Seattle Burlesque Classes
I recently received a couple of comments on an older post, Burlesque Class, so I am bringing up this topic again.
If you are toying around with the idea of getting into the Seattle burlesque scene, a good way to meet people in the burlesque community and get your start as a performer is by taking a burlesque class. If you're not interested in becoming a burlesque performer, you can simply take a class for fun and add a little spice to your life. Everybody will take away something from a burlesque class, whether it's finally feeling comfortable in your own skin, or learning how to do pin-up pretty hair and make-up.
I have mentioned Miss Indigo Blue's School of Burlesque in a recent post, I know people who have taken the class and have loved it, so there is one option for you.
It was recently brought to my attention that there is another school of burlesque in Seattle, Old School Pin-Ups Presents: Trixie Lane's Kindergarten of Burlesque. This is a 5 week course where Trixie Lane, a long time professional burlesque performer and entertainer, coaches students how to create an audience ready performance including hair, costuming, make-up, stage presence and all of that fun stuff, but also how to promote yourself as a performer. Trixie only allows 6 students to enroll at a time so she can give each student the attention they need. Here is the part that really excites me: they do professional pin-up photography! That is SO cool! A pin-up photograph of yourself could be a very romantic Valentine's Day gift. You can view samples of some of the pin-ups, and, wow, those are some great pictures.
If you want to get a glimpse of the result of Trixie Lane's Kindergarten of Burlesque, you can check out the next class recital on February 20 at the Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater at 7pm, tickets $10. Trixie informed me that she generally starts a new class every 2 months and the next will be sometime around the 24th of March. If you are interested in finding out more information, you can contact Trixie Lane.
Columbia City Cabaret
Last Friday I went to a Variety Show. Yep, like The Sunny and Cher Comedy Hour, only this show was less Sunny and more Cher. Imagine, if you will, if Cher were blonde and did a trapeze act while being silly, quirky, and funny. And imagine if Cher was dressed like a conservative school teacher for half of the show, and then wore pasties for the other half of the show.
Hosted by Tamara the Trapeze Lady, this weekly review is different every show. The show I saw included death defying stunts with swords and rebar by Pure Cirkus, fun striptease and burlesque by both Tamara the Trapeze Lady and Miss Indigo Blue. There was comedy, daredevil stunts, fire dancing, and a great performance by the girl pictured on the left who was one of my favorite acts of the evening.
This is a weekly show that happens every Friday at the Columbia City Theater at 8pm. Most of the performers are local performers, and it's great show to see for $20 ($25 at the door) in a beautiful old theater. I suggest buying your tickets in advance. Every seat in the house is a good seat, but I got a great table when I bought my tickets in advance last week.
Location: Columbia City Theater (map)
Time: Fridays at 8pm
Burlesque Bonanza and Variety Show
Some of the best burlesque performers in Seattle are appearing in Ballard at the Tractor Tavern this Saturday, Jan 11. I have seen a lot of these performers before, and my cynical seen-it-all-before eyes have always been shockingly pleased with their elaborate costumes and entertaining performances. And they are totally hot, too.
Performer Miss Indigo Blue is THE Miss Indigo Blue of Miss Indigo Blue's Academy of Burlesque. Ravenna Black is THE Ravenna Black who made headlines last spring. I'm guessing this show will surely sell-out, so get there early to get a good spot.
A few performer websites:
Can Can at Bumbershoot
The second my foot landed on the ground at the airport in Seattle last Monday morning I called my friend Erin to make sure she was comfortable staying at my house. I was exhausted and still dusty from the Nevada desert after enjoying a week of camping at the Burning Man festival. Actually, I was beyond exhausted and I had that sticky feeling that comes from lack of sleep and lack of regular bathing for many, many days. I felt like I needed to shave my tongue.
"Hey, wanna go to Bumbershoot?" chirped my San Franciscan visitor through the phone.
Duh. Of course I do.
Bumbershoot is an annual music festival held for the three days of Labor Day weekend at the Seattle Center in Downtown Seattle, where you will find famous Seattle landmarks including the Space Needle and EMP. Although there are usually some big names at the festival, including Wu Tang Clan and comedian Janeane Garafalo this year, most of the artists who perform at Bumbershoot are college radio darlings, rarely touched by mainstream media regardless of how awesome they are. My favorite this year was Lyrics Born, a band whom I had previously only heard one song.
The performers of The Can Can did an abbreviated version of their show on an outside stage late in the afternoon by the big fountain in Seattle Center where kids frolic in the water. Moms and dads, don't worry, the show was as G-rated as a Disney cartoon. The Can Can band was really amazing, and I was in awe of the flexible female dancer's... flexibility. There were also male performers, which is generally not typical for modern burlesque performances unless the man is an emcee. Very cool.
