June 9, 2026
ARTS FLASHBACK & PRESS PLATFORM
Destroy The Joint Burlesque. November 25th, 2012
“The Australian Burlesque Calendar was founded in 2011 by Dusk Devi* to help fans find performances and performers find their fans. In 2016 the Calendar received a new custodian…”
The new custodian of the Australian Burlesque Calendar on YouTube.
*Dusk Devi aka TS Publisher Sandhya Nand
artwork done for ABC by performance artist Lucille Speilfuchs
I have never been a burlesque performer nor did I wish to be one. I was a fan at a time when it was performance art and not just titillation-lite, no pun intended.
Unfortunately like all bohemian artistic communities there is always a lack of organisation, the latter is the very thing that suffocates an artist… despite being the actual thing that an artist needs, to do the thing that makes their soul breathe!
As an artist I understand that but as a burlesque fan I wanted to know what was on and when so spontaneity could have a plan to land on.
The Australian Burlesque Calendar was a Facebook page I started in 2011, dedicated to showcasing Australian burlesque performers and helping fans find their favourites.
At its peak, the page had a reach of 1 million unique viewers and helped raise the profiles of the [very dedicated, talented and underpaid] performers and the professional “alternative” performing community. It also launched my professional photography career (I have been photographing since I was 10 but professionally since I was 40). These are stories for another time.
This story is a nostagia-flash to a specific event during Australia’s burlesque halcyon days, headlined by many of the top burlesque performers of that time and co-produced by me. It was a feminist-voice burlesque event, which took its name from a comment made by one of Australia’s most famous misogynists and sexual predators.
Separately and interestingly, despite being headlined by performers known for their pro-feminist stance (their performances more raw and naked than their bodies) womens groups who identified as “feminist” attacked and mocked this event, forgetting that “Feminism” is about a Woman. ALL of her and it starts with her naked body.
I have been a media professional since I was 18 in the late 80s. I have used my platforms and my voice to shatter stereotypes and invisible walls, but not out of rebellion. I was battered and raped as a child and this was exercise for my empathy bone.. I didn’t feel the need to share this with anyone till I reached my 50s but you don’t need experience to feel empathy. You just need to speak.
I made another observation while chronicling this fascinating community: it’s white women’s revenge. Both feminism and burlesque. [Story in PUBLISHER’S LOG].
Let’s get on with this show. – SN
The Comment Made By One of Australia’s Most Famous Misogynists and Sexual Predators
Article by Paola Totaro. Sep 4, 2012
“Australian radio broadcaster Alan Jones [and former Wallabies coach] sparked massive public outrage in August 2012 when he stated on-air that women were “destroying the joint.” He made the controversial comment while criticizing female leaders, citing Australia’s then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, and former Victorian Police Commissioner Christine Nixon…” – The Guardian.
What Is Alan Jones Doing Now? When Not Contaminating The Joint.
1. Charge dropped against veteran broadcaster Alan Jones ahead of indecent assault trial
by Jamie McKinnell. Tue June 2, 2026
“Alan Jones will face one less criminal charge when he stands trial on indecent assault allegations later this year. The withdrawal of the charge reduces the overall number of complainants from nine to eight.
[….] Prosecutors have dropped one of the criminal charges against veteran broadcaster Alan Jones less than two months before the start of his trial, reducing the number of complainants in his indecent assault case.
The 85-year-old has pleaded not guilty and denies all charges, including 25 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching which related to nine complainants.”- READ MORE at ABC [Aus]
The 85-year-old has pleaded not guilty and denies all charges, including 25 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching which related to nine complainants.”- READ MORE at ABC [Aus]
2. Sex abuse charges against top Australian radio host downgraded
by Lana Lam. September 18, 2025
“Prosecutors have downgraded some of the most serious sex abuse charges against veteran broadcaster and former Wallabies coach Alan Jones after a court hearing on Thursday.
Mr Jones now faces 27 charges which allege that he indecently assaulted or groped nine men over two decades.” – READ MORE at BBC.
Mr Jones now faces 27 charges which allege that he indecently assaulted or groped nine men over two decades.” – READ MORE at BBC.
3. According to his Wikipedia page:
“In November 2024, Jones was arrested and charged with twenty-six offences against eight alleged male victims between 2001 and 2019, including aggravated indecent assault, assault with an act of indecency, sexually touching another person without consent, and common assault.
The youngest alleged was 17 at the time. Two more indecent assault charges (relating to a ninth alleged victim) were laid in November, followed by an additional eight charges (relating to a tenth alleged victim) in December.
