Burlesque art was not performed in Beijing for more than 87 years but that all changed when Vogue magazine asked Artbabes – an Australian aerial art group – topresent The Axis of Ecstasy, a burlesque and aerial art show, to celebrate the magazine’s second anniversary in October last year.
Photo: Oliver Berlin
Wendy Dys, Artbabes’ queer director and teacher, said that she was very proud to launch aerial art and burlesque dance into the international arts market and she was surprised and grateful that china opened its doors to Artbabes. “To just go there and do our art was just so great,” she tells CHERRIE. “It was good to do our shows and tell the Chinese about art in the world because they are pretty isolated and everything they do is restricted by isolation.”
The Axis of Ecstasy was an aerial and burlesque show created and performed by Dys and her colleague Gavin Wild and was inspired by traditional circus apparatus and ancient aerial rituals. “Our performance was inspired by a Chinese aerial ritual which was the Climbing Pole. Our show had elements of that and it was great incorporating this into the fashion industry,” Dys says.
Dys used her experience from travelling around Europe and her days at Cirque Du Soleil to create Artbabes – a Sydney-based group of women that train and perform burlesque, circus, physical theatre and aerial dance. Artbabes is three years old and it is a place where women of all ages can gain confidence, get fit and build relationships. “The youngest I have at the moment is seven years old and these girls I teach are the main reason for Artbabes,” Dys says. “We welcome women from all ages because it’s great for their confidence and it is a great way to bond with other women.”Dys’ trip to China was more that just performing a show. She says it was an opportunity to liberate Chinese women by teaching them art, a subject she loves talking about. “It was great to be in China with a woman booking us and it was great to give history lessons on art because they know nothing about surrealism or other types of art. They are pretty isolated like that,” Dys says. Currently Artbabes is the only group in Australia that performs and teaches aerial art, burlesque dance and costume design but Dys said that it is difficult for Artbabes to gain reputable recognition because Australia is too conservative for the art they perform.“We were knocked back from [mainstream festivals] a few times and we weren’t even noticed by other aerial places because they thought we too sexy,” Dys said, “Most artists have to leave the country to make money and to appreciate erotic art. Australia is just too conservative for that.”Apart from the setbacks, Artbabes have performed for Coke, BMW and the Sydney Burlesque festival, which Dys created. The next goal for Dys is to take the girls she teaches to China. “I’m opening doors to bring women to China and I want to bring all these girls to China, doing their art and I’m making that possible with a woman who lives in Shanghai. The girls would love to experience that and hopefully I can make it happen for them,” she says.Another achievement for Dys is that recently she built the only aerial tripod in Australia that is eight metres high, which she plans to train with before Artbabes’ upcoming events. Artbabes members are growing, with Dys opening a second studio in Hornsby, NSW, in addition to the main centre – a former church in central Sydney – to teach young women the talent behind Artbabes. For details of classes and performances, visit www.artbabes.com.au
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