Meet The 2026 Selection Committee
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Kopy Cat is the babe your mother warned you about—and your girlfriend dreams about. This Mohawk stunner has graced stages across North America since 2017. Kopy is a member of Capital Tease, the co-producer of Basement Burlesque and teaches at the Rouge Studio of Dance. It’s the original: Kopy Cat.
Photo: Henklemen Photographer
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Kuya Atay is Toronto’s FilipinX Ube Babe, your "Hello M'am/Sir'' of Burlesque. Pulling faces in Nerdlesque and dripping in Boylesque. Unzipping with pinoy charm with a dash of stupid. As a Sculptural Visual artist, they are versatile in prop making and stage masks that lend to their performance magic of Kuya. Part of Canada’s premier Boylesque troupe BoylesqueTO, who competed at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas in the Best Large Group category in 2023. Also a current crown holder of Drop Deadly Gorgeous Pageant 2022 presented by Weird Alice. Bow down and bless your Kuya!
Photo:
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Roxy Reverie is dynamite, erudite, and here to serve you FACE! Since 2018, she has performed high-octane numbers with various festivals on both coasts (e.g., VIBF, Bagel Burlesque Expo, Queen City Burlesque Expo, Atlantic Burlesque Festival, BHoF Weekender). Roxy is a co-founder of Diasporic Dynasty (Vancouver) and Nutmeg Burlesque (Connecticut).
Photo: Veronica Bonderud
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Originally hailing from the Maritimes, this performer has been dancing her whole life! After moving from country to country, she dove into the burlesque scene in 2018 with the Vancouver Burlesque Company. She’s been nonstop ever since, going on to perform most notably at the Oregon, Vancouver, Queen City and Atlantic Burlesque Festivals, all while producing countless wild and wacky shows.
She’s sweet as pie and strange AF - it’s Sugar L’Estrange!
Photo: Veronica Bonderud
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Honey de Mele (she/her) is the sweet glamour clown of the East Coast! With a background in musical theatre Honey definitely has a flair for the dramatic…and comedic. Honey is proud to be working to help promote and uplift burlesque in Cape Breton and the Atlantic Provinces. She was last seen on the Neptune stage in a Midsummer Night's Dream merging her two passions theatre and burlesque and before that she appeared as Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show. She has performed with Neo Novas, Dis Drag, Crescent Moon Cabaret, Clue at the Halifax Fringe and twice at Hal-Con as well as gracing the stage of the inaugural Atlantic Burlesque Festival.
Honey’s burlesque journey began by creating Theatre Inamorata’s Virgin Burlesque fundraiser. She has taught across Nova Scotia and performed as an actor across the country.
Photo credit : James MacLean Photography
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Where retro tease meets house beats and playful charm, Vanessa blends seduction and silliness, promising a spectacle filled with giggles and jiggles.
With a background in dance and figure skating, she brings natural rhythm and grace to the stage. Vanessa performed at the inaugural Atlantic Burlesque Festival and appeared in Clue: A Murderlesque Mystery during Fringe. Most recently, she made her theatrical debut at Neptune Theatre, showcasing her burlesque and singing talents as Mustardseed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, adding a new dimension to her repertoire.Photo credit: The Secret Sessions (Ashley Brown)
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Kyann Pepper (she/they), known as "comically bewildered and mildly hot," is a burlesque performer and producer from Moncton, New Brunswick, and the founder of TalentNB, a production company that has been creating burlesque shows in NB since 2022. She is also an instructor at The Studio Aerial Arts and Fitness, where she teaches floorwork and heels choreography. With a creative mind that's always crafting up a storm, Kyann blends pole dance and sensual movement to bring unique energy to her performances, combining humor and charisma. Passionate about supporting fellow performers, she is dedicated to fostering creativity and community within the burlesque scene.
Who is the Selection Committee?
The Selection Committee comprises three members from our cooperative and four community representatives. The entire board chooses this group to create an experienced, informed, and diverse team. This team represents and comprehends the Festival's objectives, ensuring a well-rounded and inclusive selection process.
What does an adjudicator do?
Adjudicators observe and evaluate every performance, receiving only the participant's stage name, a brief biography, the title and description of the act, notes, and a video link. Adjudicators will not have access to any personal information of the applicants, including real names, email addresses, personal links, location or nationality, or any declarations of identity. They work in isolation, ensuring that each adjudicator's scoring sheet remains unseen by others.
How are applications scored?
Four areas of consideration include:
Overall Artistic Expression
Costume & Styling
Movement & Musicality
Entertainment Value & Stage Presence
These general areas have descriptions that detail and define what we assess in a submission.
The criterion will be scored on a scale from 1 to 5.
The numbers are defined as:
1 - This area is not yet festival-ready
2 - This needs workshopping
3 - This is in average shape/almost festival-ready
4 - This is consistent and well performed and festival-ready
5 - This is “blow me out of the water” festival ready
Want to look at our scoring rubric? Click below to review what we’re looking for.
How involved is the ABF Board of Directors in the act selection process?
Performer selections are handled through a structured, confidential process led by the Performer Subcommittee and Selection Committee.
Board and committee members who apply to perform step back from the final curation process.
Adjudicators review and score submissions independently, and all data stays confidential.
Once scoring is complete, only non-applicant members of the Performer Subcommittee and a DEI reviewer ensure the final lineup reflects ABF’s values of inclusion, diversity, and community representation.
This approach keeps the process fair, safe, and transparent, protecting both applicants and adjudicators from any outside influence.
How do you protect adjudicators and applicants?
ABF recognizes that our community is close-knit and that evaluating peers can come with social pressure.
To protect everyone involved, adjudicator scores are identified only by code (for example, “Adjudicator A,” “Adjudicator B”) in all reports, and names are never shared.
Access to adjudication data is limited to a small group of non-applicant committee members to maintain confidentiality, and board or committee members who apply to perform do not have access to any identifying information at any point in the process.
This creates a fair and safe environment where adjudicators can be honest, applicants are treated equally (including board members who apply), and everyone can trust that the process is handled with care.