You can apply on-line from Januray 1 to January 31.  Please make sure your application is complete and that you include the $20 application fee.

Thank you for applying to be part of the sixth Great Burlesque Exposition! No matter how much hard work we do, no matter how many vendors or teachers or audience members show up, it’s the performers that are the heart and soul of this event and we’re grateful you  want to be part of it.

The application has a few new questions on it this year. Since this event is in part about building the international burlesque community, we've asked if you are contributing volunteer efforts to the event, whether you are staying at the hotel, and if you’ll be attending the conference. We want to encourage everyone to participate as fully as possible in all of the elements of the weekend and not just the shows.

Please read everything carefully so that there are no surprises. If something is unclear, contact  us. We’re expecting more applicants than we have performance slots, so we won’t be able to take everyone.

We have four potential different performance opportunities: 

Saturday, April 7: The Main Event, our burlesque competition at which we distribute the annual Howard Awards. The Howards are our Judge's Choice Awards, named in honor of the famous Old Howard Theater, Boston's home of Burlesque for almost 100 years. Due to increased demand, we are accepting 30 (group and individual) performances this year, but we cannot accept more.

Sunday, April 8: The Bunny Ball is our family-friendly version of The Sideshow Ball.  We're looking for G-rated acts suitable for an all-ages audience. 

Sunday, April 8: The Newcomers’ Showcase featuring the rising stars of burlesque. If you have competed at one of the other major burlesque events, you do not qualify as a “newcomer”.

Sunday, April 8 (immediately following The Newcomers’ Showcase) is The Sideshow Ball, where the acts that accompanied classic burlesque – sword swallowing, knife throwing, hula hooping, juggling, tumbling, comedy, and more – get their chance to shine!

Please make sure your entry is received prior to the cut-off date. A late or incomplete application guarantees we won’t accept you.

The application fee is $20.00 per act.  If you are a group, all members of your group may submit an application, but each act requires its own submission. i.e., Two Dicks & A Jane Burlesque is a burlesque trio.  They submit one form for their group act, and then Dick York also submits an application for his boylesque solo act.  They'll pay $20.00 for each application.

You may apply on-line with a credit card

IMPORTANT DATES:
• Application must be received (not postmarked) by: Janaury 31, 2012
Note: There are a limited number of performance slots available. Submitting an application  does not guarantee you a performance slot.
• Applicants notified of acceptance: February 21, 2012
• Show Dates: Friday through Sunday, April 6-8, 2012 

We look forward to receiving your application and meeting each and every one of you in Boston in April!

The judges at The Main Event awards prizes in the following categories. You do not need to apply for a particular category, you just enter the competition.

• Best Solo Performer
• Best Troupe/Duet
• Best Hybrid
• Best Re-creation
• Most Humorous
• Most Classic
• Most Beautiful

Performers can win more than one category; if there is not an appropriate winner for a given category, it will not be awarded.

Best Soloist and Best Troupe/Duet are given for overall excellence in the art of burlesque as determined by the judges.
Best Hybrid was introduced in 2010 and recognizes those performers who combine striptease with another art (i.e, strip hula hoop, stripping while singing, etc.).
Best Re-creation is for those performers that have elected to perform a specific act created by someone else. This act must either be an historic act (i.e., Sally Rand's fan dance or Gypsy Rose Lee's "Stripteaser's Education") or a distinct act by a contemporary performer (i.e., Michelle Lamour's helium balloon dance). If it is a re-creation of an act by a contemporary performer, you must include the contact information for that performer so that we may confirm that permission has been granted for use. Additionally, you must submit documentation prior to The Exposition showing video footage of the original act and/or photographs of the costume that your re-creation will be compared to.
Most Humorous is the award that most tickles the judge's funnybones.
Most Classic is given to an original act which best captures the look and spirit of an historic era of burlesque, without being a re-creation. This is not necessarily Big Band or Swing era burlesque. A previous holder of the award won with a 1960s inspired act.
Most Beautiful is awarded to the act that the judges feel best conveys the dancer's beauty and charisma. It is not necessarily given to the most glamourous or the best costume. Story and movement both play a role in this award. 

Don’t Do It.

All right, that’s three words – but we mean it.   There’s a difference between inspiration and imitation. If you’re performing someone else’s act without their knowledge or permission, you’re stealing, plain and simple.

If you’re caught (and you will be) you’ll be banned from all future Burlesque Expositions, and we’ll pass the word to other festival organizers. If you’ve managed to win an award with a copied act, we will publicly strip you of your title. It makes us sad that we even need to say something like this here, but more and more often, plagiarism has become a problem in the burlesque community. Does this mean if you see someone do a cowboy act or an act with balloons or to particular piece of music that you can never use that character, element, or song? Of course not. Take inspiration from anywhere you can, but respect both the hard work that other performers have put into their acts and yourself enough to create something new.