Sandy Sure is a Cardiff Cabaret Club alum - now international super-star having performed all over the world with her vibrant array of characters and captivating performances, Sandy still regularly performs with her home troupe.
We asked Sandy to tell us about her journey from her first burlesque class at Chapter, where the 2024 Wales Burlesque Festival is being hosted...
Sandy then:
It was the winter of 2007, I was a graduate in costume construction and a life-long dancer, intrigued by the glamour of the then secret underground world of burlesque. I was making corsets, pasties and pinup dresses to sell online and lurked in the legendary Ministry of Burlesque forums, trying to glean as much about burlesque as I could. One day, I came across a photocopied flyer of the glamorous FooFoo LaBelle, pinned to the notice board at Chapter Arts Centre, advertising a burlesque class coming soon.
I arrived at the first class along with a handful of other quiet, nervous women. I remember being in awe of FooFoo and amazed by her tattoo of a magnificent bird, as at the time I’d never seen one so big and colourful! The class was so much fun and I left feeling on top of the world.
Around six months later, we performed in our first show as Burlesque Cardiff (later known as Cardiff Cabaret Club). As a troupe, we performed Mein Herr from Cabaret, a bump’n’grind to Purple Wail, and a chair dance to Goldfrapp’s Ooh La La.
I performed without a burlesque name for a while as I just didn’t need one. Apart from My Space (remember that?) social media presences didn’t exist like they do now. I also didn’t know it was to be the start of a long, sparkly career!
Not quite ready to be a soloist, I performed duets with Cherie Amour (safety in numbers!). A few hours before a show with a live band in July 2009, Cherie felt unwell so Foo suggested I perform the duet as a solo. The word ‘ok’ was out of my mouth immediately, because I knew if I gave myself any time to think about it, I’d never feel ready to perform a solo. Eeeeek.
It was fine, so I created and performed my first ‘official’ solo next. S4C came along to the show to shoot my performance and backstage footage to feature me in a TV programme (no pressure!).
I went on to perform with Cardiff Cabaret Club for many years, in many shows, with many themes. I’ve been a Barbie doll, a zombie, Marty McFly on a skateboard, a lizard, a flamingo, Willy Wonka, a Blues Brother….. At the time when classic cheesecake burlesque was the trend, Foo Foo always created wildly imaginative shows to give the audience something different and keep them coming back.
There are primarily three things I gained from this experience:
The ability to perform anywhere, for any type of audience. The venues we performed at varied wildly, from nightclubs, casinos and theatres to a freezing cold barn, wedding receptions, a Freemason’s dining room and an Oxfam shop. Technical facilities were sometimes great, sometimes interesting (“our lights have two options - on or off”) but we just adapted and had fun. This foundation means wherever I perform in the world now, I can cope with it.
The ability to create a diverse range of acts, for any theme or occasion. Give me a theme and a deadline and I’m in my element!
Friends for life. Over the years, I’ve met so many wonderful people through Cardiff Cabaret Club. Members may come and go and even return again - but the connections I've made are authentic, long-lasting, and impactful.
With the emergence of more social media, I started to get invited to perform in shows on the burlesque and cabaret circuit - the first being Kinky & Quirky in Devon in 2011. Since then, I’ve performed at iconic UK shows such as Missy Malone & Friends Burlesque Revue, Très Très Cabaret, Cherries on a Cloud, Neil Kendall’s Goldust, Bluestocking Lounge, The Velvet Burlesque and Burlesque Noir. In 2012, we celebrated the Welsh burlesque community with the first Welsh Burlesque Festival.
In 2014 I started performing internationally, visiting 11 different countries since, such as the USA, Italy, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. I also entered and won a couple of international competitions. My love of travel and burlesque has also taken me to Las Vegas for the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender three times. Attending shows and festivals keeps me feeling inspired and passionate about the continually evolving artform of burlesque.
I’ve regularly returned to perform at Cardiff Cabaret Club shows, alongside old friends and brand new performers. I love seeing what zany ideas FooFoo comes up with for the group routines and feeling the nervous excitement of the new performers having their first moment in the spotlight on stage.
This year, I’m delighted to be appearing in the ‘Big ‘Diff Energy’ show on the opening night of the Wales Burlesque Festival, alongside a cast of wonderful Welsh performers. It’s particularly fitting that this four day celebration will be held at Chapter Arts Centre - the very same place I learned to shimmy, wiggle and pose with FooFoo, all those years ago. I can't wait! See you there?