Thursday 8 October 2009

Ruby Demure of The Flirtinis: What performing for BABC means to me


My grandmother was an impressive figure. Strong, confident and not to be messed with. Wales still has a matriarchal culture and my grandmother was very much in charge of the family. Breast Cancer reduced her to a vulnerable and frail shadow of her former self and eventually it took her away from us when she was only in her early 60s and I was just 9.

It has always felt like a shadow hanging over me, always the silent killer that might be lurking in my genes somewhere. I’ve often thought what a cruel disease it is to take away the very things that define our femininity – our hair, our breasts, and our joire de vivre.

Burlesque is a curious and wonderful thing. I am sure it means many things to many people, but to me it has always been a celebration of all that it means to be female. A celebration of the female form in its many shapes and sizes, of our character, confidence, glamour and humour. It somehow seems a beautiful and entirely appropriate way to support the fight against Breast Cancer and I am privileged to be a part of it.

My grandmother fought it to the end, and the amazing work of charities like Macmillan Cancer Support means that she would probably have survived if she had developed the disease today.

The Flirtinis will be performing for Burlesque Against Breast Cancer at the Ocean Rooms in Brighton on October 16th.

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