About
The Noire Pageant: A Celebration of Performers of Color |
New York, NY—The Noire Pageant, the first pageant to exclusively showcase POC burlesque performers, took place in New York City March 12-15, 2020. The seductive and scintillating weekend affair brought together world-renowned headliners from across the globe, along with a bevy of talented performers who competed to be crowned the next King or Queen of Burlesque.
The pageant’s organizer, Perle Noire, created the event to present, preserve and proliferate POC burlesque performers and their legacy of excellence and innovation. “Burlesque Pageants have been around for decades, but there aren’t many Performers of Color who have been crowned or celebrated. I believe it’s time for a change.” Noire, who is also a burlesque star, says her mission is to “create opportunities for the POC (Performers of Color) burlesque community. I want to create a platform to help them become headliners, educators, and savvy entrepreneurs.”
During the events, guest sipped on masterly crafted cocktails while enjoying an exhilarating evening of elegant seduction from a lineup of international, national and regional performers and headlining stars who represent the new age of burlesque, drag, neo-burlesque, androgynous artistry and transformative theater.
In addition, the pageant featured workshops along with a public exhibition highlighting the paths contemporary Performers of Color have taken to strategically position themselves in order to gain notoriety and economic stability and create social change. “I've made it my mission to showcase the beauty and opulence of brown skin. Glamour has many faces. Burlesque has many faces.” Noire adds, “History will not repeat itself.”