Vicky Butterfly



Burlesque, Magic, Design and Dreams...

                    Indulge     Watch       The Glamourists

About Vicky Butterfly

She's a Burlesque starlet, innovative performance artiste, illusionista, music hall Vaudevillian, theatrical designer and all dreamer...


Whether it’s clouds of butterflies that fly out from her clothes as she hovers en Pointe, a Kinetic glittering crescent moon or a Lynchian slant on Weimar era erotic dance, Vicky Butterfly’s beautifully choreographed routines take in everything from the ethereal and the breath-taking to the macabre and the erotic: with inspirations including Anita Berber, Loie Fuller, the Marchesa Luisa Casati and Maya Deren, her poetic and retro-futuristic performances evoke influences from the Pre-Raphaelites and French literature to Surrealism and more...

The daughter of an Irish showgirl and an eccentric Viennese aristocrat, her work reflects her bohemian upbringing: notable as a real innovator, she uses contemporary technology alongside a richly decadent aesthetic and lavishly sensual showmanship, incorporating her background in theatrical design alongside training in disciplines including ballet, lyrical dance, opera and circus as well as an insatiable desire for literature and history.


Not only is Vicky a classic beauty with a true vintage look and an all natural 34-22-34 figure (and show-stopping 17” corsetted waist), but her skills as a trained theatre designer (honed at the celebrated Central Saint Martins) ensure a range of spectacular and unique costumes, corsetry and eye-catching, unique props (she can even perform floating on the surface of water) such as her swinging mirror-ball moon, scale Victorian theatre, giant Faberge egg mirrored music box, fire platform or living snow globe.

Always in demand internationally from Paris to Bali, she has an enviable roster of clients (including Beefeater Gin, Roberto Cavalli, the Sugababes, Kensington Palace, The Royal Academy of Art, the Moulin Rouge, the Casino di Venezia, Maserati and the Paris Ritz), a clutch of sparkling reviews and appearances on the covers and in the pages of exclusive magazines around the world. She was the first burlesque performer to be booked to appear in a Bollywood film and can also be seen live with bands such as Röyksopp, spotted in music videos and stadium projections by top bands (including Fleetwood Mac, The Verve, Kings of Leon, The Fratellis, Queens of the Stone Age and Paul Weller) and even The Paul O’Grady Show and The Crown, as well as speaking on programmes such as BBC4’s “What a Performance! Pioneers of Popular Entertainment” with Frank Skinner and Suzy Klein.

She was a long-standingcast member of circus variety trailblazers La Clique and won the trophy for “Most Dazzling Dancer” at The Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas in 2016. Since 2011, she has embodied the role of "The Starlet" in the long-running iconic Berlin production of "Kabarett der Namenlosen".

She is one half of magic duo The Glamourists with FISM Award winning magician Oliver Tabor, currently President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians' British Ring (the world's oldest magic society) and on tour with the West End's longest running magic show, "West End Magic".

She helped create, design and was a lead cast member of The Black Cat Cabaret: a ground-breaking and award winning ("Best Production" - London Cabaret Awards 2014) narrative immersive theatrical cabaret experience based on Orpheus’ adventures in the Underworld, launched with a sell-out year at the Cafe de Paris, a critically acclaimed run at the London Wonderground and also comprising a successful salon style residency at the iconic Grill Room of the Cafe Royal.

Vicky was also a founder member and curator of The Boom Boom Club, which ran from 2006 - 2012 with successful runs at The Bathhouse, The Old Vic Tunnels and The London Wonderground as well as many other public and corporate engagements.


Catch her if you can..."

 

The Magic of The Glamourists

To book Vicky Butterfly, please send enquiries to bookings@vickybutterfly.net

Vicky Butterfly Archive Site with Journal and Gallery

 Acts  

Press

  "Vicky Butterfly, le papillon victorien qui cartonne en Europe, nous précise que c’est un pouvoir qu’exerce la femme artiste. En quelque sorte le pouvoir de parvenir à un érotisme en sollicitant les courbes et stéréotypes de la femme, pour mieux l’en affranchir."

