Nipple Tassles and Knickers
Written by Bryony Reynolds
Would anything ever stop you from performing?
The only thing that would is if my Mum didn’t like it - but she doesn’t mind so I’m fine to carry on.
How much preparation do you need for a show?
It depends if it’s a new show it can take anything up to six months as I make my own costumes but if I’m performing on the week-end then like 10 minutes (as if I’m just getting changed).
Whats your most well know performance?
My most well known performance is my mermaid one and I do it to AC/DC Night Prowler.
What has been your most memorable entrance?
I was being carried by my cousin in my mermaid costume, which I can’t walk or stand up in and he dropped me! He was sacked from that job!
Where do you perform?
I do freelance work all over Brighton, usually bars and clubs. I’ve performed on boats and I used to perform on an open top double decker bus all around Brighton, which wasn’t so fun when cold and rainy. Wet fur and feathers everywhere.
Where is your favourite place to perform? Proud in Brighton. Because the audience kind of know what to expect - they’re ready for it. It’s (Proud) in Kemptown, it’s quite hidden away.
Meet Anna, a nineteen- year-old burlesque dancer and model, who goes by the name Dollie Dore. I managed to meet up with her to ask her more about what its like being a burlesque dancer. She performed her first show at seventeen and makes her own costumes - she is a real inspiration. Look out for her in bars and clubs all around Brighton.
How would you best describe burlesque to someone who doesn't know what it is?
Burlesque is a form of strip tease and most dances tell a story. We never get fully naked, only down to nipple tassels and knickers. It’s all about the art of the tease.
How did you get into burlesque?
I’ve always been a dancer. I did ballet since the age of three and I’ve always loved dressing up in costumes. When I watched my first show at the age of fourteen, that’s when I decided I wanted to be a burlesque dancer.
What are your ambitions?
Just to do burlesque full time and not do anything else. I want to own my own burlesque bar. I’d call it Frisky Whiskers and have cats everywhere.
What has inspired you to do it?
Joe Black was the first show I saw and he inspired me to get into it. He’s a very eccentric looking bloke. I found him amazing and want him to adopt me!
How did you choose your stage name ‘’Dollie Doré’’?
My middle name is Dollie (after Dolly Parton) and I had my name changed to my Mum’s maiden name, which is Doré, so I was really lucky!
What do you enjoy most about burlesque?
Costumes - 100%. I love the big costumes involved.
What were the reactions when you told people you were a burlesque dancer?
Most people don’t know what it is. I get called a stripped a lot but I don’t mind that much because it shows they are uneducated. Nobody has made any horrible comments really, but I am lucky to be in Brighton as people aren’t so judging/ judgmental.
Photography by Jason Balchin