Free Society

What can I call this event? Burlesque bondage comedy with singing and body painted interpretive dance? Gospel revival plus strip tease? Synchronized swimming with booze? Fetish fire spinning with live DJ sets? It's hard to describe what happened at the "Free Society" event at the Artisan last Thursday. Hopefully Andrea Dominick's review and my photos can shed a little bit of light on the situation.

From Russia

Vadim Bolotsky and Nikolai Melnikov are classically trained Russian circus performers. They are part of a group of Russians who came to Las Vegas in 1993 to perform a flying trapeze act in "Mystere" the first Cirque du Soliel show in Las Vegas. Many of the dozen or so performers still live in Las Vegas, doing various things and living various lives. Vadim was a flyer and Nikolai was a catcher. These days, Vadim lives rural life in Pahrump and helps out as a stage manager at the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction, Ca. Nikolai still performs. He is part of a two-man hand balancing art in "V The Ultimate Variety Show" at the Miracle Miles Shops in Planet Hollywood.

To see many more photos, read the story, and see a great video by Katie Euphrat check out the Las Vegas Sun.