On June 18 and 19 at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, surrender to an experience where every gesture is deliberate, every costume is a work of art, and desire unfolds at its own intoxicating pace.
A Night of Burlesque, hosted by the incredible Bettie Bombshell, invites audiences into a world dripping with glamour and decadence.
Bettie Bombshell is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the world of burlesque and sideshow. Her accolades include being ranked as the number one most influential burlesque performer in Australia (2023 – 2024) and the second most influential burlesque performer worldwide (2020 – 2024) by 21st Century Burlesque Magazine. Behind the curtain, Bettie is a powerhouse producer, bringing audiences sensational, boundary-pushing productions.
Bettie spoke to Glam Adelaide about A Night of Burlesque, how she creates new routines and what about the art form of burlesque resonates with her.
“I love everything burlesque is. I always say burlesque can be anything you want it to be. It’s so versatile, it’s freedom. That’s really what resonates with me: the absolute freedom to create, to connect, to rebel, to conform, to do whatever you want to do within burlesque is completely reasonable. It’s just a magical space to create.”
We asked Bettie if there was a moment where she knew the world of burlesque was for her.
“I can actually remember two very pivotal moments for me. One was my very first burlesque performance, which was at an iconic venue that unfortunately no longer exists called Burlesque Bar. It’s responsible for a lot of the big names of burlesque that you might know today. I remember doing my very first burlesque performance and peeling away the costume, dancing, connecting. It was a tiny room, so you could see everyone’s micro-expressions on their faces. As I was dancing, it was just the most euphoric feeling that I’ve ever experienced. I came from a very strict dance background. I was a ballet dancer, full-time dance gal and music theatre, contemporary, jazz. But I transitioned into cabaret and I remember that moment when I was doing my reveal on stage and it was the most exciting and terrifying thing I’d ever done.
“The second moment was when I was watching a performer named Aurora Kurth. She’s one of the most incredible cabaret performers and she emcees a lot. She has a lot of crossover with burlesque and I remember watching her at a show in Melbourne and I said out loud after watching her on stage, ‘This is what I want to do.’”
When it comes to creating a new routine, Bettie shared with Glam Adelaide the process she goes through.
“The music always informs everything about the act for me. I’ve tried to create acts by coming up with a costume first or I’ve tried to create acts that are theme first before music and I find it really hard. So the music always informs my number. I search and listen to music. I just listen to any track I can get my hands on, and as soon as I hear it, the act plays out in my mind and I can see it happening in front of my eyes.”
On the closing weekend of the 2026 Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Bettie Bombshell will be emceeing two huge nights of burlesque. Gracing the stage are show-stopping, award winning performers from across the country, each bringing their own signature style, star power, and undeniable magnetism to the stage. From icons of classic tease to boundary pushing modern sirens, this is a handpicked assembly of burlesque excellence.
“I really wanted to curate a lineup that you may not normally see perform on the same billing. They are all just the most phenomenal artists in their own right, in their own field, and their own little niche. I’m so excited to bring them all together because the point of the show is to really explain to audiences what burlesque is. In the past five or six years the burlesque aesthetic has been borrowed by many different industries and artists like Taylor Swift and Cardi B. I think it’s been diluted a little and I think we’ve forgotten—maybe audiences don’t know, maybe people are genuinely confused about what burlesque is. So the point of the show is to actually explain to audiences what it can be, what it is, what it means. I’m emceeing the show. My role is not normally on the mic, but I’m very excited to jump in and introduce these people, who are not only incredible performers but are also my dear friends.”
Join Bettie Bombshell for two huge nights of burlesque on June 18 and 19 at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
“I always say burlesque can be anything you want it to be, and I mean that wholeheartedly. This particular lineup has got a little bit of everything. It’s got the real tease, the real classic sex-appeal and smoldering acts, it’s got the danger element and then we’ve got the storytelling element and the absolute joy. I’ve really tried to showcase some key subheadings of the world of burlesque in this one incredible performance.”
Dress up, lean in and surrender… this is burlesque at its most luxurious.
A Night of Burlesque
Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
June 18 – 19 2026
https://cabaret.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/bettie-bombshell-a-night-of-burlesque
Photo credits: Georgia Moloney and Claudio Raschella
