We’ve covered the fan dancers of the 1930s and 40s but I’m here to dive into another performance art that took the burlesque stage by storm:aqua acts or performances in water!
In the glittering heart of mid-century Bourbon Street, where jazz spilled from every doorway and velvet curtains hid worlds of spectacle, one performer made waves—literally. Her name was Divena, and she wasn’t just a burlesque dancer; she was an underwater ballerina, a siren of the stage, and a pioneer of aquatic performance art. Her “aqua-tease” was popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s-Golden Age of Striptease.
Divena’s act at Stormy’s Casino Royale was unlike anything New Orleans had seen. Inside the club, a massive water tank stood center stage, shimmering under spotlights. As the music swelled, Divena would emerge, gliding through the water with balletic grace, performing a striptease submerged in liquid elegance. Her movements were fluid and hypnotic, blending the sensuality of burlesque with the ethereal beauty of underwater dance. Audiences were captivated—not just by the novelty, but by the artistry.
Newspaper advertisements stated, “There’s nothing new under the sun…but UNDER WATER — ah!”
Divena’s Costume & Act
Her name was part “divine” and part “dive-in” according newspaper advertisements. She performed a striptease while being submerged in water in a 600-gallon tank. Dark curtains provided a backdrop to the 4ft x 5ft x 4ft plexiglass windows (five-eights of an inch thick). The water was typically heated to 80-90 degrees.
According to the Akron Beacon, each costume piece was treated with a florescent dye, which gave an enchanting effect under the colorful lights. Divena stripped down to “an abbreviated brassiere and swim panties.”
The tanks were built with a pocket of air at the top. The tank would be covered with a wooden frame, therefore hiding the airspace, so the audience would only see a completely filled tank of water. This allowed the performer to bob to the top and grab a quick breath of air without stopping the performance.
Contrary to popular belife, I can’t see the audience while I’m disrobing…The first time I presented the aqua-tease, I became confused and finished my act with my back to the audience and blowing kisses at the tank exit.” -Divena told a reporter.
Divena was once accused of indecent exposure in Chicago for wearing just silver star pasties and merkin as her costume!
An advertisement for Divena read, “Curves alive with the poetry of artistic and unrestrained motion…sheer lovliness in bodily rhythm…and eye popping submarine display of sinuous, artistic action…Underwater, onstage, in person!”
Origins of Stormy’s Casino Royale
Divena wasn’t the first burlesque dancer to incorporate water or a sea-theme into an act. A performer who became famous at the Casino Royale on Bourbon Street would prove legendary for Divena’s reputation.
The club originally opened as Casino Royale in the heart of Bourbon Street, New Orleans—a district already famous for its vibrant nightlife and burlesque scene. In the mid-1940s, a young performer named Stacy Lawrence, later known as Stormy, arrived in New Orleans from Pennsylvania. Born into a carnival family and trained in voice at Temple University, Stormy began her career as a singer and bandleader at Casino Royale in 1945. (The Historic New Orleans Collection)
By 1947, she had transitioned into burlesque, discovering a talent for striptease that quickly made her a headliner. Her performances were bold, theatrical, and often accompanied by dramatic effects—like thunderclaps and the song Stormy Weather—which helped shape her stage persona.
In 1948, the club was renamed Stormy’s Casino Royale, not because she owned it, but because she had become its star attraction. Her name drew crowds, and her reputation for wild, unforgettable performances. Stormy’s striptease for the students and faculty at LSU—where members of the football team intruded on her act, picked her up, carried her, and threw her in the campus lake—cemented her status as a burlesque icon. (UPI)
Kitty West aka Evangeline the Oyster Girl
Kitty West, born Abbie Jewel Slawson in Uniontown, Alabama in 1930, rose from humble beginnings to become one of Bourbon Street’s most iconic burlesque performers. After leaving home at sixteen to support her family, she arrived in New Orleans and began dancing, eventually creating her signature act as Evangeline the Oyster Girl.