The one performer who seemed to be lacking any skills to keep my attention was a woman who simply shimmied up and down the stage. I am guessing her performance was limited to the fact that she couldn't do a striptease in a G-rated atmosphere, but burlesque has evolved into more than just stripping. Burlesque involves a talent of, if nothing else, dance and movement, and the only thing this girl could do was wiggle her hips as if she learned everything she knew about dance from taking one belly dance class.
Overall, I was impressed with The Can Can's performance and I recommend checking out one of their shows located in Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA.
Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee is one of the most famous burlesque performers in the history of burlesque. Born Rose Louise Hovick in Seattle, Washington, in 1914, she was the first born of two daughters to Rose and John Hovick. Her father left when the daughters were very young. Mother Rose put the girls to work and Rose and sister Ellen June Hovick performed vaudeville to earn money. Rose's sister, who went by her middle name June, eloped with one of their fellow vaudeville performers, Bobby Reed. Rose's mother was not pleased with Bobby, perhaps because he was much older than June, and had him arrested and even tried to shoot him but he survived because the safety was on. Despite her mother's obvious objections to Bobby, June gave birth to a daughter, April Reed, and stopped performing vaudeville with Rose in 1930.
Left on her own to perform, Rose struggled to live up to her sister's singing and dancing skills. Rose's mother pushed her to continue to perform to earn money for the two of them, although vaudeville was on its way out. Then Rose discovered her incredible talent for burlesque. She had a different, smoother style than the other burlesque performers and she included humor in her act and she talked to the audience, which was not done before. Her talent quickly made her the star of Minksky's Burlesque, where she performed for four years.
Gypsy tried her hand at screen acting and she even co-authored a book called The G-String Murders. She bounced from Hollywood to New York, also going through a series of love affairs and husbands, and gave birth to a son.
When her mother died, Gypsy wrote her memories in an autobiography, titled Gypsy, where she exposed her mother's lifelong tyranny over her and her sister. Her autobiography became a best seller in 1957 and later became a smash hit Broadway show starring Ethel Merman which made Gypsy a living legend.
In 1965, over a decade after she quit stripping, Gypsy got her own television show based in San Francisco, CA, The Gypsy Rose Lee Show. In 1966 she was one of the performers on the Pruitts of Southampton starring Phyllis Diller and in 1967 she appeared on Batman.
Gypsy was diagnosed with lung cancer (due to smoking) in 1969 and she died in Los Angeles at age 54.
Burlesque Class
I have seen a lot of listings for burlesque classes online and I am curious to know what goes on at one of these classes. Is it really necessary to take a burlesque class? I have often been asked by those who have not seen a burlesque show, how hard is it to take off your clothes? Well, there is a lot more to burlesque than taking off clothes.
Here are a few classes you can take in various cities in the US. I know I missed many cities and many classes, so feel free to comment and add a burlesque class.
Try a class! Tell me what it's like!
Couture *IS* Burlesque
Even though I am on a hiatus from performing, I cannot stop looking out for costume ideas, or hearing songs and thinking, "Oh, I could do a great routine to that song."
I received a link to a story about rubber duckies that spilled out of a container ship 15 years ago and the story of their journey around the world, when a link to another unrelated story on the web page caught my eye: Kapow! These are some crazy get-ups!
Without actually reading the article and knowing anything about where the dresses came from or why they exist or why the women wearing them seem like they just got into a fight with their significant other, I am fascinated with those dresses. I think any one of them would make a fantastic burlesque costume. The make-up on the models is just as garish and extravagant as the dresses, and I think the make-up makes the outfits. I am not big on wearing make-up in my day to day life, but it is really important to have good make-up for a burlesque performance. Good make-up is just as important as having a good costume.
Another thing to note about good burlesque costumes is if a costume seems like it is too flamboyant or flashy and too much, then it's not enough. Burlesque is camp and fun, and the more over the top, the better. Of course I think those couture dresses are ridiculous, but that is why they would be great burlesque costumes.
Eyepatches!
Covering up a disfiguring facial feature has never been HOTTER! Eye patches are all the rage these days, especially in the world of burlesque.
Julie Atlas-Muz, Miss Exotic World 2006, sports a glamorous eye patch which looks like it poked her eye out and is the reason she is now wearing an eye patch.
Miss Astrid can be found in San Francisco at the Va Va Va Voom Room tantalizing and disciplining with limited vision! She'll keep her eye socket nice and warm with this fur eye patch.
