The arts
LA-based group introduces audiences to the art of burlesque
LA-based The Lalas introduce audiences to the art of burlesque
Erin Lamont has ideas all the time.
Sometimes those ideas fail; other times they rise beyond expectations.
This is the case for The Lalas — a burlesque group based in Los Angeles.
“I didn’t know it would be this big,” Lamont says during a recent phone interview from her California home. “This is a positive experience for me. At first, I wanted a way for me to showcase my choreography. As dancers, we have to deal with the rejection on a daily basis. This was an outlet to dancers being able to do their own thing.”
Lamont is a well-known choreographer and has managed to create a niche for herself in the TV and movie industry.
Her credits include work with Lady Gaga and the People’s Choice Awards.
And there’s so much more work in TV and film. Lamont says the majority of shows are also an introduction to the art of burlesque.
The art form is a dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing serious works.
“We have a lot of fun and put on an entertaining show,” she says. “There are a few times during a show that we’ll ask the audience if they’ve ever seen burlesque before. A majority of people either don’t know about burlesque or are misinformed.” Working with other dancers brings Lamont joy. And she says being at the helm of the group is one of the best parts for her.
“This is the project I get to do what I want,” she says. “We were doing a show in Kansas a few weeks ago, and it was like 10 minutes before the show and my assistants were sewing the costumes that I wanted to add to it. It’s always a different show each night.”
While Lamont enjoys The Lalas, she says the work comes with a downside.
“One of the most difficult aspects is dealing with the dancers’ schedules,” she says. “Since this isn’t their full-time job, they have other jobs. For the show in New Mexico, I won’t have one dancer because she got signed to Cher’s tour. It’s always figuring out the next step.”
Lamont is also trying to break the double standard that comes along with burlesque and all-male revues.
“I try to promote The Lalas on daytime TV, and most producers don’t understand what we do,” she says. “But then you turn the channel and on ‘Ellen,’ she has male dancers grinding on the audience. There’s a huge double standard that I want to get rid of. They are art forms.”