‘Burlesque is so much about empowerment’: Barrie performers argue for bylaw change

Alayna Kellett-Molotkow is pictured doing a burlesque performance. (Alayna Kellett-Molotkow)

Making a legal distinction between stripping and burlesque could become a reality now that a 21-year-old bylaw is finally under staff review.

The decision could change nightlife in downtown Barrie.

Alayna Kellett-Molotkow, 41, is a burlesque performer, choreographer and creator from Thornton, about 20 minutes from Barrie. In June 2023, she was getting ready to run one of her quarterly burlesque school’s community showcases at Donaleigh’s Irish Public House in downtown Barrie.

Two weeks before the show, she got an email from the City of Barrie’s bylaw enforcement outlining that somebody had complained about the performances breaking the Adult Entertainment Industry bylaw, one that currently groups burlesque under the same rules as adult entertainment. Kellett-Molotkow said the City had initially tried to stop her and her group from even doing a private event at the studio for friends and family only, but were eventually able to go through with that one. The one planned for Donaleigh’s in less than two weeks would end up going ahead but needed to be changed slightly to adhere to the bylaw.

That show was a significant one for Kellett-Molotkow as it marked not only her birthday but the celebration of her fighting what would be the first of a couple of battles with cancer.

The show did go on but with adjustments to how much skin would be revealed, allowing nothing less than a bikini top and bottom.

That was the last time Kellett-Molotkow has done burlesque in Barrie but hopes change is on the horizon.

The bylaw

At a recent Barrie City Council meeting, council voted to have staff do a review of the Adult Entertainment Industry Bylaw, one that hasn’t been reviewed since 2005, and investigate an amendment to include provisions for burlesque performances.

Supporters of a bylaw change argue burlesque is more of a historical art form, usually without nudity.

Kellett-Molotkow is one of those who would be thrilled to see the bylaw changed.

She goes by the stage name A’slayna Von Hunt and ran Barrie’s first burlesque school, Scarlet Studios on Bayfield Street that later moved to Mapleview Drive. It had students ranging in age from their 20s to 70s. The school was open for three years before it was forced to shut down due to the bylaw.

Kellett-Molotkow currently does all her work in Toronto as an in-house choreographer for Cake Cabaret, a venue for dance, burlesque, drag and special events on the Danforth that opened in December 2024. They’re currently in rehearsals for their upcoming show, Leather and Lace.

“I’d love to do more of that here in Barrie but I have been unable to, sadly,” she said.

Kellett-Molotkow was recognized with a top honour by the arts community at a recent ceremony. She was presented with the Barrie Arts Award by the City of Barrie last November for the Artist Beyond Barriers. However, she finds the recognition to be a little confusing.

“It’s a bit of an unclear message,” she said. “Like, ‘We love your art, you’re so inspiring, but you can’t do it here.’”

Shannon Rose would also like to see the bylaw changed.

She’s a dance instructor at The Heels Collective in Barrie and co-owner of Creative Chronicles, a company that produces performance art in Barrie.

“I don’t think the City has actually taken the time to properly educate themselves on the art form of burlesque,” said Rose. “Most bylaws were written decades ago when there was a little bit less understanding of different performance arts that could come up. At the time, anything that involved stripping or sensual performance was broadly grouped under adult entertainment.”

What is burlesque?

Burlesque is a historical stage art form, like theatre and dance, that’s rooted in comedy, satire and costume play, incorporating storytelling, characters and songs. It typically takes place in ticketed shows, theatres, bars or art venues geared towards adult crowds.

Kellett-Molotkow explained burlesque is an art form totally in the hands of the performer.

“In burlesque, as opposed to being the fantasy of your viewers, you are creating the fantasy on stage and making the choice of how much or how little you want to share with your audience.”

Kellett-Molotkow shared an example of one of her students who performed a particularly powerful burlesque piece.

The performer’s body was tattooed with disrespectful names bullies had called her throughout her life. She spent the performance removing pieces of clothing to reveal the tattooed names, wiping them off with the final reveal exposing the words, “I love my body.”

A burlesque community, Kellett-Molotkow said, can be warm and welcoming.

She said there was a moment in the dressing room ahead of a performance when one of her students had finally signed her divorce papers that day, signifying the official ending to what was an abusive marriage. The performance, she said, was a celebration of that feat.

Burlesque has grown and evolved over time. What started in the 1840s as political commentary and parodies in Britain turned into exotic dance when it moved over to the US in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. As art forms commonly grow and change, this one has too, eventually seeing a revival through the ’90s into now. That’s the burlesque that exists today, incorporating body positivity and satire.

“Burlesque is so much about empowerment,” said Kellett-Molotkow, whose passion for the art form was clearly evident in a Zoom interview with CTV News.

Kellett-Molotkow, who’s fought cancer twice, said she’ll be in treatment for the rest of her life.

“I have pieces about my cancer journey that I’m taking to burlesque festivals because they are artistic pieces about something incredibly difficult that I happen to show through the art of burlesque,” she said.