                                                 - Playboy France


   “Mutine au teint frais et à la peau diaphane, cette jeune Rousse aux yeux verts dégage quelque chose de profondément étrange, à la limite du fantastique. Depuis l'âge de sept ans, cet ancien petit rat de l'opéra danse et fabrique ses costumes et compose ses personnages comme des idées. Le soir où on l'a vue à Londres, sa ville natale, elle voulait incarner une image évoquant tout à la fois Marlene Dietrich à Shangaï, Rita Hayworth, le film noir et un paon qui se défait de ses plumes.”


   “Puis, quand Vicky Butterfly fait voler ses plumes blanches autour de son bustier noir, sensuelle et mystérieuse, la salle se fige dans un silence...rêveur. On est loin du vieux lap dance et de l'étalement de chair glacial.”

  1. -                                                                                         - GQ France


        “On stage one of burlesque’s legends, Vicky Butterfly, rocks serenely on a giant, sparkling crescent moon. As the music swells, and she rocks the moon higher, her layers of clothing are shed so subtly you would barely notice. It is beautiful, poetic almost. And yes, sexy, but without the aggression that goes with stripping. At the end, men applaud, women hoot with approval, and Miss Butterfly flits off stage.”

                                                  - The Independent



   "Miss Vicky Butterfly is lush. She has the extraordinary curves, the bee-waist and ripe thighs of a Regency poule de luxe crossed with a Bettie Page vixen's face... all of us at the table, irrespective of gender, have developed minor crushes and we watch mesmerised as the butterflies that cover her pearly bosom flutter off on to the floor... making delicious little moues, she engages us in flirtatious eye-contact: when the peacock feathers waft from Miss Vicky's body during her Peacock Lament, it doesn't matter if you temporarily lose the ability to wield cutlery. But we had fun. Whoop whoop and hell, yeah."

                                                   - Marina O'Loughlin, the London Metro


   “Equally astounding is Vicky Butterfly’s much-admired masterpiece When The Hard Rain Falls…The Night Flowers Bloom. It’s the burlesque act at the end of the universe, an intense and epochal example of an art form which is too often style over substance. The mesh of modern light technology and spell-binding dance is perfectly ensconced in the dark of Spiegeltent to create an unforgettable experience.”

                      - This Is Cabaret



   “wittily deadpan…(her) way with feathers gave me faith in burlesque.” -Time Out



   "notable as a real innovator, lacing her costumes and routines with a bewitching dose of fairy-tale surrealism that stands her sharply apart from the crowd."


       “Vicky Butterfly seduces the assembly with her nubile tease”

                                                   - The Metro



   "Spectacular! a corsetted Isadora Duncan with the grace of Steichen's 1920 photograph on the Pathenon's steps."       

                                                   - Alternative Magazine



  “Behind me a couple of dandies with looking glasses atop their canes got their cravats in a twist as they ogled the tall, auburn-haired beauty Vicky Butterfly. Butterfly was in many ways the opposite of Velvet, whose flame-lit set and dusky costume suggested sinful seduction. For her moon act, Butterfly appeared in a billowing white gown. The folds of fabric and coy removal of layers played with a sexualised innocence, exploring the ideas of darkness and light associated with the moth.” 

                                                  - The Erotic Review



    "In the sultry yellow light, the porcelain skin of the girl seems phosphorescent... she radiates an ethereal energy. Something about her suggests that she's a creature of the night - a lunar being who's most alive in the witching hours. Perhaps it's her moon-pale complexion, which contrasts with a cascade of deep red hair, or the way the shawl draped over her delicate limbs makes her resemble an antique doll that lives in a walnut chest in a high, cobwebbed loft, and magically springs to life when the stars come out to play... the revered Burlesque artiste with a tiny 17" corsetted waist."


   "Already threatening to achieve legendary diva status, this classic, mysterious siren is leaving us breathless."   


       “Vicky Butterfly’s homage to Gustav Klimt was slinky, sexy and sensational.”

  1. -Bizarre Magazine



   “The evening is thrust into overdrive by Vicky Butterfly who gyrates like a goddess aflame in a winged costume of neon lights, transforming herself into a veritable vortex of rainbows as the audience’s collective jaw hits the floor.

