There's been over 200 news reports about the
controversial performance at the climate change forum. After the hype died down a bit I was still able to find
92 different sources of articles on Miss Kitka's. Many sources ran several stories
over several days.
Miss Kitka's found their way into media in many different countries. Some
of the countries include:
Australia
United
States of America
Canada
New Zealand
United
Kingdom
France
South Africa
Taiwan
China
India
Europe
Japan
Solomon
islands
Below is one article, representative of many. But first... the results of The Sydney
Morning Herald Poll...
Idea
of climate conference strip show : Would you be outraged or entertained?
Definitely outraged
- 26% Probably outraged - 16% Probably entertained
- 23% Definitely entertained - 23% Head is in
the clouds anyway at official dinners - 12% Total
Votes: 6475 Poll date: 07/09/06
PM John Howard comments on Miss Kitka's
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 Current mood: amused
Prime Minister John Howard has spoken out about the controversial strip show which sparked a walk out at a climate conference
event at Old Parliament House.
Mr Howard said he understood the performance may have upset some women but "we don't want to overdramatise our reaction".
"I'm sensitive to the view of many women in relation to this but I do think we shouldn't overreact," he told Southern Cross
Broadcasting.
"My reaction is well, probably not appropriate but I'm not going to list it for discussion at the next meeting of the national
security committee of cabinet."
The burlesque costume, complete with fish-net tights, pink frilly panties, a corset and bra, is to be auctioned on eBay.
The
outfit sparked controversy when it was worn by striptease dance teacher and performer, Rebecca Gale, at a government-sponsored
conference dinner in Canberra on Wednesday night, prompting a walk-out by many of the women in the audience.
"I'm
even going to include the deflated balloons, Ms Gale told smh.com.au today.
"And the pins I gave people to pop the balloons."
The federal Environment
Minister, Senator Ian Campbell, yesterday pulled his department's $3000 sponsorship of the Australia New Zealand Climate Change
Forum, saying he was "appalled" at the choice of entertainment.
The Department of Department of Agriculture, which
also sponsored the event with $5000 through the Bureau of Rural Sciences, joined Senator Campbell's department in withdrawing
its funding.
Ms Gale, who invited scientists to pop the hot pink balloons attached to her costume at the dinner at Old Parliament
House, said the incident had been completely blown out of proportion.
"It's just ridiculous," she said.
The
costume would be advertised on the internet auction website later today, and the money raised given to conference organisers
to make up for the withdrawn funding.
"I have a great deal of empathy for the organisers," Ms Gale said.
"It
was all done in good faith. It was a bit of fun and a little bit naughty, but certainly not smutty."
The burlesque
routine was stopped about ten minutes into a planned 45-minute show after many of the women at the dinner stormed out in disgust.
Seven dancers from Miss Kitka's House of Burlesque, aged from their mid-20s to mid-50s, took part in the cabaret-style
entertainment, which included striptease and sexually suggestive comedy.
"There was no nudity," Ms Gale said.
The
teacher said while some of her students were upset at the negative reaction, they shared her view that there was nothing wrong
with the style of dance.
Sex industry advocate Robbie Swan said those who complained "just didn't get it''.
Mr Swan is the executive officer of the Eros Association, a lobby group for the nation's sex shop and adult entertainment
industry.
"These people are scientists, they are supposed to be intelligent and, one would hope, reasonably worldly people in their
outlook,'' Mr Swan said.
"You would think they would have a reasonably broad artistic and cultural understanding of life.''
He described the racy amateur show as a brilliant satire on sexual performance and likened Ms Gale's "laconic, tired old
show mistress'' character to Australia's most famous housewife, Dame Edna Everage.
"It's like saying Barry Humphries is a tawdry cross-dresser ... Anyone who would take this as a serious sexual performance
has totally missed the point.''
Organisers of the conference at the Australian National University yesterday issued an apology for any offence taken
at the show.
"The intent was light-hearted entertainment. In retrospect the choice of entertainment was inappropriate
for the occasion," organisers said. The shadow environment minister, Anthony Albanese, has called for an inquiry into
the matter.
"This is appalling and completely inappropriate and the Australian Government should immediately investigate
how on earth this occurred," he said.
Responding to Mr Albanese's calls for an investigation, a spokeswoman for the Environment Minister said she was not sure
what there was left to investigate.
"The moment the Minister heard of the incident he withdrew Commonwealth sponsorship, and has received a formal apology
from the ANU,'' the spokeswoman said.
According to Robbie Swan, administrator at the Eros Association, the climate scientists so shocked by a burlesque performance are getting all het up about nothing.
Swan points out that burlesque is not a sexual performance, does not usually involve nudity, and in this case was not designed
to be sexually suggestive. Swan disputes the many references to "strippers" made in reference to the incident, and says burlesque
doesn’t even have a place within the adult entertainment industry.
"The scientists totally missed the point," he told Crikey this morning. "It’s like saying Barry Humphries is a tawdry
cross-dresser, which he is, but that’s the joke. This particular performance is a satire and has more in common with
live theatre than anything you will see in a strip club."
