At Deadtown Tavern on May 31, two performance artists will be stirring up some provocative emotions with their show "Carnival of Cleavage." But despite the artists' stage names, Boobzilla and Darkkitty, their aim is not a puerile one.

"It takes more than cleavage to make a woman," said Boobzilla in a recent interview. The name "Boobzilla" is coined after her ability to lift objects up to 60 pounds using only her breasts- no piercings, harnesses or other aids involved.

"Carnival of Cleavage" is about the "embodiment of feminine empowerment."

The show consists of these two women performing a variety of spectacles, such as a fan dance, sword swallowing, fire breathing, walking on broken glass and feats of strength.

Boobzilla said there is no illusion involved in these feats, and that they are all actually being performed on stage.

Boobzilla has been performing these feats since 2004 with the Crispy Family Carnival, but she split off from the group last March.

"I felt we had too many artistic and creative differences," she said of the split.

She immediately started work on this new "Carnival of Cleavage" in March, recruiting Darkkitty of Darkkitty Productions for the show.

Boobzilla called it a "female-based sideshow vaudeville troupe," and boasted that it's the only one of its kind in the country.

Vaudeville is a theatrical form that was popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It consists of a series of theatrical acts which vary in their nature, but usually resemble or recall circus acts. They are usually either lighthearted or thrilling. Vaudeville is a distinctly American form of theater, though, as the name implies, it derives from various forms of French theater.

As theater tends to develop in cycles, vaudeville has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, along with the many images of the old-time circus in films like Big Fish, in TV shows like Carnivalé, and in live acts like Cirque du Soleil.

Even the newly released video game Grand Theft Auto 4 contains an off-Broadway theatre where players can watch vaudeville acts.

Darkkitty, who has been in the business for some time now, specializes in dance, having learned a variety of stage styles such as mime, Poi and Liquid. She will also take on the fan dance in the show.

Poi features juggling combined with the grace and coordination of dance, and originated from the Maori people of New Zealand. Though there are many different kinds of poi, the dance usually involves twirling a glowing object. This object can be artificially luminescent, or may actually be aflame.

Liquid dance is an interpretive style featuring pantomime. Visually, it has much in common with "popping" and other funk styles of dance. Its origin is in contention, but the dance style probably developed out of the rave culture of the 80s.

In addition to their upcoming performance, the troupe has other performances booked as well. They will be performing "Carnival of Cleavage" again on June 21 at Deadtown, which happens to be the tenth anniversary of the bar. There will also be a few other performances on June 13 and 14. Stay tuned to Urban Tulsa Weekly for more details on those shows.

They will also be putting the show to the test at the South Central Leather Competition, a local contest for erotic and other provocative acts.

The show runs one hour, and debuts this Saturday at Deadtown Tavern at 10 pm. There is a cover charge of $4.