                   -West End Wilma


       “...Vicky Butterfly makes a truly mesmerising appearance as the lady of the house, her this cloak transforming into a blur of bright lights, colours and movement as she twirls and gyrates hypnotically. Although this is a burlesque act that leaves little to the imagination, it's both stunning and beautiful. Although I'm sure there were plenty entranced by her physical beauty, this felt like nudity for art's sake. Spellbinding stuff.”

                                                       - Views From The Gods


           “One of the most visually impressive acts is Vicky Butterfly who combines stunning costume design, LED lighting and burlesque. As Butterfly slips out of her sequinned cloak, she reveals wings of constantly twisting light, reflected magnificently in the mirrors of the Spiegeltent.”

                                                                                    - Musical Theatre Review


   “L'atmosfera della serata si è scaldata, non per l'alcool, ma per lo spettacolo di soft burlesque della perfomer Vicky Butterfly , bellissima nel suo costume di piume e nei suoi balli che ricordano i momenti d'oro di Hollywood.”

                                                   - Cosmopolitan


“L'evento, durato fino a notte fonda, è stato animato anche dall'esibizione di Vicky Butterfly (
www.vickybutterfly.net), una delle migliori artiste di burlesque sulla piazza, che ha il dono di coniugare sapientemente erotismo e ironia, leggerezza e cultura. Probabilmente perché, come lei stessa ci ha spiegato, per dare vita ai personaggi delle sue performance si ispira ad artiste del passato, soprattutto degli anni 20 e 30 del secolo scorso, Louise Brooks in testa. Mentre tra le attrici di oggi quella con la quale ha più affinità è Tilda Swinton, per la sua capacità quasi camaleontica di entrare nei panni di personaggi diversissimi tra loro.”

                                                            - Gioia


   “Vicky Butterfly, petite and delicate, arrived there completely covered with peacock feathers. She represents the research and the attainment of the sublime. A talented performer with a rare beauty, she embodies innocence and pride and she generously gives them to her public. Vicky is delicate and persuasive; only feathers, pearls and veils cover her body, not to reveal too much, she is ethereal as if she came from another planet and came down among us in her brightness. She follows the rare styles of the revue vaudeville and of the Belle-Epoque, that's why she is one of the most claimed and imitated artists. She is famous for her fan-dance (made with fans of feathers), that brings the public in a real travel back in time, between feelings of magic and poetry."

                                                   -Katia Ferri Melzi D'Eril, Venice Nightlife



   “And then there’s Vicky Butterfly, an elegant and energetic blaze of burlesque. Some may call it posh stripping but both her Idol of Perversity and The Swan Bride routines are thrilling, hypnotic affairs with costumes to die for."

                                                   - This Is Cabaret



       "Burlesque star Vicky Butterfly really captivated the audience. Her beautifully choreographed routines were performed with the erotic grace of a seasoned burlesque dancer. In her final act she was transformed into a butterfly, enthralling the crowd with the natural beauty of the female form. Butterfly was my favourite act of the night and ensured the show ended with a bang."

                                                   - Staffordshire Newsletter



       “A last favourite of mine is Vicky Butterfly. I think she is just beautiful. Her acts were soft, elegant and ethereal. She performed her ‘The Faberge Egg’ act, – it was just darling. She emerges out of this opulently decorated egg all feathered up like a baby chick. She did an entrancing fan dance with pearly white feathers before retreating back into the egg. Her second act is one that will stick in my mind for a long time because it was truly magnificent feat. Belle Epoque La Lune or ‘The Moon’ is simply a wonderful, dreamy illusion of a performance; a dazzling, giant moon (probably the hugest prop I have ever seen) takes centre stage and Vicky Butterfly spirals and twists on this rocking moon – an acrobatic sensation! She was like this tragic nymph dancing under the moonlight.”

                                                   - Jasmyn McNamara, Burlesque Bible Magazine



   “It was beguiling Vicky Butterfly, a fiery red angel who glided around the stage in a surreal flame-red swirl, like some Middle Earth enchantress from Lord of the Rings, who wore the night's crown.”

                                                   -Simon Lewis, This is Gloucestershire



   “Ad animare la serata lo spettacolo di burlesque della conturbante artista britannica Vicky Butterfly. Nei suoi spettacoli Vicky porta eccentricità e aristocrazia. Il suo stile, oltre ad un innovativo richiamo al periodo d'oro hollywoodiano, si rifà all'epoca vittoriana, il tutto unito da un senso dell'umorismo incredibilmente malizioso.” - Cinerama Boulevard



   “Less tongue in cheek, more opium fuelled fantasy, and quite the contrast.”

