ED’s 2023 Newcomer of the Year Award winner, Raychel Revolver, has gone from simply intriguing to supremely accomplished in what seemed like a matter of minutes. Now, she wants to share the factors of her sudden rise with other aspiring entertainers via her newest venture, the Worldwide Showgirl Association.
(NOTE: This story appears in the March 2023 issue of ED Magazine.)
W
ith over a decade of industry experience under her belt, including working as a house dancer, the ambitious entertainer Raychel Revolver attempted her first major competition in the feature world at the 2022 Exotic Dancer Invitational (EDI) East.
“I maybe had a few bookings at the point that I did my first EDI, and no mentorship, but ED (Publications) believed in me,” says Raychel.
According to Raychel, her first EDI performance wasn’t exactly a career highlight.
“I put on a very awkward show,” she laughs. “But it was a great experience to grow from. After my performance, feature entertainer (reigning Miss Nude Canada, and owner of over 80 other industry titles) Janine Jericho came up to me and said something which shifted the future of my career forever. She said, ’You have star power in you, I see it. Use this as a learning experience, and get back to the drawing board, because you’re going to be great.’”
“Your body is a prop”
As advised by Janine, Raychel got to work on improving her show. First, to develop her style, she attended a vast variety of performances by other star entertainers that year, and asked all her favorites for tips on success. Another dedicated feature who really made an impact on Raychel’s trajectory was 2022 EDI Entertainer of the Year (and holder of a plethora of other titles), SharZayn.
“I really, really, look up to Sharzayn,” says Raychel. “She’s a natural mentor and she taught me so much. What stuck with me the most was when she told me, ‘Your body is a prop.’”
Raychel took this to mean that the body is to be used on stage in as trained of a manner as you might use the pole, so she dedicated herself to the gym and to the studio in pursuit of the perfect control over her body which SharZayn demonstrates.
“I train anywhere from five to six days a week, and I spend about two hours in the studio,” she says.
Ultimately, Raychel developed a show which better emulated her passion for the craft. That love for the stage got the attention of ED Publications, and won Raychel the title of Miss April Exoticdancer.com in 2022. But that wasn’t enough for her, and she pushed on.
Now, her impressive array of entertainment skills includes aerials, pole silks, pole (spin and static), acro chair and contortion. Raychel took these new skills and applied them to her show at the 2023 EDI East at The Pony Clubs in Huntsville, Alabama. Not only was that show compelling enough to secure her the Most Original Show mini-title, but she also took the crown she was aiming at: The EDI East’s Starlet Division Champion.
“When I mapped out that performance, which I planned extensively, I thought, ‘(Carmen Sandiego) is a beautiful thing. This is something that I can make a show out of.’”
– Raychel Revolver
“The theme of my Carmen Sandiego show, which is the show that I won all the awards with, was something that meant a lot to me,” Raychel explains. “It was a part of my comfort zone from my childhood, playing that Carmen Sandiego computer game, being a dork and a nerd and falling in love with geography. When I mapped out that performance, which I planned extensively, I thought, ‘This is a beautiful thing. This is something that I can make a show out of.’”
Almost as quickly as her feature career had launched, Raychel won ED’s Newcomer of the Year Award at the 2023 ED EXPO. For her, winning Newcomer of the Year acknowledged that her love for the work was shining through, and it encouraged her to keep at it.
“I had no idea I was going to get Newcomer of the Year, but I managed to save the ugly tears for after I got off stage, so I could get good pictures,” she laughs. “This was everything I wanted to manifest. It has been an intensive process of total dedication, but you get what you give, and I’ve given so much for this.”
Some of what Raychel has given has not just been work, but also sacrifices she has made in order to be fully devoted to her show.
“I do have to sacrifice time away from my children,” Raychel shares. “That’s the hardest part, but my family is so supportive, and they understand that I only have a window of opportunity to have this career.”
