STEVIE HEPTIG TALKS THE LAST SHOWGIRL

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

The world of Gia Coppola's 'The Last Showgirl' is one you spent far more time in than its only eighteen filming days?

It was a quick shoot especially for us dancers. I’ve done a few film shoots before but not many that were consecutive days like that. The days were early, and long, like most film shoots, but the experience was so worth it. The crew was amazing and it was a blast working with my friends on this project.

A celebration yet an honest look at the bittersweet reality behind the glittery facade of show business, this film portrays the world of showgirls like a faded memory. What would you personally say is the current life sign for a Las Vegas showgirl?

Being a showgirl was my dream since I was young, the glamour, class, extravagance, beauty, and all around essence of a showgirl is truly unbeatable. The showgirl has definitely become less common as years have gone on, but the beauty of Las Vegas is that it will never let the iconic showgirl die. There are numerous shows that still celebrate the classic showgirl, Dita Von Teese being one of them. She pays homage to the classic showgirl while bringing her personal burlesque style to it, in a way that is both nostalgic and new age creative. I believe the showgirl will live on forever. It’s a piece of history, and not just for entertainers.

Pamela Anderson said some of the costume she had to wear for the film were so uncomfortable she spent her time between filming getting massages, what might be some of the most uncomfortable attires you’ve worn while performing?

Showgirl-head pieces are no joke. They are heavy, and always seem to hit just the right, or should I say wrong, pressure points on your head. I’ve been a strolling table, the Empire State Building, a dancing lobster, numerous showgirl-looks, and more. The Bob Mackie costumes are so well made and structured, but definitely have their heavy moments. Especially the head pieces. One time I wore an Empire State Building-costume and the headpiece was nearly three feet tall and so heavy, it was so tall that I had to bend my knees and kneel while walking around the gig because the ceiling was too short!

Being such a multifaceted talent, acting, dancing and singing, has a life in show business always been in the cards for you?

Entertainment has been my life since I could remember. My mom put me in dance classes when I was two, practically right when I could walk. I apparently saw my brother in dance class and wanted to dance too. And have been ever since. Singing came in middle school. But high school was where music theater stole my heart. I was in the elite choir and we would meet once a week before school began. We also did a trip as a class to New York our senior year. The first time I went to New York City I was sixteen years old and attending the Rockettes Summer Intensive. I fell in love. And knew that was where I belonged. New York made me who I am today. I moved there with one suitcase on a one way flight. Couch surfed for a couple months. And it became my home. I think it was then that I realized this wasn’t just a little girls hobby, it was my career. And my future.

This film is filled with both proven and rising talent who all had their own unique trajectories to making it. In between the glitz and the glamour, there is so much work that goes into getting anywhere at all. How has it been for you to find a balance in that, being able to enjoy showbiz even at its least spectacular?

Finding balance in the showbiz world is not easy. As artists, we submerge ourselves in our work. My career has been my first love my whole life and that will never change. The decisions I have made on where I live, who I surround myself with, the priorities I have, are all centered around my performance career. The highs are so amazing when they are high. But it’s the lows that build you. You’ll be booked solid for months with work and then bam, a dry spell for months. Another thing people don’t think about that makes performers so incredible is that, regardless of the day we are having or what is going on in our lives, breakups, loss, illness, and so on, we still go on stage and give our all to the audience to make them leave happier and more fulfilled than when they came in, regardless of how empty or full our cups are. That I think, is what truly shows the strengths of performers.

I’d imagine with everything you’ve done there’s many things the smalltown girl who took a chance on this life never even dared to dream of?

I’m from a tiny town in Kansas. I moved away when I was eighteen to Las Vegas for school. And then at nineteen, I went on my first contract overseas as a singer. I traveled to over thirty different countries by the age of twenty-three because of performing. I have lived in Los Angeles, New York City, Germany, Guam, the Dominican Republic, and have made a name for myself in Las Vegas. I’ve met and worked with remarkable people and artists. I think a few of the most iconic moments that made my jaw drop throughout my career have been working on stage with Dita Von Teese, the Queen of Burlesque herself, and getting to perform with her for two years now, meeting and working with the iconic Pamela Anderson, getting to take class from and meeting legendary choreographers like Debbie Allen and Mia Michaels, and having my job take me all over the world while I get to live my passion every day. It’s work, and yet I never feel like I’m working a day in my life. I always knew I wanted to go big with this life. And I one hundred percent have been so blessed with incredible opportunities. But I also have worked my butt off to get here, as so many have. And I think that’s the thing people do not realize. We are lucky and we are blessed, but we also worked our blood, sweat, and tears thoroughly to get here. That, I think, is what I could have never imagined, the pride I have in the work I have put in.

Is there anything else that you've been up to?

I’m always on the hunt for more growth. I want to do anything and everything I can as a performer. I never want to pigeonhole myself into one role. The world is a bit beautiful place and especially the performance world. I strive to one day be in movie musicals and of course on Broadway. Those are always goals I am continuously chipping away at. Currently, I’m devoting my little free time I have into honing new acts and crafts, such as the bull whip and the aerial hoop. Eventually, I want to produce my own dinner theater-show, and that will constantly be in the works as well, until I make my dream a reality. And believe me, I will.