                                                   - Left Lion.co.uk



   "Darling of the hopeless Romantic set, a living Pre-Raphaelite sorceress with a wasp-waist and drown-in-me eyes"    - Dusty Limits, cabaret bon viveur



   "A performer whose act harks back to the music hall era, with butterflies billowing from her clothes as she performs acts that balance eroticism, humour and horror."     

                                                   - Peter Harrod, Spoonfed Arts website



   "...it (The Victorian Butterfly) is a really stunning piece because she dances so balletically, performing en pointe. Her routine is a fusion of veil dancing, dancing with Isis wings and sand dancing. It is quite unique to mix all those styles in one piece. It is the ultimate in evocative Victorian burlesque striptease. Very reminiscent of the old music hall routines of Loie Fuller and Mata Hari. It's all about the tease and not the sleaze. A lot of time and energy goes into creating just one single routine and when it'd done right, it is just beautiful."

                                                 -Edinburgh Evening News



   “Presenting a polar opposite is the legendary Vicky Butterfly in a luscious black cape, captivatingly still with a cigarette between her delicate fingers, before a pounding bass track kicks in and she reveals her dazzling light-up wings. Almost nude underneath from the start, she expertly teases each side of the audience in turn in what feels like a thrilling private peepshow... she is back to her exquisite, tantalising best here, controlling precisely how much of her delectable figure we get to see and gradually increasing the level of exposure.”

                                                   - 21st Century Burlesque



   "...The uniquely talented artiste whose elegant, balletic performances have prompted her meteoric rise on the international theatre circuit in recent years. The best of the London scene and Boom Boom Club’s leading lady." - Fluid News



       “Vicky Butterfly mesmerised the audience with her captivating peacock fan-dance and her 17” corsetted waist. Creative and provocatively stylish, Madame Butterfly allures her viewers into a world of fairytale surrealism by fusing together influences from the pre-raphaelites and classic glamour.” - Milkcow Magazine



       “it was beguiling Vicky Butterfly, a fiery red angel who glided around the stage in a surreal flame-red swirl, like some Middle Earth enchantress from Lord of the Rings, who wore the night's crown.” - Gloucestershire Echo



  “Vicky Butterfly was a personal favourite. She is well named and her performances were as expertly choreographed. Her lightness of foot hinted at her classical ballet training and her 17” waist was exquisite.” - Cotswold Life

           


   "Unique and Bohemian."         - 21st Century Pin-Ups Magazine



   "The evening ended in fine style with some posing and preening from the captivating Miss Vicky Butterfly. She truly is a burlesque queen who mixes seductive burlesque with classic music to give a spine-tingling performance that none of us who were there will soon forget."          - Dr Sketchy London



   "...The diva of the night was Vicky Butterfly. Her hauntingly beautiful ‘Butterfly’ en pointe was breathtaking."        - The Portsmouth News



   "Perfection incarnate. And an amazing dancer!"       

                                                    -Gentry de Paris



   “Two beautiful burlesque interpretations from Vicky Butterfly, who combines the traditional subtlety of burlesque with contemporary ballet. Her wistful performance is reflected by her outfit of aging corsets, lace under garments and floaty chiffon arrangements... She releases spring butterflies from her clothes with an impish allure that mesmerizes me completely. She flits about the stage like a humming bird, with an innocence and grace that you would not believe fitting with the art of burlesque, yet she manages it perfectly.”

                                                     - Gina Louise, Spoonfed Arts Website



   "Nymph-like."                            - The Metropolitain Hotel



   “an amazing highlight of the night.”

                                                    -Slingshot Studios



Credits

Performing since 2002, Vicky Butterfly has performed at venues and for clients around the world, including:


Addis Abbaba, Amsterdam, Amiens, Antwerp, Australia, Bali, Berlin, Brno, Brussels, Cannes, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Cyprus, Dubai, Geneva, Gothenburg, Innsbruck, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Lisbon, London, Milan, Monaco, Moscow, Naples, New Orleans, New York, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Rotterdam, Santorini, Sardinia, Sicily, Sri Lanka, Stockholm, St Petersburg, Toronto, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich... and more!


