Hallowe'en inspires Swedish expat, Isla Belle, to burlesque with poised elegance
London rewards those who commit to working hard and when Kim Eknander moved to the UK from Sweden she found herself drawn to all the creative underworlds the city has to offer from the DJ nightlife to burlesque.
Performing as DJ for many years, she has recently reinvented herself finding the decadent world of burlesque luring her happily into its lair.
Now reborn as the burlesque bombshell, Isla Belle, she is already finding benefits for her life on and offstage. Not only she has made London her home for 20 years, her new performance style is breathing new life into her experience and she invites you to join in with the escapism and fantasy.
Her unlikely sidekick is a gangly skeleton but she thinks this dance partner is perfect for a spooktacular show that promises to be full of surprises. Invited by producers Miss Pru Dance and Ava Venture of PDA Productions Isla Belle will be lighting up the stage at the upcoming Vampires and Vixens showcase.
It’s more than just performing for Isla Belle as she goes onto explain: “For me, although I loved DJing and I’ve always been in fitness in my day job, burlesque brought something even more inviting to the table, I did my first solo a year ago and found a true magic.
"It’s about being able to express all my desires and emotions in a safe space and there really are no limits apart from your imagination. I like being to express myself and to try different characters but my main repeated themes are to evoke the yesteryear glamour of elegance, poise and glamour.”
Of course, the location, the atmosphere and the space that her performance will take place also plays an important part in the recipe.
Enter the gorgeous production talents of Miss PruDance and Ava Ventura who have scoured the city for the perfect haven of haunting intimacy.
Their search brought them to the historic Canal Cafe Theatre 60-seat fringe theatre venue in Little Venice, London, England, specialising in comedy and burlesque performances.
As anyone who has been to Little Venice will know, the canals are charming and it’s worth arriving early for a stroll but also if the walls could talk they would share the rich history of the venue.
A staple part of the London entertainment landscape since the 70s, the Canal Cafe is a renowned cabaret venue and has launched the careers of many known names including Eddie Izzard, The Mighty Boosh, Catherine Tate and Dara O’Briain and along with the Vampire and Vixens show it hosts many other nights, too.
Isla Belle is thrilled to be debuting her Halloween act and cannot wait to slip into a wonderland.
To find out more you can see the show on Saturday, October 26, at 7pm.