Nova Star Cruises owes Portland burlesque dancing company $1,000

On the list of 216 creditors to which Nova Star Cruises owes money, the name of one small business in Portland, Maine, leaves little to the imagination.

BetweenJune and October, scantilycladdancers put on sixburlesque shows each weekend for passengers on the Yarmouth-to-Maine ferry. They worked for Redhot& Ladylike, which is owed $1,000 by Nova Star Cruises after it filed for bankruptcy on April 13.

In the ship's Aqua Lounge, women dancers donned nurse outfits, corsets, and housewife garb. Male dancers wore police uniforms, and sometimes, not much at all.

"It was adult entertainment leaving some things to the imagination, which I think is far sexier," said Redhot& Ladylikeowner MissE Cloutier.

"I don't regret it for a second."

Adults-only by night

Cloutier opened the dance school in 2010, a year after The Cat the previousferry service between Nova Scotia and Maine ended.

She contacted Nova Star Cruises about bringing entertainment on board. After only a few meetings, she says she locked down a contract that paid her company $1,000 a weekendand gave 16 of her dancers food and a place to sleep.

"It was a weekend getaway to board the boat, and get away and entertain people," she said.

By day, Cloutier was a hip-hop dance teacher to kids, allowing parents a chance "to relax a bit and not [be]chasing their kid around the deck."

By night, it was adults-only.

'The boat is rocking and we're in high heels'

"Dancing on a boat is very different than dancing on stage, taking into consideration the waves and the swells," she recalled.

"I'd tell the audience, if we look like we're falling, it's not because we're drinking, it's because the boat is rocking and we're in high heels."

Cloutier says she's been in touch with a few Nova Scotians who want to visit Portland for some dancinglessons.

'It will always be a fond memory'

The shows were meant to pull people from their comfort zones duringthe 12-hour voyage between destinations, Cloutier said.

Often, her dancers literally pulled people from the audience to take part in story narratives, depending on the costume. Those led to her fondest memories.

"So I have a set of male dancers who were pretend cops," she said. "These two ladies from the audience took over the show. That was likethe best night ever."

Cloutier doesn't expect to be paidher $1,000,owedfor the last weekend her dancers hit the Aqua Lounge. But she's not worried about it. For the networking alone, she says it was worthwhile.

"For us as dancers, it was that little mini claim to fame," she said. "It's really sad that it [the ship]didn't succeed, but you know for us it will always be a fond memory."