The Girl Can’t Help It

Known not only all over Ireland but pretty much the world for her burlesque babeliciousness, local girl Santina Spitfire looks set to raise Greystones’ temperature when she takes part in an all-star Deadliest Dames production at the Hot Spot Music Club.

Taking place on Saturday July 25th, The Honey Drops duo will headline, whilst the line-up of special guests on the night have enough va-va-voom to run the Greystones grid for at least a month.

It’s going to be one hell of a show. So, here’s hoping those John o’Gods geeks are on hand for any sudden rushes of blood to the head.

Having won Miss Vintage Pin-Up in Milan last year, and about to add another rosette to her garter in the coming weeks, we were lucky enough to be invited inside Santina’s secret lair for the afternoon, to find out just why it is that she likes shaking her tailfeather… 

GG: So, what exactly should people expect from your burlesque extravaganza on the 25th – other than to be amazed, of course…? It’s quite the line-up – that dynamic duo The Honey Drops alongside the likes of Lady Veneray, Foxie P. Cox, Azaria Starfire, Bella A GoGo and, of course, your fine self. Can one room take that much sexy…?
SS: Ha, ha, well, I hope so. These girls are some of the best and brightest in Irish Burlesque. Anyone who has never seen them perform before, or have never been to an up-close and personal burlesque show, well, they’re in for a real treat.

So, how did this show come together? It’s a Deadliest Dames Events – sounds like you might just be part of such an organisation?
Well, burlesque women are known to be quite fierce. My character, Honey Valentine, and my partner in crime, Pippy Clementine, have got ourselves in a bit of hot water during prohibition by getting in with some real gangsters – while dancing up a storm on the board walk, incidentally – so we had to high tale it outta the USA on the first boat we could find. We kinda spent all our money on good times and gin during the crossing, so, when we arrived into Greystones harbour, we was broke. Luckily, we met the sensational Deadliest Dames on the trip, and they’re gonna help us raise some cash – ’cause “if we don’t dance, we don’t eat”.

You’ve made quite the name for yourself when it comes to burlesque, from winning the Miss Vintage Pin-Up in Milan to somehow managing to make TV3 sexy and cool for one afternoon recently, with your appearance on Midday. Where did this all begin…?
Well, I was brought up on a steady diet of rock and roll by my father, so it’s really in my veins. Burlesque is such an empowering, glamorous escape from the stresses of the real world, and it doesn’t discriminate. You can be any size, weight, age, preference, and it does not judge. It’s an honour to be part of the burlesque community. I will be competing this week in the Button Factory for the crown of Miss Burlesque Ireland – which, should I win, would be the highest honour I could hope for.

And where do you hope to end up? Is burlesque a thrilling hobby, or would you like to go full-time professional?
Burlesque is very much a full-time job that I am blessed to have in my life, but it is hard to balance it with the day job. Eventually, I hope, Burlesque and The Honey drops will very soon be able to hold their own.

Burlesque has been around since the 1840s – why do you think it still has a hold over people? Might it have something to do with the tease of it all…?
Every manner of sexuality is available to the masses, on a daily basis; it’s thrown in their faces, in fact, and causing people to doubt themselves and the skin they are in. Burlesque though has always been about the non-judgemental, mysterious, glamorous, sensual and very cheeky side of seduction – that’s what I feel is the appeal. We all have a Burly side hidden away somewhere.

Have men ever gotten involved in burlesque – other than being a prop, that is?
There are many different disciplines of burlesque, although not all of them have survived over the centuries. Boyleque is one of them. I have seen fantastic Burly performance by men of all ages, shapes and sizes that would have you falling off the chair laughing or on the edge of your seat in awe.

So, you wake up late, your train is in 10 minutes – what’s the minimum amount of time you need to prepare yourself for the outside world?
I can go full Burlesque/Pin-Up or I would walk out without a scrap of make up on, dressed head to toe in black. Burlesque is not just style, it is how you carry yourself, and if you can hold your head high and be confident in yourself 24/7, then that’s all the accessories you’ll ever need.

Finally – and be honest here – have you ever given yourself the once over in all your burlesque finery and felt just a little turned on…?
Haha – well, when I am about to go on stage I do tend to stop and give myself a little wiggle and a giggle.