Miss Cherry Valens - Co-Creator and Cabaret Burlesque Dancer

After years of extensive professional dance training in styles ranging from ballet to Brazilian samba, Miss Valens is appropriately qualified to put the 'dancer' back into the title of Cabaret Burlesque Dancer. Using her undeniable talent for dance, choreography and costume design Miss Valens has created acts that are a stylish and sensual display of dance, tease and humour.

Her performances are reminiscent of the glory days of music hall, variety revues and vintage musicals. Miss Valens' highly developed performance skills allow her to effortlessly combine charm and grace with sex appeal and fun. Since beginning the burlesque revival in Adelaide, South Australia, Miss Valens has graced the stage at numerous events and private parties for clients such as SAFM, Peter Lehmann Wines, Newmarket Insurance, Ausdance, GLAM Adelaide, Kustom Kulture Weekender,  Sugartime in Sydney and Red Door Burlesque in Melbourne. In a field dominated by smoke and mirrors, Miss Cherry Valens is the genuine article.

Dahlia Deux - Co-Creator and Vaudeville Performer

For as long as she can remember, Dahlia has immersed herself in the Arts, with a particular passion for viewing live performance and installation art. Her love of the cabaret and vaudeville genres has led to her own unique interpretation and performance. Inspired by Gypsy and circus culture, Lucille Ball, vintage fashion and cheesecake comedy, Dahlia's acts are as original as they are provoking.

If Dolly Parton, Benny Hill and a tulle factory ever had a child, twisted vaudeville princess Maxi Mae would be it. A fluffy, cheesy, somewhat self-indulgent prima donna, Maxi loves to parade on the stage with an abundance of props and scrumptious ultra feminine costumes. In Maxi's bizarre and colourful world, nothing, and absolutely nothing, is over the top!

Sammy Dee - MC and Burlesque Dancer 

Sammy has been a part of the team since the end of 2007, having performed in major festivals like Feast and Fringe. She loves to interact with her crowd through mischevious introductions and interactive audience games. Her style of performing in reminiscent of the cheesecake girls of the 50's. She often uses fun Jukebox hits in her colourful and cheeky acts, with subtle hints of traditional burlesque sexiness and tease.

Lady Luck - Singer

Lady Luck has been entertaining Adelaide audiences covering many genres of music for some time now and is highly respected by her peers in the industry.
Her experience has been as a Lead Vocalist and Backing Vocalist for some of Adelaide's top bands. She has toured both nationally and performed internationally as well as performing live on television. In 2005 she auditioned for the popular reality TV show "The X Factor" and made it through to the top 35 out of more than one thousand people who auditioned in Adelaide. She received very favourable comments from the judges who included Mark Holden and Kate Cebarano. 

Lady Luck joined the cast of A Wink And A Smile Cabaret in 2007 and has since participated in the 2008-2009 Fringe Festivals and Parade as well as The Fringe Cabaret Festivals, Feast Festivals and numerous private and corporate functions. Lady Luck shines as a solo artist,relishing her role as the very sexy and seductive Cabaret Singer. She has a sensual yet strong and powerful vocal style and combined with glamorous costumes and scintillating stage presence, often leaves the audience wanting more...

Miss Ipanema - Brazilian Samba Dancer

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Miss Ipanema is the typical Brazilian that loves dancing! She began jazz training when she was nine years old.  At the age of ten she joined the dance  group 'Paquititas' performing in many cities across Sao Paulo.  Looking to improve her artistic skills, she joined the theatre company 'Teatro da Cidade' where she performed in musical stage plays. In 1992 after her exposure to acting she was invited to dance on tour for the TV Globo show 'Os Trapalhoes'.  Always looking to further develop her dance skills, Miss Ipanema became an accomplished flamenco and belly dance performer and in 1998 became a belly dance instructor in Rio. 

In 2006 she moved to Adelaide and decided to add authentic Brazilian flavor to the Samba and Axe scene and in 2008 began instructing, choreographing and performing SAMBA, AXE and BRAZILIAN FUNK with LA BOMBA. Recently Miss Ipanema has expanded her theatrical stage experience by showcasing samba in various productions by A Wink and a Smile Cabaret at shows in the Adelaide Fringe Festival and Cabaret Fringe Festival.

Kalikah Jade - Belly Dancer

Bringing an exotic Middle Eastern flavour to A Wink and A Smile Cabaret is the newest addition to the cast, bellydancer Kalikah Jade. She is an energetic and sensual performer who fuses the earthy warmth of Egyptian and Lebanese style Cabaret Bellydance with the darker and world-influenced Tribal style, adding her distinctly Gothic flavour, an eclectic twist leaving the audience delightfully intrigued and entertained. Her performance speciality includes elements such as sword balancing and manipulation (definitely a crowd pleaser), exotically mysterious veil dancing and the spectacular Wings of Isis.

