House of Hathor brings diversity to expat burlesque scene

House of Hathor / Courtesy of Yusuf Gamieldien

By Celeste Kriel

House of Hathor (HoH), Seoul's latest neo-burlesque troupe, is gaining attention in the foreign community for their charm, as well as diverse acts ranging from burlesque comedy to soulful singing with a sultry edge and their cabaret-style performances.

The art of burlesque has been growing for a few years now in the expat scene ― walk down any street in Haebangchon and you won't miss the sexy stickers of Whitelies Burlesque posted on the walls and inside elevators advertising their latest rock 'n' roll-themed show, or eye-catching House of Tease posters showcasing their latest take on sci-fi theater burlesque.

While Whitelies Burlesque and House of Tease have become permanent fixtures here, HoH is the newest addition on the sultry scene, and they are adding their own soulful flavor.

The HoH performers are all open-minded, body-positive individuals who wish to educate people about traditional American burlesque as a performance art. They are also keenly aware conservative audiences need to be gently guided to understand the often-controversial performance art form, and they do this by injecting their performances with what is known as “neo-burlesque,” marrying an updated rendition of traditional burlesque performance with a wider range of acts such as modern dance, theatrical mini-dramas and comedic mayhem, with the storytelling based on the art of tease.

“The House of Hathor aims to inform people about the misunderstood art form while providing entertaining shows. We strive to make burlesque an acceptable art for everyone to embrace the body, sexuality and sensuality,” says Miss Eihblin Grayson, the founder and one of the troupe's more experienced performers.

“We want to inform and entertain while performing hot numbers as well as classic numbers with sophistication and class.”

HoH has showgirl-styled cabaret performances and much effort goes into group performances and costumes. The various themes of shows allow for a variety of performance styles ranging from classic burlesque to modern acts.

At the moment all members are women of color, a first for the local burlesque scene, but the house is inclusive to all women of all shapes, experiences and sizes.

“The intention was never to have it exclusively as a women of color troupe. However, it was created to bring performers of color to the burlesque scene in Seoul as we were underrepresented. I was one of the few performers of color at the time. The art of tease in its classic form has not been well-introduced and represented to our community. HoH set out to change this.”

The next HoH showcase will be on June 30 at The Convent near Hongik University. For more details, visit their Instagram page @hathor_burlesque.