Girl Fest: Cherry Blossom Cabaret celebrates unity, empowerment

HONOLULU—Since being founded three years ago, Hawaii’s Cherry Blossom Cabaret remains committed to performing the art of burlesque with respect to its storied tradition. Members Lola Love and Miss Catwings sit demurely on a couch at Mercury Lounge on a rainy weekday afternoon, offering insight into the group’s origins, intent, and involvement with Girl Fest Hawaii 2009.

Ms. Love, an original member of the troupe, talked about the Cabaret’s beginnings.

“Meghan Mayhem started the group,” she says. “She wanted to see burlesque in Honolulu, but there wasn’t any.”

Cherry Blossom Cabaret’s first performance took place at Chinatown’s artsy hot spot, Ong King, featuring an Asian-inspired theme. The group’s early shows were traditional cabaret-style, with all members performing together. Since then, the Cabaret has grown to include eight artists and a handful of interns—most shows now feature a number of solo performances.

These days, the group throws a popular bi-monthly show called Speakeasy and the annual affair Varie-Tease. They also conduct regular workshops for the public and perform regularly at major events such as the Hallowbaloo street festival and other civic events.

Although each individual artist crafts her own performance, the themes of their shows are collaborated upon and selected by vote, Love explains. Themes vary widely. Food, fairy tales, politics, and culture all provide folly for seductive, sensuous undulations and gyrations that never fail to delight audiences, male and female.

But for the women of Cherry Blossom Cabaret, there is far more to burlesque than stripping down to one’s unmentionables. Catwings’ involvement in the troupe initially began with her serving as emcee for the performances, but she has since seized the opportunity to express herself on stage with the rest of the women.

“When I started, I never thought I’d go down to pasties and a thong,” Catwings admits. She explains that a large part of burlesque is learning about your body and crafting a performance to accentuate your strengths and personality. “Burlesque gives me the opportunity to find some balance between my day job and my night life.”

When talking about the near-nudity and the celebration of sexuality on stage, Love and Catwings are surprisingly modest.

“A lot of us are actually really shy,” Love confides. Cabaret members assume a persona on stage, and often that persona is reflective of a kind of alter ego, she explains.

And while the Cherry Blossom Cabaret is patently sexy, it’s not merely because the performers end up half-nude.

“The reason it’s sexy is because we know our bodies,” Love says. “It doesn’t matter what kind of body type you have, as long as you’re a great performer and you’re having fun.”

And it’s that sense of ownership that the Cherry Blossom Cabaret brings to their art in the truest sense. More than simply stripping down to one’s skivvies, burlesque is self expression.

“The eight of us could all perform the same song, and it would come out completely differently for each of us,” Love says.

What began as a hobby has become a business that operates not only in Honolulu, but on the neighbor islands as well. As such, Cherry Blossom Cabaret operates with a mind to foster other businesses and worthy causes. Donating to charitable outfits like Toys for Tots and Girl Fest Hawaii, the Cherry Blossoms understand the importance of giving back. “We just like helping other organizations,” says Love, simply.

Some of the Cherry Blossoms come from theatrical and dance backgrounds, and others don’t. But the performers all share the same sense of liberation and empowerment that comes with self-acceptance. And part of Cherry Blossoms Cabaret’s mission is to help other women experience that same fulfillment and gratification.

“We have women at our workshops from twenty-one to sixty years old,” says Love. “Some do it for themselves, and some do it for their partners as a gift. But everyone takes away the same sort of satisfaction.”

Cherry Blossom Cabaret performs as part of Girl Fest Hawaii’s opening night at Next Door, 43 N. Hotel St. on Saturday, November 7 from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Ages 21+, admission is $7 to $25 on a sliding scale (pay what you can afford). Tickets at the door. Performing: Taiko Center of the Pacific, Ali Wong, Cherry Blossom Cabaret, DJ Monkey, and DJ Toki.

The mission of Girl Fest is to change peer culture in order to prevent increasing violence against women and girls through education, entertainment, and a positive representation of women. Girl Fest Hawaii has begun uniting young men and women, local small business owners, artists, and other concerned citizens who are all volunteering their time toward realizing one mission: to prevent violence against women and girls through education and entertainment. For more information, visit www.girlfesthawaii.org.