Miss Moody - Avant Garde Belly Dancer

 

Miss Moody's unique style is a dynamic fusion blending the passionate strength of Flamenco Gypsy with the sensual, earthiness of traditional belly dance.  She is best known for her innovative choreography and experimentation with different dance styles, elaborate, exotic costumes and evocative world music, creating a cutting edge style of Belly Dance. With extensive performance experience she has appeared at venues around Australia including Hardys Tintara Winery, Casablabla, The Promethean, Fleurieu Folk Festival ,Tribal and Trance Festival, The Factory Theatre and Hindmarsh stadium. Dance prop specialities include: zills (finger cymbals), tambourine and fire fingers.

Kat Black - Erotic Poet

She is the naughty and mischievous mistress of erotic poetry with a twist, and she is not the cat's mother. She is KAT BLACK and currently resides in Adelaide, South Australia. Kat has performed at private functions, was involved in the 2011 Fringe Festival and will delight you with fun, frivolity and laughter. There can also be a serious romantic side to Kat Black so she willingly aims to please and may even woo you into disorderly conduct. Adults only Poetry Performance Art,,  not for the faint hearted.

Anj Rojinus, The Highland Hermaphrodite - Comedian 

 

Spawned from the legendary loins of the mystery that is a sixty foot slimy sea serpent….the Loch Ness Monster! Armed with bag pipes, ukulele, silly songs & buoyant banter, resistance will be useless as you succumb to the endearing, infamously roguish charms of Anj Rojinus.

 

Anj Rojinus has been sighted since 2009 & makes many regular appearances on the festival & comedy circuits in Adelaide & interstate. Such events include the inaugural GLBTIQ Feast Festival, Pride March, A Wink and A Smile Burlesque's The Seduction Society, Seb Carboncini's Character Jams & the Alice Springs Desert Festival to name but a few.

 The Vocal Vixens - Singers

The Vocal Vixens are sassy, sexy and they can sing! Together, Tania, Cheryl and Melanie are the perfect cocktail of talent and class and are sure to be the perfect "addition" to your next corporate function. Let these 3 experienced vocalists take you back to the 1940's with their Wartime Wonder show or celebrate the magic that is Motown with Motown Supreme.

Jolie Mystique - Boylesque

Jolie is new to Boylesque. His start in the business that is show has unraveled since high school. At 20 Jolie has successfully blown audiences away as a Gender illusionist/androgynous performer. His mystery and living art form has kept the public intrigued. As a self proclaimed artist, Jolie has a love of flamboyant and bold costumes that mimic Prince and is even more obsessed with his props, most recently featuring a cream shooting guitar. You may know him from "A Bond Burlesque", " The Seduction Society" or performing with the group "Starlets of Burlesque" seen in the 2011 Feast Festival. What you don't know is Jolie is a triple threat with a big heart & personality who is always in love with the idea of what audience he's going to perform with next.

 

ARTISTS CURRENTLY ON LEAVE

Miss Paula-Jane - Go-Go Dancer

 

Bringing back the swinging 60's with her fun party-vibe Go-Go-Dancing is Miss Paula-Jane! She will show you how they really shook it up to revolutionary rock/pop and fast surf tunes back in the era of free love, when the dresses were mini, the boots were high and the mind-set was psychedelic. Miss Paula-Jane has been performing with A Wink and a Smile Cabaret since Feast Season 2007, which has since seen her perform along side many live bands and events including the Big Day Out in 2009, the past few Kustom Kulture Weekenders in Adelaide and Red Door Burlesque in Melbourne. In 2008 Miss Paula-Jane became the go-go dancing queen of Adelaide when she began Adelaide's only go-go dancing classes and started teaching the ladies of the City of Churches how to shimmy, shake, monkey, swim, twist and a whole stack more! This vivacious girl's routines are full of fun and energy, teamed with a beaming smile and fabulous shimmy-ing costumes. Miss Paula-Jane is bound to leave you with a smile and wanting to go-go too!

Canela - Dancer and Gymnast

Canela originated from Mexico but is now living in Australia. Having been a rhythmic and artistic gymnast for many years she also trained in ballet, jazz and salsa dancing she has the right mixture of mystery, dance and contortion on her acts. She is spicy, exotic and loves the stage. Canela has been performing around Australia with Ding Productions and has danced for the Tasmanian ballet company among many others.

In addition to their gorgeous regular cast, A Wink and A Smile Cabaret has been proud to present local, interstate and international guests in their shows including:

Scarlett Jezebel (Hobart based burlesque dancer)

Lola LaBelle (UK based burlesque dancer)

Jamie Jewell (Singer/actor) 

Hans (MC/singer/dancer)

Miss Amelia Von Wheels (MC/singer/drag gender artist)

Madame Love-Lee (Burlesque dancer/Pole dancer)

Danica Lee (Sydney based burlesque dancer)

JOYa (Gypsy oriental/fusion belly dancer)

Keith Keller (Magician)

Tiffany Redman (Opera singer)

Doctor of Hellucinations (Vaudevillian singer)

Miss Whips (Burlesque dancer)

Dakini Violet (Belly dancer)

Bollywood Trio (Dancers)

Lachlan Haig (MC)

Aurora Murphy (MC)

Janine Eckert (MC)

 *All artist photos by Steven Jones - www.stevenjonesphotos.com and Sven Kovac - www.svenkovac.com