The eye patch craze has made its way to Hollywood and Elle Driver, a sexy character in Kill Bill, sports an eye patch.
Are you ready to get your eye patch? Now you can buy an eye patch at the same website where you order your pasties, at Goth Fox Designs. I also found some quite fashionable eye patches on a recent trip to San Francisco at 826 Valencia St. It is a store in the Mission District that specializes in pirate accessories and youth writing programs.
Bavarian Burlesque
This weekend is my first weekend off from burlesque since the beginning of January. I am heading out camping this weekend, but first I will be stopping in the merry ol' towne of Leavenworth, WA. Amazingly enough, I used to live in that town. Why is this town the way it is, with the whole Bavarian Village schtick? Big tourism dollars, that's why.
And, this leads to me think about how cool it would be to have a Bavarian theme burlesque act, complete with St. Paulie girl regalia, and bestowing pitchers of delicious beer to all. The music would have to be by Lederhosen Lucil, who is not actually from Bavaria. But Leavenworth, WA, is not actually from Bavaria, either.
Costume Ideas from Goths In Portland, OR
Need some costume or music ideas for your next burlesque performance? I suggest checking out Covergence 13 this weekend, May 25-27, in Portland, OR. Oh yes, it's a big ol' gotharama festival of goth! But who does sexy costumes better than the goths? I am going to be there on Friday night visiting friends and scanning the crowds and vendors for ideas for my own fancy future burlesque outfits.
London Has Its First Burlesque Festival
This week, May 9-12, if you happen to be lucky enough to be in London, England, be sure to check out London's first Burlesque Festival. The festival runs 4 nights, spotlighting different artists on each night, from pros from around the world, to amateurs, to "UK burlesque performers exclusively, who prove that, if nothing else, [they] still rule the world in the noble art of innuendo."
According to the London Burlesque Festival website,
The London Burlesque Festival will expose Londoners as well as Burlesque connoisseurs across the Globe to over 75 of the world's best Ecdysiasts who have been selected from over 300 applicants hailing from North America, Europe, Australia, the Netherlands and the UK. The festival will feature a variety of acts ranging from the nostalgic traditional style of Burlesque's early years to 50's 'Bump and Grind' as well as more modern avant-garde interpretations that are growing in popularity with Neo Burlesque's younger set.
UK darlings The Teasemaids (pictured here) are one of many troupes performing at the festival this weekend. A few others include:
- Mademoiselle Katarina
- The Germaniaxx
- Vavavavoom
- Fleshoticas
- Kisses Cause Trouble
- Hell Sindustries
- Louise de Ville
- Miss Sapphira
Boston Burlesque Experience
Sara Faith Alterman muses about her experiences as an amateur burlesque performer in Boston and what burlesque means to her. She stresses that burlesque is an art, rather than a stripshow where "tubby suburban dads stuff one-dollar bills in my crotch." She continues:
The uninitiated assume that burlesque involves bawdy women swinging their sparkly tits to the beat of some trashy-sounding vamp. Strippers, right? They’re strippers? Wrong. Burlesque artists combine dance, comedy, music, kitsch, innuendo, feathers, fans, and, okay, sex appeal, to tantalizing effect. It’s about the art of the tease, not the sleaze of the strip.
I agree with her, to an extent. Burlesque is an art, but burlesque performers are strippers. Trying to make burlesque seem more posh by wrapping it up in feathers and fans is silly. The feathers and fans add an element of fun and add a very different atmosphere than a stripclub. The intent of burlesque is entertainment and not just sexual gratification. But let's not try to dress it up and make it seem like burlesque performers are better than strippers. It's like journalists looking down their noses at bloggers. There is a definite difference between the two styles of burlesque and stripping at a "gentlemen's club," but they both involve stripping.
Girl Trouble Burlesque
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The premier of Girl Trouble Burlesque's new show Undercover is this Saturday, April 14. More than a traditional burlesque performance, this full theater experience tells the story of how these sexy vixens are actually secret agents who must fight crime and their archnemisis Barnyard Betty, with their special powers and talents, which include burglary, cryptography, telekinesis, and looking totally hot. Audiences can expect to see a range of media arts including film, theater, dance, comedy, and pasties.
Poubelle Twins
I love Bibi and Fifi Poubelle. They first appeared in 2000 performing as murderous French Maids with the Velvet Hammer Burlesque Revue. But, of course, that was not enough for Bib and Fifi. Oh no, they had to take it a step further and become La Luchadoras wrestling twins! Hot ladies who kick ass = genius. Weird America featured the twins in a video and their description reads:
Somewhere overseas from Paris live The Poubelle Twins. Filmmakers, performance artists and professional wrestlers, these versatile former Siamese twins beat down the competition with sheer French Maid girth, weight and sex. They also do private performances and never perspire.
