January 27, 2017 – Elysium’s “Gods and Goddesses” Show!

WOW what a night at The Empire Room on Copperhead Road!  It was Friday and that could only mean, Elysium Cabaret… the big ticket of the night!  Welcome to the weekend!  Tonight featured a “Gods and Goddesses” theme.  DJ Gunner was looking sexeh as he spun the tunes, warming up the gathering crowd who were welcomed by Paul and Jilley.  Wiz wrangled backstage details.  In the dressing rooms, dancers and choreographers were busy stretching and doing warm-ups as makeup, wigs, glitter and faux fur were fluttering around flowing champagne and  hors d’oeuvres.  Did I mention the topless cigar/cigarette girls?  Good, cause we don’t have those at Elysium Cabaret.  But you could step outside for a smoak or head to the bar for a free cigar.  Everything was on the house tonight, so guests had a grand time enjoying cocktails, cracked crab, and Oysters Rockefeller.  Never mind the food!  On to the show!  Which opened with our traditional Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling.”  It’s going to be a good night!

 

Corri with Paul, Ray, FT, Krysta, and Dream 
Blutengel – Angels of the Dark

First up was Corri, who has really been stretching her wingtips as far as mover work goes.  This dance opened to a detailed Gothic scene, with Paul raising his arms to summons dark angels in the form of Krysta and Dream.  They flew down from grey billowing clouds and danced on the large newels at the top of the staircase.  Corri danced down the dark sidewalk and seemed to find herself sandwiched between the bad influences of Ray and FT.  Paul danced down with his dark angels and cast a spell over Corri, who rose up in a cloud of raging red, and emerged fully converted to a dark angel as well.  She joined her newly-found coven and together they danced in sync.  It was a very exciting dance full of interest and so much happening, I was uber impressed with the work that clearly went into this dance, and especially the mover work!

 

Selene
Ozzy Osbourne – Mississippi Queen

I love Southern Rock and love me some Ozzy Osbourne, so what could be better than this!  Selene never fails to deliver exciting dances and enthralling sets.  This one was a river boat, giant paddle wheel and all, on the Mississippi River!  Yes Selene sailed it right into The Empire Room.  She danced as the Queen of the Mississippi across the deck of her ginormous boat (it was a ship!) to one of the ship’s masts where she expertly pole-danced, then glided over to another mast and pole-danced again.  Her choreography was flawless, so smooth, and was mega sexy.  She started her dance in a big, absolutely darling sweater that said “Rebels” on the back.  But she got so hot she had to peel that off, and well all I can say is, what she had on underneath left the audience feeling even hotter!  Have a peek at the pics, and well if you weren’t there, maybe she will do that dance again some day, cause it was one not to be missed!

 

Eva with Red Queen, Babypea, CowGrl, Jilley, JMB, Misha, Nadi, Si De Brit, Zach and Lexi
Cirque Du Soleil – Steel Dreams

When Eva told me she was doing an experimental dance this week, all I could do was wish her luck and hope for the best.  This was a very ambitious dance.  It started with Si and Zach out on what appeared to be a spacey runway of sorts in the middle of a purple desert.  They started to dance when suddenly Eva appeared and altered the guys’ reality, transporting them seamlessly to a heavenly temple.  I love the depth of field this set gave the viewer.  Jilley loved it too.  I know cause she commented on it.  Yes, I also know “cause” should have an apostrophe.  I opt not to use it.  Anyway!  Suddenly, eight beautifully carved marble pillars rose, each with a goddess perched on top of it.  All the goddesses wore the same gown but each in a different fabulous colour.  (“Colour” is NOT spelled wrong, I spelt it in Australian!)fullstop  (supposed to put a fullstop after the parenthesis)fullstop  They danced with the “mere mortal” men, then Eva cast a secret spell to magically and flawlessly change all the goddesses’ costumes at the same time.  Now, she did not use the Costume Assistant that most of us are familiar with.  I believe she used a top secret code.  Whatever she used, it worked beautifully.  I was mucho impressed.  And terrified.  apostropheCause I fear all things technical.  If you have technical questions, Eva is your “go-to” person.  She is fearless and uber smart.  She then took all the goddesses back to the purple desert, returning the men home in the process.  Those men are sure going to be tired cause they now have a lot of goddesses to worship and adore.  I was thrilled for Eva that her experiment with this dance worked so incredibly well.  It was absolutely flawless and full of intrigue.  Not to mention, wrangling eleven dancers with mover work is a nightmare within itself, but Eva seemed to really have fun with this dance, as did everyone else!  I still say she is a guts for punishment!  *runs and hides from Eva’s work ethics*

