Written by Sabrina Rogers, Entertainment Editor
This past Tuesday, the Brackety-Ack had the opportunity to have an exciting pre-show interview with the burlesque performing group, The Feral Showgirls! Consisting of a multitude of acts ranging from burlesque, cabaret, belly dancing, and more, these incredible performers get to share their art all throughout Virginia. Even better, they are coming to the Star City of Roanoke on Oct. 17 at Golden Cactus Brewing. Paired with the incomparable DJ Paul, these two forces are bringing you “The Tipsy Tassel Revue,” throwing you into the world of bold performers and a night you’ll never forget. This is a 21+ event, but make sure to get your tickets here! Below is what director of The Feral Showgirls, Rachel Micheletti, had to say in response to our questions regarding their passion, origins, and inspirations!
Q1: How did this group originally assemble and where did the name come from?
Micheletti: The name came because I have done lots of feral cat adoptions, fostering; all kinds of things. And we were joking one night about ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to have a group of feral showgirls?’ We just sort of joked about it. Not too much longer, we were at a venue that I was hosting a show in and the venue owner approached me after the show and said, ‘I want that, but a whole show.’ I had never produced a show…We rounded up a group of five or six people that we had been performing with in other places, and just started doing bi-weekly shows at a local venue, and it went from there. We started with five or six people in the audience and we normally have 80 to 150 people at a show now, so we’ve been able to expand across about seven years.”
Q2: What is your favorite part about being on stage and working with these performers?
Micheletti: “I think one of the greatest compliments…is seeing people see themselves, seeing people see what’s possible, seeing performers of all ages, shapes, sizes, demographics, genres. We have people who do ‘nerdy’ or people dressing up like stripping Bigfoot, or stripping Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors, or you know, classic burlesque, where it’s all feathers and sequins. I think just being able to see a reflection of yourself on stage is something that’s so valuable for so many people. And that’s what I really love most, just seeing the connection and people realizing that there’s a real possibility for them too…”
Q3: What is the biggest misconception people have about burlesque and cabaret? And how do you navigate that?
Micheletti: “I think there’s misconceptions on both sides of the aisle, for the performer and the attendees. Lots of people…said they have no rhythm, have a larger body, fill in the blank, it can be anything. And people believe that that’s a limitation for them. And from my perspective, those things about us…are the things that make us powerful. Those are the things that connect us to others. Those are the things that create the human connection…And I think that’s the misconception that it’s really for everybody. And that’s true. It’s not just something we say, it’s not just performative, but this is a space for every person, every mobility level. I think another misconception is that it has to be sexy; and because I think sexy is something that is such a subjective kind of thing, sometimes our performers feel sexy, sure. Sometimes the audience feels like the show has been sexy or sensual, but it doesn’t need to be that. It just needs to be connection, emotive, emotions, intentional connection, which can sometimes be sexy, sometimes not.”
Q4: What are you hoping to bring to Roanoke? What drew you to Roanoke?
Micheletti: “It was kind of an accident. I had never visited Roanoke until…about a year and a half ago where one of my showgirls saw Alphonse Mucha art at the Taubman Museum; and I’ve always wanted to visit Roanoke, so I said, let’s do it! It’s such an interesting place and so necessary…but you’re sort of like, driving there and you’re thinking, ‘Where am I going? I’m going deep red.’ But then you pull into Roanoke and it’s this beautiful nestled gem in the middle of the place you’d least expect it. And I think that’s something that really inspired me…something so gorgeous that you just need to discover it. And I want that for my group too. I want it to be something that maybe people weren’t aware of or people didn’t know would be like that…I want [the audience] to feel like their time has been spent well. I want them to feel like they’ve said yes to something interesting, strange, different, out of their wheelhouse. I want them to think that things are possible for them, that they can also say yes to something that maybe they’ve been afraid to do…just giving themselves permission to say yes to things that bring them joy.”
The Feral Showgirls are teaching a burlesque choreography workshop at Milkshake Dance Fitness Studio (in Roanoke) on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 4p.m., and all of the participants that come can perform that night at the Tipsy Tassel Revue at 10:30p.m.! Space is limited and tickets are LIVE! Tickets for the workshop are $45, and tickets for the Tipsy Tassel Revue are $23. Be sure to catch The Feral Showgirls in their upcoming performance at Golden Cactus Brewing in downtown Roanoke Oct. 17, 2026, 10:30p.m., doors open at 10:00p.m.!
