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A small group of performers from one of Australia’s most remote towns is making waves in the Australian state’s burlesque scene, earning multiple award nominations and attracting attention from established artists across the industry.
Maeham Productions, founded by Jasmine “Madam Maeham” Sieverding in Far North Queensland’s Cooktown (for international readers, that means it’s effectively a different country to somewhere like Brisbane), was nominated in several categories at the Icon Burlesque Awards. The Bellahdi Dance Troupe received a nomination for Best Group, while Maeham individually made the shortlist for Best Teacher, Spirit of the Community, Best Producer, Best Neo Performer, Performer of the Year and Best Creative.
The group did not take home any wins, but Maeham described the recognition as meaningful for a new troupe operating out of a remote community.
“It was really, really cool, given that we’ve only been performing a lot since last year,” she explained.
Recognition from the wider community
Maeham pointed to the practical challenges of running a burlesque troupe in a location like Cooktown, where access to training facilities and infrastructure is limited. She told the Cape York Weekly, “I think there has been an acknowledgement from the community and from other people in the burlesque community, in particular, of what we’ve been able to achieve in such a remote space with limited settings,” she remarked.
“We don’t have a proper burlesque school here, we don’t have a dance studio here, we are literally just making do with whatever we’ve got.”
She added that the nominations had motivated the local performers to develop their craft further.
“It’s definitely made the local girls want to take it further, and want to push themselves more artistically as well.”
From dance troupe to production company
With the Bellahdi dancers gaining recognition in the Queensland performing arts space, the next move for the group has been to establish a formal production company. The shift allows Maeham to work with a broader range of performers both within and outside the existing troupe.
“The Bellahdi Dance Troupe will be how the girls perform when we’re together, but we are now performing under Maeham Productions,” she outlined.
“I’m performing a lot on my own now as well, and we wanted to shift more into an arts collective space. Right now, we’re focusing on bringing more talent from around Queensland and encouraging more performers in the Cape to get out there, have some fun and come to Cooktown.”
A turning point in Brisbane
Maeham identified her experience at Apprentease, a Brisbane-based burlesque competition for new and semi-established artists, as a catalyst for the expansion. Madam Maeham was crowned runner-up at the event, competing against performers from across Queensland.
“We had a whole heap of amazing performers who are reasonably big names in the industry going, ‘Oh my god, there’s a dance scene in Cooktown, we want to come up and perform’, so we’ve had that shift to be able to include them,” she recalled.
“Nobody even knew where Cooktown was when I first got there, and now we’ve got a show coming up in July, and we’ll have a whole heap of new performers from Cairns and probably Brisbane coming up.”
The trajectory of the group, from casual performances roughly once a year to a structured production company, has exceeded expectations.
“It’s amazing that it’s gone from a thing we did for fun to perform, essentially, once a year, to a production company where the empowerment and the fun and the connection with other people has spread throughout the Cape, and hopefully, by the end of the year, throughout the state,” Maeham reflected.
Building an arts community in the Cape
Beyond the stage, Maeham has been drawn to the organisational and educational side of the burlesque scene. She indicated that the Best Teacher, Spirit of the Community and Best Producer nominations held particular significance.
“I was quite taken aback by the recognition of that side of things, and knowing that it’s appreciated that I’ve been able to create a space where we have a burlesque community up here now,” she shared.
“Performing is lovely, it’s a great thrill and I love doing it, but my priority is to create an art space up here that didn’t use to be accessible to people, that is welcoming to everyone, and makes people feel not like they can just come up and see a show, but they can be part of a show and express themselves creatively.”
Maeham Productions has a show planned for July in Cooktown, which is expected to feature performers travelling from Cairns and Brisbane to join the local troupe.
This story features original reporting by By Chisa Hasegawa of the Cape York Weekly.
