MANILA, Philippines?What do Venus and modern-day burlesque queen Dita Von Teese have in common? Both are goddesses of love, beauty and, dare we say, audacity in their respective realms.

And it took someone as bold as Dr. Vicki Belo, medical director of Belo Medical Group (BMG), to bring them together last Friday in a lavish Venetian ball?complete with stilt walkers, gondoliers, jugglers, opera singers, a masked town crier, a harpist and the world-famous striptease artist. Belo threw the ball at Rizal Ballroom of Makati Shangri-La to mark 18 years in the beauty business.

Venice, the scenic Italian port city famous for canals and gondolas, was named after Venus.

She also used the occasion to launch the Ike and Nena Belo Foundation, a nonprofit organization named after her parents. Among its advocacies are providing education to needy children, surgical assistance and rehabilitation for burn victims and people with harelips, and environmental protection.

?My parents instilled in me early on the value of charitable work,? Belo said. ?I?m putting up this foundation to honor them as I try to help others.?

Stylized ensembles

Dressed in a figure-hugging and frilly black Veloso gown she got at Barney?s New York, Belo welcomed guests who were in their individual versions of Venetian finery. Some were in period costumes or ball gowns reminiscent of various eras.

Wearing masks was optional (although perhaps a must for some), but in case guests felt like wearing one, BMG staffers had hundreds of colorful options to choose from.

As keepsakes, each guest took home a medieval-style hand-held mirror and small box of Belo Essential products. New York-based production designer Toto Sicangco designed the lavish stage and set, while decorator Cynthia Almario spruced up the tables.

Before the night was over, GMA 7 vice president Wilma Galvante, society columnist JR Isaac, fashion designer Kate Torralba and several other intrepid dressers went home with best in costume awards.

Inquirer Lifestyle?s Tessa Prieto Valdes, a natural during such events, was in a category all her own?hall of fame.

Halfway into the party, Belo changed into a slinky orange Roberto Cavalli. She shared the table with children Quark and Cristall Henares and former husband Atom Henares. Her current beau, Dr. Hayden Kho, dashing in a black-and-white tuxedo, kept a safe distance as well as his mask on all night.

The high-octane guests from show biz and society were obviously eager to be seen, as well as to see ?Queen of Burlesque? Dita Von Teese strut her stuff. They weren?t disappointed.

Famous routines

Belo flew in the American first-class from Paris, with the tools of her trade such as a giant bird cage and a martini glass, to perform two of her most famous dance routines, ?Bird of Paradise? and ?Champagne Glass,? which bookended the evening?s star-studded program.

?We wanted to bring something different for our 18th anniversary,? said Belo. ?Dita?s strip-tease performance is something that has never been seen here.?

In a plumose red corset complete with extra-long feathers for a tail, the smooth-skinned and voluptuous Von Teese emerged like a bird from a golden cage. Her full breasts, round hips and legendary 22-inch waistline cast their magic on the spellbound crowd.

For her finale, she wrapped herself up in a detachable Swarovski-studded corset and bra top. Just like in her first appearance, she slowly removed each article of clothing?from the gloves down to the stockings?in between short dance routines.

The well-heeled audience, especially the men, was strangely riveted to Von Teese?s choreographed routines, no matter how lame and predictable some moves were (Alma Moreno did a tamer version of such acts with weekly regularity on TV in the 1980s). And she seemed to relish every minute of it, especially when she drew lusty cheers from the men during her two wet scenes.

Each act culminated with Von Teese getting wet either by sitting under a shower or pouring a bottle of champagne on herself before climbing a giant martini glass and dipping her fleshy bottom in the bubbly.

She wore nothing but skimpy, beaded panties and a pair of glittery nipple tassels.

Belo, who reportedly paid Von Teese a seven-figure talent fee, has no plans of hiring her as endorser. But for one night last week, the country?s most recognizable beauty doctor was able to showcase the essence of her life?s work in the person of the lovely and alluring Von Teese. Venus would have been proud.