James is the founder and artistic director of BoylesqueTO, Canada’s premiere boylesque troupe, a core member of the international touring company The Tainted Cabaret, and a professor at Chez BonBon, a Toronto school of burlesque. 

James fell in love with burlesque at the impressionable age of fifteen, when his uncle snuck him into a theatre in Coney Island to see his very first burlesque show. He was awed by the frank displays of sexuality, the celebrations of all different types of bodies, the dazzling costumes, the vaudevillian gimmicks, and the raunchy humour that he witnessed in that show. This led to him to starting his career as a burlesque performer in 2008. 

Since that time, James has racked up  a schlong list of accomplishments, but nobody likes it when you talk about your schlong, so here are just a few brief highlights:
 

• Performed at the burlesque Hall of Fame 4 times (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019) including choreographing BoylesqueTO’s award winning “Most comedic” performance in 2018.

• Headlined the Ohio Burlesque Festival, Edmonton Burlesque Festival, Philadelphia Burlesque Festival, and Bagel Burlesque Expo

• Was voted “Best Boylesque” by Imperial Burlesque Canada 2019 and won the “Biggest Slapstick” award at the Vienna Boylesque Festival in 2015 (It’s still unclear whether they thought his act was the most slapstick or they thought he had the biggest slapstick).

• Produced BoylesqueTO’s critically acclaimed runs of Oh Manada! and Mo Manada! at the Orlando and Edmonton Fringe Festivals

•  Was featured in the television documentary I’m A Stripper: Boylesque (2014 – LOGO, OutTV) and scandalized the nation on Canada’s Got Talent (2012).

• Toured to over 50 cities across North America in 2019 with BoylesqueTO and the Tainted Cabaret.

• Was featured in countless print media outlets and academic journals including: The Canadian Theatre Review, The Dance Current, Now Magazine, Details Magazine, Encore, The Toronto Star, Fab Magazine, Details, and The Edmonton Journal.

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For the last 5 years, James has been teaching burlesque classes for beginners and existing performers. He is now one of the main professors at Chez BonBon, a preeminent school of burlesque in Toronto.

When not onstage, James can be found carrying on a voracious love affair with a pot of coffee, or on top of his favourite partner—Tom Cruiser, his bike.