Montana St. Claire
Montana St. Claire is a native Oregonian, born in Salem and raised in Central Oregon. She took ballet as a child, and became obsessed with vintage movies as a teen. Her influences were Brigitte Bardot, Bettie Page, and Tempest Storm -- all iconic strong, glamorous women. St. Clair holds a Nursing degree, a Bachelors of Science degree in social work, and a Minor in anthropology.
St. Claire credits her 2012-13 start in Burlesque to the community of artist performers in her social circle. She and her business partner, Leah, came up with the idea of creating a Burlesque scene in Central Oregon. They spent a year researching and traveling across the United States seeing Burlesque as they formulated their artistic plan and business plan. Starting with just the two of them plus a band, the Bend Burlesque troupe now numbers 20+ members and they perform all over the region, welcomed and supported by multiple business owners of pubs, restaurants and theatres.
In addition to her full-time job as a Registered Nurse, and owning and operating the Bend Burlesque Company, St. Claire also creates side projects aimed at educating while being entertaining.