"Burlesque is generally a hands-off show designed to be sexually-titillating, but to appeal to the head rather than the
groin. Burlesque can go into the old Parliament House because it’s not a strip show. It’s an art form, almost
akin to Bollywood dancing, with quite exaggerated make up and costumes, and that’s why it’s acceptable to put
it into places like the old Parliament House."
While Swan acknowledges there are better places for a burlesque performance, he also worries that the "prudishness and
wowserism" on display this week may signal a deeper malaise within the nation’s scientific community. "These are people
are supposed to be leading the community on matters of national significance, and I worry that the deep conservatism expressed
here might affect their judgments on matters involving their work."
Even though conference organisers may choose a different form of entertainment next year, it appears
they may not have to go without their funding after all. Rebecca Gale, the leader of the offending dance troupe, will put
the outfit, complete with popped balloons, up for sale online and donate the money to the conference. And in a bid to bridge the gulf between climate scientists and burlesque dancers,
Gale has also offered free burlesque classes to the lady scientist she offended: "She could perhaps come and experience first-hand what we're about, and see that
we're not as degrading and as backward leading for women as she seemed to think it was," Gale said.
In Eros Journal Volume 5 number 3 published in 2004, we ran a story about Eros member, Rebecca Gale aka Miss Kitka, who
lodged a complaint about the Canberra Institute of Technology with the Human Rights Office after claims they discriminated
against her dance class due to her link to the sex industry. The complaint was made after her “Burlesque – The
Art of Exotic Dancing” evening course was dropped from CIT’s adult learning community-education programme after
it was deemed to fall outside the schools profile.
Well Rebecca won the case and now Miss Kitka’s House of Burlesque has gone from strength to strength after moving
its rehearsal premises to the ANU Psychology Society – where the more academic minds understand the difference between
commercial stripping and burlesque.
On Friday 14th July Miss Kitka’s students performed their second graduating
show of the year with a Christmas in July extravaganza. The saucy performers dazzled the crowd with their singing, dancing,
wit and nipple tassel twirling. With a shimmy shimmy here and a bump and grind there, the girls and guys were led through
the night by a PVC clad Miss Kitka – who’s improvised dead pan humour, sexual innuendo and whip-cracking double
entendres surely had Mae West smiling from the heavens.
For information on Miss Kitka’s House of Burlesque and
future shows please contact Miss Kitka at: www.myspace.com/misskitkas
Escape from daily bump and grind with burlesque Karen
Ingram Sunday, 23 July 2006
IT'S naughty but never nasty, it's got a long and memorable history, and it's making
a comeback that stretches all the way to Canberra.
The graduates of the capital's only Burlesque School are bringing their show Christmas in July to the stage next weekend
in their first public performance.
The school's teacher, Miss Kitka - also known as undergraduate psychology student at the Australian National University
Rebecca Gale - has put together a stage show that will introduce audiences to the retro glamour of burlesque, an art form
that dates back to the early Victorian era in the US. Burlesque originally lent a humorous slant to established forms of entertainment
such as musicals, ballet, stage drama and opera.
It grew to include elements of traditional strip tease, adding sexually suggestive humour and titillating costumes, until
a social crackdown in the 1930s all but wiped it off the stage.
However, a large-scale revival in the US during the 1990s has led to renewed interest in burlesque worldwide, and Ms Gale
said each of her Canberra-based classes had been sold out. The course was originally offered through the CIT's adult community-education
programs, but was deemed to fall outside the school's profile and cut from the course list. It was now offered through the
ANU's Psychology Society.
KAREN INGRAM
Top picture: thanks to Rob. Bottom picture: Canberra Times, left to right: The Brooklyn Bombshell, Miss Kitka, Bubbles,
Titti Boo Boo and Shrinking Violet.
Audiences lap up local kitties, reviewed by Jorian Gardner, City Review
“Miss Kitka’s House of
Burlesque” Directed by Rebecca Gale. Teatro Vivaldi’s, ANU with a continuing season on July 28/29, Karmel
Room, ANU.
There must be something in the air of late, because the art of burlesque is making a big comeback. Companies
are putting on burlesque nights and girls are queuing up to learn the fan dance and the art of shaking one’s breasts
for hypnotising effects with nipple tassels. “Miss Kitka’s House of Burlesque” came with a “Christmas
in July” theme, and for what is essentially a review-style show of various traditional strip-tease performances, it
managed to be a very entertaining night out.
We had go-go dancers and performance poetry; lap dancing; traditional
striptease like the fan dance; some solo numbers beautifully performed (especially a “Marilyn-esque” number by
Lisa Pavlinovic, aka “Bubbles” in the second act); and a host of choreographed group pieces that provided some
steamy, and very funny moments.
Miss Kitka runs burlesque classes here in Canberra and this was the performance outcome.
It was wonderful to see all these beautiful local gals having such fun with the art form, as well as bringing out the inner
sex kitten that their friends and family knew was always there. Teatro Vivaldi’s was a great choice of venue for this
show and as usual the food was wonderful with exceptional wines to match – just excellent. I am told that Miss Kitka
will be putting together more shows like this one in the future, so keep your ear to the ground for her next season around
town.
Stateline, ABC.
A segment on Miss Kitka's House of Burlesque appeared on ABC's Stateline on 23/06/06.
amused 
Don't overreact to strip show: PM 
