An SMC Teacher And Her 'Best Kept Secret'

On most days it is hard to justify sitting in traffic for nearly two hours just to see a show in Hollywood. However, if the King King Club's "L'effluer des Sens" is at the end of your journey you will soon have a change of heart. This is no ordinary venue. It's like Cirque du Soleil, without the circus.

The name of the show "L'effluer des Sens" roughly translates to "Flirting with the Senses," and the girls in the show definitely do a fair share of teasing and flirting with the audience. The mind behind the cabaret is Santa Monica College's own Cati Jean, a part-time ballet instructor.

As you file into the small, intimately lit club you will be confronted by several women dressed in sexy lingerie wearing French berets. It's right out of the classic male fantasy of the naughty French maid.

These girls strut lazily around the club looking as irresistible as possible while a man who looks like an extra from a François Truffaut film stalks them. The point of this pre-show was to create ambiance. If the pre-show was any indication of what was to come, the expectations were set high for a very tantalizing show.

A man dressed in "boy-toy" shorts took the stage to introduce the true stars of the show, the beautiful ladies. This show is definitely not for the prudish, especially if you don't approve of a lot of skin exposure.

It is hard to give any definitive definition to this performance. It is a musical cabaret and there is very little dialogue besides the short intermissions when the male performer jokes with the audience about his sexual fantasies.
There is a very common theme to the show: sex. No, there is no sex. But all you have to do is read between the lines to understand what is going on. Many conservatives would dismiss this show as lewd and distasteful. On the other hand it's 2008, not 1958, so those opinions are no longer valid.

The show is exciting, the numbers are very creative. There are also several powerful aerial acts where a female performer climbs up a rope of cloth suspended from the ceiling and dances and weaves her body around the cloth in mid air.
It is a really creative show. All the individual acts are unique and it will keep you on your toes wondering what they will pull out next.

The choreography and direction of Jean is spot-on. The dancing is very sexy and seductive. It can be very sensual and slow or exciting, stimulating, and fast-paced. Jean has created a completely fresh and wonderful exhibition for the senses.
The major problem with the show is that it ends. It goes on for a very long time, but you will be so entranced by the dance routines that it will pass by in a flash.
It's amazing to think that the creator behind the show has been right under our noses teaching at SMC. The show was described as L.A.'s best kept secret, but it's hard to see how they could keep the lid on this great and exciting show.