Alberta Burlesque Rodeo

Alberta Burlesque Rodeo November 20-21, 2026 Application Form

Submission Deadline: July 1 2026

The Cabaret Company is thrilled to announce the return of the Alberta Burlesque Rodeo for 2026! This year we will be holding a competition festival to honour and recognize the incredible talent in the burlesque community, with a special night to focus on celebrating Trans and Gender Non-Conforming burlesque artists!

ABR will be on November 20 & 21, 2026 in Calgary, Alberta. 

• Friday November 20th will be the Trans Burlesque Performers Competition for trans and gender non-conforming performers only. The winner of this title will be chosen by the 2026 ABR headliners. There will be up to 12 spots available in this competition. 

• Saturday November 21st will be the BEST IN THE WEST competition, where the winner of this title will also be chosen by the 2026 ABR headliners. We will have up to 14 competition spots available. 

Each competition spot will be chosen by the Cabaret Company Board through an adjudication process. Applicants will be assessed on the below categories using a 1-5 likert scale. 

1. Costume

2. Narrative & Intention

3. Musicality

4. Peels & Reveals

5. Overall Performance

We acknowledge that burlesque is intersectional, and that many performers hold multiple identities. It is our intention throughout the selection process to uplift and emphasize identities that are historically marginalized. The award winners chosen by the ABR headliners will also be scored using the same likert scale on the night of each competition.

IMPORTANT DATES: Applications open May 1 and will be closed on July 1st 2026. Applications are offered at no cost to the performer. Notification of Acceptance will be sent mid August. 

Application Information: A maximum of two (2) solo applications will be accepted. Please fill out an application form for EACH ACT you are submitting. Maximum act length is recommended 4 minutes.The act submitted should be the full act you will perform if accepted into the Alberta Burlesque Rodeo. Acts can be any theme or style of burlesque. Applicants to the Nov 20th Trans and GNC showcase are also welcome to apply to the Best in the West Competition! 

All application links to videos should be made public or include access permission granted. The Alberta Burlesque Rodeo board will not be able to reach out to performers with broken links or videos that do not show a complete act and therefore will not be considered. Videos can be from live performances or a recording from a studio or home, preferably in landscape format.

We are unable to accept acts that include aerial, fire, or stage mess like liquids, glitter/confetti, etc. 

PERKS AND LIMITATIONS: All performers will receive a swag bag from our sponsors with a variety of items, and a share of tips from their evening. The Alberta Burlesque Rodeo team and Cabaret Company Board will be helping performers organize airport pick up and drop-off, as well as options for billets. 

The winner of the Trans and Gender Non Conforming showcase competition will receive a sash, crown, and a monetary prize. 
The winner of the BEST IN THE WEST competition will receive a sash, crown, and a monetary prize. 
Winners of superlative awards such as RODEO CLOWN (most comedic) and OUTLAW (best neo-burlesque) will receive a sash and monetary prize each. Monetary prize amounts will be announced in the fall.

We are working with our festival venues to ensure accessibility needs can be met for our applicants. Please include any accessible needs you may require to perform with us. At this time, the venue for Friday Nov 20th is accessed via stairs.