The Van Ella Bordella
Created and Directed by Lola van Ella
Original music by Hannah Kreiger-Benson and Lola van Ella
Music Direction by Hannah Kreiger-Benson
Choreography by Jeez Loueez, Sailem, Mamie Dame, and Lola van Ella
Cast:
Lola van Ella
Lola van Ella is an international, award winning burlesque singer, dancer, producer, instructor and emcee. She is the CEO of Van Ella Productions, through which she and her team produce many lauded events, including the international Show-Me Burlesque Festival, The Shimmy Showdown, Spectaculaire, and most frequently, her immersive burlesque musical, The Van Ella Bordella, which has celebrated over 250 performances.
Lola is also one half of Loleezbo, a comedy duo lead web series and online show co-created with Jeez Loueez. In 2020, Lola was named “most influential burlesque performer,” by 21st Century Burlesque, along with Jeez. In reference to her performance style, 21st Century wrote, “Striptease and song is so often a marriage that doesn’t quite work. So few performers can do both to a high standard, and at the same time. But Lola is an example of how well it can be done.”
She has taught, produced and performed in events all over the world, and takes great pride in being “the most naked Ted Talk presenter.
Hannah Kreiger-Benson
Hannah is a full-time musician and nerd. She works at the intersection of music, advocacy and cultural economy to empower equity accessibility and financial literacy for cultural practitioners as the head of Research and Programs for the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans (MaCCNO.com).
She also researches and runs the digital history project Frenchmennotes.com. As a working musician she plays at Pat O’Briens historic piano bar, with Dusky Waters, and music-directs The Asylum Chorus in addition to the Bordella, as well as playing trumpet for the Bra’s Band Brass Band. Hannah is a Board member for the Musicians’ Council on Fair Wages, Culture Aid NOLA, and the Camel Toe Lady Steppers, is a voting member of the Recording Academy, and is an adjunct Professor at Loyola University.
Ainsley Matich
Ainsley Matic is a local musician, composer, and music director who has been involved in the New Orleans music scene since 2012. When she isn’t tickling the ivories as professor, you can catch her playing with her band Ainsley Matic and the Broken Blues, getting weird with her solo synth act “i am not dead”, or performing with other great local acts like Sweet Magnolia, the Lonesome Wild, and the Lena Prima band.
Miss Angie Z
Ariana Amour
Ariana Amour puts the T in Tease and LGBT. An all-around entertainment powerhouse both in front of and behind the curtain, Ariana Amour has made waves in the New Orleans burlesque scene since 2016. Coming out from behind the scenes of the New Orleans drag scene, Ariana transcends onstage offering all the glamour, beauty, romance, and drama you could want in a compact yet compelling package.
Betsy Propane
Betsy Propane, known as “the high octane beauty of burlesque ” that will ignite the flame in your heart, she is a funny sassy lady that has a fiery finish! Betsy is also a Barber and professional singer. She hosts a weekly burlesque show to a live band every Monday at The Allways Lounge.
Gia Vaughna
Latinx lgbtq powerhouse, Gia Vaughna is a singer, dancer, actress, and producer born and raised in Houston, Texas, where she trained classically in ballet and modern dance. In addition to her classical training, Gia began moonlighting in burlesque with The Moonlight Dolls at the historic Isis Theatre in 2015 where became dance captain, choreographer and a singing & stripping siren.
Today she is an international performer and the producer of Houston’s only live jazz and burlesque show, and Ficheras: Live Latin Band & Burlesque in New Orleans. Gia is now based in New Orleans, Louisiana where she performs with Trixie Minx Productions, Inferno Burlesque, and is a core cast member of Lola Van Ella’s Historical Storyville burlesque musical: The Van Ella Bordella. Tagline: The Sweet Mexican Pearl
Gigi Marx
The sparkliest Marx brother, Gigi has been performing on stages from Nova Scotia to New Orleans for over seven years. Combining comedy, theatre and some good old bump and grind in costumes they probably finished ten minutes before stepping onstage. They have performed in festivals across North America and have loved being in the Bordella cast for the past 3 years.
