Mac DeVille performing at Ecdysiast Arts Museum, Oct. 25, 2025.
When Danielle Colby and other local women strut, create character, and gradually remove items of their costumes in on-stage routines at the Ecdysiast Arts Museum, they not only bare their bodies, but their souls, personalities, dreams, and desires – and have great fun in the process.
The unique, colorful space at 322 Brady Street in Davenport, opened this past June, and Colby will host a big birthday party for herself at the museum Saturday, December 6, at 6 p.m.; she turned 50 on December 3.
The museum showcases a fraction of her extensive collection of adult entertainment (including costumes, books, posters, and art). June 21, 2025 was the grand opening of the Ecdysiast Arts Museum, a one-of-a-kind celebration of burlesque, artistry, and unapologetic expression, unique in the region and the nation.
Behind a pink door, the ground-floor museum is in an 1895 building owned by Trish Duffy, last used for PMR Marketing and vacant for several years. The term “ecdysiast” (pronounced “ehk-DEE-zee-ast”) was coined by H.L. Mencken, based on a Greek word for a performer who removes their clothes.
Colby called it “Ecdysiast” partly because it wouldn’t have been approved to call it a stripping museum.
“We wanted the museum to be called the Stripping History Museum, but we couldn't even get an ad in the paper,” she said recently. “It was so frustrating. I reached out to some friends in the industry and I was like, we're having trouble with the name. Can you help me think of any names?”
A friend who has a burlesque clothing design business in Canada came up with Ecdysiast Arts Museum.
“It makes the most sense,” Colby said. “Ecdysiast was what strippers and burlesquers called themselves whenever burlesque was banned, which happened all the time. From town to town, it would be banned.”
She gets a lot of questions from people asking what the term means.
“And always asking how to say it,” Colby said. “And that's what protects us. The fact that nobody knows what it is, is what protects us as ecdysiasts. Because we can put it out in the newspaper.
“That is what confuses people. But it's also what has saved us and our culture of burlesque throughout all these years when we have been banned. This is a time where we have to be very careful and extra careful. So I thought it was the perfect name.”
As society has shown for centuries, sex and beauty certainly sell, but the art of burlesque reveals more than what is skin deep. It’s interior beauty, bravery, independence, and resilience.
“As a plus-size performer, a common misconception is that you have to fit societal size standards in order to do it,” Moline resident Dahlia Dutch, a regular at Ecdysiast, said recently. “And if there's one thing I love about burlesque, it's that all bodies are burlesque bodies. We're celebrating the human form and in that we are endlessly unique and beautiful.
“In a society that tells you to shrink yourself and fit in, burlesque emboldens you to break that shell. When you're up on that stage, you're commanding all the attention. You're taking up space. Shedding your skin. Taking back that power. And the only person to stop you is you.”
A Love Letter
A Sherrard High School alum, Dutch works as a beauty and wellness consultant for a pharmacy retail chain and freelance makeup artist.
“Movement is my art and burlesque is my pen,” she said, noting that she met Colby in the summer of 2024. “It's a love letter to myself, a love letter to the audience, and to those that paved the way for burlesque today. I got my start apprenticing with Moonshine Misfits back in early 2020 and later joined Taboo Burlesque.
“Fate would have it that Danielle came into my work one day last summer,” Dutch said. “I recognized her from her social media and introduced myself as a local performer. I was later cast in her Striporama production at the Skylark last September and we've been such good friends ever since. And with the burlesque classes at the museum along with all the history she's preserving and sharing with the community, I've learned so much about this art form that I credit to her. She is an incredible mentor and friend.
“The Ecdysiast Arts Museum is an integral part in preserving burlesque history in these unprecedented times and especially with the unfortunate closing of the Burlesque Hall Of Fame Museum in Vegas,” Dutch said.
“Now more than ever, we need these safe spaces. The Ecdysiast Arts Museum is more than just a museum and a performance space; it's a space for the community. Where we can come together, learn from each other and help each other. A place by the ecdysiasts for the ecdysiasts.”
Impact from Vegas Museum Closure
The museum had perfect timing in opening, as the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas closed in late July. That institution can no longer claim to be “the world’s only museum dedicated to the history and art of burlesque.”
