“This city is a diva like me! She’s moody, boisterous, animated. She’s colorful, and she likes to dress. I mean, look at the buildings! She’s over-the-top, she definitely has a cold shoulder. She will only accept brilliance, excellence, confidence.” @theperlenoire
“ When I discovered burlesque, I was inspired by all these beautiful black women with the courage to celebrate their bodies, and to celebrate their skin tone, at a time when this wasn’t really celebrated. I remember doing a tribute to the iconic Josephine Baker, and I received a standing ovation. It felt amazing! I experienced a lot of physical and emotional abuse when I was younger, and I knew from that moment that burlesque was going to be my outlet for personal healing. For the first time in my life, I had full control over my body.” “I was living and performing in New Orleans when hurricane Katrina hit, which left me homeless. I saw my house in the middle of the road and decided, it’s time to go to New York now. The bus arrived right in the heart of Times Square. I remember I was so enamored by the lights, and I couldn’t believe I was here. I was tripping and falling down in the middle of the street. I didn’t have much money in the beginning, so I lived off of hotdogs.” “A few years back, I was in a committed relationship, and I learned that my boyfriend was some kind of Indonesian royalty. I was told that if I wanted to marry him, I could not perform burlesque anymore. I stopped touring. I turned down a contract at the Sydney Opera House. My boyfriend felt that because he was rich, I didn’t need to work. But I wanted to work, people needed me. So he called off the wedding on Valentines Day. That moment in my life really changed who I was as a person, a performer, and a mentor.” 120
“Dear New York. I want to thank you for being faithful to me always. Even when I have abandoned myself, you were always loyal, you always honored me, and you always showed me love. I decided to retire from performing for traditional love. I was on my way to Indonesia to have my family, to be the princess, to be married into royalty, and you intervened. You showed me I have everything I need right here. I love you, New York.” “For my healing sessions, I ask people to dress in something that makes them feel elegant, sensual, or powerful. I take them through a guided meditation, and then we do movements. Burlesque can be a powerful tool for healing, because it allows you to reconnect to your body. We’re told almost every day that something’s wrong with us: you need to buy this cream, and wear these clothes, and weigh this much, and hey, why not get butt injections. You’re never really told that you should celebrate yourself as you are. When I ask women to say, ‘I love you,’ to a mirror, it’s very uncomfortable for them.” “If you’re not ready to expose your true self in New York, you won’t survive here. Love your beautiful imperfections. Be confident and accept others for who they are. Do that, and you belong to New York forever.”
