“So how do the pasties stay on?”

It certainly seemed like a good question.  In fact, it’s a question I have had for years.  With all the wiggling and bouncing about a burlesque performer does and considering that the penalties for showing a lady nipple in places where lady nipples are verboten can be severe, I had always wondered how they kept those darn things on.

“Spirit Gum.” said the ever lovely and violently talented gal who went by the name Whiskey Darling.  “You put that on your pasties and you are good to go.”

Useful knowledge.  Yes, I learned something at a burlesque show.

As did all those who attended the “Peaks & Pasties Circo di Burlesque” show at the Black Sheep Saturday night.   We learned just how absolutely imaginative Burlesque can be. Sure, beautiful women taking off their clothes is always at the very least entertaining … it’s been that way since the early 20th century when performers like Gypsy Rose Lee and later Bettie Page twirled their tassels.

But it was always more than that. Burlesque was always about hitting you with all kinds of diverse acts that you might not ever get a chance to see any place else.

And the Halloween-themed show last night slammed that point home. You had a ton of things to gaze at and get your mind blown by. “The Very Cherry Show,” a group of crazy talented tumblers, jugglers and bendy types bounced about and keep the crowd nice and amazed.

Frank Farinaro aka Hammerhead Sharqi, a tribal belly dancer and contortionist, had the ladies next to me wondering how useful his talents could be, well, elsewhere (ladies are like that at shows like this).  Sol Spitfire did some awesome fire manipulation that brought that element of danger that always makes for happy fun times.  Dragontown Dan, a simply fantastic Alice Cooper impersonator, had a performance that simply killed (in a figurative sense).

And from Denver, we had Kimmy Deranged rip up the place with some gorgeously dark, blood drenched ballet-infused dance and, thanks to her trusty angle grinder and a chest mounted steel plate, explode.

And then you had Peaks & Pasties, Colorado Springs’ very own burlesque troupe.  Now, these gals and guys always put on a neat show, but they simply blasted it out of the park last night. The costumes (yep they make them themselves) were superb, the dancing was top notch and tassels were twirled with great vim and vigor. But what sold me were just how straight-up clever the performances were.

For example, Hannah Humdinger and Cherry Glitterbomb’s (oh yes; half the fun of modern Burlesque is the names … gotta love that) performance mashing Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” with, wait for it, “Jaws” was flipping fantastic!  The aforementioned Whiskey Darling’s Marie Antoinette infused bit of wildness set to Queen’s “Killer Queen” threatened to lop you head off with laughter and amazement in how she managed to get her very elaborate costume off.

Kami Sutra’s utterly cool wildly surreal tricycle based act was practically post modern performance art with a ruffled booty.  

I could go on and on about these performers and it still would not be enough.  They tore the house down last night, and if you missed it you should slap yourself or something.  Lola Spitfire, the troupe’s founder and fearless leader, is a Colorado Springs native who made her bones in the Hollywood Burlesque circuit. Since she started Peaks & Pasties, she has always had her troupe put on a great show.  Always.  But last night?  Last night was something special. All the performers left it all over the stage and entertained out eyeballs out. 

And no lady nipples were seen.  So everyone can relax.

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