"The Divine Barbarian"

In an article that appeared in the February, 1990, edition of I.C.E. Magazine, Anita Buehrie wrote:

Sugar Bouche (that’s pronounced “Bush”) is the hottest burlesque dance act in the city. Recently though, Sugar Bouche has branched out into a singing career. Using her ten years experience in the exotic dance arena Sugar Bouche has shown that stripping is not only a frame of mind but is also a way of life.

Originally from Poland, this Queen of the S&M says, “Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always wanted to be a performer, whether it be a dancer or a singer. I knew I wanted to do this, rather than be just a simple Polish girl.

Simple Polish girl, she ain’t. Sugar originally started her burlesque career doing the traditional exotic characters such as the nurse or the maid, then she got into leather. She has since built up her reputation as the mean lady on stage who likes to “tie the wimps up”.

But Sugar has now, however, put the S&M behind her: “I didn’t like the person I was when I was into S&M,” she says, “I started to become the stage character, and I didn’t like the violence”.

The S&M Tango, a song on Sugar Bouche’s cassette, is a parody of her days as a S&M Dominatrix. Sugar Bouche has now taken on the persona of the “Divine Barbarian”. Although she’s still dominant she says, “I think I have more of a sense of humour now, and I like myself better.”

Besides dancing and singing, Sugar has also appeared in film and video. She also sews all of her own elaborate stage costumes.

In addition, Sugar Bouche was the founder of the Canadian Association of Burlesque Entertainers, or C.A.B.E., a union that attempted to better working conditions for dancers across the country. She says that the union failed because of the stigma that is attached to being a stripper. “Most of the girls do not want people to know what they do. But I am proud of who I am”.

After the government implemented licensing in 1985 the image of stripping changed, and not necessarily for the better. Club owners were forced to pay a $3000 fee for burlesque entertainment, and dancers were required to buy an $81 license. Club owners then started to introduce table dancing in order to increase customer flow. Table dancing, according to Sugar Bouche, has changed the face of Exotic Dancing in the bars. It is becoming a desperate measure for women out of work to make money. And according to Sugar, the money is not that easily made, “You have to really hustle to make a living since the club owners only pay your $5.00 an hour to do this. I don’t dance in the bars anymore, in fact as soon as the table dancing started, I stopped doing the bar scene. Now I only do private parties.”

"Future Gospel"

Sugar Bouche’s main focus now, however, is her singing career. She is currently working on a video to one of her songs Sweet Street Music and she hopes that the video will be out and available to the public by the New Year. She is also planning to do a video for her song The S&M Tango.

Her voice is deep and sensual, giving her music a Marlena Dietrich feel to it. Her studio musicians include Wayne Mills, saxophonist, and former member of Martha and the Muffins.

Sugar doesn’t want to perform her music live but instead would like to make videos to all her songs. A woman with this much charisma and character, we can only hope that she decides to do her music live.

(Page 53, I.C.E. Magazine, published by John Katsuras, 103 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5C 2G3. (416) 363-7118. Fax: (416) 363-0816.)

Sugar Bouche may be contacted through Showboat International, a network of entertainment and promotional services (telephone: 416-410-0684). You can read more about her and her music c.d. Future Gospel at the Kick In The Head web.site.

For more "Painted Portraits of Burlesque Dancers" click [BACK] to view the page Dee Milo, "Venus of Dance", [HOME] to start the tour or [NEXT] to read about Mary Taylor, "Ciara Love". 

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