So when she launched Bottomshelf Burlesque in March, it was partly out of love and partly out of frustration.
"I realized that Miami needed a space for brand new performers, whether it's burlesque or drag or any type of performance," LeWaste tells New Times. "That space didn't exist, so I just started going for it, made connections with little indie places that are great for these types of niche performances, and started putting them on."
LeWaste wanted to create a space allowing experimentation, which was a difficult pitch for established venues. "I wanted a place where I didn't have to be decked out in rhinestones and didn't have to be super polished and clean," LeWaste explains.
Bottomshelf started with a "burnt-out chick" in a backyard, LeWaste adds, with interested performers coming together to showcase their talents and have fun in whatever venues were available to them. "I was kind of insatiable, in a way," she says. "I went to as many scenes as I could as a newbie trying to figure it out and then couldn't really break in fully all the way, or I broke in and was like, I still want some weirder stuff."
So far, the troupe has put on several shows, including its most recent one at Fumee Smoke Shop on September 21, with the theme "Meet Us Behind the Bleachers at Bottomshelf High."
"I realized that Miami needed a space for brand new performers, whether it's burlesque or drag or any type of performance," says Lili LeaWaste.
Bottomshelf Burlesque photo
Its events don't feature any headliners. Instead, Bottomshelf puts out an open call for performers.
"The most exciting part is all the performers that decided to sign up this month," says Susana Zenith Garcia, who goes by the stage name Goddess Zenith. "That was really unexpected. It's a lot."
Garcia, a self-described "drag-lesque" performer and member of Bottomshelf, says the organization has consistently grown since its inception. People's interest might partly be due to the diversity of its casting calls.
"We really want to be inclusive," Garcia adds. "When we talk about burlesque, we're meaning drag, we're meaning comedy, singing — whatever your talent is. There's diversity in the form of expression and whatever your style is. For myself, sometimes I bring in drag, sometimes I'm fem, sometimes I'm masc — it just depends."
In Bottomshelf's short six months of existence, Garcia feels the troupe has built significant momentum.
"I think we're getting popular within the community of performers and producers," she says. "There have been other producers trying to get us venues and support because they believe in what we're doing, too. We're hoping to just keep growing."
Dominick Trixx, a drag king who started performing with Bottomshelf early and now helps organize events, says they plan to continue hosting shows, hopefully on a monthly basis. For Trixx, Bottomshelf helped him break free of his fear of performing and showed him an easy path into the scene, and he thinks it can do the same for others searching for a place to start.
"We want to make Bottomshelf more known to inspire people to perform and not to be scared of a community, you know, not to be intimidated," he adds.
Despite the organization's early success, the team behind Bottomshelf remembers why it was created in the first place.
"We try to be community-focused and to provide a space where it's stress-free, so people can just experiment and play," Garcia says
Above all else, everyone is welcome to bring any and all talents to the table — their best, weirdest, and most genuine performances. The team behind Bottomshelf says they'll make space for it.
"A lot of the charm of it is it's called Bottomshelf for a reason," LeWaste says. "It's where you start off. It's a little bit wacky and disorganized and crazy, but that's kind of my persona and character anyway, so it all works out."
