“This is Art!” - Guest Feature: Miss Alexandra Vita
Miss Alexandra Vita performed with us virtually in our 2021 show, Burlesque & Chill does HBO, and our 2023 virtual show, Like, Totally!
In this interview, you’ll learn all about Miss Alexandra Vita as a burlesque performer, from how she got her name and her first performance, to what she’s known for, and what she’s working on now!
Miss Alexandra Vita bites the middle fingers of her gloves in a top hat and black corset. Photo by Embodied Arts @teaganrose
Miss Alexandra Vita, The Sultry Songbird & Sassy Siren of Burlesque - Early Burlesque Career
Who doesn’t love an origin story? Learn how Los Angeles-based burlesque performer, Miss Alexandra Vita became the “sassy siren” we’ve all come to know and love…
How did you come up with your name?
My original burlesque name was Vita Diavolo, but everyone kept messing it up haha so I merged it with my real name and acting stage name to become Miss Alexandra Vita
How did you come up with your tagline?
Lola Boutee actually unintentionally helped me with this because she would introduce me as a sultry songbird. So I started using that as my tagline, and also added in the sassy siren.
What originally drew you to burlesque?
I actually was going through a really slow and dead zone with acting auditions, and I was doing my daily due diligence with submitting for projects on actors access, and I saw a casting for burlesque performers for the Dollface Dames , which is run by Lola Boutee. And I had never done burlesque, but I saw that they were looking for singers and I could sing. And I almost didn’t go to the audition because I was in a really low and dark place mentally and emotionally and was in therapy. But I went at the last minute and sang one of the songs I prepared a cappella and another song that they gave me. I killed the song I brought in and sing the shit out of the song that they gave me, but was totally off tempo and just creating my own thing with the song haha
What was your first ever burlesque act?
My first act I ever created was my blues Drag King act.
I had to create an act to perform at one of Lola Boutee’s shows as my final callback to join The Dollface Dames. And I auditioned for her as a singer, and while I trained in many different types of music, blues music was always my absolute favorite to sing. And one of my favorite blue singers is Bonnie Raitt, and so I her song, “Love me Like a Man” And a choreographer I actually worked with at a fitness studio, encouraged me to make it a drag act and he helped me with the concept of this piece and I’ve changed it quite a bit since then and it’s evolved, but it’s still one of my favorite pieces.
Miss Alexandra’s work and Inspirations
Miss Alexandra Vita tosses her hat and dances in a bedroom in black lingerie for our Burlesque & Chill does HBO Virtual Show in 2021
How would you describe your aesthetic and the concepts/stories you explore in your performances?
I really like to tell a story when I perform burlesque pieces, whether it be serious or comedic. I like to make sure there’s a beginning middle, and an end in the pieces that I create, and that there’s an arc to the piece. Because I am an actress and have a large background in theater, I tend to focus more on the character and the storytelling of the piece.
In terms of my Aesthetic, it usually tends to be grittier and sassy. I love to use more sultry rock & roll/blues music in my pieces, and an attitude is always present. I like to push the envelope and be sassy and cheeky.
Who and What are Your Biggest Inspirations?
What really inspires me is performers and artists who are good people and who are strong and kind. Ones who are as beautiful and gracious off stage/screen as they are on. They really help others, and also help the people in their community. Artists who know who they are and encourage others to just be their unique selves.
What Inspires Your Acts? Walk Us Through Your Burlesque Act Creation Process
It’s usually a concept that I think of or that I deal with in my personal life, and I want to make a piece about it. Or sometimes it’s a song that I love that really inspires me that I want to sing and or create a piece around and tell a story.
What 3 Burlesque Acts are You Best Known For?
The three acts that describe me the best as a performer are my Blue Drag King Act, Call Me EMS Act, and Got to be Real Act.
I think my blues drag king act really showcases me as a singer and the type of music that really settles well with my voice, but it’s also my favorite to sing. I have a more mature, grittier, powerhouse belter voice naturally, so blues music really caters to that. But blues music is my favorite to sing because it’s so freeing, you can let go and have fun and be in the moment, you don’t have to be as vocally controlled in it as some other genres of music like Broadway or classical.
