’t see the point of frowning sometimes,” she added, happy to have so many blessings in her life despite hardship.
Abandoning the gallery performance, Sin headed over to Twist dressed as a character named Voodoo Baby who is “flirty and kinda tacky.”
Around midnight she climbed onto the stage.
Suggestively removing her elbow-length gloves and waving white fans, Voodoo Baby danced, her spandex outfit full of holes conveying her character.
Arching her back, she thrust her body in circles, fully aware of herself, but displaying a slight shyness.
"Where are we?" a man asked his friends, laughing.