Interview: Lola Boutée on THE DOLLFACE DAMES In Person And On Demand

I first discovered the Dollface Dames troupe of high-class Burlesque entertainers in 2017 and have enjoyed their show-stopping style of entertainment at several venues around town since then. Founded in 2008 by Kira Turnage aka Lola Boutée (pictured), their choreographed full stage shows have included cabaret dancers, burlesque soloists (both female and male), singers, aerialists, fire performers, hoop artists, contortionists, variety acts, and magicians.

But trust me, don't go to a The Dollface Dames show expecting to see raunchy entertainment tease. As Lola shared with me when we first met, "There is a big difference between being a burlesque performer as opposed to be a strip tease performer. Burlesque is all about the character, choreography, and the tease where you might get down to pasties but are never naked or trying to overstimulate audience members directly. So, if you want to see strip tease where women take it all off and "go farther" with audience members, you can go to a "Gentlemen's Club" for that kind of strip show. The Dollface Dames always keep ourselves classy and value ourselves as true entertainers."

As an entertainment art form, Burlesque started in England's music halls and then moved to Paris where it flourished. Then Vaudeville brought the art form to New York, first as the break number between acts before many of the dancers became the main attraction, much like the career of Gypsy Rose Lee as presented in the musical "Gypsy." Burlesque enjoyed its heyday from the 20s-40s, a time period when speakeasys first opened to provide the forbidden libations and entertainment to the masses in search of it.

So it made perfect sense in 2018 that Lola decided to partner with The Smoky Hollow Tasting & Taproom at the R6 Distillery in El Segundo to present a night of Speakeasy Burlesque in a Real Speakeasy with her troupe of the best burlesque entertainers in Los Angeles. It was a very fun evening, beginning with a tour of the distillery and enjoying samples of their various libations prior to being escorted into the Speakeasy for an eye-popping evening of fun!

But 2020 brought on major changes for all in-person entertainment, so how have the Dollface Dames been keeping their unique brand of Burlesque available to audiences during the shutdown and what's next for them? To find out, I spoke with Lola Boutée.

(Shari): Hi Lola! It's great to speak with you after what seems like such a long time.

(Lola): Hi Shari. It has been way too long!

(Shari): Tell me about the virtual Dollface Dames performances which have been going on during the past year's shutdown.

(Lola): March 2020 was a crazy month. Even though venues closed, there was a need for art to continue, so I hustled and learned everything I could about producing online events. April 1st we kicked off our first weekly virtual variety happy hour Virtual TRiPTease, an off-shoot of our TRiPTease Burlesque show-LA's longest running weekly burlesque show at TRiP Santa Monica.

Somehow through all that hard work we've produced over 100 online events! We focused mostly on charity shows during the pandemic as artists, businesses, and non-profits were hit really hard and we wanted to focus our efforts on helping the community. We're continuing online with one final charity show September 4th with our annual virtual variety Animal Fundraiser. Tickets: lolas.eventbrite.com

The majority of our performers pursue art full time, so when venues were forced to close, these online shows allowed us to provide a space for our artists to continue to create, and gave not only our fans but our artists something to look forward to each week.

(Shari): Are the shows interactive so you can hear the reactions of the crowd? That aspect of Burlesque seems so important to inspire the entertainers to do their best.

(Lola): We hosted most of events this past year as livestreams so fans were watching live with us. Our hosts could wave and talk to fans. Participants were muted during the performances as to not disrupt sound quality, but we could see their faces and we had the chat going live throughout the show so fans could type messages of encouragement to our artists.

But we found a way to connect at the end of our shows. We invited guests to stay and hang-out with us in the afterparty where they could unmute their mics and chat with the performers, so we still had that sense of connection with our audience but in a different way.

There is nothing like hearing a screaming crowd and applause live, but we adapted the best we could. Our fans are very supportive. Many of them let us know how our shows would brighten their day and give them hope, and that kept us going!

(Shari): What were some of the challenges you encountered taking the shows virtually?

(Lola): The biggest obstacle for a live event company, is a time where there are no live events. This past year+ has been the hardest for me. I never imagined a time where entertainment would stop, but thankfully this pandemic has created new opportunities for growth and exploration through these virtual shows.

I am not a tech person so for me, I had to learn a whole new skill set. There was so much research as to what platform would be best to host our shows, and then learning how to work that platform, and how to execute the show efficiently was a lot. I give our fans and our performers so much credit as well! Fans had to learn a whole new way to enjoy shows and our artists had to learn to create and perform to a screen instead of a stage.

(Shari): Were each of the solo entertainers in their own homes for the virtual shows?

(Lola): Yes! It was like a private tour into our homes with a whole lot of staging behind the scenes.

(Shari) Did you find audience members tuning in from across the country or even around the world?