Jezebelly
Iridessence (aka Jezebelly) is a model, self-portraitist, Vogue-featured costume history enthusiast and burlesque artist who works and lives in New Orleans with roots from Chicago. Her work often features vintage, theatrical and historical themes and marries them to radical self-love in a socio-political scape that marginalizes people of size and color.
Mz. Juno
Heralding from New Orleans by way of Kansas City, Mz Juno has been performing on stages all over the country since 2017. Known as “the Naomi Campbell of Burlesque,” and “The Modern Mother of Black Burlesque in New Orleans,” it’s no surprise that Mz. Juno is also referred to as “Miss Booked and Busy.”
A frequent performer in The Van Ella Bordella, you can also see her in her own productions, including Inferno Burlesque, Beaucoup Burlesque, Finesse Fridays, and Juno’s Cabaret. Most recently, she was awarded the title of Kansas City Queen of Burlesque.
Mamie Dame
Mamie Dame is “a little bit of a whole lot”! This petite peach got her start on the stages of New Orleans and quickly became known for her energetic and witty tease. This international performer is sure to put a smile on your face and take miles off your heart.
Mikayla Braun
Mikayla Braun is a dynamic, New Orleans-based, songwriter, performer, multi-instrumentalist, and community advocate. With years of captivating performances and recordings under her belt, Mikayla embodies music for the mind – she’s no stranger to using music to manage mental health, as well as offer such original music to others for catharsis and connection.
Whether she’s making the audience swoon at a hotel bar, uplifting spirits on a festival stage, lending her vocals to her own records or others, or facilitating her own benefit concerts, Mikayla’s commitment to community and musical enthusiasm translate across all stages of life!
Natalie Mae Palms
Natalie Mae Palms is multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter who plays and writes on piano, guitar, and banjo with three full-length albums to her name. Born into a family of musicians and raised in rural Michigan, she moved to New Orleans for college and quickly fell in love with the culture and soul of the city.
She produced her debut album “Waiting on You” in 2009 (Ind.) and has since released two more full-length albums: “More Than You Know” (Ind. 2012), which was nominated for a New Orleans OffBeat Award for Best Country/Folk/Americana Album, and “Run to You” (Fruge Records 2017). Natalie Mae lives a musician’s life in New Orleans, teaching music and gigging regularly solo and with various projects, most notably in the indie power-duo The RamBull Rompers.
Sailem
Originally from the Good ole Saint Louie, NOW living their dreams in the Big Easy! SAILEM is an award winning burlesque performer, singer, producer, fire, and sideshow artist performing all over the country. This non binary demon is known for their monthly peepshow tent that resides at 12 Mile Limit every third Saturday and other selected dates.
In addition, Sailem is a musician and songwriter known for their hypnotic, haunting, whimsical, and gritty performance style and their original witchhouse/dark trap music that can be streamed on all music platforms. An original cast member of the Van Ella Bordella, SAILEM has toured the country with the production and can now be seen frequently in its current residency at The Allways.
Simone del Mar
Originally from California, international award-winning showgirl and producer Simone del Mar has bewitched audiences far and wide.
Relocating to New Orleans in May 2021, she has taken the city by storm. Simone won the Biggest Tease award at the 2022 Oregon Burlesque Festival and was a featured performer on The Big Easy cruise line in 2023. In addition to performing regularly with The Van Ella Bordella, she is also a cast member of Fleur de Tease, New Orleans’ longest-running burlesque company, and you can also see her modeling in several campaigns for the clothing line, Trashy Diva.
Ula Uberbusen
Broadway World calls her act “the most captivating routine of the evening.” Ula Uberbusen is a burlesque performer and professional actress from New York City. She has toured internationally, produces yearly burlesque tours in the US, and has been featured in numerous festivals across the country. She played a featured role in the award-winning NY burlesque film “The Cruel Tale of The Medicine Man.”
Ula has been recognized for her theatrical, comedic, and thought-provoking performances with numerous awards, including the first “Beautiful Weirdo” Award from Alternatease, and “Most Original Act” from the Oklahoma City Burlesque Festival. Ula holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Miami and studied with the Shakespeare Theater Company and the NY School of Burlesque.