Burlesque: theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts.
At least that’s Merriam-Webster’s take on burlesque.
On Friday, July 29, the Virginia Alcohol and Beverage Commission, focused on the “striptease” aspect, raided the Canal Club during a Richmond Institute of Burlesque performance.
The agents spoke with owners that the club was in violation of the mixed beverage license agreement, said spokesperson for the ABC, Becky Gettings. The licensing has outlawed nudity in mixed beverage restaurants since liquor by-the-drink was first made legal in 1968.
The bill HB 1171 states that:
“For a mixed beverage licensee, the Board may revoke or suspend the license if the licensee allows entertainment of an obscene nature, strip teasing, topless entertaining, or entertainment that has employees who are not clad both above and below the waist unless the licensee is operating a theatre, concert hall, art center, museum, or similar establishment that is devoted primarily to the arts or theatrical performances, when the performances are expressing matters of serious literary, artistic, scientific, or political value."
The Virginia code states that there is an ABC penalty if a club serves liquor drinks while allowing "any striptease act on the licensed premises."
The operation was lead by Agent Allen Slonaker, who oversees the Fan jurisdiction, and whom Holiday, the head instructor at the Richmond Institute of Burlesque, said “is an open-supporter of burlesque.”
Holiday said "that the agents came in demanding to shut down the show for violating the mixed-beverage license agreement." The show was more than halfway through by the time agents finished talking with the club manager, so the event was actually allowed to finish.
The Canal Club was also not fined that night, but after meeting with lawyers on Monday, they have decided not to pursue the issue, Holiday said.
As a result, all burlesque shows are now canceled at the Canal Club, and others in the district are following suit for fear of being fined, like Wonderland in Shockoe Bottom.
Holiday, is also the creator and producer of Richmond Varietease, Virginia's first and longest-running burlesque show that has performed for more than two years at the Canal Club.
Boom Boom Basic Burlesque Studio hosted a student recital at Fallout, also in the Bottom, on Sunday, July 31-- following the other crackdown--without incident.
Strip clubs are not allowed to serve mixed drinks on site because of this law. Since Canal Club has a mixed-beverage license it cannot allow striptease of any kind.
“The main difference between burlesque and stripping is the idea of the tease,” Holiday said. “Stripping is simply about revealing nudity, whereas burlesque is an entertainment art, based around dance, musicality and the art of the tease.”
Many states have a cabaret license that distinguishes, and allows such performances, since burlesque is considered by many a completely different event than watching dancers at a strip club.
“The lack of such a law, or even a cabaret license as some states use, in what is a supposed to be a "regional arts hub," is sad,” Holiday said.
Richmond Varietease routinely averages crowds of 150 to 300 people per month said Holiday. The shows have hosted some of the biggest burlesque talent across the United States.
Deanna Danger, owner of Boom Boom Basics Burlesque Studio laments the artistic community's loss due to the ABC's actions.
"And I hope this situation brings light to the misconceptions about burlesque that our government has laws against," said Danger. "Burlesque is an adult oriented form of art and entertainment and should fall under the same "artistic nudity" laws that nude art exhibits fall under."
"Add this to the pile of unreasonable statues the Virginia ABC Board has in place that hampers local business owners," she added. "I know of plenty more bars and venues that would gladly host burlesque shows if they were not in fear of their ABC license being revoked."
"From a legal perspective the law clearly says there is an exemption for a legitimate theatrical production," Thomas Lisk, an attorney at Eckert Seamans who also previously served as chairman of the Industry Advisory Panel to the Virginia ABC Board during its regulatory review process, said.
Lisk pointed out that theater is not specifically defined and suggested that clubs that want to host burlesque consider having a theater status for the events, or renting out the club for those evenings.
"The ABC would challenge it and the club likely face a hearing, but probably win it," he said.
"Why is it wrong for the Canal Club to offer it if it could offered at venues (theaters) that have ABC licenses?" asked Lisk.
Alledgedly, agents visited the Canal Club Friday evening as a routine observation, not because there was a burlesque show happening, said Gettings.
"Events can go undetected as agents have diverse responsibilities and hundreds of establishments to monitor, however, once issues or violations are observed they are addressed quickly."
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