‘It’s not all glitter, glamour and feathers. There are so many stories’

Why do northerners like burlesque? Because “it’s cold and we’re really hot.”

Meet Stella Gams, a Yellowknifer and burlesque performer.

Her burlesque journey started in 2008 on a cruise that had several burlesque performers on board. Stella was inspired and started performing herself in May 2009.

Sixteen years later, Stella has become a leader in Yellowknife’s burlesque community and one of the founders of its neo-burlesque movement.

For those not in the know, burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

Under Stella’s definition of burlesque, it also includes “elements of conceal and reveal.”

“That doesn’t necessarily have to be clothing,” Stella said. “That can be interpreted by the performer.”

Burlesque shows can have a huge variety of acts, from comical to dramatic, scary to intense, beautiful to downright weird. Acts can include singing, dancing, magic and more. If anyone says they don’t like burlesque, Stella said, it probably means they haven’t seen enough shows to find something that connects with them.

“It’s not all glitter, glamour and feathers,” Stella said. “There are so many artistic interpretations, so many different stories, so many different ways to choreograph it. It’s truly very diverse, as are the performers.”

Earlier this year, in recognition of her work in creating and maintaining a diverse burlesque community in Yellowknife, Stella was chosen for the 2024 Sparkly Devil Memorial Scholarship from the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.

Stella remembers the moment she learned via email she would receive the scholarship. She stood still, shocked, not wearing pants, as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

“I literally was ugly crying,” she said. “I really was in shock and completely overwhelmed with deep gratitude and immense joy.”

She also felt a responsibility for her community, and to “honour the selection committee’s trust in me.”

As the scholarship recipient, Stella received a full pass to the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender, a four-day festival in June that Stella describes as “the Super Bowl of burlesque.” She also received a hotel room for the event, admission to all of the weekend’s master classes, and got to escort a burlesque legend, Hawaiian performer Ka’ena, throughout the festival.

When she returned to Yellowknife, Stella taught a free workshop to share tease techniques and stories from her time in Vegas. About 40 people attended.   

Sharing what she knows with upcoming performers is important to her, Stella said, because “that’s what we do.”

“We share and we teach, we learn. That’s what it’s about … we need to make sure that we pass along and support others in their endeavours.”

‘Motivation to be my best’

One performer Stella has mentored is Lee Van Cleevage, who is directing Glam on the Rocks this year.

Glam on the Rocks is a Friday night burlesque opener to Yellowknife’s annual Folk on the Rocks music festival, and has become an established part of the city’s already thriving burlesque scene.

Brrrlesque, a winter burlesque show that has rapidly become one of the hottest tickets in Yellowknife, is where Lee and Stella met.

Lee remembers shaking as they ran through the acts. When Stella got up and ran through her choreography, “my jaw just about hit the floor,” Lee said. “I was like, I’m so nervous to be in a show alongside this person.”

That first starstruck moment passed, and now Lee loves performing alongside her mentor and peer.

“I feel very honoured to be able to perform with Stella,” Lee said. “I feel that there’s this sort of… not a bar I have to meet, but just a motivation to be my best, to be worthy of sharing a stage.”

Watching Stella and wanting to be like her has kept Lee in burlesque.

“I can honestly say that there wouldn’t be a Lee Van Cleevage if there wasn’t a Stella Gams,” Lee said. “Over the years, just what burlesque has done for me personally, how it’s gotten me through weird times in my life and how it just kind-of keeps me going … you know, that’s a gift that I’m so grateful to have.”

Stella will be performing in this year’s Glam on the Rocks, a show she describes as “electric” and “exciting.”

“I’m doing a piece I’ve never done there before, and I’m excited to share it with everybody,” Stella said. “I’m going to blow your socks off.”

As for her future goals with burlesque, Stella said she plans to “keep on creating, performing, learning and sharing.” She’s in the process of applying for funding to produce a burlesque show at Yellowknife’s Northern Arts and Cultural Centre. Next year, she’ll be one of the teachers for a year-long burlesque class at Bella Dance Academy.

For anyone new to burlesque who is nervous about giving it a try, Stella offers this advice: “Everyone is nervous about starting. We’re all nervous about all of it … if you feel the call to be a part of it, I say, go for it.

“I’m an ageing performer. I’m 52 and representation is important. So it doesn’t matter what you look like, what your background is, what type of piece you want to do – just go for it. Embrace your weird and do it.”

Listen to Evenings with Elke on Cabin Radio from 7-9pm on Thursday, July 11 to hear more about this year’s upcoming Glam on the Rocks performance.