Aurora Galore has passion and drive

Somethingyousaid.com has a conversation with Winner of Miss Paris Burlesque Festival 2012, Aurora Galore: 

It isn’t often that you encounter somebody who you know in an instant will be able to change your life completely. That’s exactly what I thought when I met Aurora Galore. After spending a brief weekend with her at Download Festival a little over seven years ago, it wasn’t until 2009 that I really got to know her, after discovering that we were on the same university course. Time has flown by since then, and I’ve been really lucky to see her career through from the very beginning. I’ve watched her blossom and grow into the wild, wacky character that most people see on stage at every show.

Aurora began her journey into the now-growing Burlesque scene in the autumn of 2009. She started because she “wanted to dance and perform in an unconventional way. Burlesque allows [her] to be artistic and creative, dance and be free at the same time. It is a very personal experience that you can share and explore as you see fit.” Since then, she’s never looked back. From performing in shows in her home town of Croydon, she has appeared in music videos, performed at the Paris Burlesque Festival, and has, most recently, embarked on a world tour with fellow performer Sukki Singapora. But she’s still definitely got her head screwed on, and hasn’t let her fame get to hear head.

Apart from the actual dancing, Aurora has incorporated the art of fire performing in some of her acts, and even a little Gorelesque, which (as the name might suggest) mixes burlesque and gore, in her Victorian Vampire routine. What’s really different about Ms Galore is the fact that she draws her inspiration not from other burlesque performers, but from everywhere. Her biggest inspiration is Lady Gaga. “Although one might not perceive her to be a typical burlesque inspiration, she is raw and powerful and explores art in a way that is daring and beautiful. This is what I want to achieve as a performer,” she tells me when I ask her what it is about Gaga that inspires her. It’s quite obvious that she draws her inspiration from the pop icon, as some of her routines and outfits are directly inspired by music videos and songs. It’s no surprise, then, when I ask her who she would love to perform with, that her choice is Lady Gaga. “I just feel like she has so much passion on stage, and I would love to share those moments with her,” she explains, and I have to agree that, whenever I’ve seen a performance by Gaga, she just seems to exude passion.

For Aurora, the best part of being on tour is performing. “I do a lot of costuming, travelling, admin, photoshops and so forth, but it is all for the opportunity to be on stage, and for me, that is always the most wonderful part,” she tells me, and it’s so clear from the way she says it that you can tell she means every word. Even when you watch her on stage, the passion and the drive that she has is so clear in her eyes. I ask her about the tour, and what she’s really most excited about is going to New York, explaining that, “I feel like performers and audiences may understand my style a little more out there. And, although people still may not be used to someone as wacky as me, I feel as though they will be more accepting and forgiving.” Of course, every industry has a downside, even the seemingly perfect Burlesque one. Performers like Aurora really aren’t given as much of a chance as the more standard dancers. She’s an exception, obviously, but it still makes it difficult for other girls to get into the industry if they have more of a quirky act than others. It is, however, one of the things that Aurora pushes for, for people whose acts are a little different, to be given just as many chances as the dancers who are very traditional.

Aurora is very into her tattoos. Each and every one has a meaning to her, and when I ask her which is her favourite, she can’t decide. She does go on to say that her Cheshire Cat tattoo, which is drawn in a stylised Day of the Dead design, “turns expectations upside down, which is what I do, I guess, or try to do, anyway!” Aurora’s quirkiness really shines through in everything she does, from her hair, to her fashion, to her tattoos, to her dancing. Even when I ask her about her ideal celebrity dinner party, her response is; “Lady GaGa, Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, John Donne, Ryan Gosling, Leonardo Dicaprio, Al Pacino… So many more! I would probably serve something ridiculous like Tequila Dirt and Cheese just for the craziness of it, and I would make everyone perform – Recite a poem or monologue, sing a show, or in Ryan Gosling’s case – just smile! Then I can cry at how beautiful everyone is.”

What I admire in Aurora’s personality is her positivity, and her aim high attitude. While most people would say that in five years’ time they would see themselves settled into a good job, a stable relationship, maybe a family, Aurora’s view is very different. “I’ll be the opening act for Lady Gaga. Failing that, crying into a bowl of my own crystals, ” she says with a laugh. “I am, of course, only kidding. I will still be dancing and trying to change the world and force people to love me for all my weirdness!”  She doesn’t live with regrets, choosing only to focus on the positive, a quality which many people don’t embrace well.

In the space of four short years, Aurora Galore has come a very long way. She’s gone from university student, to one of Britain’s biggest Burlesque acts, gotten herself a BA, and has even begun a world tour.  All of this, and she’s still down to earth, hasn’t let her popularity go to her head, and she’s always striving for more, to better her acts, costumes, style, until it’s perfect. So far, she’s done a great job of that.
To end the interview with Aurora, I hit her with some quick-fire questions:

Love or Money?
I do Love Money…. but love
Nights In or Nights Out?
Nights Out (on stage)
Summer or Winter?
Summer! I hate the cold
Books or Film Adaptations?
BOOKS!!!
Biggest Guilty Pleasure?
Cheese!
Most Annoying Habit?
I sneeze all the time and I never have tissues

If you want to see Aurora Galore live, visit her website, www.auroragalore.com. You’ll find all her tour-dates here. If you get the chance, I really cannot say how much fun you’ll have watching her.

Interview by Simply Stephanie