“Beauty can be seen, charm can be felt”, said a refined lover of feminine charm like Roberto Gervaso. And the aphorism is perfectly suited to the fluorescence of Pretty Butterflyone of the most famous burlesquers on the planet. A sinuous body with Mediterranean features and a 1950s diva allure that deceives and then petrifies, Jolie has decided to make seduction an art form, becoming an icon of international glamor contested by the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair. Above her, perhaps, only Dita von Teese.
The beginnings in Rimini
Today, a citizen of London, she divides her time between Dubai and New York where her burlesque shows are already a cult. But few know that pure Rimini blood flows in the veins of this award-winning, world-famous performer.
Before becoming Jolie Papillon, in fact, she wore clothes, much more sober and chaste, of Ildy Schiavoncinia beautiful girl from Rimini who, before moving to the City fifteen years ago, divided her time between academic studies and odd jobs: “Why did I make it? Because in my life there has never been a plan B. I knew that my future was on the stage and I did everything to make my life align with my dreams.”
L’incontro col burlesque
“Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself” said Coco Chanel and, even Jolie, after graduating from an academy in Bologna, began to have success when, with the driving force of tenacity and ambition, she finally liberated his instinct: “The encounter with burlesque was breathtaking, the classic love at first sight – he remembers – I have always had a solid technical preparation in dance but, up to a certain age, I had not yet decided what form to give to my energy. Then, after winning a scholarship in London, struck by ostrich feathers, corsets and corsets, instinct showed me the way.”
The return to Rimini
From Rimini to London the journey seemed like a one-way journey and, instead, next November 15th and 16thfor the first time, Jolie will return to perform in her hometown. In fact, she, strongly supported by Severine Isabey, will be the guest-star of the inauguration gala of the new one Mamì Bistrot in Rivabella which will light up again after six months of pharaonic restyling: “Returning to Rimini in the role of Jolie Papillon will be strange but exciting – she explains – I am deeply proud of my Italian identity and, today like yesterday, I carry within me the typical energy of us Romagna people. Besides my family, I miss everything about Rimini: the smell of the sea, the piadina and the tagliolini with seafood. It will be special to perform on the Mamì stage, one of the few venues in Romagna where true performing arts are promoted and where artists are truly valued.”
The “Regina of Classic Burlesque”
Hailed as the “Queen of Classic Burlesque” by The Stage, Jolie Papillon trained at one of the most prestigious theater academies in Europe and today regularly headlines international luxury private events and major Burlesque festivals. “To the young people who today are approaching the world of dance for the first time – he explains – I feel like giving just one piece of advice: believe in it completely, try without ever leaving regrets along the way because, even if it is a world paved with obstacles , that of the show is a dream worth cultivating. Then perhaps technique, talent and obstinacy won’t be enough but the important thing, in dance as in life, is to try hard.”
Appearing in prestigious fashion magazines and various burlesque books, Jolie has been recognized several times as one of the most influential figures in the UK burlesque industry and has entertained numerous celebrities and members of the royal family. Its clientele includes prestigious brands such as Dior, Hermès, Laurent-Perrier, Vogue, Porsche, Ysl, Veuve Clicquot, L’Oréal and Belmond.
Exotic, glamorous and exquisitely sophisticated, when you ask him the secret of his success, Jolie Papillon blushes, wrinkles his nose and admits: “The compliment that men and women most often pay me concerns my class, that subtle, almost imperceptible something that many define it as a divine gift. Over time I have discovered that what makes us desirable is not something we do, but something that we have inside us without knowing it. There is a delicacy of gestures and words that has nothing to do with education. We can call it ‘elegance’, if we want, but fortunately it is something that, unlike beauty, does not fade over time but, if anything, becomes even more beautiful over the years. Exactly like the butterfly (papillon) which, after a journey of metamorphosis and tiring evolution, sheds the crust of the caterpillar and puts on two splendid wings”.
