October 24 & 25, 2026 ◆ Seattle, WA
Passes on sale now!
Written by GeekGirlCon Deputy Director Kristine Hassell
Kristine Hassell recently sat down with Jessica Obrist to discuss burlesque, nerdlesque, and their shared love of Phryne Fisher! Jessica is also known as Jo Jo Stiletto, fabulous burlesque producer, performer, historian, and the Professor of Nerdlesque – the leading authority on all things nerdy in burlesque!
Written by Crystal Tassels, burlesque performer.
Crystal Tassels
Photo by Mandy Flame
Star Trek fans have long been portrayed by the mainstream media as quintessential nerds. Generally considered more fanatic than enthusiast, the negative connotation surrounding the term “Trekkie” has driven many fans to opt for the more neutral “Trekker.” Even Urban Dictionary’s list of words related to Trekkie includes such affirming vocabulary as “loser,” “dork,” “dweeb,” and even “virgin” (which makes me cringe in a special way).
We’re all familiar with the image of a Trekkie as an unattractive, and maybe gross, middle-aged dude who presumably lives in his parents’ basement. (The comic book guy from The Simpsons comes to mind.) In America, this is the cultural baggage that we risk evoking when we tell people that we are Star Trek fans. Of course, this stereotype isn’t limited to just Trekkies, but, outside the gamut of geekery, it’s hard to come up with another hobby that carries with it such a specific and unsexy set of cultural associations.
As a fangirl, I find it incredibly inspiring to see other Trekkies getting their sexy on, Enterprise-style. It happens in fan fiction, in art, in swag, and in deliciously geeky conversations. But I find that I respond most strongly to something a bit more physical. Nerdlesque is the most over-the-top, sensual way to express and explore fandom that I’ve ever encountered. This subgenre of burlesque brings fandom to hot, fleshy life by combining it with parody, dance, and classic striptease. It brings physicality to fan fiction and narrative to cosplay, then gets naked and rolls in glitter.
Geek-mecca Seattle is home to some of the best nerdlesque in the world. (In fact, as a nerd and burlesque artist myself, the city’s robust community of geeky ecdysiasts was one of the main reasons I moved here.) That’s not an exaggeration; many genre-defining performers and producers call the Emerald City their home. (For more proof, check out this post on “Seattle’s Summer of Nerdlesque” by Jo Jo Stiletto, Professor of Nerdlesque and expert in all things naked and nerdy.) The artists that create nerdlesque are fans themselves, and use their bodies to investigate uncharted territory in canons “[f]rom video game vixens and superheroes to Labyrinth, David Lynch, DC Comics, Neil Gaiman and Doctor Who,” says Stiletto.
Image source: Annex Theatre
A newcomer to the production side of nerdlesque is up-and-coming theater company Songbird & Raven, whose inaugural season opener is Star Trek: The Sexed Generation, a fully scripted burlesque play that unfolds aboard the Starship Enterprise. When the initial casting call for this show went out, I nearly fell out of my chair. Not only is this a romp of sexy Trek silliness, but also a legitimate exploration of gender and identity in the canon. Through gender-bending and storytelling, the characters tease their way through questions of power and sex in Roddenberry’s future utopia. It’s a space-age cultural study in tassels and sequins. Smart and sexy? Yes, please.
(Full disclosure: The author of this post is definitely biased in thinking that Star Trek: The Sexed Generation will be one of the best nerdlesque events of 2014. She’s in the show! But seriously, it’s good, y’all.)
So why does this matter? I’m not arguing that the burlesque stars shimmying through the canon are writing fan fiction scenarios that haven’t already been explored to some extent elsewhere. But the physical sexualization of geek canon, done on geek-girl terms, has powerful implications. Fangirls run the risk of actually believing the cultural baggage that nerdiness carries. We risk being othered and made to believe that our interests are weird and undesirable, and that therefore we are weird and undesirable. Nerdlesque rejects and negates all of that baggage. It lets geekdom shine in all its sexy glory and connects canon with the bodily sensuality of both the performers on stage and the audience watching. What’s more, nerdlesque celebrates and critiques pop culture by using nudity in a very public, subversive way.
I would strongly encourage all ladies of nerdy persuasion to celebrate their fandom with some woman-powered, sexy nerdlesque. Bring your friends and daughters, too.
For another look at nerdlesque, as written for the audiences of Penthouse magazine, check out this article from September 2013, which features several Seattle-based artists.
In a world where women let their geek flags fly, thirteen burlesque performers will gather to celebrate female fandom through the art of striptease. And they’ll do it all without having conversations about their boyfriends!
Left: Shanghai Pearl, photo by Jules Doyle. Right: Rebecca Davis, photo by Inti St. Clair
Hosted by Rebecca M. Davis and featuring performances by burlesque luminaries Miss Indigo Blue (Miss Exotic World 2011), Lola LeSoleil (Southern Fried Burlesque Queen 2013), The Shanghai Pearl, and Iva Handfull (Kansas City Burlesque Festival Queen 2013), Bechdel Test Burlesque offers top-notch talent with a geeky flair. These superheroes of striptease will be joined by nerdlesque’s rising stars, including Bolt Action, Flirty Sanchez, Maxie Milieu, Sara Dipity, Sailor St. Claire, Scarlett O’Hairdye, Sophie Maltease, Trooper, and Trojan Original, making for an explosion of nakedness and nerdiness!
Left: Trooper. Right: Lola LeSoleil
Produced in association with GeekGirlCon, Bechdel Test Burlesque will be a fun, feminist romp sure to go down in history. GeekGirlCon ‘13 attendees, Seattle burlesque fans, and geeks of all stripes will have two chances to experience this epic event with two showtimes at the inimitable Re-Bar. With all the costumes flashing around onstage, audience members are highly encouraged to cosplay! Come in your best geeky gear and get ready to hoot and holler!
