Tali De’Mar, Angela Sommers Charm EDI-West Judges

CLEARWATER, Fla.—Organizers of the Exotic Dancer Invitational West Contest have issued their report on the inaugural event, which took place over three nights at Dames n’ Games (a Spearmint Rhino club) in Los Angeles. A dozen competing entertainers vied in the Showgirl and Newcomer divisions . When it was over, two of those wore the respective crowns for Showgirl Champion and Newcomer Champion. For the Newcomers, it was adult perfomer Angela Sommers who outlasted the competition to take home the title of Newcomer Champion, while redheaded burlesque queen Tali De’Mar wowed the crowds and the judges to take the crown in the Showgirl Division. Click here to see a gallery of photographs taken at the event. (Pictured above, Angela Sommers and Tali De'Mar; photo courtesy ED Publications.) Produced by ED (Exotic Dancer) Publications, the EDIs are national, invitation-only dance contests for the nation’s top touring feature entertainers in both a Showgirl and Newcomer Division. The dance contest will be held twice a year—once in the West (EDI-West) and once in the East (EDI-East)—with the winners of each contest filling two of the four nominee slots for the ED’s “Overall Feature Entertainer of the Year” Award. The EDI-East Contest will be held at Christie’s Cabaret in Cleveland on May 29-31. “Each one of our 12 EDI competitors brought an incredible show and proved why they deserved to be invited to this selective, invitation-only dance contest,” says the EDI founder Dave Manack, who is also the associate publisher for ED Publications. “The competition in each division was fierce, especially in the Showgirl Division, which included many well-known and respected entertainers. And as evidenced by the raucous, capacity crowds each evening, those performances were well appreciated.” Having only recently announced her return to the industry after a short retirement, former two-time ED Entertainer of the Year nominee Tali De’Mar made a huge splash in her first club appearance in almost three years. Her burlesque-style shows proved to be a huge hit with the EDI judges, which included Stix Zadinia and Lexxi Foxx of the band Steel Panther, major motion picture producer and music industry executive Andy Gould, award-winning adult movie director Jacky St. James and many others. Fellow Showgirl Division Finalists Christina Aguchi (Showgirl Division First Runner-Up) and Justice (Second Runner-Up) each presented amazing shows with high production quality, dance skill and pole acrobatics. “I'm so excited to be back on the circuit and blown away by my recent win!” De'Mar said. “There was definitely stiff competition and thank you to all the girls for bringing their A game. I'm humbled, ecstatic and inspired to pick up where I left off with bigger and better burlesque shows than ever. I'm touched by this warm welcome home!” The EDI West Contest was emceed by Tony Batman of A Entertainment and the Planet Platypus Network, and was coordinated by longtime pageant and event coordinator Lexi Lamour. EDI-West sponsors included Anheuser-Busch, PlanetPlatypus.com, StripClubMusic.com, Safari Sun and, of course, ED Publications. In the Newcomer Division, Angela Sommers brought an elegance to her performance that helped her stand out in a challenging Newcomer Division that also saw innovative performances from fellow finalist Phoenix Phires (First Runner-Up) and an entertaining “hula hoop” show from Remy LaCroix (Second Runner-Up). Each Champion (Showgirl and Newcomer) won the official EDI crown and trophy, while cash prizes were also awarded to Tali De’Mar, Christina Aguchi and Angela Sommers as Showgirl Champion, Showgirl First Runner-Up and Newcomer Champion respectively. Also, the following “mini-titles” were awarded at the EDI-West: Best Costume: Jaded Dawn Hottest Body: Angela Sommers Best Dancer: Tali De’Mar Audience Favorite: Christina Aguchi Most Original Show: Phoenix Phires Best Overall Show: Justice Other talented EDI competitors were Artemis Moon, Shay Lynn and Darling Danika in the Showgirl Division. The Newcomer Division included Cali Rose and Cheyenne Jewel. For more information on the Exotic Dancer Invitationals, including the EDI-West and EDI-East contests, visit TheEDIs.com or call (727) 726-3592.