This holiday season, Voss Events, responsible for stage shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq The World Tour and Los Angeles’ Vault Speakeasy, transforms 26,000 square feet at 548 West 22nd Street in New York City into a burlesque holiday fantasy, both fanciful and sensual, for its fourth annual Santa’s Secret. One of the show’s headliners is internationally acclaimed burlesque star, Miss Tosh, who returns to the show hot off the heels of a multi-show run in Los Angeles. She is the queen of glitz and glamour who is challenging the norms of burlesque by promoting inclusivity and diversity. Known as the LGBTQ + Glambassador, she proudly promotes her queer style and sensibility, fighting stereotypes along the way. She also uses the art form and celebrates sexuality as a form of women empowerment.
Burlesque became prevalent in the United States in the late 1800s, first introduced in the 1860s by a British dance troupe. The women were seen as fearless and they turned the tables on the upper class using high glamour, singing, scandalous humor, and dancing to comment on the elite’s social behaviors. Miss Tosh comes from that culture, she didn’t just come into the art form, she was born into it. Entertainment runs in her veins.
I come from a rich lineage of burlesque and vaudeville performers on both my mother’s and father’s sides. My great-great-grandmother, Maisie Evans, was an acrobatic performer and burlesque dancer who toured the country during the 1800s and early 1900s with her big band and Acro partner, who would wear a striped swimsuit and handlebar mustache. She even graced the Globe Theater in Los Angeles where I produced my show “Beauty of Burlesque” for many years until the theater sadly shut down in February 2024.
On my mother’s side, my great-great-aunt, Betty Healey, was married to Ted Healey, the founder of the Three Stooges. Bettie made a huge impact on American comedy through film, as well as the vaudeville, and Burlesque theaters. She was born to my great-great-grandmother Gracie St. Claire, who was a renowned vaudeville performer in the mid-1800s.
You could say that my family has been woven into the fabric of Los Angeles and Hollywood since the very beginning. I feel incredibly fortunate to carry on the traditions of vaudeville and Burlesque in today’s contemporary society.
Miss Tosh would begin her journey into the world of Burlesque, inspired by the artists around her, and by those artists who came before her.
My first exposure to Burlesque came through images of my relatives, but it truly transformed when my dance mentor, Debbie Allen, shared videos of Josephine Baker performing topless in Paris. It was the first time I witnessed a woman so liberated and celebrated for her sensual artistry, and I found it enchanting and beautiful. From that moment, I was hooked.
I was also captivated by photographs of Sally Rand, a legendary feather fan dancer. I feel incredibly fortunate to have performed in the same theaters where she graced the stage, and I’ve had the pleasure of becoming friends with her descendants. They’ve shared some fascinating stories about the remarkable Sally Rand, who was not just a performer but also a savvy businesswoman well ahead of her time, performing her famous fan dance well into her 80s.
When she was 18, Tosh moved to Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. There she would hone her fashion skills as a fierce designer, earning scholarships and awards, including a from Swarovski Crystals for her excellence in design & pattern making. It was also during that time that the burlesque bug would bite, courtesy of the queer community.
I became friends with the local drag scene, which played a pivotal role in my artistic journey. My dear friend, the late JoJo Baby, an incredible performance artist and dollmaker, along with my friend Sissy Spastik, took me under their wing and encouraged me to create my own act.
In the iconic queer bar Berlin, I created my very first burlesque performance, which remains one of my most famous acts called “Peeling.” In this act, I wear a tuxedo and dramatically remove a banana from my pants, peeling it and offering it to a special guest in the audience with a very suggestive champagne pop finale. It’s definitely one of my most beloved acts since I created it the year I came out. I’ve had the pleasure of performing it all around the world for 14 years now and enjoying every moment of it!
Burlesque is not just about the time on stage for Miss Tosh. The actual performance is a testament to her entire life as an artist. What you see onstage is a culmination of blood, sweat, and tears.
