As dancers glided in a circle, arms outstretched, there was a sudden and enormous applause from fellow performers as they suddenly grabbed at their clothing and ripped away pants and shirts. Bare-chested with naked legs, they gleefully bopped and prowled the floor with large grins on their faces.
It was a final dress rehearsal for Broadway Bares, a fundraising dance show with stripping.
They invited me to watch as they put together final touches on a pair of shows coming this Saturday, and it all worked for me: successful tearaways and bold footwork accompanied the alluring campiness that made me want to clap my hands with my arms pointed skyward and rain down dollar bills on the scantily-clad dancers.
As a former theatre kid, I remember that the so-called “magic of theatre” is hard work that improves raw acting until it finally comes together — typically on the day of the performance.
“It’s a highly choreographed theatrical production,” said Bares Director and Co-Producer Deb Leamy. “It has a story; it’s a piece of theater with tongue-and-cheek burlesque and song and dance — largely dance.”
Each year’s performance is thematic; this year’s it’s “ChampionSTRIPS,” or loosely sports-themed. Individual choreographers created dance numbers based on various competitions, ranging from baseball to auto racing but also including chess and the British Bake Off.
“There are all these tearaway moments and strips,” said Damien Beard, a co-producer of the show. “So when we’re talking about Broadway Bares, it’s like ‘baring it all,’ instead of the other type of San Francisco bears (large hairy gay men).” But the show has those, too.
Broadway Bares began in New York City by choreographer Jerry Mitchell as a fundraiser during the AIDS epidemic. Now running for more than 30 years, the revue was originally performed by Mitchell’s Broadway actor friends, many of whom were living with and dying of AIDS.
Leamy — who was part of the New York troupe — started a San Francisco version in 2016. Their performance Saturday will cap off their seventh year, and it’ll be the second time they’ve danced since pandemic restrictions relaxed.
The show raises money for HIV-positive people as well as organizations that help young unhoused people and those experiencing food insecurity; beneficiaries include the Richmond Emert Aid Foundation and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. They’ve gotten more than $60,000 this year.
“It’s a great benefit, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Cameron Postnikoff, a first-year performer. There’s a “Bares-a-thon” that each performer is involved in to fundraise in their respective communities for the show, and Postnikoff personally raised over $1,000 this year. Queer-specific events felt important to him, given the wave of anti-LGBTQ and especially anti-transgender laws that have passed state legislatures this year, he added.
“It’s nice to be able to give back to your community and be fun and campy and all that by doing that.”
See Broadway Bares SF
Their last show was on June 17th at DNA Lounge. Follow their Instagram to learn about their next performance.
Aaron Levy-Wolins is a San Francisco-based writer and photographer.
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