When Taking It Off Took Off

A A A Comments By Amber Taufen Thursday, Jul 1 2010

The first-ever Colorado Burlesque Festival is coming to Denver next week -- and what better way to prepare for it than by watching Behind the Burly Q, a historical look at burlesque created by Leslie Zemeckis (yes, the wife of Robert)?

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“I’m a fan of burlesque; I always have been,” reveals Keith Garcia, programming director for the Denver Film Society. “And we played a film last year, A Wink and a Smile, which was a documentary that followed a troupe in Seattle. And it just sort of piqued my interest even more in the history, because that documentary barely touched on it, and I know the history is so rich. I think the power lies in that it is an old-timey thing.

“I just find it interesting when women, especially, take an interest in burlesque and want to present the whole thing,” Garcia adds. “And Zemeckis put together a really interesting capturing of the history, a lot of the talking heads who were famous in the past. Blaze Starr and Dixie Evans and Kitty West, all these women who deserve to have their name in lights again. This is definitely the pioneers of burlesque.”

Behind the Burly Q opens today and screens through July 8; tickets are $7 to $9.75. For more information, call 303-595-3456 or visit www.denverfilm.org.
July 2-8, 2010

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