“I had no idea I was going to get Newcomer of the Year, but I managed to save the ugly tears for after I got off stage, so I could get good pictures. This was everything I wanted to manifest. It has been an intensive process of total dedication, but you get what you give, and I’ve given so much for this.”
– Raychel Revolver
The name “Raychel Revolver” may seem relatively new to those who have been in the business a long time, but it’s starting to become familiar. Showing her business-savvy, as well as just how seriously she takes what she does, Raychel recently founded an exciting new venture called the ‘Worldwide Showgirl Association’ (WWSA), an organization by showgirls, for showgirls, which has plans to host some competitions in the coming future.
“We wanted to start a competition series for niche competitions which aren’t currently offered right now on the circuit,” Raychel explains. “We hope to also offer more extreme show competitions which gives the tattooed, alt and goth rocker features a chance to shine. And to build on that, we’ve also connected with a few girls that are Asian, as well as other smaller demographics in the industry, to offer competitions exclusive to them.”
Allyship
Raychel highly values friendship and allyship, and she intends for her organization to foster that for other entertainers, as well. Founding WWSA, like winning Newcomer of the Year, was something Raychel was interested in, but she never expected that it would happen so soon.
“I always wanted to run some type of alt or niche competition series, I just wanted to have a little bit more industry experience,” she explains.
Fortunately, Raychel has a strong team of other industry professionals to bolster. While Raychel is certainly the face of the WWSA, she says that it’s really led by a group of accomplished women. Some of the entertainers already involved include Nikita Knight, the organization’s Creative Director, and Dani Lee, their Marketing Director.
“I do have a lot on my plate, as you can see,” she admits. “I can’t work without a team. I need to have other perspectives, feedback and support. Nikita has 10 years of house dancing, and she’s been featuring for a year, while Dani Lee has management experience in the clubs, and she’s also a former entertainer. We all create collectively, and, as a whole, we have many years of experience all together.”
Mentorship
Ultimately, this new project, for Raychel, gives her the opportunity to give back to the industry which has given so much to her. With the WWSA, she has the opportunity to award hardworking dancers with titles, which could be the beginnings of their successful careers, as hers were for her.
“I want to support all entertainers that want a chance to be on stage and are putting the work in, not just the features that are already established, but also the girls that are up and coming,” Raychel announces.
After she started taking home title after title, Raychel noticed that other aspiring entertainers were beginning to look up to her, as she had looked up to Janine Jericho and SharZayn. With WWSA, she wants to redistribute some of the mentorship she was given.
“I have a huge heart,” she says. “I’m a total mama bear, and I just want to be that role model for other women.”
In fact, Raychel actually is the mother of a younger dancer, a house entertainer. She hopes that the industry will continue to support the growth of its entertainers, for healthier business for all involved, and that perhaps the WWSA may help play a role in that. Through hard work alone, Raychel believes you can create whatever you want in this industry.
“I want to show the wallflowers that didn’t get a second glance at one point — the nerds, the alt girls, anyone — that they can do this, too,” she says.
Leo energy
Managing WWSA, showgirl career and motherhood isn’t easy. To maintain everything, Raychel has to schedule out every day with a little bit of time for each project. For her showgirl career, which is far from over, Raychel still keeps a rigorous training schedule. Clubs interested in booking Raychel will be excited to learn that she’s now also touring in a duo with Nikita Knight, in addition to her solo bookings.
WWSA will be Raychel’s legacy project; that is, whenever she parts from her career, which she has no intentions of doing just yet. She says that it’s not “in her Leo energy” to take a rest any time soon.
“It’s good for the soul to always be working on something bigger and better,” she adds.
To stay grounded, Raychel meditates and does yoga five times a week. She says that keeping her mental health in check is what allows her to thrive, as well as seeing her family, whenever possible. Sometimes, she admits she just has to put her phone down, and her team, which is like her industry family, is ever-supportive.
Photography by Alfonso Moreno of Mad Creativity
Make up artist Glammed by Iggy
For more information on Raychel Revolver or the Worldwide Showgirl Association, visit RaychelRevolver.com.
