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Glitter, high-heeled shoes, and partial
nudity are all familiar sights to Guilford
students. Hell, any given Friday night is
sure to include all three within the first
few hours alone. But take all that, add a
dash of prose, a snippet of song, a few
monologues, and mix it together with
a rousing bit of provocative, powerful
performance on the Dana stage - well,
then you have something a bit more
unique.
More specifically, you have the
nationaljy-renowned Sex Workers' Art
Show, which came to Guilford for the
second year in a row on March 24.
March 24 was a dismal and dreary
Tuesday night, but you wouldn't have
known it by the looks of the crowd in 'Oh my God, I never thought
Dana. The auditorium's front hall was I could get on stage and say
packed with students before the doors to the something before.'"
show even opened. Over the next few years, the show grew
I was pleasantly surprised as I walked, wet from a community project to a touring phe-
and shivering, into Dana. This was a good nomenon that reaches 10,000 people each
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turnout for any small campus - let alone a
campus that's not exactly famous for stu
dent participation. What made this event so
appealing?
For some students, the attraction was sim
ple curiosity.
'I actually have no idea what's going
year.
Being a touring show, the lineup of perform
ers changes from year to year. This year's per
formers were author Chris Kraus, writer and.
pom performer Lorelei Lei, Headmistress of
the New York School of Burlesque Jo Weldon,
performing artist Erin Markey, burlesque
to be going on," admitted first-year Molly dancer Simone De La Getto, musical perform-
Lonergan. "I just hope to get a perspective on er Reginald Lamar, and performer - whose
(sex work)." legal name is - The World Famous Bob.
Others had a more straightforward answer Bob set the mood for the show by perform-
for me. ing her opening piece (a hilarious monologue
"People love sex," said senior Imeh Ntuen. about her teenage years) in a full-length, bright
"That's definitely why there are so many blue sequined dress. Giddy from laughing, I
people here." awaited the next glitzy performer in tittering
I got my definitive answer once the lights anticipation.- . / -
dimmed and the show started. Annie Oakley, But what made the show so captivating was
the show's curator and director, pranced on that the next performer was actually nothing
stage (an admirable feat in the high-heels she like Bob. I was peering into the wings, hoping
was wearing), grabbed the microphone and for some glimpse of bright feathers or another
enthusiasticdly shouted: sequined dress when out walked a calm, soft-
"I bet you're here to see naked ladies, aren't spoken Lorelei Lei. She didn't dance or sing,
you?" and her outfit contained minimal glitter, but
The crowd responded with an appreciative she nonetheless held the audience enraptured
roar, and a beaming Oakley introduced her as she read a lyrical story based on her own
show. experiences.
This is the Sex Workers' Art Show's 7^ Already, I was a bit surprised at the content
national tour, but the show actually began of the show, but that was only the beginning
as a collaborative community, art project in of it. Over the next two houm, each performer
Olympia, Washington. Fed up with the lack of brought something so unique and vivid to the
discussion about the sex industry, Oakley sent stage that any preconceived idea I had about
out a call for submissions of art of any kind the sex industry was immediately changed,
from current and former sex workers. Kraus read a section from her writing;
"The response was overwhelming," said Weldon performed a burlesque dance along
Oakley. "The community totally came out, with step-by-step instructions and a personal
and the people who were involved were like, monologue; Getto danced and sang an origi
nal song; Lamar played piano and belted
along, and Markey performed a scene from a
musical she wrote about stripping.
All of these performances,
though varied, shared a com
mon thread: they all served to
open eyes, break stereotypes,
and allow normally silenced sex
workers a space to share their
talents.
For Oakley, these are the main purposes of
the show.
"Sex workers are visible in that there is pom
everywhere, but they are totally silent," said
Oakley. "If you talk to (Weldon), she'll tell you
she was a stripper for 15 years, and she was
never treated like she had anything important
to say. This show allows a space for people to
(spe^ up) and for others to hear it."
And hear it they did. As exciting as the
show is for its visual and entertainment
aspects, many Guilford students also found
it an opportunity to gain a valuable perspec
tive.
"(Sex work) is one of the largest indus
tries in the world, and it's one of the least
talked about," said Senior Sara Eisenberg, who
helped organize the show. "And just like any
of ^e other things that people are fed stigmas
about, having discussions about it is very
important."
Once the show ended, students were given
a chance to participate in discussions, wheth
er through mingling with the performers in
the front hall, or by staying for the Q&A that
followed.
As the crowds dispersed back into the
dreary evening, I realized how little it mat
tered why people turned out for this event
- what mattered was that they came at all. It
wasn't about what you brought with you, but
instead, what you took away. Oakley is very
aware of that.
"This show is not directly responsible for
the change in sex worker's profiles, but it has
contributed to a culture where sex workers
have started to be heard," said Oakley. "I
think things are moving forward slowly."
If other people's experience was anything
like mine, then things certainly are moving
forward. I left that evening amused and enter
tained, but - more importantly- educated and
with an invaluable new understanding of an
age-old industry.
Clockwise, from top: Simone de la Getto
performs her original song; sophomore
Andrew Slater slips a bill into Jo
Weldon’s "tip jar" shoes; sophomore Max
Cohan reads off questions that Weldon
often got asked while stripping; first-year
Kaylyn Howard, sophomore Paul
McCullough and senior Imeh Ntuen
receive new identities during an interactive
demonstration illustrating the elusiveness of
the "American dream."