Certain people have certain preconceived notions about burlesque, notions handed down to them from previous generations by way of something called the oral tradition.

Specifically, the oral tradition of denouncing things like burlesque

But if you avoid Fort Wayne's multifaceted burlesque troupe Scarlet Fever on general principles, you'll miss being bowled over by many incontestably marvelous human feats, especially the singing of Renata Rio.

Renata Rio is the troupe's resident chanteuse and torch singer, and when she belts out a song, it stays belted. She has one of those big confident voices that seem capable of most anything except lulling you to sleep.

Renata Rio is the stage name of Erika Kinney, and as alter egos go, it is more than a mere affectation.

Renata Rio is a testament to how much Kinney has changed in 3 1/2 difficult, transformative years.

In the spring of 2008, Kinney was in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by her then-boyfriend when she was struck in the head by a rock thrown through a side window.

After some confusing hours in the waiting room of St. Joseph Hospital, Kinney says she was rushed to Lutheran Hospital for emergency brain surgery to address a right temporal hematoma.

She was then placed in a medically induced coma from which she emerged, angry, three days later.

"I woke up ridiculously angry and enraged, which I understand is normal for a brain injury," she says.

Kinney says her mother knew that Kinney would be restored to her true self when Kinney's sarcasm returned.

"My character was shining through," she says. "I was cracking jokes and being sassy."

Upon Kinney's release from the hospital after nearly two weeks, her mother made her apologize to all the nurses.

"I didn't know why I was apologizing, but I said 'OK, whatever you say,' " she recalls.

The rock throwers turned out to be teenagers who were only required to pay for her boyfriend's broken window, Kinney says.

Kinney, however, did not get off so easy.

"I didn't know the nightmare actually happens after the coma," she says.

Kinney says she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I have incurable anxiety," she says. "I am always on orange alert."

She says she has lost organizational and problem-solving skills, acquired new fears about driving and is a little more wary of humans and human nature.

"It has affected my life," Kinney says. "It has affected who I am. An experience like that definitely takes a person down a peg or two."

And yet, were it not for the accident, Kinney might not have walked into an audition for the Scarlet Fever troupe in January 2011.

Kinney says she had always been shy about singing prior to her injury.

"Singing has always been sacred to me," she says. "I have always kept it hidden inside."

Kinney had never performed in even the most informal context when she saw an audition notice on a friend's Facebook page, but her ordeal had emboldened her.

"Before, I was a perfectionist," she says. "Afterward, I felt like I didn't have anything else to lose. I decided to go to work bald with a big juicy scab and 27 staples on my head.

"I was ready to show myself," Kinney says. "For once, I wasn't worrying about how I looked."

For the audition, Kinney performed the blues standard "Why Don't You Do Right?" which was popularized by female vocalists as varied as Peggy Lee and Jessica Rabbit.

"They were all really, really pleased," she says. "Auditioning was enough for me. The new Erika had gotten up a courage old Erika didn't have."

Of course, Kinney has since become an integral member of the troupe.

Kinney says she chose the name Renata Rio as a tribute to her mother's country of birth: Brazil.

"I just want to be this sassy, confident, demanding, loud-voiced woman who hopefully makes a couple of people happy."

Kinney says she has since performed in Brazil, including an impromptu shopping mall concert that had onlookers requesting autographs afterward.

Burlesque is quite tame compared to exotic dancing, but Kinney says she still hears from people who believe any art form that involves female sexuality is no art form at all.

"I feel like I am in control," Kinney says of her performances.

Kinney says burlesque, and the sisterhood that has developed among the women of Scarlet Fever, has helped her heal.

"When we're in practice, we try to keep it professional," she says. "But outside of practice, we totally lean on each other."

Scarlet Fever has a number of shows coming up including a gig opening for the New York City troupe Pretty Things Peep Show at Calhoun Street Soups Salads and Spirits on Feb. 2.

For more information, go to the Scarlet Fever fan page at Facebook.com.