Miss Alexandra Vita sings on stage in a black suit and hat with red lipstick and black gloves on. Photo by @flyinglioncabaret
My EMS act to the Blondie song “Call Me” probably describes my personality personally and as a burlesque performer. I like to make people laugh and mess around. I work as an EMT as my side job so that’s where the inspiration for this act came from. It’s really funny and cheeky. It’s definitely a Neo-burlesque act, and I would say as a performer, I tend to do more neo-burlesque acts than classical burlesque acts.
My “Got to be Real” Act is one of my absolute favorites and this is one where it’s fun and funny, but also has a purpose and has a message. The act is to Cheryl Lynn’s song “Got to be Real”, and I start out as your typical burlesque performer -beautiful, glamorous, and very classical burlesque, mad then halfway through the act I start to get “over it” haha and not only do I strip off my clothing but I take off my eyelashes and there’s a whole sequence where I takeoff all of my make up on stage, and all my under garments are nude color. The point being to embrace and love our naturalness, even as a burlesque performer with all the glitz and glam.
Miss Alexandra Vita flashes a big, showgirl smile in a black, sparkly gown, thigh-highs and pulling on a red, feather boa. Photo by @flyinglioncabaret
What do you hope to add to the art of burlesque and that audiences take away from your work?
I hope audiences really understand that this is Art, and for me it’s very close to performance art and what you see performance artists doing. And if you’re a Theatre Geek, it’s very close to Clowning, It’s not just about the glamour or the striptease, but it’s really about something to say or something to feel and most of the people I work with are amazing dancers, actors, singers, writers, comedians, etc. most of which are also working and hustling in the Hollywood entertainment industry alongside of their burlesque career.
And as for the glamour and strip tease part of burlesque, I also hope they take that in a positive way, and they celebrate that as well. That instead of persecuting our bodies, beauty, sensuality, confidence, and sexuality, we celebrate it and love it.
What’s something you’re working on now that you’re excited about?
Something new I’m working on: New acts! For a while I was doing a lot of themed shows and creating acts specifically for the shows and not for myself. I’m back to creating for myself.
I recently created two new cowboy acts, one to “Mustang Sally” which I sing and another to “White Horse” Next up I’m creating a new Rock & Roll fan act and an audition process burlesque act.
Where can readers learn more about you and keep up with your work?
Follow me on Instagram: @missalexandravita
I also started producing my own show Viva La Vita, and we have a residency the last Saturday of every month at Bar Lubitsch in West Hollywood. It’s set in a gorgeous speakeasy and each show has a new cast of performers showcasing a variety of talent. IG is @Vivalavitaburlesque
What current performers are inspiring you now?
Vixen Deville is probably my mentor in burlesque. When I first entered the scene, I performed with her and worked with her a lot, and she eventually taught me fire performing. She is a performer that I think really teaches you how burlesque is about freedom and asks you what do you want. She encourages you to be your most authentic self and to celebrate it and live it. She teaches that burlesque can be whatever you want it to be, it comes from your authenticity, desires, and inspiration, and that’s definitely where I create from. She is also an incredibly kind person and is always there to support.
Kiva Siani is a performer that I’m constantly mesmerized by every single time I watch her perform. The way she is so in her body is really inspiring and something to really learn from because it just breeds creativity, emotion, and presence in all her performances. Read Kiva’s blog feature here!
Jade Risque is a good friend of mine and seeing how much she has blossomed since we started on the burlesque scene has been a pleasure. She is such a strong, versatile performer and I always watch her and take her classes when I can, I love them. This woman is a force. She is an amazing burlesque singer and dancer, and does belly dancing, fan work, boa work, silks, and has her own rhinestoning biz!
Miss Alexandra Vita’s Burlesque Bio
I have been singing and acting consistently, since I was 13, and I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and Acting performance from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. I started performing burlesque professionally in early 2018.
