Girls in Rubber!!!
2009 | 5:01 am
Erik von Gutenberg recommends the Las Vegas Dance Show!
Dance troupe gears up for Fetish & Fantasy Ball
Admit it. You’re curious.
If you’re not turned on by the feel, shine and snug (really, really snug) fit of latex against the supple curves of a woman, then you’re at least curious to know how anybody manages to squeeze themselves into a full body catsuit. Add heels so high your run-of-the-mill stripper would cringe, mix in dance and performance art by seasoned Strip performers, and you’ll find yourself past curiosity. This is full-on captivation – also known as Girls in Rubber.
Billed as Sin City’s only fetish dance troupe, Girls in Rubber is a latex-clad group of 12 to 20 performers exploring sexual boundaries, even when (or perhaps especially when) bound by chains and hanging from the ceiling. Contrary to its name, Girls in Rubber actually includes performers from both sexes. Creator John Miller explains the troupe began in 2003 as his vision of a post-modern showgirl. It was originally all female but expanded to include men. However, the original name stuck with the group, perhaps because Boys in Rubber has a completely different connotation. OK, slightly different.
Not surprisingly, the troupe books a lot of sci-fi conventions. More unusual, Miller says, is the fact that the group conducts plenty of business within the vanilla world of corporate events. Turns out, men wearing suits love the novelty of mingling with seductive woman wearing bright red, rubber unitards at cocktail parties. Go figure.
This Halloween, Girls (ahem, and Boys) in Rubber will be headlining the 14th annual Fetish and Fantasy Ball, held at the Joint inside the Hard Rock. It will be the troupe’s second performance at the ball, having performed at the infamous Halloween bash six years ago.
The troupe consists completely of professional dancers, many from mainstream dance crew Lost Vega* Crew, while others are seasoned Cirque du Soleil performers currently working on the Strip. Miller says the characters they play at F&F are the dark, alter egos for many of the performers.
Performer Christy Fiara agrees.
The dancer says she had little insight into BDSM subculture before becoming a Girl in Rubber, and that’s true of most of the dance troupe. “As performers, we were interested in the costume side of things – corsets, shoes,†she says. “I was learning about (the subculture as a whole) along with everyone else.†Through the show, Fiara says she’s learned about the development of corsets and gained insight into the empowerment of being submissive.
The full Girls in Rubber show, performed as a one-off event at Krave years ago, includes a plotline with beginning, middle and end. The F&F performances will lack that continuity, Miller warns, but will still impress.
“(The audience) will be dazzled by the costumes and surprised by the talent,†he says. “It’s for that off-beat crowd that hungers for something different and sexy. It’s a subculture. Hopefully, we’ll help bring it mainstream.â€
Miller hopes the F&F performance might help Girls in Rubber set up permanent shop in the Vegas entertainment scene. Since Fashionistas closed early last year, a void has existed for envelope-pushing shows. “This is an adult, mature, erotic show,†he says. “Some of the existing shows are just copies of one another. We’re edgy enough to compete with Zumanity.â€
He adds, “It takes the right one or two people to see the show.â€
Fiara agrees and believes Saturday’s performance will aid the troupe in eventually finding a permanent home. “I have no doubt this will lead to something,†she says. But even if it doesn’t, the performer says she’s simply excited about participating in one of Vegas’ largest Halloween events.
Miller says audiences can expect professional staging and lighting in the best venue F&F has had in its 14-year existence. They can also expect edgy choreography by Jonnis Tannis, a former So You Think You Can Dance finalist from Season 1 who’s worked on numbers for Vegas shows Bite and Legends in Concert.
One thing that audiences shouldn’t expect: Mariah Carey-esque rapid costume changes. Latex looks and feels like a second skin. You can’t simply jump into costume and run on stage. You have to slither into it, Fiara says. Often, performers use powders and gels to comfortably get into the costumes.
“It’s definitely a challenge,†she says. “There are no quick costume changes here.â€
Despite the effort it takes to put on, Fiara says wearing the fetish gear is undeniably sexy. “(Latex) pulls everything up a bit,†she says. “It’s kind of like a corset, actually.â€
Adding (and removing) layers of lingerie over the full-body suits and latex underwear help spice up the costumes for the performers. Props and heels help, too. Then, there’s the fact that the dancers are moving seductively and sometimes doing performances while suspended by double hammocks and chains from the ceiling.
Fiara finds describing the show as a whole difficult. She tries. “It’s an experience.â€
source: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2009/oct/29/girls-rubber/
What a whirlwind few weeks for Your Humble Narrator and only True Friend it has been, my delightful comrades!
That’s easy. There is one – and only one – world-wide event that could possibly be considered the biggest, and the best, of any large-scale fetish related gathering of minds and behinds. I have written this before and I steadfastly stand by these words: the annual evolving wonder (that never follows the same single-word naming convention from year to year) that is Toronto’s 
George and his staff, lead by the unbelievably creative mind of his head designer Marty Rotman, somehow manage to make each and every subsequent annual event truly unique and a delightfully feverish, brain-popping explosion of visual excellence. Every year, the Northbound Leather team manage to create a stage show and a fashion show that is imitated by many, and inferior to none. This year, TRIBE promises to be categorized as the “best ever”, and is already being touted by the local media as one of the ”can’t miss” events in Canada’s largest city.
TRIBE, as the name undoubtedly suggests, is about Rite and Ritual. Marty Rotman has designed and assembled 36 one-of-a-kind, never before produced leather ensembles meant to produce an undeniable shine to each one of the fetish models and “cast members” involved in the spectacle. In addition to the vast amount of gleaming silver studs and immaculately-polished leather wear, there is an assortment of body art (tattoos, makeup and body painting) scheduled to be on display. While this is unquestionably the most ambitious undertaking for George and Northbound Leather, he’s well prepared for and very much up to the challenge. George took over the business from his father and astutely changed the name of the family empire from Leathercraft to Northbound Leather in the mid 1980′s. “People have been coming to us since the 1960′s, telling us what they want and we’ve made it for them,” George said. “People who shop with us want to stand out and be unique.” What started out as a small custom-wear shop catering to the Flower Power beatnik of the Vietnam War era grew first into an exciting new venture dedicated to outfitting the heavy glam-and-punk rocker enthusiasts, and eventually matured into the sleek, sensual all-encompassing leather and fetish powerhouse of fashion that Northbound Leather is today. Every one of their meticulously planned and perfectly executed events reflects this dedication to quality – and the care given to their customers. It isn’t an exaggeration to make the claim that an event like TRIBE is simply a way for George and Anna to “repay” their customers patronage and loyalty by providing them an exceptional venue in which to showcase their latest custom-designed fetish creations – and all without a premium price-tag.
lots of love and zombie support