What I love about burlesque is that it’s a performance art form full of creative potential, where the possibilities are truly endless. On the surface, it appears glamorous, but beneath that veneer lies the hard work of real artists—building, sewing, and creating every element of the performance. This includes everything from creating music and choreographing routines to designing props and costumes, crafting stories and scripts, and infusing humor and structure into the acts. Burlesque is about transformation, entrepreneurship, branding, marketing, and even integrating technology into performance. It serves as a vessel for my creativity, allowing me to explore and express myself without being pigeonholed in any way. There’s also something quite human about Burlesque. I give the audience permission to relish their sensuality on a human level, which is an experience that connects us all. Through this relationship I have with the audience, I feel free to express myself, and I am incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity.
Having fought my way through the ups and downs of life to embrace my creativity, I am filled with gratitude every time I step on stage. It’s a privilege to share my art and connect with audiences in such a meaningful way.
Typically, burlesque is geared towards straight men, enticed by the tease and beauty of the female performers. As a queer artist, Miss Tosh challenges the norms of sexuality and gender. As an audience member, you are captivated and enticed, regardless of how you identify. But her journey as a Glambassador did not come without its bumps.
When I began performing Burlesque, there were hardly any openly gay Burlesque performers in the public eye. At that time, the most iconic queer stars were in TV talk shows. I admired their journey, but I couldn’t quite relate to them, especially when it came to my version of femininity. I absolutely love and adore the feminine expression I found in burlesque—it’s glamorous yet strong, embodying a rebellious ownership of body and identity that truly inspired me.
I started my journey, blissfully unaware of how cruel people can be, especially those who wield fame and power. I quickly learned that who I am and the message I wanted to share felt like a threat to many heterosexual women and men in the industry. They seemed to have built their careers on seducing famous men, while I came in and challenged the purpose and meaning behind building a career in burlesque. I have always committed to being myself and relying on my own hard work to build a career. I see now it gave queer people permission to own their expression, turning it into a form of liberation rather than just a way to attract the male gaze—especially for gay and queer performers and patrons.
Burlesque in the United States started to decline in the 1940s as the country was recovering from World War II and the Great Depression. But the art would remain part of the culture and because of younger generations fascinated with vintage styles and dance, it would never go away. It has had a major reboot courtesy of pop culture (remember Cher’s movie?) and a desire to celebrate classic sexuality through dance.
Burlesque theaters have always been places both men and women could patronize, which is something very unique when you think of erotic art and how it is consumed historically. At the turn of the century women were just starting to leave their homes without suitors and making their own choices and a lot of these early liberated experiences happened within the Burlesque theaters. Yes, the shows were originally to entertain the male gaze, but I do think over time they turned in favor of women in their feminine power.
But what I absolutely love about contemporary society today is the incredible creativity, diversity, and humanity being shared, not just within the Burlesque community but also among the audiences. Today you can find a Burlesque show in every major city around the globe! During my travels, I’m continually stunned and impressed that this art form has endured for hundreds of years, remaining a vital part of our entertainment history as humanity.
Sex, satire, and the expression of the body have always fascinated people, whether they’re watching or performing. I believe that now, more than ever, we need this kind of show to voice our truths, connect with audiences, break the fourth wall, and share glimmers of inspiration with one another.
Being openly queer isn’t just about making a statement for Miss Tosh. Her queer identity just adds a sensibility and texture to her acts, whether the audience knows it or not. Onstage, she also plays with gender roles, playing with the energies of personalities like Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich.
On the surface, I want people to be entertained, and I take immense pride in making my performances visually stunning. The showmanship, the costumes, and the props are all created with intention and skill. However, at the root of what I do, I aim to make social statements through my performance and storytelling, telling a queer narrative from my perspective. I always perform from a position of strength and queer power.
When I tell sapphic stories in my work, they are authentically reflective of how I live and love in my life. I’m not playing a character on stage; I am an amplified expression of my true essence as a woman who loves women. I feel like in history, queer stories have been far too few, and I hope that through my performance art, I can share my own with the world.
