I have been to Vegas, and I have seen the light! Amen, Hallelujah!
First, a cast of characters:
People, these are my people
Lux LaCroix (photo courtesy of Dizzy von Damn)
Jewel of Denial (photo courtesy of Don Spiro)
Renea Le Roux
Me (Vixen Violette) and Dizzy von Damn, once more pictured with Lux La Croix, but I couldn't resist that first picture of her.
So anyway, Friday morning Lux, Dizzy and I piled ourselves and all of our luggage into Priscilla the Prius and headed to a place where everyone is hot, Las Vegas. Unfortunately, with all the mumus and midwestern baggy shirt and shorts wardrobes that really doesn't mean what you hope it will- UNLESS you are at the 2007 Miss Exotic World Weekend, the 50th Anniversary of Exotic World! Amen, Hallelujah, Praise Be! So we piled in and drove out amid swirling conversations of food and dance and rhinestones, giddily anxious for the weekend ahead. We rolled into town just a smidge too late to participate in shimmy shaking with the World's Longest Feather Boa, but we checked into Binions and prepared for the night's festivities: a delicious evening of dinner, cocktails and Grandma Boobs. It started at The Grotto, a fancy pants poolside restaurant at the hotel across from us where we decided to splurge- foolishly assuming this would be the first splurge of the weekend, when in fact it was the last time we really had time to sit down and eat. We had Bellinis alongside our gourmet entrees, and finished it all off with some truly swoonworthy dessert.
Mine was cake soaked in almond liquer, soaked in ricotta cheese. Lux's was like that, too, but it was more like chocolate soaked in chocolate, soaked in chocolate some more.
After dinner we sauntered to the Plaza to check out the Legend's showcase. Women from the golden age of burlesque got on stage and shook like they were young again. Holiday O'Hara danced in front of her wheelchair even! They were also joined by some astonishing tribute performances. Erochica Bamboo blew me away with her tribute to Tura Satana, even though it has all mushed together and at this point all I remember is golden lining to her Kimono. Michelle L'Amour did a tribute to Sally Rand by using the most gigantic and exquisite feather fans ever and performing to Sally's favorite song, Claire de Lune.
(courtesy of Michael Albov) Instead of having individual feathers on each stave of her fans, they held super extra fluffy happy time maribou boas! I got to play with a pair just like them later in the weekend, and they were heavy, but amazing. She is the queen of the fan dance and these fans were not so far from royalty themselves.
In addition, I got to see El Vez and Miss Astrid host. They are absolutely the best hosts ever. I was constantly amused and never bored of them. I also was lucky enough to see El Vez present Exotic World Conservator, Dixie Evans with a leather bound certificate from the city of Las Vegas. It was incredibly special and I totally cried. I'm so glad that of all the years I could finally get my ass out to enjoy this annual celebration, it would be on the 50th anniversary!
By the end of day one I was overwhelmed by the showmanship of not just the performers but the audience. Everyone was dresssed to the nines in every direction you looked. Dizzy and I wore our finest that we brought with us, but we paled in comparison to the finery on display. Next year we will definitely be prepared!
When the show finally let out after more than 5 hours, Lux and I tried to go to the after party, but when we beat the rest of the crowd there we decided to get some food. We never did make it back, but it was so worth it to get to hang out with her and catch up. She told me all about her new place and we discussed the hazards of renovations- as well as the hazards of pets and feathers, but that's another story. It's funny that we had to drive about 260 miles to catch up, but that's how it is when you roll with busy and important people. That girl astonishes me with the life she leads!
That's the end of Day 1, but barely even the beginning of this yarn... I promise to finish her off soon!
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