On 18 December 2024, Jones pled not guilty to all charges.On 7 March 2025, Jones was charged with an additional count of indecent assault, relating to an eleventh alleged victim. – Wikipedia
[Excerpt from my original post on the AusBurlCal Blog]
Sunday, November 4, 2012. Destroy The Joint Burlesque
By now you have all heard of the fall of Alan Jones, because of his abysmal comments regarding the PM and because he thinks women are “destroying the joint.” Yet now he is crying “victim” because he didn’t expect “a backlash.” Jones was a teacher, a coach, a broadcaster, and yet he didn’t expect a “backlash”.
This event is a fundraiser for ZONTA, an international organisation for the advancement of women in society, and is produced by Aloha Creative Productions (main producer) and presented by the Australian Burlesque Calendar.
Some of Australia’s TOP burlesque performers are elegantly, sensually, fiercely, nakedly (and that’s just their attitude) stampeding the stage, along with a renowned Strongman (because strong men do not tolerate sexism) and a few other surprises.
These performers were chosen not just for being top performers but also for their strong feminist, feminine ethos on and off the stage.“
FURTHER READING:
‘Burlesque: the rise of risque business‘ by Elissa Blake. November 9, 2012. Sydney Morning Herald
“Sydney’s thriving burlesque scene is part of a national artistic movement.”
“Sydney’s burlesque scene is busting out all over. There now are eight venues hosting regular burlesque nights. With so many performers and so many shows, audiences can be excused for not knowing which way to look, or what to expect.”
”There really is the good, the bad and the ugly out there,” says Moira Finucane, a veteran performance artist and star of The Burlesque Hour. ”I’ve seen a huge rise in burlesque all over the country, with people taking dance classes and wanting to perform.”
[…]
Which is great, says Jac Bowie, a former burlesque promoter [now a media and wedding consultant] who ran the Ruby Revue at The Factory in Marrickville for five years. But ”the burlesque boom is about to peak”, Bowie says. ”We’re facing a challenging time. We’ve been steadily growing and now there are too many shows.” […] burlesque has grown in size, so have its demands for sophistication, Bowie adds. ‘
‘It’s a mature scene and people expect a lot more than a wiggle and a few feathers. They want polished choreography and a fully realised show.”
SMH recommended:
1. “Every Friday is burlesque night at Dome […] whose gorgeous interior is the perfect fit for such entertainment. DJs keep the crowd pumping after performers such as Holly J’aDoll and Lauren La Rouge have strutted their stuff.”
2. “The Standard […] features regular burlesque nights. The room plays host to […] Destroy the Joint Burlesque on November 25, a fundraiser for ZONTA, an international organisation for the advancement of women worldwide.”
WHAT IS PACHA?
“When Ricardo Urgell first opened the nightclub Pacha in Catalonia in the late 1960s, he took its name from a comment his first wife made: she told him that with the money he was going to earn, he would live like a pachá, an Arabian prince. By 1973, he had opened Pacha Ibiza, now the Balearic island’s most legendary after-dark hotspot.
The sentiment of the name held: those paying a visit to Pacha’s dancefloor over the decades went in search of the good life—united by a love of hedonism, glamour, and spiritual escape through music.” – VOGUE June 2, 2023.
“The concept has been described as a fusion of circus and clubbing […] So what can you expect? Think loud, as he Ivy’s incredible sound-system sends cool beats and tracks from some of the best DJ’s around pulsating through the entire complex. Often included in the line-up are some pretty big names in the DJ and music industry – this year, artists such as The Far East Movement and Zedd have played at Pacha.
[…] creative, colourful, and quite out-of-the-ordinary shows. The visual shows are theatrical. They involve a lot of burlesque-inspired dance, and acrobatic displays. The crew of talented and sexy dancers, aerialists, acrobats and designers all bring these shows to life in innovative ways.” – Weekend Notes. by Telani Kumar, December 27, 2013.
READ: STARLIGHT on HOLLY MEHAKOVIC. Headliner at Pacha Sydney.
Burlesque etymology timeline where the dilution of both word and intent is apparent. READ MORE HERE
1. 1660s.
“piece composed in burlesque style, derisive imitation, grotesque parody,” earlier as an adjective, “odd, grotesque” (1650s), from French burlesque (16c.), from Italian burlesco “ludicrous,” from burla “joke, fun, mockery,” possibly ultimately from Late Latin burra “trifle, nonsense,” literally “flock of wool” (a word of unknown origin).
2. 1700
“tending to excite laughter by ludicrous contrast between the subject and the manner of treating it”
3. 1880s
3. 1880s
it typically meant “travesties on the classics and satires on accepted ideas” and vulgar comic opera”
4. 1927
“a rather naughty form of entertainment which men attend for the purpose of vicarious thrills and semi-obscenity.”