“There's definitely going to be an effect,” Colby said. “That museum closing has zero positive benefit to the world at all. The only thing that can come from that museum closing is bad because it has so much history.”
She added that she “kind of sped up the opening of the museum” around the time of the Vegas venue's closing. “I'm friends with a lot of people who are on the board at the Burlesque Hall of Fame. I didn't know it was going to close immediately after we opened, but I anticipated [the Ecdysiast opening] just in case they were going to need a place to house any of that collection.”
The Vegas museum closed on July 20, noting on its Web site: “Recent economic and political events have impacted the Burlesque Hall of Fame deeply. Our city’s visitation is down 10 percent over last year, with international travel especially hard-hit. Museum attendance has plummeted along with the drop in tourism. Meanwhile, funders we’ve relied on are struggling as federal funding is withdrawn.”
Ecdysiast in Davenport has already seen out-of-state visitors, who hear about it mainly from social media.
“We have visitors from everywhere,” Colby said. “We've probably had more out-of-town visitors than local visitors, to be honest. We started on a slow roll and I was not in a hurry. And so I think a lot of people don't really know, like, 'Are they open? Are they not open?'”
“I just know the right people will find me and we just have to see what that looks like,” she said, noting her visibility on TV’s American Pickers has helped, though she hasn’t done any national advertising yet.
“If I can start with a base that feels very soulful and very rooted and very grounded, then everything from there is strong,” Colby said. “And that's where I need to get this first before I worry about national advertising. Because I know that once I say, 'Hey guys, here I am!”, there's going to be tons of business. I know that. I'm not ready for it yet.”
Calling herself an “introverted extrovert, or extroverted introvert,” Colby added: “I’m a very, very private person in how I maneuver and operate, and I'm just like a lone ranger. So I think that's why things take a little bit more time. I need to maybe trust people a little bit more and ask for more help if I'm getting introspective.”
They Just Want to Have Fun
When Colby is letting loose on stage, “I'm just having fun, period,” she said. “I’m not thinking about anything. Like, occasionally, world events and whatnot will pop into your head because we're in a space where it has to. But outside of that, I just have spent a lot of my life on television, and so sometimes I just want to hide away a little bit and just do my own little thing.
“So opening this up for a lot of people to come through is also an act for myself of growth and opening myself up to be around a lot of different people every day,” she said. “I'm very excited for that because I get to tell this history and what a privilege it is to do it. What an honor to do it. I think I'm just pacing myself because I feel like once the ball gets rolling, it's gonna take off.”
Colby said her mom told her she was “born with a stricken spirit.”
“I just bitched about everything I did,” she recalled. “I speak up, and I'd be like, 'Okay, this doesn't make sense. Why is this happening? Why is that happening in the world? Why does this person get this and that person doesn't get that?'
“My mom was, like, cleaning houses and stuff, and I would always say, 'How come they have this really nice house and really nice car? And how come you're only getting paid this much now?'” Colby said. “I remember doing this at, like, five and six years old.
“I was born to notice things that are a little askew or not quite right. And I think that kind of creates a sense of social justice about a person. I tend to be a person that has a strong sense of social justice. And that kind of shifts and changes as life shifts and changes, too,” she said.
“And I do take that to the stage, for sure. So I think everything that I do is pretty much an act of resistance. But I also like to think that it's just really fun, too.
“We're having a really great, fun time. And we can acknowledge that things are shitty in certain places in the world and in certain situations in the world. But we can also acknowledge that it's really important that we celebrate and that we rejoice together every opportunity we can,” she said.
Like most live entertainment, what her museum provides is unique with every show, bringing together a group of strangers to relax, bond, and be entertained.
“You're amongst a group of strangers, and you're literally watching people get almost naked,” Colby said. “And so that can create a lot of awkwardness if you don't know how to really massage the room's emotions the right way. To really get people to a space where they don't feel like strangers anymore. Kind of like at church, how they turn to the left and shake the hand of the person next to them. That's kind of the vibe that we want to have here, too. 'Let's just hang out together and have fun.'”
Burlesque Finds a Local Niche
Colby founded the Quad Cities’ first burlesque troupe, Burlesque Le’ Moustache, in 2008, after seeing the centuries-old art form in Chicago in 2004.
