Let\u2019s Dance: A David Bowie Burlesque Tribute<\/a> on Friday, Nov. 7 at the ME Theatre.<\/p>\nHans Von StrangeLove, a co-producer of New Wave, is one of the masterminds behind this cabaret concept, along with his real-life partner Leggy StrangeLove and Kimbolicious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What really sets the production apart, is New Wave\u2019s main goal to cast people with unique looks or different aesthetics than what would be usually found in most other burlesque groups.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To StrangeLove, the production could be described as almost an amplified version of classic burlesque.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a performance,\u201d StrangeLove tells Orlando Weekly. \u201cThis is theater; there is sort of a structure to all of this. Everybody has put-together, elevated costume outfits and planned their stuff. So both of these are beautiful worlds, and we\u2019re not throwing shade at either of them. But what I think inspires me the most about what we\u2019re up to is finding that delicious synthesis of both of them and bringing drag and burlesque to the stage at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team decided to center on David Bowie for its debut show as a reminder to honor authenticity and expression, especially in our current turbulent times. Let\u2019s Dance is a nod to the cultural icon\u2019s persistence in remaining true to himself and defying gender expectations, even during a time when it was very uncommon to see men wearing makeup and flamboyant outfits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid Bowie, for me, is not only an icon of queer self-expression, but also an icon of resilience and evolution,\u201d StangeLove says. \u201cWe started this group in early 2025 in Florida, which is not a time when many people would be like, \u2018You know what, this is when the climate is most favorable for us to do this.\u2019 It is, in fact, because things presented in such a way that there would be a lot of headwinds or resistance, this is needed now more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
As well as showcasing the individual talents of the cast, the Bowie show will also feature a full-cast group number, with performers tackling different personae of the chameleonic artist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contributing to a collaborative project bigger than himself has alleviated some of the heaviness of the current climate in the United States. <\/p>\n
\u201cI still do see this as a part of myself as an American,\u201d StrangeLove says. \u201cThis is my part of my American self-expression, because I am an American, and this is what I\u2019m up to. So that\u2019s there for me, but critically, if you feel like you want to be a part of something that doesn\u2019t yet exist in the world, you get to create it. And that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re up to here, which is to say, \u2018Hey, this is something that we want more of, and so we are going to create it. \u2019 And so that\u2019s why we\u2019re doing this, is because it it helps us survive these times, not just for ourselves, but to create something that helps other people survive these times as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fostering this type of community, New Wave has cultivated a new safe space for Orlando\u2019s queer scene, something Kimbolicious, also a performer in Friday\u2019s Bowie show, calls central to the overall mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe political climate right now is not great, especially for queer people, especially for trans people, and in Florida specifically,\u201d Kimbolicious says. \u201cSo I think creating spaces that are safe for queer people, where community can be built, and where we can start to feel like we have a say over our future, is important to us. It\u2019s not about producing shows and making money. It\u2019s about getting the community together and highlighting art and rebelling in this way, which I think is a very constructive way to rebel against a lot of things that are happening right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it comes to performing, Kimbolicious says she enjoys being able to express all aspects of her personality, especially with the anticipation from the audience or the energy on stage with other performers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
StrangeLove describes having fallen in love with New Wave\u2019s community after witnessing extraordinary personal growth in all the people involved, including himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe capacity to cultivate both the creative spirit in general, but also the creative spirit to take your clothes off in front of a room full of people, is truly extraordinary,\u201d StrangeLove says. \u201cAnd so to have that, to have this extraordinary celebration of body and gender and all these other things \u2026 bodies and genders can typically be like, sites of pain, shame, expectation, and so it feels really inspirational to see those things transformed into sources of joy, play, community, affirmation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard horror stories of other places where the burlesque community is a little more cutthroat,\u201d Kimbolicious says, \u201cbut I have had nothing but good experiences with the people here, and everyone\u2019s cheering you on and celebrating you and they\u2019re there to help you on your journey. Whether you need help rhinestoning or sewing or help with your act, or if you just want some feedback, everyone is just ready to jump in and help. And it just feels very loving and welcoming and empowering to be a part of the greater community here in Central Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
This will be both StrangeLove\u2019s and Kimbolicious\u2019 first time in producer roles, and the process of putting the show together has been challenging, yet insightful for both.\u00a0Kimbolicious and the two StrangeLoves have been able to support each other through it all, complementing each other\u2019s strengths and coming together as a creative powerhouse to bring New Wave\u2019s vision to vivid life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the money it costs to put the show together and keep New Wave alive, StrangeLove is determined to make the show accessible for all, specifically in the wake of the ongoing federal government shutdown and SNAP cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is more important for us is that people get to come and be a part of this community, especially in these trying times,\u201d StrangeLove says. \u201cSo we\u2019ve tried to design our ticket systems that, you know, we\u2019ve had a pay-what-you-can deal for people, etc. That\u2019s there because it\u2019s an honor for everybody to come to submit their art for our show. It\u2019s an honor for people to attend our show.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s Dance<\/a> is only the first of what\u2019s to come for New Wave, who will be announcing more shows at Friday\u2019s (Nov. 7) performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/binary-viewer.png\")
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\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Wave Cabaret Credit: courtesy image Orlando\u2019s New Wave Cabaret has glam, camp and dark-humored flair in abundance.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[24188,24189,24190,139,24191,141,140],"class_list":{"0":"post-34720","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-david-bowie","9":"tag-lets-dance","10":"tag-new-wave-cabaret","11":"tag-orlando","12":"tag-orlando-burlesque","13":"tag-orlando-headlines","14":"tag-orlando-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LETS-DANCE-BURLESQUE-Kim-Leggy-Hans-RAWs-Courtesy-Photo-110.jpeg\")
New Wave Cabaret Credit: courtesy image<\/p>\n