Burlesque troupes continue on after closure of Market Street

After a decade of drag and burlesque shows, many performers who once-frequented Market Street Pub and Cabaret are now scrambling to find a new home — while the venue’s former owner finds his footing.

Market Street, located at 112 SW First Ave., closed its doors at the end of November after the bills for the downtown night spot became too expensive.

While owner Anthony Grezlik hopes to revitalize the spirit of his old venue through a new bar, 6th Street North, the ripples of the closing have been felt throughout the city. For many, Market Street was a home away from home, a place for late-night dancing free from judgment.

“I like to say the playground’s closed, but I’m trying to recreate that a little bit further up north where it’s a little bit less expensive to maintain,” Grezlik said of his new bar.

There have not been performances at the new bar yet, but Grezlik said he hopes to build a stage so future performances can take place.

“The vibe is still there, the buzz is still out there,” Grezlik said. “I think it’s really coming into its own right now. I think Market Street was a big draw to get that spark started into a flame.”

Performers with the burlesque troupe formerly known as Market Street Revue, which often hosted shows at the downtown venue, have repackaged themselves ahead of their first performance at the High Dive on Dec. 17.

The troupe is now known as Sally B.’s Dashing Revue, named after the show’s producer, Sally B. Dash.

Future dates and venues have not been booked yet. Dash said she has already seen some issues with the High Dive, namely their carpeted stage — as a tap dancer, Dash cannot get any sound from that surface. Other dancers cannot properly do ballet on a carpeted stage, preventing some acts from performing like usual.

“I’m kind of waiting and seeing before I make too many decisions for 2017, as far as where I’m going,” Dash said. “And I want to see how it feels at High Dive.”

Dash said she felt disappointed to see the venue go but grateful for the time spent there.

“We got to do a lot there, we really got to work on our art and try a lot of stuff and see what show formats worked,” Dash said. “We really had a safe space to try a lot of stuff and grow. I’ll be grateful for that. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Della Darling, a member of the Mischievous Madams Burlesque Troupe that often performed at Market Street, said the venue provided unparalleled freedom of expression — something no other venue offered.

“There was a lot of anxiety closing that place down, because we put a lot of work into it,” she said.

But the closing won’t likely deter any of the troupe’s fans, she said.

“I think we’ve built enough of a reputation that people will come see us wherever we are,” she said.

Other performers across the city, even those not involved with Market Street, came to know the venue through the close-knit nature of the drag and burlesque communities.

Kitty LaTush, a burlesque dancer at Downtown Drag, a show at Maude’s Side Car Bar, mentions Dash — the momma of local burlesque — and other revue producers as being an important part of her own burlesque journey.

“They really built up an amazing community so that people like me could step in and be a part of it and help collaborate,” LaTush said.

Performers in town see burlesque and drag as more than just shows. Nick Cavallaro, better known as Nicki Mirage, works alongside LaTush at Downtown Drag and also sees drag as a positive for the community.

“It’s just a good thing to have, because it’s a good form of free expression,” said Cavallaro, a 23-year-old UF biological engineering master’s student. “People who come to our shows just get to see people just really being themselves.”

A performer dances at Market Street Pub and Cabaret, which closed last month. Despite no longer having a stable venue, burlesque performers who once frequented Market Street will continue to put on shows around town, adapting to new venues and management.