Why some believe burlesque should be taken out of the bylaw

Under Definitions on line 2.1.1.0.0 Adult Entertainment Establishment – Class A, the Barrie Adult Entertainment Industry Bylaw states the following:

“means any premises or part thereof in which goods which are designed to arouse or result in an erotic or sexual response or sensation from any person reading, viewing, buying, renting, or otherwise acquiring or being subjected or exposed to the goods, are sold, rented, displayed, or offered for sale, or rent, or otherwise made available, or visible to the public.”

The bylaw also includes, under Advertising on line 4.6.2.0.0, the following:

“contains only readable text which shall be free from any words or slang referring to any part of the human body or the word nude, naked, topless, bottomless, sexy or any other word, picture, symbol, graphic or representation having like meaning, implication or perception.”

Some argue many other art forms involve performances that match the descriptions of what’s prohibited in the bylaw.

Kellett-Molotkow said elements of heels dance and drag performance can often involve the factors mentioned in the bylaw but those art forms are currently allowed in Barrie.

“The bylaw has these things coming into play: for the purposes of sexual arousal and involving partial nudity,” she said. “All kinds of things we see on stage involve those two things or could arguably involve both of those things.”

Kellett-Molotkow said drag borrows from the burlesque aesthetic as, like burlesque, drag artists involve certain reveals and removal of clothing.

She also said it’s similar with heels dance. Heels dancers typically wear attire like fishnets, thongs, high-cut bodysuits, thong bodysuits, bikini tops, bras and high-heeled dance shoes. Clothing removal can also be involved in heels performances. The dance itself borrows from stripping movements and involves provocative moves.

Kellett-Molotkow made it clear stripping and sex work are both important and valid. She also has no issue with drag or heels and does not want these art forms to be affected by the bylaw but wants to address the hypocrisy that currently exists.

She referenced a recent male stripping show that took place in Barrie. Even with “strip” in the title, it was allowed to happen. The show was The Comic Strippers, a male stripper parody and improv comedy show, which was at the Georgian Theatre last year.

“I’ve never heard anyone have conversations about how much male chest is allowed to be shown onstage, offstage. And yet here we are having these really in-depth conversations about what adult women are choosing to do with their own bodies in front of audiences that are consenting adults.”

“If we look back in history, even in the last couple of years, there is a much harsher standard set for women and there’s a much closer scrutiny put on women’s expressions of sexuality and expressions of empowerment,” Kellett-Molotkow said. “There’s a lot more public scrutiny when women choose to show their bodies than there is with men.”

Kellett-Molotkow explained there are many shows that happen today with certain audience restrictions like a 19-plus show and those are parameters that would be welcomed when it comes to burlesque shows. Instead of preventing them from existing, she said, guidelines can be put in place to inform the public whether it’s something they wish to attend. She reiterated it’s not about putting these shows on for children.

“This is purely about, why is a government feeling the need to tell adults what they can and can’t do with their bodies and with their eyes because ultimately, audiences are the ones who have chosen to purchase tickets.”

What draws people to burlesque

After gaining experience in dance styles like ballet, jazz, musical theatre, contemporary, tap and modern, Kellett-Molotkow stumbled into burlesque.

“Burlesque was the art form I didn’t know I hadn’t found yet,” said Kellett-Molotkow. “I’ve always loved to dance but I’ve always struggled being a voiceless body in other people’s visions.”

She explained the more classic dance styles can be black and white, often accompanied by the feeling of needing to fit into a certain mold, whereas burlesque, she said, is a joyful escape art.

“I had this revelation that this was the art form that wanted you for you,” she said.

Kellett-Molotkow illustrated her point with a show she put on last summer when she was going through a round of chemo. She had no hair, no eyebrows and no eyelashes. When choreographing a number to Pitbull’s ‘Fireball,’ she had the idea to put herself into the role of Pitbull, a rapper who is bald. She started the piece in a Baywatch get-up and later transformed into a full Pitbull reveal, complete with sunglasses and a button down.

This performance, she said, showed burlesque can be all about subverting audiences’ expectations.

Another example, she noted, was when she was able to put together a routine for a student who didn’t have arms below the elbows, something that may not have been possible or as welcoming in a more traditional performance form.

One of her other students, who has taken up the art form in her late 50s following a hysterectomy, is heading to the US for a burlesque festival.

“Burlesque is that art form that says ‘yes and’ instead of ‘okay but,’” Kellett-Molotkow said.

If the bylaw was changed

Rose also had one of her shows nearly cancelled.

“I think separating burlesque from the adult entertainment bylaw would make it much easier for venues to host shows without worrying about additional licensing barriers,” said Rose.

Both Rose and Kellett-Molotkow believe having burlesque separate from the adult entertainment bylaw would help to bring business to downtown Barrie.

Kellett-Molotkow said not only would she and her students be able to dance and perform here in Barrie rather than travelling to Toronto, but quarterly shows could come back to Donaleigh’s on those quiet nights, which is two to three-and-a-half hours of income for the pub.

She said retailers that sell costume pieces for potential burlesque shows would benefit greatly. And venues that could accommodate a burlesque show would be getting an increase in business as well.

Next steps

Once the bylaw gets reviewed by staff, it will be brought back to the Finance and Responsible Governance Committee for further study and then a report back to City Council.