Eden Berlin – Miss Burlesque Baby February 2020

Eden Berlin

I started performing 12 years ago in the first German burlesque bar, Queen Calavera, located in the heart of the red-light district of Hamburg. After long, I made Berlin my home and kept myself busy as a performer in Europe and beyond.

After making the move to Los Angeles almost two years ago, it has been exciting to witness burlesque through a new lens and be introduced to the variety of ways it has evolved over the years. It has also been interesting to be the “new kid on the block,” and navigate myself around a fresh and bustling scene of performers and venues.

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Although adjusting from the European scene to my new home in the states has come with its challenges, it has been a great opportunity to reflect upon what has made me the proudest up until now and to muse over what type of work I want to present moving forward.

The project I am the proudest of would have to be my signature act Eden and the Swan, where I was the first to combine burlesque and video animation. Bringing together the elements of what I love about the elegance and glamour of vintage styles while engaging with new technologies has always interested me, and this act was the perfect marriage of the two. To interact with my virtual swan while he helps me undress still brings me so much joy. I created this act in 2012 and have been performing it abroad ever since.

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When I think about the birth of “Eden and the Swan” and the journey it has taken, I can’t help but aspire to continue along the path of mixing the old with the new. From the initial spark of inspiration that came from my love for the Greek myth of Leda and the Swan, where Zeus transforms into a swan to seduce Leda, to bringing the vision to life with the aesthetic inspired by 1920’s German shadow theater artist Lotte Reiniger, the process of watering that seed and watching it grow into fruition is everything I love about what I do. Being selected by Franco Dragone to perform my act nightly in its original form during a ten-month residency in his Macau production of Taboo was the ultimate compliment. I felt genuinely appreciated and respected for bringing elegance to the future in a way that hasn’t yet been seen. I want nothing less from what lies ahead.

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Now I’m back to the drawing board. Over the past few years, I have been gathering new inspirations, working with new animators and costume designers, and getting storyboards of my acts together so I can clearly articulate each aspect to my collaborators. Videos of my choreography are being taken to help translate the movements and moods of the pieces so everything fits perfectly. Working with animation can be extremely tricky, as so many things can go wrong if you don’t have your bases covered, so getting everything perfectly locked from the beginning is key.

New work is ahead and is as aligned with what I love about the creative process as ever before. I am thrilled to carry on into the next chapter in Los Angeles, and can’t wait to share all that has been brewing.

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