Tickets to view these ecdysiasts start at $15 for general admission. VIP tickets, which include a reserved seat closest to the stage, are $30. All tickets are available via BrownPaperTickets starting Friday, September 20. Full disclosure: the show is likely to sell out, so save that date and act fast to secure a seat!
Date: Friday, October 18, 2013
Times: 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Price: $15 for General Admission Seating, $30 for VIP
Where: Re-bar, 1114 Howell Street, Seattle, WA 98101
Don’t forget that just before these tour de forces begin, GeekGirlCon is hosting another kick-off party over at the Tap House Grill! Imagine the excitement of picking up your Con passes at registration, grabbing some noms, and meeting new peeps at the Tap House Grill party, then joining even more fellow geeks over at Re-bar. Your weekend is sure to start off right with all this entertainment.
Kick off your weekend right with Bechdel Test Burlesque: because this time, the personal is political. Get your tickets now!
After snagging your tickets to the striptease, remember to pick up your passes for GeekGirlCon ‘13!
All right, so you’ve read our nerdlesque blog post or the GeekWire article about the “Summer of Nerdlesque.” Or perhaps you heard about nerdlesque on BJ Shea’s Geek Nation?
But some of you might still be wondering what this burlesque thing is all about. You could be thinking, “will I feel comfortable attending?” “how can it be empowering to take off one’s clothes?” or “how nerdy can it actually be?”
Here’s what I tell a lot of people confused about burlesque: the performer has the power in burlesque performance; they get to create and tell their own story. You’ll see some seriously artistic and nuanced performances, and when it comes to nerdlesque, joyously geeky. But don’t take it from me, take it from the experts!
Steven Stone, GeekGirlCon hospitality coordinator and organizer of the video game-themed burlesque show, JOYstick! (next week on July 20th & 21st), talks with burlesque organizers and performers about Seattle’s “Summer of Nerdlesque,” the history of burlesque and neo burlesque, upcoming nerdlesque shows, and why they see burlesque as empowering for women.
Check out the video below, and get your JOYStick! tickets here!
Have you been to a nerdlesque show (like Whedonesque at GeekGirlCon ‘11)? What nerdlesque are you looking forward to this summer?
Seattle is home to many nerds and geeks. The Seattle Times recently dedicated an article to the growing geek community, GeekWire gives us in-depth coverage on the startup and technology community, and, of course, Seattle has GeekGirlCon (have we mentioned you should get your passes now?). We are also home to tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft, engineering masters like Boeing, and global health innovators like PATH, Seattle BioMed, and Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Yes, the nerds are taking over Seattle. And this summer, they’re also taking over Seattle’s burlesque scene.
That’s why we’re calling this the “Summer of Nerdlesque.” So far, we counted four — yes, four — nerdlesque shows in Seattle this summer.
Starting at the end of June, geeks can enjoy Behind the Blue Door: A Doctor Who-inspired Cabaret. This will be a tribute to everyone’s favorite Time Lord, his TARDIS, and his companions! From their website: “With eleven Doctors, multiple companions, several spin-off shows, and an entire universe to explore, anything can happen!”
Behind the Blue Door
When: Friday, June 29 and Saturday, June 30 at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Annex Theatre, 1100 E Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122
Cost: $16 Advance / $20 At the door
Who: 18+, Must have valid ID
Game of Thrones fans can enjoy Stark Naked in mid-July, presented by FAUXDUST. It might be summer by then, but Winter is Coming to Seattle’s Theater Off Jackson. From their event page: “Stark Naked features a burlesque khalasar, singer-songwriters of Ice and Fire, actors, and dancers from all over the Seven Kingdoms — Seattle, Olympia, and Portland!”
Stark Naked
When: Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14 at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Theatre Off Jackson, 409 7th Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98104
Cost: $20 Advance / $25 At the door
Who: 21+, Must have valid ID
The following week, GeekGirlCon hosts a nerdlesque tribute to the world of video games. Whether you like modern-day MMORPGs or old-school NES games, JOYstick! will have an act for every gamer! One of the best things about JOYstick! is that it was created by gamers, for gamers — every performer is a video game aficionado. All proceeds benefit GeekGirlCon, so get your tickets to help ensure we can keep hosting our convention and other special events and nerdlesque shows throughout the year. (Keep an eye on our website for a TV Dinner at Central Cinema featuring video game-themed TV shows, where you can catch a sneak peak of some JOYstick! acts.)
JOYstick!
When: Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21 at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Theatre Off Jackson, 409 7th Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98104
Cost: $20 Advance / $25 At the door / Click here to buy tickets!
Who: 21+, Must have valid ID to enter
Finally, combine the world of Joss Whedon with burlesque, and you get Whedonesque Burlesque. In late August and September, show-goers can enjoy acts inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Avengers, Firefly, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, Dollhouse, Angel, and maybe even Cabin in the Woods. Tickets went on sale last Friday, and they are almost completely sold out. Didn’t snag a ticket? Keep an eye on the Facebook event page to see if additional tickets go on sale.
Whedonesque Burlesque
When: Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25 at 8:00 p.m.; Friday, August 31 and Saturday, September 1 at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Theatre Off Jackson, 409 7th Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98104
Cost: $20 Advance (Premium and VIP tickets also available)
Who: 21+, Must have valid ID to enter
As if these four events weren’t enough, our neighbors north of the border are putting on an event that will make most GeekGirlCon fans squeal out loud: Geeks After Dark is hosting a Firefly-themed burlesque show this August in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Wow, that’s a lot of nerdlesque for one summer. And we’ve probably missed some. Which shows do you plan on attending? Which ones did we skip over? Let us know in the comments!
