ATHENS, Ohio — Goddess Collective Burlesque will hold its fifth annual Heartbreakers Ball this Saturday at The Union, 18 W Union St., Athens.
Ruby Royale, who has done burlesque for seven years, and Veronica Honeywell, who has done burlesque for nine years, founded the collective in 2019. The two consider another member of their troupe, Ramona Rattail, their third co-founder because of her contribution to expanding the troupe during its commencement.
Royale and Honeywell met in high school and later began performing burlesque together in a previous troupe. They had wanted to start a burlesque troupe for some time before finally assembling one in 2019.
“[Starting Goddess Collective Burlesque] was based on wanting to have a space where all the participants could feel like they had a voice. In some troupes we see one or two people that call the shots and we wanted it to be a place where people gave us their input,” Royale said.
The troupe’s first show was in February 2019. Many members of the collective had not done burlesque before, so the initial plan was to hold the first performance in May to allow the performers to rehearse. However, they were asked by a previous owner of a business on Court Street to perform a Valentine’s Day show.
The collective agreed to the show, but were concerned about the readiness of the new members. The show was a success, according to Royale and Honeywell. “Everyone put in their hearts, souls and spirits,” said Honeywell.
Thus began the Heartbreaker’s Ball annual show.
The first show was a major success, Royale said. “People were waiting outside in February waiting for a chance to get in.”
Today, the collective has between six and 12 performers per show. People from around the state and country travel to Athens to watch and perform with Goddess Collective. Sometimes, the troupe will travel around Ohio to perform.
Honeywell and Royale told the Independent that the purpose of their troupe is to sell entertainment and, more importantly, body positivity. Honeywell noted that burlesque must include body and sex positivity because they are intertwined.
“We’re celebrating everyone. Everyone’s valid. Everyone’s beautiful. Everybody deserves to be on that stage,” Royale said. “The thing I love is we have so many different body sizes showing it doesn’t matter how big your boobs are, or if you don’t have any boobs or whatever. You’re selling entertainment.”
“Your worth is not attached to how your body looks,” added Honeywell.
The troupe lives by the phrase: “You can be anything but boring.”
Another thing that makes Goddess Collective distinct is the community it has created. Most burlesque performers are not a part of a troupe and will often travel for their performances. But Goddess Collective meets once a week to practice with each other, providing each other with valuable feedback. They even have craft nights.
“I really feel like we enrich each other,” said Honeywell.
Honeywell and Royale said that not everyone loves burlesque, though. They said that hate tends to come from people who do not have the same confidence in their bodies. They also mentioned that some people do not want to come to shows because they may be uncomfortable, but they questioned why exactly burlesque should make someone uncomfortable.
Honeywell recalled a time when someone told her that burlesque is a good idea for a few years until she “gets a big girl job.”
But burlesque is a form of expression and art for the collective. The troupe puts a lot of time and effort into their art, preparing for months for each 3-4 minute set. Honeywell said that one of her favorite things about burlesque is that it can be so many things: embodying different characters, theater, dance and even cosplay.
Royale said she loves burlesque because of “the freedom to have creativity because no one’s telling us how to make our numbers, we come up with those numbers. We craft them literally from beginning to end. … Getting that freedom of expression, celebrating your body and also making it entertaining — there’s so many wonderful things about it.”
Doors for the Fifth Annual Heartbreakers Ball will open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. There will be a cover charge of $12 at the door. About 10 performers are expected to perform. To find more information about Goddess Collective Burlesque, visit Facebook or Instagram.