Humor and satire play a huge role in Burlesque and definitely in my work. There’s a sense of connection I create with the audience; even if they can’t fully relate to my story, they can connect with the warmth and invitation to participate in the fantasy I’m painting. Whether I’m drawing from my own fantasies or true-life stories, I often wonder, “What if the old Hollywood starlet was a lesbian icon?” and in embracing that, I become the role model I never had, moving through the world in that way.
If you have had the honor of seeing her perform, you know there is a magnetic energy the minute the light hits her. Her acts are masterfully put together, and she takes the audience on a ride. What is her creative process in presenting a new performance?
Instead of glamorizing the victim, I reclaim the power, and, in turn, he falls victim and I reveal my nude body, knife in hand. It’s my revenge fantasy, reclaiming power for women who have historically been the targets and victims in famous films.
Then there’s my Christmas act, where I reimagine the song, “Santa Baby,” as a sapphic love story. Instead of wanting to be seduced by material gifts, I’d rather have Santa’s wife for Christmas! I love weaving these whimsical, weird, fun, and silly stories into my performances, which adds a layer of humor and creativity to the stage.
Her audiences are diverse. Gay, straight, in between, old, young, cis, trans, they all come together. By the end of an evening with Miss Tosh, everyone is united in laughter, applause, and a feeling of belonging. This is the future of Burlesque.
By definition, Burlesque means comedic satire, and I believe society needs more diverse voices when it comes to expressing how we feel about the world. It serves as a healthy way to make political, creative, and social statements, all of which resonate with the body. Burlesque is a beautiful creative outlet that allows people to share their stories, make impactful statements, and even rebel. We need to hear more stories from as many kinds of perspectives possible so we have a deeper understanding of the human experience.
In a scene out of a classic-turned-modern Hollywood movie, Miss Tosh was proposed to on stage by a fellow performer, Katrina Kemp. The two couldn’t be more in love. It’s a burlesque fantasy brought to life.
I can’t express how incredible it is to have Katrina in my life; it feels like I’ve opened a new chapter in a fairytale. Katrina and I have been best friends for 13 years, and for over a decade, we’ve both had a crush on each other. We were never brave enough to share our feelings because we valued our friendship so much and didn’t want to risk rejection and losing one another.
I’ve faced significant trials in my life. However, all those experiences have made me deeply grateful for the joy, love, and kindness I now receive from my love. I feel incredibly lucky because this kind of love is truly rare, and I believe fate has brought us together.
Separately, they are consummate performers on their own, together, they are a veritable force. What has Miss Tosh learned the most from Katrina?
Katrina has taught me the true power of friendship. To really love someone, you must first be a genuine friend. That love stems from loyalty and that “ride or die” energy, being there for one another in every situation. She has always shown up for me and her loved ones, remaining consistent and kind.
Katrina has also taught me the importance of joy and the choice to embrace it. Her zest for life reminds me that while challenges will always come our way, it’s our willingness to face them that matters. We can come out on the other side, share a good laugh, and say, “Well, that was tough, but we made it!” She is truly my rock and my silver-lining.
As a fashion designer maven, Miss Tosh of course has her own clothing line that celebrates classic Hollywood with modern sass, with the release of new items for the holidays. With a thriving performing career, wedding plans to be made, and new fashions to design, what is most on her mind when looking towards 2025?
My New Year’s resolution is to take the time to truly live. So much happens within a year, and I often find myself moving from one thing to the next without pausing. In our fast-paced society, maintaining that energetic momentum is important, but I believe it’s equally vital to take the time to “touch grass” and absorb the beauty in simple moments.
I want to make a conscious effort to slow down and appreciate life, take walks, and soak in my surroundings. My goal is to be as present and alive as I can be, cherishing each experience along the way.
And her message to the queer community?
My message to the queer community this year is: I see you. We matter and we are valuable. We are irreplaceable, visible, strong, powerful, and influential. We are beautiful, and our lives matter. Despite the inevitable challenges that lie ahead, we are united as a community. Through our collective strength, we can create incomparable change. Together, we can truly make an impact on our queer future.
Follow all things Miss Tosh at MissTosh.com
Last modified: December 11, 2024
