Most people in this country don't equate Canada with the word "exotic." But risqué Canadian dance troupe Fluffgirl Burlesque hopes to turn up the heat on any chilly notions of our friends to the north.
Fluffgirl founder and performer Cecilia Bravo started producing sold-out burlesque shows in her home town of Vancouver with such burleycue luminaries as Dita Von Teese. After selling out the largest venue in Vancouver four years ago, Bravo hit the road to re-create the circuits that early-twentieth-century burlesque performers traveled from town to town.
Bravo has gathered her modern traveling girl show from the current bounty of American burlesque: The evening features The Indra from San Francisco, Chica Boom from Seattle and an accordion-playing Jewish Vampire comic, Count Smokula, from "Smokesylvania." All of the performers are "triple threats," and Bravo promises a full show of music, comedy and burlesque -- sometimes all at once. She herself does an act during which she takes off all her clothes with her feet. "I'm a pink flamingo, and I really researched my act," she explains. "Flamingos don't have hands, so for this act, neither do I!"
The Fluffgirls are hauling along tropical backdrops and giant tiki heads that Bravo insists have the power to turn any space into an island paradise. Today and tomorrow, they'll use them to take Bender's, 314 East 13th Avenue, on a trip to the tropics. The audience is encouraged to dress in luau wear or exotic prints. Doors open at 9 p.m., with a $15 cover. For more information, call 303-861-7070 or visit www.fluffgirlburlesque.com. -- Michelle Baldwin
Aurora Sexes It Up
Produce meets art at a long-running market.
SAT, 8/6
When the Aurora Farmer's Market began, some thirty-odd years back, it was one of the few in the area. Organizers expected a large turnout every week because opportunities for farm-fresh products were scarce. But that's all changed. Nowadays you can run into a farmer's market en route to Starbucks, maybe pick up a few ears of sweet corn to complement that chai. As a result, Aurora's been forced to sex it up.
"You can go anywhere for your produce," says Pam Wilson, executive director of the Northern Aurora Business Association, host of The New Original Aurora FarmArt Mart. "We're trying to make our market a unique experience."
To that end, Wilson and company offer free vendor space for performing and visual artists. So far, children have chalked sidewalk paintings while adults have sold everything from jewelry to retro Hawaiian shirts. Wilson also hopes to tap into the burgeoning Ethiopian community in Aurora to present native jewelry and food as the summer progresses. So if you're bored with run-of-the-mill farmer's markets, head to Aurora, where red peppers blend with art and culture.
The market runs every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. through September at Fletcher Plaza, 9800 East Colfax Avenue; for more information, call 303-361-6169. -- Adam Cayton-Holland
Drink to the Revolution
SAT, 8/6
Revoluciones, one of Denver's most vital and enduring alternative-art collectives, has always been more of an ethic and an aesthetic than a physical place. But since the group left its most recent digs on Brighton Boulevard, it's been disembodied -- literally. To help raise funds for Revo's reincarnation in a still-undetermined new gallery space, PS 1515, 1515 Madison Street, is hosting a benefit shindig tonight at 8 p.m. Local psychedelic folk combo South Sherman will perform, and drinks will be poured by the Revo crew itself. Come down and help put the evolution in the revolution. Admission is $3; for more information, call 303-394-1515 or visit www.revoluciones.com. -- Jason Heller
Track Meet
Love a Bug at the NuVintage Bug-In.
SUN, 8/7
Like many teenagers, I spent most of my formative years "cruising." My experiences took place in a Volkswagen Bug, so anytime I see a Bug, Bus, Baja or even a Thing, I remember those times with fondness. Today, Bandimere Speedway celebrates the country's love affair with the world's most famous bug at the 21st annual NuVintage Bug-In, featuring a variety of competitions, vendors and sponsors, a swap meet and the ever-popular Bug Push, in which teams of four and five push and steer their cars around the track to see who can go fastest. "The Bug Push is always the biggest race," says Bandimere spokesman Clint Parker. "It's a VW cult favorite; it's hilarious. And they end up all over the place."
Gates open at 8:30 a.m., and $12 gets you through them to cheer on your favorite VW. (Porsches and Audis have been added this year, as well.) Bandimere is off C-470 at the Morrison Road exit; for information on the different races or how to enter, call 303-697-6001 or go to www.bandimere.com. -- Jerri Theil