In this unforgettable performance, Kitty would emerge from a giant oyster shell adorned with pearls, holding a giant silver orb (resembling a pearl), evoking the image of Venus rising from the sea foam while the song Ebb Tide played in the background. Her act captivated audiences for nearly two decades at Stormy’s Casino Royale, where she became a headliner. Kitty’s fierce stage presence and dramatic flair were legendary.
“These girls today don’t know how to bump. They just stick their whole bottoms out. Honey, that’s not the bump.” – Evangeline the Oyster Girl
After retiring in the 1960s, Kitty remained a beloved mentor to younger performers in New Orleans, sharing her legacy well into the 2000s. Check out the book The Axe Woman of Bourbon Street by Jane Delacour (Gonzo Publications, 2020) for more information about Kitty West.
Divena vs. Evangeline
Divena’s rise to fame wasn’t without drama. She was billed above the legendary Bourbon Street performer, Kitty West, known for her own iconic act as Evangeline the Oyster Girl. The rivalry reached a boiling point one night when Kitty, feeling slighted by Divena’s top billing, stormed the stage mid-performance and attacked the tank with a fire axe. She screamed “There! There! There!” as she strucked the plexiglass until it broke.
The glass shattered, water gushed across the floor, and Divena was swept out of her aquatic stage in a moment of chaos that became burlesque legend.
According to the November 28, 1949 issue of Life Magazine, Evangeline grabbed and pulled Divena’s hair. The two were separated by management and Evangeline was arrested. Evangeline was fined $10 ($121 today).
Divena in Ohio
Rather than ending her career, the incident only amplified Divena’s mystique and Kitty’s legendary status. The scandal drew crowds, and Divena’s name became synonymous with daring, drama, and innovation. She went on to travel with her Aquatease act. She traveled to Akron, OH where the newspapers raved about her.
As Divena continued performing, the actual performer changed, as the show traveled around the country until the late 1950s. Though little is known about Divena’s life beyond the stage, her legacy lives on in the stories told by those who remember the golden age of Bourbon Street. She represents a time when performance was fearless, when art and spectacle collided in unforgettable ways, and when a woman could turn a tank of water into a temple of glamour.
Other “Divena”
Charles Rayburn, a LA publicity, copyrighted the name Divena and hired Clarice Murphy to swim around a 1,000-gallon tank as a mermaid. He soon after decided a 600-gallon tank was easier to transport.
Rayburn went on to hire many more swimmers, launching five touring productions for nightclubs, theaters, carnivals and fairs across America. Tank sizes ranged from 400 to 600 gallons. Other Divenas were Nanette Parker, Diana Grey, Harriet Rockwell and Randy Steven. Each Divena earned $7,000 a year (about $84,694 today) but the hazards of the job included pruning of the skin and frequent colds.
Other underwater nightclub acts began popping up all around the country as the spectacle grew popular! Imitators included Merma, Sirena, Atlantis and the Golden Mermaid.
Sources
- https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/2013/05/05/local-history-underwater-stripper-s/10606255007/
- https://hnoc.org/publishing/first-draft/burlesque-dancer-who-took-1940s-and-50s-bourbon-street-storm
- https://burlesquehall.com/rip-kitty-west-1930-2019/
- https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/03/06/Stormy-a-legendary-Bourbon-Street-stripper-of-the-1940s/4702384238800/
- https://www.vintag.es/2021/09/stormy.html
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3824206/bio/
- https://www.ambushmag.com/book-review-and-interview-the-axe-woman-of-bourbon-street/
- https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/opinion/columns/2002/05/26/southern-lights-exotic-dancer-shares-pearls-of-wisdom/27823483007/#:~:text=If%20she%20didn’t%20share,angry%20and%20bust%20it%20up.%22
Newspapers:
- The Akron Beacon Journal. Mark J. Price. “Stripper’s act makes big splash in 1950s.” Page B001. May 6, 2013
- The Akron Beacon Journal. Mark J. Price. “Mermaid.” Page B003. May 6, 2013
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