Ruby Joule - Marchesa Casati

 
A lot of performers pride themselves on being a little bit country and a little bit rock n' roll, with influences equally split between classic burlesque and the neo burlesque movement. A thoughtful performer can walk the tightrope between the two, mixing and matching to achieve their desired result. Ruby Joule is chief among them.

Marchesa Luisa Casati (1881-1957) was an Italian heiress and patron who not only fostered the arts around her, but chose to live her life, and spend her fortune, toward the principle that she herself was a dynamic canvas, and she lived her entire life attempting to live up to that edict. I've seen several burlesque acts utilizing the "art comes alive" trope, but Casati is an especially apropos subject for this sort of musing.

Ruby doesn't often travel with this act, because the signature frame is too big to easily transport, so you'll most likely need to see The Gem You'd Love To Polish in her home state of Texas to enjoy it.  When I witnessed it, I was immediately captivated by Ruby's entrance THROUGH the frame, kind of like Samara from The Ring, but sexier.  That attention-getting moment is the hook a performer and their audience craves.

There's some statuesque parading and posing, graceful and balletic as always, each bit of pause akin to a still-life painting. Ruby stripping out of those multi-zippered leggings is a cool moment in itself, allowing the costume to exhibit the same dynamism and creativity  as the Marchesa herself. Finally, the chrysalis phase achieved, Casati returns to the frame to await what will certainly be another reinvention. The audience, appropriately, is reinvigorated.

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