(Lola): We developed so many fans worldwide! It was so fun each week to hear the different countries people were joining us from! That is one of the greatest things about being online, is being able to connect to a whole new audience or reconnect with fans and artists that moved away.

(Shari): The starting in June 2020, the Dollface Dames offered in-person shows again at TRiP Santa Monica. What was it like having a live audience in the room with you again?

(Lola): June 30th was the soft reopening of our weekly Wednesday TRiPTease Burlesque nights at TRiP Santa Monica. I remember being in the car on the way to the show and it felt surreal. It was quite a change to be back, but the audiences have been amazing, and the staff have been working tirelessly to adjust to all CDC guidelines to keep our performers and our patrons safe.

(Shari): Tell me about creating the Cinema and Spirits show on the 4th of July where virtual viewers were sent cocktail kits to enjoy at home during the show.

(Lola): After producing so many virtual shows, I really wanted to step up our game and create a product that was shot professionally featuring show-stopping angles and acts you wouldn't get in our regular shows. We feature top notch variety performers showcasing aerialists, magicians, bubble sphere aquatic acts, pole dancing, hand-balancing, burlesque, opera, tango, sideshow, magic, and so much more!!! We wanted to showcase artists in HD so you can cast us to the TV and enjoy all the glitter and glam like your own private show!

The show series is called Cinema & Spirits, an at-home Speakeasy experience where guests can get custom crafted cocktail kits delivered straight to their homes, while enjoying different 90-minute themed premier variety shows. Each show is shot with multiple cameras on location at our venue R6 Distillery in El Segundo, which is a real Speakeasy and Distillery.

The shows are available to enjoy worldwide, and cocktail kits ship nationwide! As an added bonus, if you live in California, you can get a full bottle of R6 spirits sent to you so you can try the unique spirits made on site in the actual distillery that you're watching!

Our next theme debuts August 15th for National Rum Day with our HEAT theme, and we have new themes debuting every other month. We tie every theme into a different celebration with Halloween coming up in October for National Vodka Day, and our 1920's/30's Vintage show celebrating the end of Prohibition in December for Repeal Day & NYE!

The show is On Demand so viewers can plan a special night! You can throw a killer watch party with friends or have a sexy date night in, whatever tickles your fancy ;)

There is really nothing like it, and I'm so proud of this project. I want everyone to see it! Tickets and details are available at thedollfacedames.com/cinema

(Shari) Are you are offering "in person and on demand" shows at TRipTease in Santa Monica and Muddle & Twist in NoHo. Are shows at both venues the same?

(Lola): Every venue we perform at has a completely different look and feel and no two shows are every the same. Our online fans really enjoyed having that weekly show experience, so we record all our Wednesday night TRiPTease Burlesque shows and offer On Demand Replay tickets for fans for this show only! Tickets: triptease.eventbrite.com

(Shari): Lola Boutée's Cabaret takes place on Saturday, August 14, 2021 at 8:00 PM. Tell me more about the show.

(Lola): This weekend, Saturday August 14 is the official grand opening of Saint & Sinner (formerly Muddle & Twist) an open-air Cocktail bar with indoor and outdoor seating and an open floor plan so our performers perform in the round for a truly unique lounge experience. Tickets: muddle.eventbrite.com

(Shari): My friends and I had such fun at all The Dollface Dames shows we attended at R6 Distillery. I don't think many people realize there is a distillery in downtown El Segundo that produces very high quality spirits.

(Lola): We also are SUPER excited to announce that we will be returning to R6 Distillery for in person shows starting next month, September 26th (the 4th Sunday of every month). September will debut a new show style show called Catwalk Cabaret. It's a completely outdoor show featuring the patio seating where performers work the catwalk and dance on the sidewalk for fans! This show will feature aerial acts, fire performances, burlesque, and some very special guests. Tickets: speakeasy.eventbrite.com

(Shari): Thanks for filling me in on everything going with the Dollface Dames this month. Any big plans for the future you want to reveal right now?

(Lola): I have really enjoyed creating content that can be accessed anywhere in the world and showcasing incredible artists.

Our Cinema & Spirits shows will be going on location in 2022 to different venues and cities to capture unique locations and talent across the country. We're looking to team up with amazing wineries, distilleries, and unique venues to give our fans a truly unique online experience that they can't get anywhere else and we really love supporting local companies and getting their product distributed nationwide. We might be coming to a city near you!

I've also really found my passion helping to raise money for different charity organizations so I'm happy to announce that we will be starting production going to different locations and countries where artists might not have the same opportunities as artists do in LA. We want to give a voice to artists all over the world, and each show will give back to a special non-profit from the area we film. Art is powerful and art can truly change people and bring people together.

Photos courtesy of Lola Boutée