In a year like none other, the Annual ED Awards are going to boast an “entirely different approach.” No award reflects this new approach more than the coveted ED Entertainer of the Year Award, which will be presented in a brand new way: This year, it’s a competition.
Since its inception in 2014, the Annual EDI (Exotic Dancer Invitational) showgirl dance competitions have crowned an EDI East and West champion, and those two entertainers have gone on to perform during the ED Awards Show as ED Entertainer of the Year nominees. But with COVID forcing the cancellation of the 2020 EDI contests — and with very few feature entertainer bookings over the past 12 months — there needed to be a new way to crown the ED’s Overall Entertainer of the Year.
Enter: The first-ever, one-night-only EDI Finals! The top four finalists from the most recent EDI contests— Shar Zayn, Natasha Nova, Justice and Janine Jericho— will compete on Sunday, May 23, at Tootsie’s Cabaret by performing competition-level shows for the judges and EXPO attendees. The top two scoring entertainers will move on to perform during the ED Awards Show on Tuesday, May 25, at the Grand Ballroom inside the InterContinental Hotel. And at the conclusion of the ED Awards Show, the winner of the first-ever EDI’s Overall Entertainer of the Year will be announced.
“To have four amazing EDI showgirls competing on the stage of one of the top gentlemen’s clubs in the entire US — Tootsie’s Cabaret — is going to be very exciting for all of us,” says ED Publications’ Associate Publisher Dave Manack, who is also the founder and co-producer of the Annual EDI East & West contests. “Finally, our EXPO attendees can see what a real competition-level EDI show is all about. Prepare to be stunned by these performances!”
In keeping with the standard EDI contest format, the four competing entertainers will choose their performance order with a random draw. On Sunday at Tootsie’s, the four entertainers will perform on the hour: 8 pm, 9 pm, 10 pm and 11 pm. The event is free for all EXPO attendees and precedes the PANDA Party and Roast of Dr. Rock which will directly follow the EDI Finals competition.
Eschewing such typical categories as “Club of the Year West Region” or “International Club of the Year,” ED Publications has created eight new award titles, all of which will be presented during the 23rd Annual Adult Nightclub & Exotic Dancer Awards Show. The ED Awards Show, still the only national awards show for the multi-billion-dollar adult nightclub industry will be held on Tuesday, May 25, and is presented in Brand Partnership with Patron Tequila. The Awards Show staging is being produced by Luna Reps & ALVInnovations, two leading sound, and lighting production companies.
And, for the first time ever, the ED Awards Show is FREE for all registered EXPO 2021 attendees.
“There’s just no way we could award the ‘Club of the Year’ in regions of the country where most of the clubs have been closed since March 2020,” says Manack. “And even in the other regions where clubs have been open, they’re only at maybe 50% capacity. That’s why we want to turn our attention to some of the key individuals who have done something remarkable, or made a substantial impact in some way over the past year.”
Seating for the show will include general-admission roundtables (reserved seating available for Event Sponsors). To register for EXPO 2021 in Miami and take advantage of the buy-one-get-one-half-price special, please call (727) 726-3592 or visit theEDexpo.com. To book your hotel room today for just $169 per night (Sunday through Wednesday), call (800) 327-3005 and request the Gentlemen’s Club EXPO rate.
Here’s what the ladies have to say about competing in the first-ever EDI Finals!
Natasha Nova: “I’m so excited to be performing in this unique, one-night-only EDI. It’s thrilling to get to perform a full competition level show in front of ALL my gentlemen’s club family.”
Janine Jericho: ”Words are too limiting to express the profound elation and honor that I feel. I’ve always been a bridesmaid, never a bride, with the EDIs, placing top three and just nearly missing the final ETOY ballot each year. Being a part of this contest, which to me, is the most prestigious competition there is and just making it to the final four, has me over the moon!”
Justice: “Since my last (Overall Entertainer of the Year) nomination in 2019 our industry has experienced a year like no other, so it’s only fitting that we have an EDI and Awards Show like no other. I’m excited that I have been given a platform again to show my creativity and talent with our industry. More so, I get to share the stage with three other exceptionally talented ladies, one of whom is my best friend. After such a challenging year for all of us, being able to do what I do best, have fun and entertain everyone, while showcasing how the EDIs are such an incredible experience for everyone, I can’t wait!”
Shar Zayn: “It feels amazing to be able to compete in an EDI event at the EXPO! I think it makes it more exciting knowing the club owners from all over (the country) are there, too. I’m coming with something different and super-artistic and I just hope everyone enjoys it!”
