Today we’d like to introduce you to Selia d’Katzmeow.
Hi Selia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Burlesk Con of The Carolinas is the result of decades of burlesque shows, festivals and reunions in the SouthEast. Notably, predecessors include Holy City Burlesque Festival in Charleston SC, Carolinas Burlesque Festival in Charleston SC (est.2011), and The Wiggle Room Burlesque Showcases at Heavy Rebel Weekender in Winston Salem NC (HRW Est. 2000). With the eventual close of each of these events, along with the pandemic of 2020, there was a void in the artform.
Promo:
3 days of Burlesque Shows, Classes, Workshops, History, Education, and Fun! Downtown WSNC. Tickets are open to Performers, Producers, and Burlesque Audience Members! Come and see a show, take a class, have some fun!
The 3rd Annual Edition of Burlesk Con of The Carolinas follows a history rich of burlesque festivals in the Carolinas.
This convention is the creative outcome of some of The Carolina Burlesque’s dedicated performers/ producers/stakeholders. These Production Heads recognized the need for a consortium of artists and art-lovers to create a space to share the uniqueness of the Carolinas’ history and contemporaries. Burlesque Arts will be featured throughout the Con, highlighting entertainers from and in the Carolinas.
The Mission of the Con emphasizes education, history, celebration, and preservation of the Artform through acknowledgment, affirmation, and inclusion. T
The opening night of the Con will include a VIP Burlesque Mixer and History Exhibit Display Talk. Additionally, there will be a Panel of Carolina Icons discussing history, present day, and industry.
The second day of the Con will feature Workshops/Classes, and A Competition Showdown.
The third and final day of the Con will feature a Recovery Day full of classes, meditation, relaxation, and a Pool Party to ease the glitter crash.
Several options for purchasing tickets to this event including *Single Show* and “Weekender Pass” that can be pre-purchased online.
ALL ONLINE TIX WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL TWO HOURS BEFORE DOOR TIME ; tickets will be available at the door unless announced otherwise due to sold out events.
All Classes are TBA and posted soon.
FREE PARKING entirety of event.
18+ only with ID; 21+ to partake in alcoholic beverages.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. In any industry or artform there are people and places that may continuously change the makeup of an Event or Community. In 2025 , Burlesque lost the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum in Las Vegas; and institution that has drawn lovers of this niche artform for decades. With the reduction of available funds in the art world, diminished grants and donors, as well as the overall lack of expendable income for most everyone – our subculture has surely taken the hit in some regards.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Burlesk Con of The Carolinas is an Annual Event that celebrates burlesque artists in and from North and South Carolina.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Honestly, at this point it is difficult to say. Optimistically, we’d like to see it continue to be celebrated, attended, and engaged. With full-time artists finding it more difficult to fund themselves in this current financial climate, many are resorting to multiple disciplines, part-time corporate work, or even taking a hiatus. With ‘celebrities’ taking on or borrowing from the ‘showgirl’ esthetic and feel , it does give way to some outside curious minds; and that may indeed increase the optics. Ultimately, burlesque will prevail as it has throughout history – as art is a need.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/BurleskCon
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burleskconofthecarolinas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/burleskcon/
