The BurlyCon Archives: A Look Back in Photos

BurlyCon: The Ultimate Burlesque Slumber Party

There’s a reason people compare BurlyCon to a giant burlesque slumber party. Yes, we sweat through athletic dance intensives. We fill notebooks in marketing workshops. Or we lean forward during eye-opening history lessons. We stretch, strategize, and strengthen our craft.

And then? We laugh. Hard.

Between classes, you’ll find spontaneous dance circles forming in hallways. You’ll overhear heated debates about rhinestones versus fringe. You’ll witness first-time attendees finding their people.

Some of the most meaningful moments don’t happen behind a podium.

They happen in shared laughter, in late-night conversations, in that delirious space between too much coffee and not enough sleep.

The hallways buzz. The elevators sparkle. The hotel lobby becomes a runway, a reunion space, and occasionally an impromptu choreography lab. (After all, what else would you expect from a hotel full of clowning, stripping burlesque performers?)

Ask any returning attendee about their favorite BurlyCon memory and watch their face light up. They’ll tell you about the midnight pizza strategy sessions. The spontaneous room parties. The classroom bloopers. The unexpected friendships.

They’ll tell you about the moment they felt seen or the time they laughed so hard they cried.

BurlyCon builds skill, yes, but it also builds stories.

With the event just over a week away, we’re taking a moment to look back at some of the wildly fun moments that make BurlyCon unforgettable.

2014 Guests of Honor Princess Farhana, Bic Carroll, Jen Gapay ham it up.
2014 Guests of Honor Princess Farhana, Bic Carroll, Jen Gapay ham it up. Photo by Don Spiro.
Sizzle Dizzle gets glamorous at the BurlySpa.
Sizzle Dizzle gets glamorous at the BurlySpa. Photo credit: Don Spiro.
ho’s that bombshell behind the pasties?? No really, tell us if you know!
Who’s that bombshell behind the pasties?? No really, tell us if you know! Photo by Don Spiro.
Darlinda Just Darlinda, Minnie Tonka, and Lux LaCroix strike a pose.
Darlinda Just Darlinda, Minnie Tonka, and Lux LaCroix strike a pose. Photo by Don Spiro.
Don Spiro takes a sensual selfie with Miss Indigo Blue.
Don Spiro takes a sensual selfie with Miss Indigo Blue. Photo by Don Spiro.
Our own beloved Bishop, possibly delivering the traditional blessing of the pastie/tassel/g-string trinity. Amen.
Our own beloved Bishop, possibly delivering the traditional blessing of the pastie/tassel/g-string trinity. Amen. Photo by Don Spiro.
Sweetpea and much-loved legend Wild Cherry cuddle adorably.
Sweetpea and much-loved legend Wild Cherry cuddle adorably. Photo by Don Spiro.