Baltimore's Premier Burlesque Troupe · Est. 2007
Burlesque
Scandalously smart. Titillatingly talented.
Celebrating beauty, wit, power, sexuality & freedom.
Founded in 2007 by Maria "Baltimore's Sicilian Queen" Bella, Gilded Lily Burlesque has spent nearly two decades bringing neo-burlesque to Charm City and beyond. What began as one woman falling in love with a art form at Trixie Little's legendary Burlesque Bootcamp grew into Baltimore's most celebrated variety troupe — named Best of Baltimore by the Baltimore City Paper and featured in Baltimore Magazine.
"I fell in love. It was funny and theatrical.
I knew I needed to start my own troupe."
The troupe has graced the stages of The Lyric Opera House, The Walters Art Gallery, Artscape, Baltimore PRIDE, Creative Alliance, and venues up and down the East Coast, and has shared the spotlight with national headliners from New York, Philadelphia, DC, and beyond.
Our Mission
"The scandalously smart and titillatingly talented performers of Baltimore's Premier Burlesque Troupe are committed to bringing you the very best of what this vibrant artistic community has to offer. Our mission is to bring you entertainment that is fun and thought provoking. Come help us celebrate beauty, wit, power, sexuality and freedom."
Beyond entertainment, Gilded Lily uses the burlesque stage as a platform for social discourse, advocacy, and activism — committing to visibility for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ performers, raising funds for causes like the Innocence Project, and welcoming performers of every body type, age, race, orientation, and gender.
Baltimore's burlesque revival traces its roots to the early 2000s when trailblazer Trixie Little and Evil Hate Monkey first lit up intimate stages around the city. From that spark, Gilded Lily was born — and the rest is glitter-dusted history.
Gilded Lily's story mirrors burlesque itself: rooted in Baltimore's storied Block, transformed through neo-burlesque's revival, and continually reborn through new performers, new ideas, and an unwavering commitment to authenticity.
Trixie Little and Evil Hate Monkey launch Burlesque Bootcamp classes, igniting a new generation of performers and planting the seeds of Gilded Lily.
Maria Bella establishes Gilded Lily Burlesque, channeling her background as a dancer, trumpet player, and cabaret performer into Baltimore's premier neo-burlesque troupe.
The Baltimore City Paper names Gilded Lily "Best of Baltimore," cementing the troupe's place as the city's premier burlesque company.
Maria Bella earns silver at the NYC Burlesque Festival star search at The Ottobar, earning an invitation to perform on the national stage alongside 150 acts.
One of the troupe's most celebrated themed shows debuts at The Windup Space, showcasing Gilded Lily's signature blend of pop culture homage and classic striptease.
Maria Bella selected to perform at the prestigious London Burlesque Festival, bringing Baltimore's style to an international audience.
Maria Bella named Artist of the Year at the Asheville Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Festival — and also performs as headliner at the same event.
The beloved Valentine's Day tradition reaches its 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th annual editions at Creative Alliance, each year celebrating love in all its forms with national guest headliners.
Gilded Lily co-produces the debut of the Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival at Creative Alliance, establishing a permanent showcase for Baltimore's thriving variety arts scene.
No two performers alike. Gilded Lily's cast spans every style, background, and story — united by passion, sisterhood, and a shared love of the art form.
A dancer, trumpet player, and award-winning variety performer, Maria founded Gilded Lily in 2007. Her acts blend classic cabaret, neo-burlesque, cultural imagery, and world dance technique. She has headlined festivals across North America, the UK, and internationally.
A jazz singer and powerhouse performer, GiGi brings both vocal virtuosity and emotional depth to the stage. Ranked among the world's most influential burlesque performers, her work is as much social statement as it is spectacular entertainment.
A classically trained dancer whose sinuously poetic performances blend steam-punk theatrics with intoxicating sensuality. Nona was the star search winner at The Ottobar's NYC Burlesque Festival auditions.
With a theater background and a gift for impression, Ruby brings a dose of Carol Burnett-style wit and warmth to the Gilded Lily stage — proving that burlesque is as much about laughter as it is about allure.
