Lady Jaimz had no idea when she co-created Corsets & Cuties, A Burlesque Cabaret, nearly a decade ago that this is what she would be doing as her fulltime job.
“At the time we just had so many talented friends who had been working at the theme parks but didn’t fit that mold anymore,” Jaimz says. “As you get older you kind of fall out of the different roles that they seek. After having kids and whatnot, you have a different grasp on life and we wanted to give people a chance to get their sexy back.”
Jaimz started down her path to burlesque with a 2012 show in the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival called “Redlight: The Bad Girls of Broadway,” a cabaret filled with the sexiest songs from popular Broadway shows.
“We sold out the entire run and got Patron’s Pick,” says Jaimz. “That year was in partnership with Breakthrough Theatre, and then the next go around, they wanted to do a regular play, so that’s when me and a friend started to build our own troupe, Corsets & Cuties. We invited all of our friends who we knew were hella talented to be a part of it.”
Eight years later, Corsets & Cuties is one of the most well-known burlesque troupes in Central Florida. The group is ready to celebrate their bronze milestone with a cabaret show at The Abbey in Orlando Aug. 28.
“We are excited to be at The Abbey because it will be the first time we’ve gotten to perform a full show there,” Jaimz says. “We’ve had a couple guest spots there for different events but this will be the first time the Cuties are on the marquee, so we are super excited about that.”
Corsets & Cuties currently has 13 regular members in its troupe with entertainers that include singers, dancers and aerialists. They put a focus on their shows being a safe space for anyone who wants to “take a few moments out of the crazy chaos that is happening in this world to come have some fun and enjoy themselves.”
“It’s also important to me that people in the audience see themselves reflected on stage,” Jaimz says. “We are body positive. We have performers who are male, female, transgender, all shapes and sizes; I hardly ever say no because I want there to be an outlet for people who don’t fit the traditional mold.”
Jaimz has always been a “look at me” kind of person, she says. She was active in theater during her high school days and right out of school she went into training at SAK Comedy Lab.
“My background is improv, I’ve been doing improv for over 20 years,” she says. “That really helped lend itself to being able to be in front of an audience and take them on a ride. You have to read your audience a lot and see which way they are going to go with you, especially with burlesque. You can be funny, you can be political, you can be sweet, you can be very heart wrenching; when I started with that Fringe show, it gave me just a little taste of what people are wanting.”
Along with Blue Star’s VarieTEASE and Ivy’s Les Vixens, Corsets & Cuties have helped to usher in a resurgence of burlesque in Orlando over the last several years.
“It’s funny to say but I actually have to give credit to the theme parks,” Jaimz says. “We are kept in such a family-friendly zone for most of the people in Central Florida who are performers by trade. Having burlesque as an outlet has given people a chance to show their other side, a chance to do something they wouldn’t normally get to do. I think it’s something for everyone, and the funniest thing is people are so intimidated because they think it’s one thing when its actually another.”
What has helped to set Corsets & Cuties apart from other burlesque troupes is putting an emphasis on comedy within their shows.
“We consider ourselves the class clowns of burlesque,” Jaimz says. “We pride ourselves on being more Vaudeville. There is plenty of neo burlesque and traditional burlesque out there, but I think if you can keep people laughing then you will keep them through the entire run of the show. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we take the show seriously. It’s not all comedy though, we enjoy having those highs and lows in a show that help to bring the audience on this ride.”
Jaimz promises quite the ride for fans of Corsets & Cuties when they come out for their 8-Year Anniversary show.
“We are wanting to bring in the fun we are known for so, without giving too much away, we have a crazy group number that I’ve been wanting to do for a couple of years,” Jaimz hints,” and since the show is in August the number may have something to do with everyone being back to school. Then our closure, I always want people to leave with a full heart and a party mind, so our closing number is going to be something inspiring. People will know it from Tik Tok so they’ll be able to join along.”
Jaimz also promises the return of several regular cast members.
“It’s a full lineup,” she says. “I am always humbled by the amount of talent in this troupe. People give their time and their energy to do this little show we have that leaves such an impact on the people who come and watch it.”
Following their anniversary show, Corset & Cuties will be back at the Theater West End in Sanford for their seventh annual amateur contest.
“The amateur contest started after our first year because people kept coming up to us after every show asking how they can be a part of this,” Jaimz says. “It wasn’t your stereotypical dancers who were coming up to us, it was moms, housewives, people who maybe use to perform back in the day and they have that itch to get back on stage.”
Corsets & Cuties 8 Year Anniversary will be at The Abbey in Orlando Aug. 28, doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available at AbbeyOrlando.com.
The 7th Annual Corsets & Cuties Amateur Contest will be at Theater West End in Sanford Sept. 11 starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available at TheaterWestEnd.com.