 

Goddess Shayna
Beats Antique – Veil of Tears

Awesome set!  Goddess Shayna took us to Egypt for a hypnotic journey into ancient magic and mystical power.  Her set was gorgeous, featuring pyramids, Egyptian murals, and sarcophagi (Egyptian coffins that hold Pharaohs.  Oh I know, you already knew!).  I love the animals she had on her set, especially the cute little goats!  But my favourite part was her costume.  It was fascinating and as mesmerising as the music she chose.  She was stunning in black and gold with a golden luminous headpiece that was surely the envy of other goddesses everywhere.  She moved gracefully across the scene, enchanting the eye as she danced in perfect time with the music… wonderful choreography that made her appear almost as a cobra weaving a captivating trance.  And then, she cast forth her power, causing the day sky to turn to night.  As darkness descended upon the land, a glowing orb encircled her, a glow coming from inside her as she seemed to glow as well.  And then!  She suddenly vanished into thin air!  This is my all-time favourite dance of Goddess Shayna’s, and one I hope she will do again.

 

Lina
Aretha Franklin- Natural Woman

Okay, first off, let’s make sure to note: ARETHA FRANKLIN.  Now, there’s a goddess for you, I would kiss the ground Aretha walks on.  Aretha meets Lina.  Well all I can say is, that is a recipe for HAWT DAYUM!  If you missed this dance, I’m sorry.  Because you really missed out.  Her set was elegant and classy, a black and white bedroom scene with pouring rain outside the windows.  She was clothed in some of the most sexy lingerie I have ever seen and it fit her like the skin on a grape.  Starting in a black mini-robe, she danced in a passionate fantasy, obviously thinking about a special someone who really brings out the natural woman in her.  Slowly she began to peel off as she danced over to a lone chair, the rain subsiding and clouds parting to reveal a warmly-lit night sky over a city.  She then curled around the luckiest chair in all of Second Life and did the most sensuous fantasy lap dance that I have seen perhaps ever.  She continued to peel off her garments until she had my RL husband wishing he was sitting in that chair.  Heck, I am straight, and I even was envious of that chair.  This dance was the epitome of DAYUM SEXEH!  If you appreciate fine burlesque, this dance was ALL THAT and more!

 

Kyshra with Queenie and Jag
Raign – Raise the Dead

This is such an awesome song.  And Kyshra did an amazing job at turning it into a dance.  Her set was so complex she came close to needing her own sim to rez it.  Everywhere you looked on her set, there was an adventure for the eye.  Skulls and bones set in an earthen mausoleum of sorts, graves, and elaborate tombstones keeping watch as Kyshra danced in a hazy mist.  She wore a complex gown of black and red with her head covered and face veiled, purple lightening shooting from her hands as she called the dead to rise and come forward.  Which they did, cast in pink lamplight and enveloped by soft purple vapour, two ghosts rose and cavorted as Kyshra beckoned.  I loved her choreography, it was really different.  She used a lot of animations I haven’t seen before.  I don’t know how she created this dance right in front of my face, because I was lurking as she was making it.  How did she do this so quickly?  Well it seemed quick to me, would have taken me months.  I would like to move into her set for a few weeks just to study it, as it is the kind of set you can see many times, and you will notice something different each time.

