Next Sunday, “SuicideGirls: Blackheart Burlesque” returns to Tucson to perform at the Fox Tucson Theatre.
“Blackheart Burlesque” is an up-tempo, indie-soundtrack-filled show with choreographed dances making famous pop-culture references.
This rendition of “Blackheart Burlesque” will include pop culture references to “Orange is the New Black,” “Star Wars,” “Donnie Darko,” “Sailor Moon,” “Westworld” and other famous shows and movies.
SuicideGirls is an online community celebrating alternative beauty and indie culture. With the pop-culture references within the show, SuicideGirls bring a twist to classic burlesque.
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“My favorite reference at the moment would be ‘Westworld,’ but there are so many great ones,” said Missy Suicide, co-founder of SuicideGirls.
Suicide, whose birth name is Selena Mooney, created SuicideGirls in 2001 with Sean Suhl. Their website is a location with videos, photos, profiles, tour dates and merchandise for anyone interested.
“I wanted to showcase beautiful women that maybe were not society’s definition of beauty,” Suicide said. “I knew a lot of women with tattoos and piercings, and I wanted to showcase it.”
When she first started SuicideGirls, Suicide was working in Los Angeles before deciding to move to Portland to focus on photography. While in Portland, Suicide was taking pin-up style pictures of her friends in an effort to showcase their beauty.
Since 2001, thousands of women have uploaded pictures to the SuicideGirls’s online community in hopes of achieving the status of SuicideGirl. Then, the community chooses which women are invited to join as a SuicideGirl.
Back in a time of dial-up internet and AOL chat rooms, SuicideGirls used the internet to help peddle its content. Before Facebook and Twitter, the SuicideGirls had their own version of a social media platform.
Suicide said many of the women’s favorite part of being a SuicideGirl is the friends they have made on the site.
In only a few years, SuicideGirls was successful enough to relocate the company to Los Angeles, and it has not looked back. The SuicideGirls have been featured in numerous publications such as The Oregonian and Ottawa Magazine.
Suicide’s creation blew up so much that in 2006, she made an appearance on the TV show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” While playing herself, Suicide was involved in an episode in which an 18-year-old girl in a group of erotic models was killed after performing.
“Blackheart Burlesque,” their live performance, first toured in 2003 and opened for Courtney Love and Guns N’ Roses. After suspending the tour for 10 years, the show returned in fall 2013 and sold out numerous locations.
SuicideGirls were last in Tucson in November 2015 and have frequently visited Tucson while touring the United States.
One thing Suicide would like to tell others is that they should not let society dictate what they do or how they act.
“Stay true to yourself and never compromise yourself,” Suicide said. “There are multiple ways to be beautiful besides what society deems beautiful.”
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Critics have raved about the show’s ability to put its own spin on pop culture, its energy and the messages that encourage confidence and self-love to its audience. It is an event that celebrates sexual expression and allows individuals to celebrate the qualities that make them unique.
SuicideGirls will be performing in Tucson on April 16 at the Fox Tucson Theatre, located at 17 W. Congress St. The show begins at 9 p.m. but the doors open at 7 p.m. for VIP ticket holders and 8 p.m. for regular viewers.
“Blackheart Burlesque” is a mature show for audiences 18 or older. Ticket holders unable to show valid identification proving they are 18 will not be admitted or given a refund. Tickets, which start at $20, can be purchased online on the Fox Theater website.
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