Absurdity. Extravagance. Trend. Mystique. Physique.
These are the shared substances that make up the seemingly incongruous pairing of lucha libre and burlesque that native firm Lucha VaVoom de La Liz has provided the general public for over 20 years at Downtown L.A.’s the Mayan theater.
That run will come to an finish at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 22, with VaVoom’s “The Good, the Bad and the Fabulous” showcase. Whereas the cadre of expertise at VaVoom is right here to remain, the Mayan is completely closing its doorways on the finish of September after 35 years beneath its present administration.
The 98-year-old venue’s shuttering was introduced in a social media publish in July. Its president, Sammy Chao, shared a press release with The Occasions about its closing.
“[T]he past five years have delivered an unrelenting barrage of adversity,” wrote Chao. “We’ve done everything possible to stay afloat, adapt and serve, but the path forward has been eroded beyond recognition. We have given this business everything we have — and more — and come this far, so the decision to close is not so much one of defeat, but of necessity and truth.”
However fear not, lucha lovers: Lucha VaVoom is set to ship the DTLA staple out with a bang.
“Physically, I’m preparing more because I got pressure since I’m the one on the poster. I gotta look like the [cartoonishly muscular] guy that’s on there,” stated longtime VaVoom luchador Magno (actual identify Oscar Vasquez), who is without doubt one of the major performers at Friday’s extravaganza.
“Mentally, it’s hard though, because I’ve been [with VaVoom] for like 21 years now… I started with them when I was 19 and now I’m 41,” Magno stated. “It’s gonna be a tough one, especially because all the feelings, all the times that I’ve been there. To me it’s very special.”
Having initially labored with WWE, Magno left the televised spectacle and was instantly contacted by VaVoom proprietor Liz Fairbairn, who bought him again within the ring as quickly as she may.
“It’s bittersweet. We’ve had such a close relationship with the Mayan and the owner Sammy and everybody has become family,” Fairbairn stated of her group’s partnership with the downtown theater. “People change and come and go over 23 years, but Sammy has been a constant. I honestly couldn’t see us still being here if it wasn’t for Sammy. He’s been very nurturing and supportive of us.”
(Picture from Lucha VaVoom de La Liz)
Fairbairn famous that there’s a particular video within the works for Friday’s efficiency and that the roster of performers is bigger than common for this final go. She’s additionally in-built time for everybody to “shed a tear and share a hug” by maintaining the occasion operating till 1:30 a.m.
The present’s “The Good, the Bad and the Fabulous” theme was impressed by Beyonce’s y’all-ed up album, “Cowboy Carter.” It contains the western-themed tagline, “Saddle up! Get your hat and boots ready to experience the best show ever.” Serendipitously, the Friday occasion works as a becoming final rodeo for VaVoom on the Mayan.
The efficiency’s bonus burlesque element provides a novel contact to the common wrestling occasion and supplies for a unique crowd expertise for all concerned. (Attendees should be over the age of 21.)
Ruby Champagne (actual identify Laura Avina) first caught wind of the Mayan within the late ‘90s and early 2000s, as she enjoyed salsa dancing at the venue almost every week. It wasn’t till 2010 that she joined VaVoom as a hoop lady earlier than in the end moving into the function of burlesque dancer — an artwork type that she’s studied for 19 years.
“I like to think that I’m presenting not just classic burlesque, but also a little bit of a Latin flair,” says Champagne. “I usually tend to include [that] in most of my performances, but more so for Lucha VaVoom since it’s with Mexican wrestling, and my tagline is ‘Mexican spitfire of burlesque,’ so I like to portray that every chance.”
Other than her first burlesque efficiency with VaVoom, considered one of Champagne’s most memorable moments on the Mayan got here final 12 months.
“In 2024, I got to be a go-go dancer for DJ Irene’s birthday party at the Mayan,” Champagne recalled. “I felt like that was full circle for me because I had gone to the Mayan for house music as well. I had been a fan of DJ Irene since the ‘90s. [I] was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’”
Reflecting on the gravity of 1 ultimate sold-out present on the Mayan, Magno acknowledged there might be “hard feelings there in a good way,” whereas Fairbairn stated that VaVoom won’t ever really go away the Mayan.
“We will always have a part of the Mayan in us,” she stated. “Honestly, the Mayan is so integrated with Lucha VaVoom, there’s no way we won’t carry it around with us. So many memories. Twenty-three years of amazing memories.”