She has performed at venues and for clients as diverse as:


Annabel's Private Members Club, 

The BBC,

Beefeater Gin,

Berlin Fashion Week,

BNP Paribas bank, 

The Box,

Blackpool Tower Ballroom,

The British Library,

The Cafe Royal,

Cannes Film Festiva,

Casino di Venezia, headlining the official Venice Carnival event,

The Chelsea Arts Club,

Chateau Bagnols,

Cirque Jules Verne with Tarotdrome (Amiens),

Clic Sargent Summer Ball,

Cocoon (Bali),

Download Festival, 

Ebay,

Erotica at Olympia (with Torture Garden),

Eurostar private event (Paris),

The Excel Boat Show,

Geocorp,

The Globe Theatre,

The Great Eastern Hotel Masonic Temple,

The Groucho Club,

Harrah’s Casino (New Orleans),

Harvey Nichols (UK and Dubai),

The Henner Museum (Paris),

The Hippodrome,

Home House, 

The Hotel Bauer (Venice),

Hotel Da Estrela (Lisbon),

The Hoxton Music Hall,

The House of Amsterdam (Amsterdam),

The Hurlingham Club,

In! Magazine Glamour Awards (Belfast),

Kensington Palace,

The Kerrang! Music Awards, 

The Kills after-show party (Paris),

Koko, 

La Clique,

Latitude Festival, 

Le Baron (Paris), 

Le Chapeau Rouge (Prague),

London Fashion Week VIP Room (Metropolitain Hotel),

London Wonderground,

The Magic Mirror Spiegeltent (Brussels),

Machine du Moulin Rouge (Paris),

The Marie Antoinette DVD launch, 

Mark Powell's tailoring show, 

Maserati,

The Met Bar, 

MedModa (Sicily),

Miele,

Miss Greece Tourism (Santorini),

The Monaco Grand Prix (Monaco),

Morecambe Variety Festival at The Morecambe Wintergardens,

Movenpick Hotel launch (Sri Lanka),

The Museum of London for the Diamond Jubilee,

The Nomura bank Christmas party, 

The O2, 

Ogilvy & Mather,

Old Vic launch party for ‘Noises Off’,

Palais de Tokyo (Paris Museum of Modern Art) (Paris), 

The Palms (Las Vegas), 

Park Lane Sheraton Hotel,

Patek Phillipe luxury watches launch, 

Palazzo Arzaga (Italy),

Palazzo Gradenigo (Italy),

The Park Lane Hotel,

Palais Niederosterreich (Vienna),

Paypal,

The Playboy Club,

The Puppini Sisters (band),

The Red Room, Grosvenor Casino (With Immodesty Blaize),

Red Star Line Museum opening (Antwerp),

Richard James (Saville Row Tailor),

The Ritz (Paris), 

The Ritz Club (Istanbul), 

Roberto Cavalli (MIlan),

Rosewood Hotels,

The Royal Academy of Art,

The Savoy,

The Serpentine Gallery,

Smirnoff,

The Sohodolls (band), 

Storan Theatre (Gothenburg),

The Strokes after-show party, 

Sugababes album launch,

Superdrug,

Supergrass album launch, 

The Swan at The Globe Theatre,

Tamara Ecclestone,

Teatro Regina Margherita a Caltanissetta (Sicily), 

Teatro San Gallo (Venice),

The Theatre Museum, 

Torture Garden, 

UK Bartenders Guild, 

V&A Museum,

Volkstheater (Vienna),

The Whoopee! Club,

Wiltons Music Hall.


...and more, including exclusive clients whose names shall remain confidential!


A selection of Vicky’s other credits:


Music Videos:

Fleetwood Mac,

The Verve, 

The Fratellis, 

Cutting Crew

The Hoosiers, 

The Urban Voodoo Machine, 

Elliot Minor, 

Girls Aloud, 

Client, 

The Killers, 

Scott Matthews,

Teleman,

Driver (feat. Ebony), 

Fear of Music, 

Kontinuum,

James Cook,

Michael Ashanti,


She has also appeared in Tour Projections for Fleetwood Mac, The Kings of Leon, Queens of the Stone Age and Paul Weller. Selected videos can be found here.

