The Chippendales are coming to East Peoria

It’s the male version of the Playboy Bunny, a group of oiled, shirtless men whose trademark name elicits blushing, giggles or jokes.

It’s also a lucrative business, which reaches millions of women a year in more than 15 countries, according to the Chippendales Web site. And for those ladies who feel like letting off some steam, a group of Chippendales male revue dancers is headed to East Peoria, for shows at 8 and 10 tonight at Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center.

What: Chippendales male revue.

When: 8 p.m. (doors open at 7) and 10 p.m. (doors open at 9:30) May 28.

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Where: Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, 100 Conference Center Dr., East Peoria.

Tickets:$20 at the door. VIP tickets are $30.

Must be 18 and over to attend.

Cameron Feldman, manager of the East Peoria Co-Op Records store that was selling advance tickets, said interest in the show has remained steady throughout the month.

“Ironically, a lot of daughters and husbands were coming in buying them for moms on Mother’s Day, that’s when it first started,” he said. “Kind of an unusual Mother’s Day gift, but we saw a lot of that. Aside from that, it’s been groups of co-workers — people who don’t get out a whole lot but are saying ‘Let’s make an event out of this.’ ”

Tony Valentine, owner of the East Coast Chippendales troupe (there also is a West Coast group based in Denver, a European show and a permanent show in Las Vegas), said women from ages 18 into their 80s love the show, which allows them to escape reality for a couple of hours.

“It’s a classy show,” he said. “It’s a brand-name, it’s strip tease without the strip sleaze. Every night these guys step on stage, the sound that they hear from the women is just unbelievable. The average man would cut his arm off to hear that just once — they hear it every night.”

Chippendales was formed as a Los Angeles nightclub in 1979 by an Indian immigrant named Steve Banerjee. He paired with Emmy-winning choreographer Nick Denoia to make the Chippendales into a wildly popular act by the 1980s.

Aside from the fun-loving reputation, Chippendales has had its share of drama; the club shut down after Banerjee was charged with Denoia’s murder then hung himself in his jail cell in 1994, the day before he was to be sentenced in the murder-for-hire plot, the Los Angeles Times reported. It was the subject of many a Hollywood movie.

But the Chippendales empire survived. The group continued as a touring act and was purchased in the 1990s by Louis Pearlman (who also developed the Backstreet Boys and ’N Sync). In 2002, the group opened a permanent act at The Rio in Las Vegas.

Valentine, 48, started a career as a male revue dancer 30 years ago. He said while it’s an exciting job — he’s traveled to 40 different countries — it is also hectic. Valentine said spending so much time on the road makes it difficult for relationships. He said while some of the dancers have children, none are married.

“I wouldn’t hire a married guy because I don’t want to be responsible for the divorce,” he said. “You’re on tour every day, you sleep out of a suitcase. It’s one show to the next.”

Breakdancing roots

Jake Gordon, 37, first started with Chippendales in 1997 at age 25. He had been working in construction when he heard of a tryout in Las Vegas. Since he’d been performing in breakdancing contests since age 10, performing in front of crowds was easy for him.

The tryouts consisted of an individual dance audition, a choreographed group dance performance and a poolside interview “to see if you’re camera ready.” Gordon got the job and worked with Chippendales for two years. He took several years off to raise his sister’s children and rejoined the troupe in 2007.

Gordon, who works as a personal trainer on the side, said most of the dancers are health nuts. Gordon works out six days a week and eats mostly vegetables and protein. He tans regularly.

Gordon said the East Peoria performance will include 12 different costume changes — everything from cowboys to police officers to a 1980s hip-hop number.

“You’ll get to see me do something I learned when I was 10 and breakdancing,” he said. “It’s a pretty good move I got going on.”

And, yes, he also has a number as a construction worker. Gordon said he sometimes gets recognized on the street, when someone recognizes him from a show or a calendar.

“Sometimes it’s flattering, other times you want to run away,” he said.

Personality required

Devin Michaels, 36, is a dancer, emcee and tour manager of the East Coast Chippendales. He got involved in the male revue business just out of high school, when the business was booming.

“A lot of my friends were doing it and they pretty much talked me into it — which, they didn’t have to really twist my arm or anything. It was good money,” said Michaels by telephone from the Cleveland airport as he was boarding the plane for a show in Grand Rapids, Mich. “And it was exciting; you’re 18, 19, 20 years old, you’re always at clubs. When I started, it was in demand. So we were pretty much working every night, sometimes every day of the month.”

Michaels has worked for Chippendales for six years and before that he ran his own male revue groups, American Heat and International Calendar Men. Michaels says there are not as many male revue groups around as there was when he started out, but everyone recognizes the Chippendales name.

Michaels, who has been known to date women from the crowd (but admits ‘I’m very picky,’) says if a guy can dance and has the personality for life on the road, this makes for a fulfilling career.

“Our show is pretty much choreography, and how well you interact with the women,” he said. “You have to have confidence. You could have the best body and be the best looking guy, but if you don’t have the personality to stand in front of hundreds or thousands of women, you’re not going to make it.”

Danielle Hatch can be reached at 686-3262 or dhatch@pjstar.com.