Melody Mangler has been called “one of Canada’s best Burlesque performers” (CTV News), “a cross between Lili St. Cyr and Lucille Ball” (Kellita of the Hot Pink Feathers), and the “hottest girl in Vancouver” (Don’t Front Magazine). This tattooed fireball incorporates dance, comedy and singing into a variety of stunning acts that range from classic striptease to dark Gorelesque to the downright silly.

Melody is a founding member and current artistic director of Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society, an award winning not-for-profit theatre company which focuses on gaining exposure for the art of Burlesque, training and developing performers, and producing high quality, amateur Burlesque productions. Melody performs regularly in Screaming Chicken productions the Taboo Revue Burlesque Variety Show and the Becoming Burlesque Graduation Recitals (as host) as well as in many of Screaming Chicken’s special productions such as Ed Wood’s Orgy of the Dead – LIVE, Sex, Violence and Nursery Rhymes, A History of Burlesque, Naughty Bits, The Christmas Spectacular and Greece.

Some of Melody’s other performance highlights include the Burlesque Hall of Fame’s Best of Burlesque (2009), The Canwest ComedyFest (2006, 2008), The Vancouver International Burlesque Festival (2006-2010 inclusive), The Naughty but Nice Sex Show (2005-2009 inclusive), The Vancouver Fringe Festival (2006) and touring Western Canada and North West US with the Taboo Revue Road Show. Outside of live performance Melody occasionally works in film and television and can be seen dancing in movies such as Trick r’ Treat and Lost Boys II and TV shows like Caprica and The L Word.

In addition to her roles as Artistic Director and performer, Melody also often works behind the scenes with Screaming Chicken as a producer, writer, director, choreographer, and costumer. In 2006 she co-founded the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival which was later passed on to the not-for-profit VIBFA. She is also an instructor who has introduced well over a hundred performers to the stage and has coached and choreographed many of Vancouver’s top Burlesque performers.

Melody has appeared on international, national and local television programs including Much West and Much on Demand (Much Music), CTV News, Off Center Television (KVOS), Sin Cities (Showcase), and City TV News. She has also been featured in print including The Vancouver Sun, The Province (Vancouver), The National Post, Metro (Edmonton), The Calgary Herald, The Georgia Straight (Vancouver), Vancouver Courier, The Westender (Vancouver), Absolute Underground (Western Canada), and the Weekly Volcano (Tacoma).

In the near future Melody aspires to tour more internationally to see firsthand all the fantastic Burlesque that’s out there. She looks forward to the continued success of the modern Burlesque movement and performing for years to come.