A mum known as "The Boss Lady" has opened a safe space for women to love their bodies in the form of burlesque dancing shows.
Vicky Mac created the North West (NW) Burlesque Show in 2019 and now manages 44 girls who perform at the Adelphi Hotel and other venues in the North West.
The mum of two said her daughters Daughters Maddi, 20 and Reagan, 21 have engaged with the shows since they were teenagers as she believes the younger generation are often affected by seeing ‘fake’ people on social media.
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Vicky told the Liverpool ECHO: "No matter what age, size, colour, disability, our audience members will see a part of themselves in a performer on that stage and it makes them real people. Burlesque is art, it’s beautiful, funny, cheeky, sassy and it’s for everyone.”
Vicky added: “Maddison [my daughter] became my backstage manager when she was 16 and we all joked that when she’s not there we can all feel it, because with her, everything backstage is like clockwork.
“Reagan has Down’s Syndrome and she’s been involved since the start and is everyone’s biggest fan. She started making feather boas to raffle off to dancers across the country and donates the money to our chosen charities, she’s the real star of the show.”
NW Burlesque Show supports two chosen charities, the The Phab Community Hub and the Paul Lavelle Foundation by running shows for them and raising funds to support the work they do.
The Phab Community Hub promote and encourage people of all abilities to come together on equal terms, to achieve complete inclusion within the wider community.
Meanwhile The Paul Lavelle Foundation, established in 2018, supports male victims and survivors of domestic violence.
Both charities are close to Vicky's heart and she helped the Phab Community raise funds when their original venue was destroyed in the New Ferry gas explosion in 2017.
Meanwhile the mum, who is an Everton fan, said she often saw Paul Lavelle, who died at the hands of his partner, at games in Goodison Park and when she heard of the foundation wanted to help .
Vicky, who produces the shows, with the help of her production team, stylist Viv Voyeur, compere Nick Gregory, Stephen Sheridan, the lead photographer and Bridget from Big Gay Hats said: “I'm not up on stage as the producer, I'm not getting that rush of endorphins that our ladies get when they're performing but what I get at the end is the stories of ladies who were inspired by our performers and that’s amazing.”
Nick Gregory became involved with NW Burlesque after meeting Vicky at the Alternative Fashion Fest in 2015 and as the compere of the shows has become like a "big brother" to the dancers.
Nick, who is factory worker by day, said: “Having shoots and show days to look forward to makes the day-to-day easier because I’ve got something coming up to look forward to, it makes a world of difference and the people I’m surrounded with have become my friends.
"It’s about respect, you’re around people that are exposing themselves not necessarily by taking clothes off, but vulnerabilities so I see it as part of my role as compere to create a safe environment and if someone wants privacy, I’m perfectly happy to leave the room.”
Part of Vicky's team is also 25-year-old Ellena Mackay, a trained singer, who said burlesque has helped her after being diagnosed with ADHD.
She said: "North West Burlesque has been so supportive, and they've given me so many opportunities. The condition is very much misunderstood as a lot of people do have that typical stereotype of, the very loud, rambunctious boy that's bouncing off the walls, but it's a lot more than that.
“One of the main issues is my working memory, so if I've got a song with choreography, I struggle a lot because I’ll forget the words or the routine so I’ve learnt to be good at improvisation.
“But they support me greatly, they'll just say to me, do whatever you need to do and that's what North West Burlesque is all about, accepting people for their differences and for their uniqueness, it's all that variety, which is the heart of burlesque."
Gemma Jones, from North Wales, is one of the burlesque dancers and credits the shows for helping her through some very tough times.
Tragically during Covid-19 Gemma lost her dad and after his funeral she found out her mum had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
After feeling hopeless, Gemma came across NW Burlesque Show on Instagram and messaged Vicky who immediately invited her to attend a show last March to meet the team
Gemma said she has idolised burlesque legends like Dita Von Teese since she was 12 and now she has been reborn as her own alter ego, Kitty De Vyne who debuted under the spotlight last September.
She told the Liverpool ECHO: "If it wasn’t for them [Vicky and the team], I wouldn’t currently be at the beginning of my journey, I’m living my dream and they saved me mentally.
“I wanted to get to a point in my life where I could find a job that I love and now I have that and it makes my mum happy.
“I'm able to be myself and I don’t have to be a corporate machine, I’m my own boss and if I don’t like something then I just have an argument with myself and I suffer with really bad body dysmorphia but getting up on stage, I'm a completely different person.”
Outside of her alter ego, Gemma works as a phone operator for a food company but is already soaring in her career as Kitty De Vyne and has been booked for multiple events in upcoming months.
Sharing some words of encouragement to those who want to delve into the fabulous world of burlesque, Gemma said: “Don't let your insecurities hold you back, don't let anyone stop you, and if it's just a step through a door to a class, then at least it's taking the step in the direction you want to go in.”
For World Burlesque Day on April 26, Kitty De Vyne will be representing NW Burlesque Show by joining Sapphira, the founder of the celebration and dancers from around the world in the #burlesqueinbootschallenge and anyone is encouraged to get involved on social media.
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