Scarlett Lace for Miss Burlesque Ireland 2015

If you had told Bróna Keegan, stage alias Scarlett Lace, that a mere two years after she started dancing for the first time she would be competing in a national burlesque event, she would have responded: "Absolutely not."

Indeed, when Bróna first began taking pole fitness lessons at her friend Gemma Trimble's new dance studio in Kildare back in 2013, Miss Burlesque Ireland and its associated flagship competition were yet to be founded. Since then, the 32 year old has danced her way across the country with her burlesque troupe, The Devil's Dancers – a product of Gemma's Escape Studios in Naas.

Bróna eventually graduated to solo performances, including appearances in The Dirty Circus in Galway, as she became more involved in the burlesque scene. Such regular public exposure has seen the Clondalkin-based mother of one undergo a rapid change of mentality in a short space of time, one which saw her overcome obstacles raised by the shy and retiring side of her personality.

Bróna Keegan is hoping to take Miss Burlesque Ireland 2015 by storm as her alter ego, Scarlett Lace. Credit: Bróna Keegan.

“I'd actually said when I started burlesque that I was never going to do a solo show,” admitted Bróna. “I had actually originally said that I was never going to perform and then it was, 'I'll never do a solo', and it kind of just happened anyway!

“Even doing the classes with the other girls was quite daunting in the beginning, but I suppose the more classes I went to, the more fun it became. The classes weren't always just about the dancing, there was an awful lot of laughing, an awful lot of messing and an awful lot of fun involved.

“And then the more people you meet in the burlesque community in Ireland, they're the nicest people you'll ever meet,” added Bróna. “They're all accepting and just lovely, lovely people and they just make you feel so good about yourself that you can't help but feel more confident.

“I pushed myself as well, because I enjoyed it so much, I didn't want my nerves and all that to get in the way so I just kind of tried to push through them. I still struggle with them, but yeah, it got an awful lot better and easier.”

Having been a spectator for the first ever Miss Burlesque Ireland competition in 2014 – run by renowned performer Azaria Starfire – Bróna's journey will take its next step when she joins ten other contestants on stage for the 2015 edition, which will once again take place in the Button Factory, Temple Bar on July 18^th.

Each entrant has two acts – a classic act styled from between the 1920s and the 1960s and a neo-burlesque act styled from the 1960s onwards – to impress, with a panel of judges choosing five finalists to perform their 'unique' act, where anything goes, to decide the overall winner. Last year, Kat Moiselle became the first ever Miss Burlesque Ireland, while second-placed Raven Curly was awarded the title of Miss Burlesque Dublin.

Miss Burlesque Ireland Kat Moiselle performs her 'unique' act at last year's event. Credit: MissBurlesqueComp YouTube channel.

“It's a points-based system a lot of it, so you'll get your allotted points for your costuming, for certain burlesque moves in those eras that they'll be looking out for, your music,” explained Bróna.

“I was there last year and it just was amazing and the girls did brilliantly. It's even bigger this year now, I know it's nearly sold out already, there's only some tickets left. But it's going to be even bigger this year and I think each year they're kind of learning from previous mistakes and stuff like that and it'll grow.”

After six months of solid training, Bróna isn't about to let any details regarding her acts slip out so close to her Miss Burlesque Ireland bow, only revealing that she hopes “to get on stage and blow people away with my funky ideas – so I want it all to be very top secret.” However, when asked what it would mean to win, she replied:

“It would mean everything in the whole world, really. I've never won anything and it's my first competition. I've never really competed in anything, so it's a really, really big competition to be kind of breaking in my world of competing. I think I'd be stunned and shocked and just absolutely over the moon, I think it would be amazing.

“To have some appreciation for all the effort and all the time that's gone in [will be nice],” she added. “It's non-stop. The last six months have been nothing but dancing and rehearsals and costumes and music and glitter and glitter and glitter, lots of glitter!”

The Miss Burlesque Ireland 2015 contestants, including Scarlett Lace (furthest to the right). Credit: Rick Taylor.

And as somebody who is a big fan of comic books, Bróna's stage name, Scarlett Lace, has a fitting origin story.

“A friend of mine writes comic books, so I kind of asked him because he comes up with new characters and stuff and he's real imaginative, and I just said, 'Listen, I'm looking for a burlesque kind of persona, give me ideas,'” explained Bróna. 

“He came up with a few with the word 'scarlet' in it and I loved it, having the red hair and everything. Then he just came back to me one day with Scarlett Lace and I loved it – I thought it was very burlesquey! So that was it. I added an extra T, though. I don't know why. Probably because I'm cool.”


Miss Burlesque Ireland 2015 takes place in the Button Factory, Temple Bar on Saturday, July 18th. Tickets can be purchased from Eventbrite here. If you want to show your support for Bróna Keegan in the lead up to the event, post on her Scarlett Lace Facebook page using the hashtag #TeamScarlettLace. If you care to read about my own solitary appearance in a burlesque show, you can read about it here.