Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Local Focus: Pixie Twist taking neo-burlesque to the world

Hunter Calder
Hunter Calder
Videojournalist Waikato, NZH Local Focus·NZ Herald·
30 Jul, 2018 01:20 AM2 mins to read
‌

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Warning: video contains sexually explicit images. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

She's flirty, she's in your face and she's taking off her clothes to empower more women to be comfortable in their own bodies.

On stage Pixie Twist, a Hamilton-based burlesque artist, pushes boundaries in all directions.

"I do something called neo-burlesque which is a little weirder, little more fringy, than your typical burlesque," Twist said.

"I'm certainly the token weirdo in most shows that I perform at."

She's also Queen of The New Zealand Burlesque Festival having won two national titles at Burlesque New Zealand last year.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Next, she's taking on the world with a Burlesque Exchange Scholarship, which helps up-and-coming performers around the world.

Pixie Twist has been accepted to perform at six burlesque festivals in America, Canada and Australia.

"I'm competing in Arizona, New Orleans, in the 7th Annual Hawaii Burlesque Festival and Revue, it's massive, it's pretty scary.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Never in a million years would I have thought I would have the opportunity to travel the world with my art."

Unlike striptease targeted at men, Twist brings an artistic twist painting text on her body and dousing herself in wine. It's all about reclaiming her body, sexuality and empowering women to take a stand.

"We're told all time 'you're too fat, too thin, or your thighs are too lumpy or your ass is too flat, your boobs are too small...'

"I just got sick of it and thought, perhaps the most powerful way to reclaim it is to take control of it and that's what burlesque is to me.

Discover more

Biodegradable fashion to help free oceans of microplastics

06 Aug 10:00 PM

"Because everything that I put on that stage, it's up to me. It's up to me what clothes I take off on stage and what I leave on."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As part of Pixie Twists fundraising efforts, she will be performing in an event with her burlesque friends as part of a final show in the Toi Wāhine Festival

And Pixie Twist has a Give A Little Page too.

Made with funding from

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Sport

Early alarms, heavy workloads: How a young Waikato squad finds balance in the pool

07 May 01:00 AM
Waikato Herald

Matamata-Piako Mayor hits out at Government with expenditure ad

06 May 11:20 PM
Waikato Herald

Work starts on NZ’s largest approved solar farm between Taupō and Napier

06 May 10:55 PM

Sponsored

Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt

03 May 11:20 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

Early alarms, heavy workloads: How a young Waikato squad finds balance in the pool
Sport

Early alarms, heavy workloads: How a young Waikato squad finds balance in the pool

Year 13 twins Ari and Indy Riley train seven days a week.

07 May 01:00 AM
Matamata-Piako Mayor hits out at Government with expenditure ad
Waikato Herald

Matamata-Piako Mayor hits out at Government with expenditure ad

06 May 11:20 PM
Work starts on NZ’s largest approved solar farm between Taupō and Napier
Waikato Herald

Work starts on NZ’s largest approved solar farm between Taupō and Napier

06 May 10:55 PM


Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt
Sponsored

Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt

03 May 11:20 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • NZME Digital Performance Marketing
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP