Just came acrossed this post, a little late, but none the less!

As a sidebar, I tried desperately to really get a group together there in 2007/2008 while living in the region temporarily again under my NYC based performance venue "Absinthe Cabaret" - www.myspace.com/absinthecabaret and alas it didn't happen. I think it *could* but it would require some very, very driven local people willing to put in the time and the effort, but it seems to be a bit outside of the range of the local scene there now. Also, performance venues, (outside of the obvious fetish ala "stripper" routine), are hard to come by. The Byham, Benedum and other larger establishments are really not into "that" sort of show, (to quote the production mgr.), and the smaller venues want more skin/shock value than the standard fare of what I considered to be classy burlesque (see Dita and others). Kind of a catch 22...

Here's hoping there's a revival, the region could really use something other than CLO and PSO!

Cheers!
~MetroGypsy
http:www.MetroGypsy.etsy.com