“It was amazing,” she recalled in a 2010 Reader interview. “Growing up in a strict household, I think I went into that evening thinking that burlesque was taboo and wrong and bad. But what I realized after I left that event was how absolutely liberating it was, to be in a room with women on stage who were ranging from a size zero to a size of, easily, 28 – all different types of women, with all different strengths.
“I left thinking, 'Who cares if I have stretch marks? Who cares if I'm a size 14 or 12 or 10? It doesn't matter. What matters is that I like myself.' That's the feeling I left with, and it was life-changing, and at that point I knew I wanted to do it [burlesque].”
Colby recently recalled, “My sister Annie used to like to go to the bar dressed as a man. Eventually we all started doing it. And we would wear mustaches out and just go out in drag together. That’s where the name came from.
“Eventually, we welcomed other performers and students to perform with us,” she said. “I think our first actual production was at the Capitol Theatre in the Quad Cities in 2009. We then went on to produce shows at the Speakeasy and RIBCO and the Adler Theatre.”
After Burlesque Le' Moustache, Bottoms Up Quad City Burlesque became a popular QC fixture, performing regular shows at the Circa ’21 Speakeasy, and became the longest running troupe in the QC. Over time, several other troupes and productions were born and, as Dahlia Dutch said, “It has blossomed into the beautiful burlesque scene you see today.
“Having been inspired after seeing several shows within the QC and making friends within the community, I started kittening for various shows, taking academy classes and joining a couple local troupes as an apprentice,” she said.
In creating a routine, Dutch said she’s inspired by the music first. She hears a song and “it'll play in my head like a movie,” she recalled. “In costumes, I'm inspired by the classics. I love a good glove peel and a corset. Most of my costume pieces are made by local burlesque and costume artist Manhattan.
“Other pieces are from various burlesque costume makers online, or made by myself with the help of lots of rhinestones,” Dutch said. “And actually, my most recent and cherished costume piece that I've acquired is a stunning D'lish robe I got from Danielle's collection of costumes and vintage clothing she sells at the museum.”
A Chicago native, Mac DeVille of Davenport has created an iconic QC burlesque niche with her seemingly effortless sense of style. She works as a hair stylist at Royal T’s Beauty Parlor in Bettendorf.
She first auditioned for Burlesque Le’ Moustache and Colby.
“Being on stage has always felt natural to me,” DeVille said recently. “I enjoy connecting with the audience and giving them a moment of reprieve from their day. Local troupes that I’ve been a member of are: Burlesque Le’ Moustache, co-founder of Bottoms Up Quad City Burlesque, and founder of Manscape Burlesque.” Other local troupes include Mary Quite Contrary House of Burlesque, Outcast Burlesque, Illuminaughties Burlesque, Taboo Burlesque, Dark Desires Burlesque, and OwlBear Burlesque.
DeVille makes most everything she wears, and said, “I find inspiration in many things. Sometimes it’s based on the show I’m in and sometimes it’s the random thought I had in the car.”
She has known Colby since 2010. “She has been a huge supporter of my creativity and my career, booking me for shows over the years and cheering me on as my burlesque mom. “
Of the new Davenport museum/performance space, DeVille said: “It’s beautiful. The exhibits are stunning and it’s humbling to be around that much history.
“I think at its base, burlesque is a relatable art form to the average person.
In the world of burlesque, we give ourselves permission to enjoy the things we’re told not to in society,” she said. “Burlesque is often called the classy version of stripping. I would counter this thought by saying that everyone is under the adult-entertainer umbrella, and we all just find our place within it.”
From Puerto Rico to the QC
Danielle Colby owns Ecdysiast Arts Museum with her husband Jeremy. They also have owned a home in Puerto Rico for three years.
“There's a lot of burlesque in Puerto Rico,” Colby said. “What's really interesting is a lot of burlesque that was very popular in Puerto Rico, was really Americanized.” Some of her collection, including Julie Taylor’s, is there, and she features Puerto Rican dancers here, such as Yulietta.
“I love to perform in Puerto Rico,” Colby said. “I produce in Puerto Rico at a few spaces, but I really like to do shows with my friends, too.”
She originally opened the museum only by appointment from June through October, and just scheduled regular hours in November. It’s open to ages 18 and up (by donation), noon to 5 p.m., Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; by appointment; and for private events. Ecdysiast has regular burlesque classes on Thursday nights and hosts many shows that are open to ages 21 and up.
