Las Vegas Weekly

April 19, 2012 · 6 PM

Photos: Meet the lovely ladies of ‘X Burlesque’

By Andrea Domanick

The cast of the Flamingo's "X Burlesque" on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. The topless Strip show celebrates its 10th anniversary Thursday, April 19, 2012.

Photo: Christopher DeVargas

The Flamingo’s fiery topless revue “X Burlesque” celebrates its 10th anniversary tonight. The show is known to offer a little something for everyone -- and that especially goes for its lovely ladies.

Before you head down to the showroom, why not get to know each of them a little more personally? From ex-Rockettes to 10-year vets, meet the dancing damsels of “X Burlesque.”

Priscilla

Entertainment is in her blood: Priscilla comes from a show biz family -- her father is comedian Joe Trammel. Trained in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap, Latin and her specialty -- belly dancing -- Priscilla also serves as artistic director for her family-owned Trammel Dance Studio on Fort Apache Road. Her specialty in the show? The new “Grinder Girl” act, in which she grinds a metal grinder against a metal corset, literally making sparks fly. Check her out at www.PriscillaEntertainment.com.

Smithy

Hailing from Toronto, Smithy is a 3-year veteran of “X Burlesque” and a 10-year resident of Las Vegas. Before moving here, she spent time traveling and working overseas, and even had a stint as a Radio City Rockette. Smithy says that while she’ll always be Canadian at heart, as long as there are winters, she'll continue to call Las Vegas home.

Megan

If you haven’t caught Missouri native Megan at “X Burlesque,” where she’s been performing for 2 1/2 years, you may recognize her from her former gig at Rio’s Show in the Sky. Megan holds a degree in dance and history from Oklahoma City University and has been livin’ and lovin’ Vegas for nearly 4 years.

Jenny

Jenny hasn’t strayed too far from her native Los Angeles, where she began dancing at age 6. Still, it wasn’t until 2004 that she discovered her true passion for performing when she was given the opportunity to join “X Burlesque’s” Lake Tahoe-based troupe. When not onstage at the Flamingo, Jenny is all about raising her new Yorkie puppy Monroe.

Melania

It’s no surprise Melania has ended up in a Strip show -- she’s a Las Vegas native born to a showbiz family. Though she was raised in Reno, Melania was eager to take after her showgirl mother and moved back to Las Vegas after graduating high school. She took a slight detour, spending 6 months performing in Japan and eventually ending up back here where she performed in “Folies Bergere.” Melania has been with “X Burlesque” since 2005.

Rasmeeka

Rasmeeka was born in Durban, South Africa, and is the sister of Shakeera, who also performs in the show. Their parents were the first registered interracial marriage recorded in the country; however, due to apartheid, their family relocated to Las Vegas. From an early age, Rasmeeka and her sister were involved in extracurricular activities like dance and sports. She won nine state championships in gymnastics, later making the U.S. National team. Rasmeeka represented South Africa at the 2000 Olympics; however, due to a knee injury, she was forced to retire from the sport.

After ending her career in gymnastics, Rasmeeka embarked on her new passion; dancing. In 2002, she joined the cast of "X Burlesque" and is currently one of two original cast members left in the show, her sister being the other. In 2009, Rasmeeka took on the role of the show’s choreographer.

In addition to "X Burlesque," Voelkner was a backup dancer for Toni Braxton for three years and was a featured dancer at Forty Deuce. She has performed with many recording artists and aerial acts at various Strip venues.

Shakeera

Shakeera, Rasmeeka’s older sister, is both beauty and brains: She says she “loved every minute” of school and graduated high school with honors while participating in competitive dance from ages 12 to 17. She attended UNLV and graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology and a minor in chemistry. She was planning to pursue a career as a pharmacy representative when her sister asked her to fill in for an injured dancer in “X Burlesque”; what was supposed to be a temporary gig became a full-time career. After five years, Shakeera was named dance captain of the show.

Follow Andrea Domanick on Twitter at @AndreaDomanick and fan her on Facebook at Facebook.com/AndreaDomanick.

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