In an early scene of Thank You For Supporting The Arts, an intimate documentary on Portland’s beloved stripper Viva Las Vegas, Viva takes the stage at her local spot, Mary’s Club. The space is cozy and dimly lit. The camera zooms in on Viva as she slips out of a red silk robe. The strum of a guitar picks up in the background as Viva playfully takes off her black and pink lace lingerie set and we watch as she moves her naked body – confident, unrestricted, carefree.
Viva says that whenever she is stripping, she is telling a story with her body. When you watch her, it is clear that she is performing – her body bursting with creativity and passion. In the film, her parents say that she’s always been a natural performer. It is clear that they are still uncomfortable with the fact that their daughter is a stripper, but they don’t deny that what she is doing is art.
In our interview, Viva told me that the original idea for the documentary was to follow many strippers in the Portland area, but when the directors met her, they were hooked. They ended up following her life over four years. By charting Viva’s life over a long period of time, the documentary takes audiences to unexpected places. At age 33 Viva was diagnosed with breast cancer, went through many rounds of chemotherapy, and had a double mastectomy.
Not everyone interviewed in the film is as adamant that stripping should be viewed as art. There are naysayers. Viva’s friend and bandmate, Kevin Shapen, crudely suggests that audience members are most likely not viewing her work as art. Viva’s brother also points out that most people still see stripping as easy entertainment and reliable escape.
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