74-year-old exotic dancing legend takes her final bow on Vancouver Island

WATCH: The exotic dancer known as “Satan’s Angel” will retire after performing for more than 50 years on stages all over the world. April Lawrence reports.

As the lights go up in a downtown Victoria club Thursday night, a legend takes the stage one last time.

After five and a half decades as a burlesque dancer Angel Cecilia Walker, known around the world as “Satan’s Angel”, has decided to hang up her boa.

“It’s not that I can’t do the splits, I might break my bone or once you get me down there I’m not getting up,” Walker joked.

Walker stepped on the stage as an exotic dancer for the first time in 1961. An industry veteran told her the routine was unimpressive.

“I said so what do you want me to do, set the puppies on fire? And she said now that’s a gimmick,” she said.

Walker designed and patented the flaming tassels she wears to this day and became one of the hottest burlesque acts in the world.

“I literally went to Europe and people were falling on the stage crying. I was a big name when I was a kid and this was so powerful you know?” she said.

Not simply a performer, throughout her career Walker has fought for LGBTQ and women’s rights as well.

“The minute my mother birthed me I was an empowering feminist,” she said.

But at 74-years-old, Satan’s Angel says it’s time to pass on the torch and on stage Thursday night she handed over her famous flaming tassel routine to a younger burlesque performer called Calamity Kate.

Although her career started in San Francisco, Walker says Canada, and Vancouver Island, is the right place to extinguish it.

“There’s so much about your country and your culture I do love,” she said.

Though she’s chosen to take her final bow Satan’s Angel’s legacy will live on.

She performs the final dance of her career Friday night at The Queen’s in Nanaimo. Doors open at 8 p.m.

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