Rules

All applicants who submit our application form must abide by all Terms & Conditions set out below:

Terms and Conditions

  • Applicants must be 18 years or over
  • Once your online application is submitted, there is to be no Stage Name or Biography changes. We are dealing with a huge amount of applications and changes like this take too much time for management to deal with.
  • Once you are accepted as a Finalist, MBI will spend a lot of money and time on promoting you. Pulling out of the competition without a genuine reason may result in our refusal of your future applications as it lets down the organisers, the other competitors and of course the audience who have come especially to see you perform. So please only accept a place as a Finalist if you are serious about the competition.
  • An application fee of $30 AUD needs to be paid before you can submit your application.
  • Only once accepted into a State Heat, contestants will be required to pay a $70 AUD entry fee. After receiving confirmation of acceptance, the contestant will be sent an invoice from MBI.
  • Each entrant MUST represent the State in which they reside. Applicants from other states may be considered if there are no vacancies in their State, and must cover their own costs to fly and compete in a separate state.
  • If you are applying from a State that does not have it’s own heat, you are welcome to apply to compete in your closest State Heat, however, any transport or related costs to compete or fulfill title duties will be at your expense.
  • Each entrant is required to sign a model release form for the Grand Final photo shoot and any videoing and photography taken at any time during the competition.
  • Contestants are required to promote the sale of tickets in their State Heat, via use of their own mailing lists, websites, Facebook, twitter and or MySpace sites etc. Incentives may be provided.
  • Contestants agree to make themselves available to media opportunities relating to Miss Burlesque International and understand that in most cases, these editorials and shoots are unpaid by Media.

What the Judges will be looking for:

All guidelines for the competition are devised to create an event where theatrical talent, intelligence and respect are of higher value in the art of ”being sexy” than monetary or superficial attributes . These guidelines encourage artistic integrity while creating a system of measure in choosing a winner.

Elegant Gown Parade:
How does the finalist present herself? Does she present as a Hollywood movie star walking the red carpet or more like Paris Hilton?? Has she successfully brought back old time Hollywood glamour? Is she full of confidence? Warmth? Personality?

  • Traditional Burlesque (Golden Age 1920 – 1960): Routine must run for a minimum of 2 mins and a maximum of 4 mins.
  • Routine, costume, music and all stylings must fit within the Burlesque Golden Age of 1920”s – 1960”s. Music from outside of this period will not be accepted. This includes modern day “remixes” of music from this age.
  • Judges will be looking at the quality of costuming and styling, so it is encouraged to invest not only in your choreography but also in the physical appearance of the show. Stylization is important but not neccessarily expense.
    The routine must include the 4 cornerstone moves of this period:

      The Bump
      The Grind
      The Shimmy and
      The Burlesque Walk.
  • Contestants are advised to research these moves, as the Judges will be specifically looking for the moves in the routine. (of course further choreo is an added value)
  • Tassle Twirling and Fan Dancing is permitted in the Traditional show.
  • Carry on props ARE permitted ( fans, boas, scarf ), but NO MAJOR PROPS or set up what so ever. NO MESS- there is to be no mess what so ever in the routine, if a clean up is conducted the entrant will have 20 points removed from their over all score.

Neo Burlesque (Modern revival / present day routine!):

  • Times: Routine must run for a minimum of 3 mins and maximum of 4 mins.
  • Routine, costume, music and all styling must fit within the period of late 1960?s to current day. “Remixes” of Traditional Music is permitted, if remixed after 1960.
  • You may incorporate gimmicks and skills into this piece (ie hula hoops, contortion, en pointe etc)
    Carry on props ARE permitted, but NO MAJOR PROPS or SET UP. NO MESS – there is to be no mess what so ever in the routine, if a clean up is conducted the entrant will have 20 points removed from their over all score.
  • Back up dancers/human props are permitted in this section.

