Burgeoning burlesque icon draws inspiration from bright faces in dark places.

Shortly after Melinda Miller-Klopfer formed the burlesque troupe Les Filles Rouges – doing tongue-and-cheek variety shows that promote female empowerment – she moved to Bihar, India and worked as a dance therapist.

Bihar has a prostitution culture where girls are 6 when they first go to work. Not only is it accepted, it’s intergenerational.

Miller-Klopfer, who trained as a professional ballerina, ended up in India through Apne Aap Women Worldwide, a registered charitable trust in India on a mission “to deter the purchase of sex through policy and social change.”

Some proceeds from Les Filles Rouges’ Valentine Revue go to an education fund for the Bihar girls.

Why did you choose Bihar, India?

If you open a Lonely Planet to Bihar they basically say, “Don’t go here – you might die.” I wasn’t seeking it out but [Apne Aap] works in Delhi and Bihar and I felt it’s where I’d have the most impact.

What’s one of your favorite memories?

My students loved my hair because it’s lighter and curlier. They’d brush my hair and give me beautiful braids. I was keenly aware that as they were brushing with their hairbrush, I was getting lice for the 19th time. I got lice, fleas, you name it. But it was worth it. It was a beautiful bonding experience. It was so dear.

Anything you’d like to forget?

There’s that one part of me that wishes I can unsee the cigarette burns on my 8-year-old students from the johns that had hired them the night before. And the acid scars on their faces. I saw horrific things but I wouldn’t take back any of the time I spent around these girls.

In what ways did the experience forever impact your life?

The majority of the people I met there are considerably happier than people [in the U.S.]. They live in huts with walls made out of cow shit, dirt floors and they’re prostitutes. A lot of Western unhappiness comes from knowing what we don’t have. Over there, poverty doesn’t have the same feeling because there’s nothing to compare it to.

What impact did you have on the child prostitutes?

Most girls didn’t smile. Dancing wasn’t OK, it was dangerous and something they did if johns asked. But class became joyous. The girls who had been in the corner, watching with sullen looks, were dancing with huge grins. What that signified, as far as ownership of themselves, was amazing. I don’t make any claims that I saved anyone from a life of prostitution but I like to think they have a little more understanding that their body is their own and should be a source of joy.

How is Les Filles Rouges empowering?

Of the 16 women, only myself and one other have formal dance training. There are mothers, we have cellulite, saggy breasts, stretch marks. These are women who have come into their bodies enough they’re willing to go on stage, take their clothes off and say, “This is mine and it’s awesome… I’m beautiful and comfortable.”

Also, the women in the audience tend to come out feeling beautiful. My goal: have women in the audience saying, “I can do that.” The representation on stage is a real representation of Western women.

How do the proceeds help Bihar girls?

The government in India does a good job setting up schools for girls who’ve been removed from prostitution or are in danger of being prostituted but it only goes up to the equivalent of high school. After that, nine times out of 10 they go back to “work.” [Apne Aap] makes sure the money is used for scholarships for the girls to go to secondary school.

Do you ever hear about your students?

One of the students that had the biggest impact on me was accepted to a really good school and she has a sponsor; she hasn’t been prostituted for a year, which is huge. Other times I hear that there’s three weeks until someone graduates and it’s clear that her parents will put her back to work. It’s heartbreaking.

What’s one of the biggest challenges in the fight against child prostitution?

It’s easy to raise money for a cute girl who’s being prostituted but it’s a lot harder to raise money to teach boys not to see their mother and sisters as objects.

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE: A VALENTINE’S BURLESQUE REVUE begins at 8pm Friday-Saturday, Feb. 14-15, at Paper Wing Theatre, 320 Hoffman Ave., Monterey. $20. 905-5684