Specializing in darkly comedic acts, Mourna brings an irreverent, subversive edge. Whether playing a revolutionary aristocrat or spinning gothic fantasy, she keeps audiences gleefully off-balance.
A graduate of the Gilded Lily School of Burlesque, Sophia is a sterling example of the troupe's commitment to nurturing new talent. Her sultry stage presence and vocal performances have made her a standout on the Baltimore circuit.
Plus honorary members and a rotating cast of Baltimore, Philadelphia, DC, NYC & national guest performers.
The crown jewel — Gilded Lily's beloved annual Valentine's Day spectacular at Creative Alliance. Now in its 14th year, "Tassels & Champagne" features national guest headliners, a champagne cocktail hour, retro glamour, and all kinds of love in all of its daring, dazzling forms.
A Burlesque Tribute to Quentin Tarantino — one of the troupe's most iconic themed shows. Audiences were invited to wiggle their big toes and discover what's really in that briefcase, as performers paid tribute to Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and more.
Burlesque meets live music. Performers tease to the sounds of local bands like Sean K. Preston and the Loaded Pistols — transporting the audience to a bygone era with sensational variety acts woven through a night of live sound.
A celebration of returns — the rhinestone in the spotlight, the shimmy of fringe, the caress of silk stocking. "Return to Glamour" brought Gilded Lily to Dance Place in DC, featuring live music by Jenny Langer and the Moonshine Society.
A dive into the dreamlike and the bizarre. Surrealesque pushed Gilded Lily's theatrical instincts to the limit, blending avant-garde imagery with classic striptease for a show that felt more like a living painting than a performance.
Co-produced by Maria Bella, the Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival at Creative Alliance is Gilded Lily's most ambitious production — a multi-night, multi-act celebration combining burlesque, drag, sideshow, circus, belly dance, and variety arts from across the nation.
Gilded Lily is not a strip show. It is not a conventional revue. It is a living, breathing art form that uses the body as a medium for storytelling, activism, and joy. The stage is a protest. The stage is a celebration. The stage belongs to everyone.
From dive bars in Station North to decorated theaters in Highlandtown, Gilded Lily has performed across the full geography of Baltimore's creative landscape — as well as venues up and down the East Coast.
The troupe has also taken the Baltimore spirit to Washington DC's Dance Place, Richmond's Byrd Theatre, Annapolis's Ramshead Live, and festival stages from New York to London to Asheville.
3134 Eastern Ave, Highlandtown. Home of the annual Tassels & Champagne Valentine's spectacular and the Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival. Gilded Lily's most beloved recurring stage.
12 W. North Ave, Station North. The intimate, atmospheric venue where Gilded Lily built much of its early reputation and continues to return for themed shows and variety nights.
Baltimore's grandest stage. Gilded Lily has performed here for major community events including the Workin' the Tease exhibition and Artscape.
Beloved rock club in the Station North Arts District, site of the NYC Burlesque Festival star search auditions and numerous Gilded Lily variety shows.
Where high art and burlesque collide. Gilded Lily has performed for special events at one of Baltimore's most esteemed cultural institutions.
A revolving cast of Baltimore's most iconic independent performance spaces, all home to Gilded Lily shows over the years.
These femme fatales use the spotlight to take their bodies back, and with each pull of pantyhose or shake of a tasseled pasty, they embrace their own skins and expose their truest selves.
Baltimore's Premier Burlesque Troupe — scandalously smart and titillatingly talented performers committed to bringing you the very best of what this vibrant artistic community has to offer.
As the longest-running troupe in the city, they've witnessed the evolution of burlesque from a niche pastime to a national entertainment, and helped shape what that evolution looks like in Baltimore.
Gilded Lily sees its medium as a ripe platform for social discourse, as well as advocacy and activism — committing to diversity and visibility for performers of color and LGBTQIA+ artists.
Separately, we are amazing — but when we come together, we are the Justice League, the A-Team. We are super heroes.
Burlesque is a confidence builder in so many ways. It teaches you acceptance of self, because it includes performers of all shapes, sizes, races and genders.
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