“My goal with each performance is for audience members to leave the show with a smile on their face. Our job is to entertain!” 

— Ruby Spencer

Ruby Spencer radiates glamour that harkens back to the days of early pin-ups and classic showgirls. Inspired by vintage and classic musicals, Ruby grew up watching shiny stars perform elaborate musical numbers and fashion montages, shaping her feelings from an early age around performing and introducing her early on to required skill sets.

In burlesque Ruby found an art form that allows her to live out her dream of evoking the persona of a by-gone Hollywood starlet. Her performances, much like her meticulously crafted costumes, sparkle and enchant audiences around the city.

Conversation with Ruby Spencer

http://www.rubyspencer.com

Instagram: @rubyspencerchi

At the time I started looking at burlesque classes, I had been training to become a lindy hop instructor and was needing something to spark some creativity. I took a lot of classes for a year and a half and I was struck by how different all the teachers and other students were as far as their performance style. I obsessively watched videos online and knew that this was an art form that would allow me to live my dreams of being one of those old Hollywood starlets!

I knew right away that I wanted my onstage persona to fit with my vintage and pin-up personality. I wanted big and classic and showgirly! So as a new performer, I struggled with trying to fit that aesthetic in with group classes (when you are trying to look like a cohesive group). I also dealt with trying to walk that line between costumes that met my expectations and fit my budget! But the biggest challenge as a new performer was pushing past so many people's opinions of "classic acts being boring." I LOVE classic burlesque and I knew in my heart that this was the style I wanted to perform. But little whispers of doubt always creep in. You hear something say how boring they find classic. And so much of the classic is reliant on your stage presence and engagement with the audience. Two things that are usually not their strongest in a new performer — and this applied to me. I knew I was going to have to push myself to be successful.

If you had asked 16-year-old Ruby, she would not have been caught dead doing anything on a stage with people watching her!!! What if she did something embarrassing?!?! Spending time on a stage performing burlesque has ignited my desire to continue to challenge myself to do more that I'm not comfortable with.

The best compliment I've ever received from an audience member was "You looked like you were having the time of your life up there!" and I was!