Film and TV:

‘The Crown’,

‘Napoleon’,

Woody Harrelson’s pioneering one-take directorial debut ‘Lost In London’.

‘The Lotus Eaters’,

‘Nation Down’,

‘I Want Candy’, 

'Harness Your Immensity',

‘In Bruges’, 

The Bollywood film 'Raftar: 24/7', 

'Dead In Her Throat: The Last Song Of The Bird-Woman', 

‘Wolf!’.


Television: 

‘The Paul O’Grady Show’

‘Butterflies: A very British obsession’ for the BBC’s ‘Natural World’,

‘Dancing Cheek to Cheek: An Intimate History of Dance’ with Lucy Worsley & Len 

    Goodman

‘What A Performance! Pioneers of Popular Entertainment” BC4,

‘Napoleon’ BBC2

‘Objects of Desire’ for Sky Arts,

'Hutch: High Society’s Favourite Gigolo', 

‘A Waste of Shame’, 

'Fear of Fanny’, 

'WAGs Boutique',

'Identity', 


Adverts:

a fashion film for 'Wound' Magazine (shown in Times Square), 

Imperial Leather Foamburst, 

Playstation TV, 

Ocado,

Rosewood Hotels.


MAGAZINES:

Fashion spreads, features and interviews:

Vogue (Italy), 

Marie Claire (Italy), 

Grazia,

GQ,

Wired Magazine.

Playboy (France and Italy), 

The Forumist,

Bizarre, 

Vero (Russia), 

Wound, 

DROME Magazine, 

The Eurostar Magazine, 

Min Boudoir MAgazine (Sweden), 

The Addison Lee Magazine, 

The Ocado Magazine - First cover-girl, 

Photograhpe Magazine - cover (France), 

The Burlesque Bible - also contributed articles, 

Playground, 

Disorder, 

Tank, 

Stimulus, 

Tales, 

The Chap - cover, 

Alternative Magazine, 

Night,

TNT,

The Dancing Times,

Time Out, 

The Evening Standard,

The Metro


Radio:

Total Rock Radio, 

Shoreditch Radio,

BBC.


Catwalk and Modelling:

Catwalk:

Mark Powell, 

Philip Normal, 

Maria Morris,

Mint Siren Lingerie.


Print:

Rosewood Hotels

Vivien of Holloway, 

Velda Lauder Corsetry, 

What Katie Did Lingerie (including the cover of their first calender) 

the AJS and MAtchless Motorcycle Club Limited edition 2012 calender

Margaret O’Connor Millinery. 


Exhibition:

Rankin, 

Pascale Lourmand, 

Wendy Bevan, 

Neil Kendall, 

Elsa Quarsell, 

Cesare Cicardini, 

Lorenzo Paxia 


Paintings:

Peregrine Heathcote,

Fyodor Pavlov,

Lawrence Gullo.


Designer:

Theatre:

The Black Cat Cabaret,

Boom boom for The Old Vic Tunnels, the spiegeltent and photoshoot styling.

The Soho Theatre (‘On Religion’ and the ‘Terror’ season).


Performers:

Miss Polly Rae, 

Kitty Bang Bang, 

Chrys Columbine, 

Luna Rosa and 

Amber Topaz.


  She also provided props and costume for the cover of an Alison Moyet album, and created custom pieces for Agent Provocateur's 2006 Christmas Windows world-wide. She was also assistant to the costumier Zoe Lloyd on costumes for Whoopee Club performers including Paloma Faith, Lily White and The Beaux Belles as well as Marisa Carnesky’s Victorian Ghost Train.


She was a founder member of the The Black Cat Cabaret and the Boom Boom Club and has designed for, performed with and formerly curated as a part of them since their inception.

Media

Featured below are a few of Vicky’s favourite projects: for more, please check out her YouTube channel 

Extravagant Props

These performances can be made suitable for audiences of all ages

  • The Magic of The Glamourists

    Enter the magical world of The Glamourists, Vicky Butterfly’s collaboration with Oliver Tabor

    CONTACT: bookings@vickybutterfly.net

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