Today we’d like to introduce you to Risa Risqué.
Hi Risa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi and thanks so much for having me! My name is Risa Risque and I am a professional singer, musician, actress, comedic burlesque performer, and Founder/Producer/Director of the Blacklist Babes Cabaret. I have been performing in Orlando for over 10 years, although I’d probably say the last 5-7 have been the most prolific of my career as an entertainer. In addition to the Blacklist Babes, I am a part of the Blue La La Events performing team, a member of the Miss Comedy Queen family, and I have a producing and writing company with my husband, David, and together we are “Cheesy Pizza Productions.” I am also Miss Whiskey Business 2020 and most recently placed 3rd Best Actress in the 2022 Orlando Weeky’s Best Of.
But, that’s not why Orlando Voyager reached out to me…you reached out to talk about Blacklist so enough about me.
In 2015 I was asked to direct a new burlesque group. The group was centered around live singing and burlesque. The group I put together were singers, musicians, and specialty acts like drag and dance. We all bonded over our love of music and put on some great shows, despite the fact that most of us, especially me, did not get along well with our producer. He was very controlling, negative, and prejudiced–three qualities I can not stand. The cast and I still managed to put on amazing shows, but it didn’t take long for that producer to fire me.
When I told the performers that I was being let go, they all decided that they wouldn’t continue without me and wanted to keep performing together. The producer threatened to “blacklist” us if we performed in Orlando without his approval. It obviously didn’t work too well but the name stuck and we called ourselves the “Blacklist Babes Cabaret,” an all-live singing, live band, burlesque cabaret group. Since 2016, the Blacklist Babes Cabaret has stayed together, some members have come and gone, but the core group is still together with some wonderful new singers and musicians that have joined along the way.
We have since started a cover band, performed at weddings, birthdays, and private events, and recently started to write our own original shows. In 2021 we wrote original songs for a musical and in 2022 we wrote our own fully scripted musical with our own original music.
Both ventures have won awards and broken records and none of it would have happened without our perseverance, strength, and friendship.
We are proud to be Orlando’s first all-live band, all-singing cast. We are also very proud to have a majority LGBTQIA and BIPOC. Risa Risque, me as a solo artist, is proud to be me, but I wouldn’t be me without my Blacklist Babes team.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our biggest struggle was when I left the old burlesque group and started Blacklist. The prior producer threatened me, my performers, and our livelihood…there were certainly times I wanted to give up. There were times we had no place to perform and others when parties refused to pay us as they agreed to. There was even a time we got booked for a show only to show up and to find that the owner of the venue took all the equipment LOL…but we’ve always pushed forward and stood our ground as a live band burlesque show, and we have carved our niche despite a few bumpy roads.
The past few years have been some of the most successful with the tightest team and the biggest strides in original creative development.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Besides being the owner of the Blacklist Babes Cabaret, I personally have made a personal mark in my creative life as a comedic, singing burlesque performer. I have now written two original musicals and over 6 original cabaret shows. I am extremely proud of my LGBTQIA and BIPOC cast because being a Queer Latina has always been a bit of an artistic setback, but I refuse to let it hold me back or others like me. We all deserve to be seen, heard, and loved.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love how unique we are. Ivanhoe Village, College Park, Thornton Park, Mills 50…we have some really cool neighborhoods with so much to offer. I love the LGBTQIA community and how much support there is for the arts and politics that affect our world. We have so many unique restaurants and bars, but even
beyond that, we have some incredible events, from huge conventions to small, unique secret shows.
There’s not much I dislike besides the normal things like traffic, how most of the fun areas aren’t super walkable for those who don’t like to drive (like me lol), the lack of public transportation, and the fact that we need a livable wage and renovation on old apartments instead of hiking up the prices for dilapidated spaces but letting them rot, and building extremely expensive new places no one can afford.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Blacklistbabescabaret.com
- Instagram: @blacklist__babes__cabaret
- Facebook: Blacklist Babes Cabaret
- Youtube: Blacklist Babes Cabaret
Image Credits
Swamp Witch Photography
Kerill Images
