A Little Bit of Dita is All I Need . . . Dita Von Teese Live!
By ELLEN LEWIS
One of my most rivetting entertainment memories is a live event I attended some years ago in Lake Placid, N.Y. during which Olympic figure skater, Viktor Petrenko, commanded the ice in his audacious rendition of Lou Bega’s A Little Bit of Mambo, Number 5. In this spirited routine in which he danced in tandem with a life size doll, he brought the crowd to its feet with his tongue and cheek tribute to the “little bit of (women) in my life”. It was a joy to watch. It doesn’t take a connoisseur to recognize why some entertainers are gold medal champions and others are just great. Talent, technique and delivery; it’s all critical to stage a spectacular show. But it’s charisma that charges an audience to its feet and brands an act on our memory.
And that is exactly what happened when I first saw Dita Von Teese perform live. In a standing room only theater in NYC, I witnessed a bevy of foot stomping and applause rendering burlesque acts. And then Dita Von Teese appeared on stage. The atmosphere shifted. The crowd was transformed. The theater entered another dimension: sexy, beautiful, elegant, and mesmerizing. This is why when Dita launched her eponymous lingerie brand several years ago; I did not hesitate to tout its virtues. I had no doubt that, because she is so intimately involved in the design process, the result would showcase her trademark balance of provocative glamour and technical excellence. Not many “celebrity” brands succeed these days, but Dita Von Teese Lingerie is a perfect duet of personality and product. Her gold medal stature was confirmed in 2016 when she first hosted the highly regarded Intimate Apparel Femmy Awards. Her charismatic appearance sealed her professional ties to the Lingerie Industry. She returns February 6, 2018 for an encore performance as hostess of for the 60th Anniversary Annual Femmy Celebration.
“Charisma is the Transference of Enthusiasm” ~Ralph Archbold