 

Jilley
Sirenia – Goddess of the Sea

How beautiful is this?  Jilley is an artistè and we are reminded of that every time she takes the stage.  I have claimed all her sets, I want them ALL.  This one was exquisite.  I have never before seen such real-looking undersea water.  The colors, oops colours, and the textures, the painstaking detail!  You will want to crawl into this set and stay.  Bubbles, sun rays, cascading ripples of underwater life… such beauty!  And Jilley looked amazing as always, in an intricate sea goddess costume.  Rings on her fingers, sea snake draped over her shoulders, an elaborate headpiece only a sea goddess would be worthy to wear, and a golden trident… she was as much a work of art as her set.  Her choreography was exhilarating and so precise, matching exciting, vibrant music perfectly.  It was a song of passion and glory, triumph in the face of urgency… a dance of the power of the tides and the secrets held by the ocean fathomages.  What a ride!  Every dance is an opportunity for adventure, and this dance certainly took us to new depths of imagination.

 

Babypea
Nick Cave – Avalanche – Black Sails 2015

The final dance of the evening was my own dance.  I adore Nick Cave, such a tortured soul he seems!  And this song haunts me because it is uncomfortably close to reminding me of myself, revealing far more of myself to others than I would usually care for them to know.  Leave it to Nick Cave to peel me open.  It’s complicated, it’s metaphoric.  I also adore the show “Black Sails,” and am still furious over what that whore Eleanor did to my Charles Vane.  How dare she!  Which has nothing to do with my dance.  I danced as the snow goddess Chione.  She’s Greek.  Well, a Greek goddess.  My dance featured an avalanche wherein the fallen snow had formed the shape of a sleeping woman.  There was a tree made of ice in the shape of a woman, and there was a frozen dead person made of ice, and a group of onlookers all made of snow.  Everyone and everything, every moment frozen in time as I danced.  Everything slept.  Nothing progressed, and nothing changed.  But I still danced.  With particles, in a gorgeous gown with thanks to Sharon Twist.  Because she gave it to me for Christmas, even though I am a Grinch who did not deserve it.

 

Ame and EVERYONE!
Kiss – God of Thunder
Sting – The Soul Cages
Iron Maiden – Flight of Icarus

We at Elysium love and appreciate our audience.  These are the people we dance for.  It is because of them we create dances.  Sharing them with others, the bonding of the human spirit… this is why we do it.  One way we try to say THANK YOU to our FRAMS (friends and family) who bless us with their applause, IMs, generous tips, love and support is by inviting them up on stage at the end of our shows, and dancing with them.  It is a chance to meet them, talk to them, and share the joy of music and dance with them in a personal and meaningful way.  This week, thanks go to our Miss Ame for creating fun and exciting dances for us, and a beautiful, vibrant set.  Everyone has so much fun during the crowd dances!  I think I shall refer to them as Fram Dances from now on.  Because our audience is not just a crowd, they really are our frams!  Much thanks and love to each and every one of you who come out and support our shows!  You are a huge part of Elysium Cabaret, because our shows would not be quite the same without an audience to perform for!

Wishes of joy, health, and fulfilment to you all.  Much love to you, my Elysium family and all our frams.  Special thanks to Paul, Jilley, DJ Gunner, and Wiz for all the behind the scenes work you all do, and for providing Elysium with a home.

I must stop typing soon.  I need to go stick my tongue in a glass of ice because it hurts.  Oh stop, get your minds out of the gutter… it’s because I am dehydrated from a week at the beach.  If you enjoyed this review please take a second ONE SECOND to tick Like, even if you simply refuse to  comment or share.  Because it tells me you read it and you liked it!  And it makes me feel warm and gooey.  And well all this thinking and typing is hard.  Because I’m lazy.  And if you don’t tick Like, you have to do the review next week.

♥ SMOOCHES from Babypea ♥