Every(body) Wants to Be a Showgirl
The Largest Global Celebration of Black Burlesque Artists
An exhibition of burlesque history, global culture and performance art
Every(body) Wants To Be A Showgirl
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Every(body) Wants To Be A Showgirl 〰️
Every(body) Wants to Be a Showgirl is a traveling exhibition celebrating the artistry, cultural impact, and living legacy of Black burlesque performers. Featuring over 100 Black performers from around the world, the exhibition centers living artists while honoring the lineage of Black performance traditions — and is now on the road.
Founded in 2026 by Aquarius Moon, EWTBAS is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to preserving and amplifying Black burlesque. Black artists have long been a site of innovation, resistance, and economic impact, yet our contributions remain under-documented and underfunded. This exhibition is a corrective initiative—creating visibility, care, and historical context while supporting sustaining artists who are actively keeping the art form alive.
Today, the EWTBAS Collection includes over 200 works of international art, ranging from the past to the immediate present. Alongside its mission to familiarize the general public with Black burlesque art, our main objective is the ongoing expansion of our current collection. We collect, preserve, and present works of burlesque art of the highest quality from diverse cultures. We embrace our responsibility to engage and educate our community and to contribute to cultural knowledge of burlesque in history.
The project is Black-led, community-informed, and ethically curated, prioritizing dignity, authorship, and legacy over extraction. This exhibit is 100% self funded and independently produced. We welcome sponsors, cultural partners, and patrons interested in supporting Black art preservation.
Pop Up Tour Dates
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![Two framed posters for burlesque shows on a wall, one titled "Strip City" with a woman in burlesque costume, and the other titled "Lottie the Body" with a woman pointing with her arm extended.]()
Davenport, Iowa
SEPTEMBER 11-13
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![Decorative display with various objects including figurines, photographs, candles, and a colorful background with a red and turquoise mural, on a blue fabric surface surrounded by artificial white flowers.]()
Indianapolis, Indiana
AUGUST 8-31
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![A woman with dark hair wearing a black t-shirt and purple skirt stands inside a room, looking at a mannequin decorated with feathers and jewelry. The room has pink curtains, a bookshelf, and a poster that reads 'Foxy Tann presents.' There are other mannequins with costumes or accessories, and books and framed pictures on the shelves.]()
Minneapolis, Minnesota
JUNE 19-21
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![A colorful graffiti mural with abstract shapes and patterns in the background. In front of the mural, a poster features a vintage black-and-white photograph of five women dressed as showgirls in matching costumes. The words "Brazil Show" are written in pink cursive, and]()
Washington DC
FEBRUARY 6-28
PRESS
Archival Partners
The Ecdysiast Arts Museum
Founded by Danielle Colby, The Ecdysiast Arts Museum is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of burlesque and the performers who shaped it. Housed on Brady Street in Davenport, it serves as a permanent home for costumes, ephemera, and archival material that might otherwise be lost — and it holds special significance as the debut permanent display location for Every(body) Wants to Be a Showgirl.
Davenport, Iowa
Burlesque Hall of Fame
The Burlesque Hall of Fame is the world's premier institution dedicated to preserving burlesque as an art form and cultural tradition. What began in 1990 as performer Dixie Evans's personal collection — housed, famously, on a goat farm in Helendale, California — grew into a Las Vegas museum of more than 3,000 costumes, props, photographs, and artifacts spanning nearly a century of the tease. The museum's Arts District space closed its doors in July 2025 amid funding pressures, but BHoF continues as an organization: the collection is preserved, the annual Weekender and Miss Exotic World Pageant carry on, and a capital campaign is underway to reopen a physical home for the art form's history.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Paris, FranceJosephine Baker and Afro-descendants Museum
Founded by Baltimore native Brian Scott Bagley, Le Musée Joséphine Baker et des Afro-Descendants de Paris preserves and celebrates Black cultural heritage in the city that made Josephine Baker a legend. Through exhibitions, walking tours, and performances centered on sites like Chez Joséphine — the cabaret Baker ran from 1926 to 1928 — the museum keeps alive the story of Baker's life and the broader history of the African diaspora in Paris, connecting audiences to the neighborhoods, venues, and communities that shaped that legacy.
SUPPORT THE EXHIBIT
Contribute to this project to help keep Everybody Wants to Be a Showgirl traveling — every contribution directly supports artifact preservation, curator travel, and community programming that bring this history to new cities.
SPONSOR THE EXHIBIT
Partner with Everybody Wants to Be a Showgirl as a sponsor and align your brand with a groundbreaking celebration of Black burlesque history reaching audiences across the country.
SPONSORS & PARTNERSHIPS
Curation Team
Aquarius Moon, Curator & Installation Designer
Camila Obscura, Exhibition Designer, Visual Communication & Documentarian
Production Sponsors
Infringement Productions, Metro Cabaret Club, Nytes in Harlem Co, Twirlisha Devine Productions
Community Partners
Dance Place, DC LGBTQA Affairs Office, Siren Pack
Artist Liasons
Academixxx, Astonym, Charliecakessss, AuroraBoob Realis, Che Monique, Coco Rose, Egypt Blaque Knyle, Elyse Elaine, Ganja Kitty, Harlem Nyte, Lottie Ellington, Mojo Deville, Nirvana Noire, Nox Falls, Plezher, Professor M, RedBone, Tre De Marc, Shay AuLait, Twirlisha Devine
Museum Partners
The Ecdysiast Arts Museum, Burlesque Hall of Fame, Josephine Baker and Afro-descendants Museum of Paris
Archival Historians
Ashleeta, Brown Skin Showgirls, Chicava HoneyChild, Danielle Colby, Indiana History Project, Margot Lugosi, Mojo Deville, The Rocket Dolls, Twirlisha Devine
Finance & Advisory Team
Desire D’amour, RedBone
Photography Sponsors
Aquarius Moon, Camila Obscura, PixElle Photos, Rachel Schwebach
Burlesque Academy Sponsors
Circle City Burlesque Academy, Moonbeam Academy, The Rhinettes, Rose Academy of Burlesque
Previous Archive & Venue Partners
Brown Skin Showgirls, Dupont Underground, Indianapolis Liberation Center, LUSH Theater, White Rabbit Cabaret