Angel Cecelia Helene Walker (September 18, 1944 – April 11, 2019) was an American

exotic dance A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper", "exotic dan ...

r specializing in stripping and

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

under her stage name Satan's Angel.

Career

Satan's Angel started dancing in San Francisco in 1961, after winning an amateur strip contest at North Beach nightclub Moulin Rouge. Her full moniker was Satan's Angel, the Devil's Own Mistress, Queen of the Fire Tassels. She also danced under the stage names Tassel Tossin' Angel, Angel Dahl, Angel the Body, Satana Angel, and Satin Angel. Satan's Angel's signature act was to light her tassels aflame, "then extinguishing the flames by means of strenuous mammary rotation". She would sometimes twirl five tassels at a time—two on her nipples, two on her buttocks, and one on her navel. She performed in San Francisco in the 1960s, dancing at small and bigger nightclubs including the Esquire, the Galaxie and the

Condor Club The Condor Club nightclub is a strip club, striptease bar or topless bar in the North Beach, San Francisco, North Beach section of San Francisco, California"Nudity, Noise Pay Off in Bay Area Night Clubs", ''Los Angeles Times'' (February 14, 1965) ...

. She was also bass player in The Hummingbirds, an all girl topless

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. N ...

which performed nightly at Tipsy's in North Beach. Later, in Las Vegas in the 1970s and into the mid 1980s, she was cast by big-name burlesque promoters like Barry Ashton and Harold Minsky and danced at the Palomino Club,

The Aladdin Planet Hollywood Las Vegas (formerly the Aladdin) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. The resort includes a casino and 2,494 hotel rooms. It also feat ...

Silver Slipper Silver Slipper or The Silver Slipper may refer to: *Silver Slipper (Las Vegas), a casino in Las Vegas * Silver Slipper (orchid), a common name for the orchid ''Paphiopedilum micranthum'' * Silver Slipper (train), a railcar made by Budd–Michelin fo ...

, and the Minsky. She also toured the United States and the rest of the world with her act. When asked why she chose to pursue a career in burlesque, she said she wanted the glamorous life of

Gypsy Rose Lee Gypsy Rose Lee (born Rose Louise Hovick, January 8, 1911 – April 26, 1970) was an American burlesque entertainer, stripper, actress, author, playwright and vedette, famous for her striptease act. Her 1957 memoir, '' Gypsy: A Memoir'', was a ...

. She also said she borrowed artistic elements from

Mae West Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...

Lili St. Cyr Marie Frances Van Schaack (June 3, 1917 – January 29, 1999), known professionally as Lili St. Cyr, was a prominent American burlesque dancer and stripper.. Early years St. Cyr was born Marie Frances Van Schaack in Minneapolis, Minnesota, o ...

Ann Corio Ann Corio (born Ann Coiro; November 29, 1909 – March 1, 1999) was a prominent American burlesque stripper and actress. Her original surname was Coiro, changing it to Corio for stage purposes and because some family members did not approve ...

, Sally Keith, and Carrie Finnell to create her stage character Satan's Angel. She retired from burlesque in 1985, after twenty-four years, but came out of retirement in 2002. Later she performed in the

Miss Exotic World Pageant The Miss Exotic World Pageant (officially, the Miss Exotic World Pageant and Striptease Reunion) is an annual neo-burlesque pageant and convention, and is the annual showcase event (and fundraiser for) the Burlesque Hall of Fame (formerly the E ...

—in 2005 as part of the ''Legends'' section of the program, and in 2006 as part of the ''Cavalcade of Classic Stars''. She also appeared at the annual burlesque convention Tease-O-Rama and in multiple neo-burlesque shows. In addition to performing, Satan's Angel gave classes in burlesque striptease and fire tassel twirling. Strip tease and burlesque dancer Catherine D'lish has called Satan's Angel "a trailblazer in her profession".

References

External links

Photo Gallery
* {{Burlesque Hall of Fame 1944 births 2019 deaths American burlesque performers American female erotic dancers American erotic dancers American vedettes People from San Francisco 21st-century American women