“My priority was building out the space the way we needed it,” Colby said. “Making sure that we took the time to get everything out right. If we rush, we ruin things.”
The displays have stayed similar in the first five months, but Colby added a section for Black performer Perle Noire (including an outfit and photo), who she calls “a classic and neo-burlesque legend out of New York.
“Perle Noire is my fan-dancing mother,” Colby said. “She taught me fan dancing and has taught me so much about expression. I look to her for guidance with those things and other things, as well. She toured with Dita Von Teese for many years and is just a very well-known burlesque performer out of New York.”
She also displays an outfit of Dirty Martini, another popular plus-size performer from New York, and costumes from Vanessa Thomas Smith, the first Black female ringmaster in American circus history.
“I want to do a tribute to the Swedish Housewife,” she said, “because much of this collection that I have is from the Swedish Housewife. She's back in Sweden now, and she's doing phenomenal work for humanity in Sweden, and is just a really neat lady and great performer and another New York nightlife staple since like the '90s.”
While the museum shows have offered alcoholic drinks by donation only, they plan on having a liquor license by early December, and also offer more frequent shows.
Colby presented a “History on Tap” lecture at the Putnam Museum on burlesque history Oct. 16, and Putnam staffer Riley Lucas is a part-time employee at Ecdysiast Arts Museum.
“I'm really thankful that the city of Davenport is very happy to have us down here,” Colby said. “They've been very encouraging and supportive, and we're really very blessed for that.”
Learning and Interacting
Colby said she learned a lot doing burlesque in Chicago and watching videos of Dirty Martini, Perle Noire and Tempest Storm, and added that she loves interacting with audience members, who are very close to the stage at Ecdysiast.
“I learned that hustle from Chicago and the Main Attraction out of New York,” she said. “The Main Attraction is a phenomenal performer out of New York, who is a dear friend of mine. And I think I learned that from her specifically.”
She also learns from who she calls “my burlesque children, like Honeybee Rose. She'll be performing at the Adler New Year's Eve with us,” she said, noting that Rose was nominated for Queen of Burlesque by the Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2023.
The museum gives people who come for classes the option of buying costumes there.
“A lot of times when people start out, they're very insecure,” Colby said. “A lot of people who come to burlesque don't necessarily have a history of dance, like professional dance, and so they feel a little intimidated and insecure. I think all of us are so body-conscious and afraid of our bodies. And the thing that we don't realize is that it literally doesn't matter at all what shape your body is, what color your body is. It doesn't matter at all. People want to see your body on stage. People want to see. There are people who walk down the street, and I'm like, 'I want to see that person on stage.'”
While burlesque has progressed in welcoming performers of all body shapes, sizes, and colors, there is still body shaming, Colby said.
“The reality is now people are fighting stronger than they ever have for diversity within the burlesque world,” she said. “And a lot of people are really not getting gigs because of it, because they're fighting so hard for it, getting pushed out of the burlesque world for it. And so they're really brave people for doing that.
“My reality is every show needs to have diversity in ability,” Colby said. “So not everybody's going to be able bodied. And in the same way should have diversity in size, in the color of the cast, the culture of the cast, the background of the cast. We still are seeing way too many shows where it's very thin, white bodies on the stage. And so, we need to have diversity in gender.
“And so we just have to listen and act on that,” she said. “Realize that if representation isn't happening within certain spaces, we need to make sure that it happens and it needs to be called out.”
Colby's Birthday Bash show is Saturday, December 6 at 6 p.m. and includes guests Rosalie Bloom, Harlem Nyte, Zahradka Tonic, Mac DeVille, Dahlia Dutch, and the hip-hop artist Nkemdilim. Tickets are $25, and available here.
The New Year’s Eve show, held at Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 31, will start at 9 p.m., and boasts the band Brooklyn Britches and the Whispers out of Chicago, as well as performer Honey Bee Rose, Hot Tawdry, Miss Nyxon, Mac DeVille, Dannie Diesel and special guests Yulietta and Fana from Puerto Rico. After the show, the Puerto Rican dancers will lead a parade (including patrons) out of the Adler a couple blocks away to an after-party in the museum. The NYE tickets start at $37, and are available here.
For more information, visit EcdysiastArtsMuseum.com.