Unique Show:

  • Times: Routine must run for a minimum of 4 mins and a maximum of 5 mins.
  • There are no rules in regards to costuming, music and styling.
  • Major props are permitted but must not take any more than 2 mins to set up or remove. Each minute over this set up time will be penalised with a point taken off the contestant’s final score.
  • Weighted stages and aerial rigging are permitted for this show. It’s up to the contestant to cover the cost of setting up, rigging and must be prepared prior to the event to allow for quick set up for the stage.
  • Xpole’s are not permitted in this competition at all.

GENERAL SHOW REQUIREMENTS:

  • Please ensure costume and styling are separate looks for each show.
  • All show music needs to be labeled with your stage name and section, then emailed to us no less than two weeks before the competition and needs to be approved on your original application. This is in place so that no two artists compete with the same music. We are also uploading online docs so that artists can check-in their music choice. It may be a matter of first in best dressed. You will be given lots of notice if double-ups on music or themes happen so that you can to decide what you want to do. This will also apply for the national final and you will be notified if any interstate winners contain the same song or song’s. If this happens we will inform you asap and we can all decide on what is going to happen.
  • Each winner will hold the title until the following year where they are required to perform and hand the title over to the next winner. If they can’t do any of their Miss Burlesque duties the runner up will replace them.
  • ALL ACTS USING WATER, GLITTER, MILK, CREAM, PAINT, FOOD, CONFETTI ETC MUST USE A DROP SHEET IN CONSIDERATION TO THE NEXT PERFORMER.

Grand Final:

  • Contestants are required to perform only 2 of the shows which won them a place in the Grand Final. It is compulsory to perform your Classic routine. You may lengthen it to 5 min max if desired. You may choose between you Neo and Unique act for your final appearance.
  • The Classic routine is compulsory because it ensures that each contestant exhibits her discipline in creating artistic strip tease, without the safety of props and storyline.
  • The second routine can be either the contestant”s Neo or Unique show.
  • Any big props or stage setting up (ie dry ice, pyrotechnics etc) must not take more then 2 minutes to set up and or clean up.
  • There are to be no pyrotechnics in the State Heats only in the Grand Finals if the venue allows it. Contestants will also need their own private person to detonate them and clean up. Each minute over a point will be taken off your overall score and it will be timed with a stop watch at each interval. If you take 1 min to set up then you still have a remaining 3 minutes to clean up, but if you don’t need any time to set up you still only have 3 minute to clean up.
  • You are allowed to have back-up dancers or animal’s in both sections, but in saying this all animals are completely your responsibility and need to be taken care of in an appropriate way. It will not be up to us to accommodate or pay for any travel for any animals or back up dancers or any large props if you are to win or place second to get to the national or International finals.
  • If you bring back-up dancers, do not monopolise the changeroom/mirrow and backstage space. They are welcome but they are considered of less importance than contestants and must be briefed by you regarding backstage manner.
  • Any aerial equipment must be rigged during the day and must not detract from or hinder another entrant”s show.

Responsibilities of title holder of Miss Burlesque Grand Final Winner:

  • To promote a positive community of Burlesque in your State, Country and Internationally
  • To promote a positive attitude towards all performers in the scene.
  • Offer ongoing support of the Miss Burlesque International brand and it”s sponsors as required.
  • To attend promotional activities for Miss Burlesque International as required during the year of title reign.
  • Return to the following year competition as a judge and mentor to the applicants.
  • First and second place will be required to do a photo shoot for the following year”s promo.
  • More responsibilities to be confirmed.

Miss Burlesque International does not condone nor believe in depicting violence against women as entertainment. Whilst we support a performers freedom to choose their own acts, due to the sensitive nature of some subject matters, the decision has been made that all performers will now include a mandatory description of their acts in the application form being submitted. MBI does not wish to diminish the artistic vision of any of its performers and they are entitled to perform in anyway they wish within the rules; however, if the content or presentation of any act does not fit new guidelines, the performance will NOT be made available to be viewed on the internet within the MBI domains. This way MBI can review descriptions of all acts in advance; issue warnings of rule breaches where required and inform the finalist that video of their performance will not be uploaded.

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