Viva Las Vegas is a preacher, just like her Lutheran minister father. Unlike her father, Viva preaches from the pulpit of a Portland, Oregon strip club where people throw bills on stage while she dances naked preaching the gospel of the arts. The writer, singer, scholar, and stripper is a local leader in a lifelong battle against cultural expectations. Viva celebrates the female form, advocates for the empowerment of all women, and commands respect for those whose careers depend on their bodies. A shocking breast cancer diagnosis and double mastectomy did not dampen her missionary zeal, and Viva continues to dance, scars and all, reminding the rest of us that art is everywhere and art is everything.
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