Mz Juno is a local burlesque dynamo. You may know her from producing Inferno Burlesque at the House of Blues, Juno’s Cabaret (the only all-black burlesque show in the city) at AllWays Lounge, and co-producing Ingenue Revue at the HiHo Lounge with Vivacious Miss Audacious.
Her show, Beaucoup Burlesque, comes in as hot as a July afternoon to the Fillmore, and it’s a show that immediately stands out. “The concept is that it’s a live band burlesque show,” she tells us. “It showcases local black jazz and brass bands. We’ll also have the best local talent and award-winning performers from all over the world, so it’s the best music in New Orleans and the best burlesque dancers in the world! It’s the perfect little gumbo mix!”
The first show featured none other than local trumpet legend and barbecuing enthusiast Kermit Ruffins and his band. Jeez Loueez is the host and emcee, and the cast includes Aria Delanoche, Elle Dorado, Eddie Lockwood and Dane Baxter, as well as Minxie Mimieux, a multi-award-wining burlesque performer from Texas. “Everyone on the show is a burlesque queen in their own right,” says Mz Juno.
The show hits the stage in BG’s Lounge, an intimate, 200-seater theater at The Fillmore. But what can the audience expect? “In terms of preparation, all we get is the song list from Kermit, and so there’s likely going to be an element of improvisation on the night,” Says Mz Juno. “That unpredictability is the beauty of dancing to a live band. I’ve seen all these performers improvise before, and I know they’ll all bring their A game. There are so many good shows in town, so I just knew that there had to be something different about this one.”
Juno moved here in 2015 from Kansas City, Missouri. What has her burlesque journey been like? “Being from the Midwest, I came here on vacation and when I got home, I made plans and moved here within ten months,” she says. “I always wanted to perform, coming up through the exotic dance world, so I wasn’t unfamiliar with the stage. I knew I couldn’t do that forever, and then when I saw a burlesque show, I just thought - this is it. This is what we’re doing.”
“Before I moved here, I had known about Josephine Baker through learning black history, but when I moved here, I didn’t know much about the art,” she says. “I was a server at burlesque shows at the House of Blues. I would call people back home and tell them that there are these strippers, but they’re all sparkly, beautiful people and there’s a live band! I was just blown away. There was no type of burlesque in Kansas City, but now even the folk back home know what I’m talking about.”
It feels like with this new show, and with all of the talent onstage, the whole of New Orleans will soon know exactly what Mz Juno is talking about.
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Her show, Beaucoup Burlesque, comes in as hot as a July afternoon to the Fillmore, and it’s a show that immediately stands out. “The concept is that it’s a live band burlesque show,” she tells us. “It showcases local black jazz and brass bands. We’ll also have the best local talent and award-winning performers from all over the world, so it’s the best music in New Orleans and the best burlesque dancers in the world! It’s the perfect little gumbo mix!”
The first show featured none other than local trumpet legend and barbecuing enthusiast Kermit Ruffins and his band. Jeez Loueez is the host and emcee, and the cast includes Aria Delanoche, Elle Dorado, Eddie Lockwood and Dane Baxter, as well as Minxie Mimieux, a multi-award-wining burlesque performer from Texas. “Everyone on the show is a burlesque queen in their own right,” says Mz Juno.
The show hits the stage in BG’s Lounge, an intimate, 200-seater theater at The Fillmore. But what can the audience expect? “In terms of preparation, all we get is the song list from Kermit, and so there’s likely going to be an element of improvisation on the night,” Says Mz Juno. “That unpredictability is the beauty of dancing to a live band. I’ve seen all these performers improvise before, and I know they’ll all bring their A game. There are so many good shows in town, so I just knew that there had to be something different about this one.”
Juno moved here in 2015 from Kansas City, Missouri. What has her burlesque journey been like? “Being from the Midwest, I came here on vacation and when I got home, I made plans and moved here within ten months,” she says. “I always wanted to perform, coming up through the exotic dance world, so I wasn’t unfamiliar with the stage. I knew I couldn’t do that forever, and then when I saw a burlesque show, I just thought - this is it. This is what we’re doing.”
“Before I moved here, I had known about Josephine Baker through learning black history, but when I moved here, I didn’t know much about the art,” she says. “I was a server at burlesque shows at the House of Blues. I would call people back home and tell them that there are these strippers, but they’re all sparkly, beautiful people and there’s a live band! I was just blown away. There was no type of burlesque in Kansas City, but now even the folk back home know what I’m talking about.”
It feels like with this new show, and with all of the talent onstage, the whole of New Orleans will soon know exactly what Mz Juno is talking about.
MORE PERFORMERS