The acts that made Bourbon a magnet for entertainment seekers are long gone. The burlesque houses of the 1950s and ’60s, featuring exotic dancers with names like Blaze Starr, Lilly Christine the Cat Girl and Alouette Leblanc the Tassel Twirler are no more. Elaborate shows with gaudy props and old-school entertainment have given way to rowdy bars and strip joints advertising “barely legal” girls and “live sex acts.”
“Nobody knows how old she is,” said David Otillio, 50, a longtime fan attending a show. “I’ve heard everything from 65 to 84, but whatever it is, she’s amazing.”
To watch Owens on stage is to forget she is not a 20-something showgirl.
She dances, shimmies and throws in a few bumps and grinds. A seasoned entertainer, she is quick to point out her show is exotic, but she’s not an exotic dancer.
“I was never a stripper, but I guess people thought if you’re on Bourbon Street dancing, you must be,” Owens said.
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