THE 23RD ANNUAL BROADWAY BARES FUNDRAISER

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My Bi Life

Broadway Bares 23: The United Strips of America

Story By: Gerald McCullouch

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 Broadway Bares



Once July 4th hits, NYC slams into hard core summer. I always find the time leading up to Independence Day and it's famed fireworks display from the waters surrounding the city, as one of my favorite times to be in NYC. Just prior to the humidity and the heat becoming too overbearing, there is a series of events that make the month or so of "spring into summer" - close to NYC perfection.

From The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island to the world famed Shakespeare In The Park in Central Park, to the Tony Awards, to Pride, to one of my favorite nights in NYC - Broadway Bares: the best burlesque show you can see anywhere in the freakin' world.

Broadway Bares is an annual fundraiser for Equity Fights AIDS/Broadway Cares which unites Broadway's finest choreographers, designers, dancers, actors, and artists of all realms in an extraordinary NYC phenomenon. In it's 23rd year, it has evolved from seven dancers stripping on a bar and raising about $8,000 to the most lavish and sold out NYC stripping tradition for which more than 6,000 people pack the Roseland Ballroom. In it's 23 years, the event has raised more than $11.3 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and this year's production raised an all time record high of $1,430,241.

Each year has it's own theme and this year's production was a "randy rode trip of modern-day burlesque featuring 220 of New York's sexiest dancers." As requested, and out of respect for the dancers, filming at the event was limited so many moments of pure genius, like Adam Lambert's a cappella version of The National Anthem, weren't captured. To compensate for the lack of footage for Broadway Bares 23, I've also included footage from Broadway Bares 19 as a more complete visual representation of another NYC event which ain't to be missed.