What are these lovely (and dangerous) ladies up to now? Still wrestling to sold-out audiences in LA, and keeping busy with another exciting project. Find out all about it on their blog.
Burlesque and Feminism: Continued Debate
VS. 
The debate over whether burlesque sets us back a few decades in the plight of the feminist movement continues with my long time friend. My friend and I have been emailing each other for the past two days discussing this issue.
So, to continue with the debate in this public forum, I will add my dear friend's quotes in my post.
everyone is free to choose their own means of surviving sexism. like you said, no matter what a woman does, she is sexualized. i choose to minimize this reaction to women in my own social encounters as much as possible, so as to attempt to eliminate the enormous ever-present gender divide and hopefully glean some mutual respect NOT based on physical appearance from whomever i'm dealing with. if your boobs are hanging out, you can bet they're not listening to your words.
I certainly do not have my boobs hanging out at work, where it is important for me to be heard, because I have smaller boobs which can easily be hidden behind a layer or two of clothing. But, what about those women who have larger breasts and cannot hide them easily? Are we to assume that they must suffer a lifetime of not being heard simply because they have eye-catching boobs? Men and women are physically different, and trying to ignore that is like having that elephant in the room. Besides, I conduct myself in a professional manner at work, and I am more relaxed when I am in a social setting. My burlesque performances fall in the social setting category.
you just have to pay attention and not let the false notion of 'empowerment' via playing to the male gaze fool you into thinking you've actually got some power. there is NO POWER in the male gaze. so they think you're fuckable, so what? men will fuck a hole in the wall.
The Male Gaze. She mentions this a few times in several emails. I can certainly see how the male gaze dictated the burlesque shows of yore, but in this modern day, there are so many different types of burlesque out there, I don't see how all of burlesque can be pigeonholed into one category: stripping for the pleasure of men. Burlesque is not a strip club for men, it's camp and silly and lighthearted and the audience is made up equally of men and women. Burlesque is entertainment in the vein of theater rather than just a strip tease aimed to stimulate arousal in men. Besides, I have not been to a burlesque show that stimulates arousal any more than an R rated movie. And as for the hole in the wall comment, I have no retort to that, I just think it's really funny.
By the way, I really appreciate her input. This friend of mine and I have known each other for a long time, and I'm glad she is around to keep me grounded. She can tell me when I am doing something totally off the wall that she does not agree with, and it makes me think about what I'm doing. Most of the time, I am quick to try new things, and sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. I need her to voice her opinion because it makes me wonder if I'm going beyond just being open-minded and venturing into something that is ultimately not good for me based on my personal values. This time, she has not convinced me that burlesque is a step away from men and women becoming equals in every aspect of our society.
Moisture Festival
There is a lot of sharing of ideas in burlesque, and I am deeply into sharing ideas as opposed to stealing ideas. I recently viewed the burlesque acts at the Moisture Festival, hoping to get some inspiration for make-up and costumes. Oh, man, there were some GREAT made-up mugs and terrific costumes at the show. My favorite act was a dance troupe called Nanda, which consists of four delectably fit men. They are awesome. Words cannot begin to describe their awesomeness. They fought and did flips and then fought in slow motion while tearing off clothes and then they synchronize danced their way into my heart.
Another act I loved was The Aerialistas. These girls are totally hot and can defy gravity, which makes them even more hot. The guy sitting behind me remarked gleefully after every trick, "Oh no they didn't! They did!" Oh, they most certainly did, gracefully swinging from hoops and silks suspended 15 feet above ground while swimming through the air in perfect synchronicity. The whole experience of watching The Aerialistas perform made me want to go to circus school.
Burlesque is Officially Trendy
Burlesque has made it to the runways of LA's Fashion week. This is very sad news for burlesque because Hollywood has a way of taking hold of something good and then mass producing it until it becomes crap and people are sick of it. The good news is, Dina Bar-El, the designer who titled and themed the runway show Burlesque, designed totally cute clothes!
By calling this fashion collection Burlesque, Dina Bar-El has defined a definite image of burlesque. Bright red and black, gloves and lace define the style, matched with my personal favorite, bright red lipstick. I would like to see if these clothes are tear away clothes, held together with snaptape and luck.
Is the burlesque revival influencing today's fashion? Will we see more elbow length gloves and fewer jeans in malls across America? Fashion is a wild animal that cannot be tamed, and who knows what the future of fashion will bring. I, personally, would love to see more small hats and feather boas on the heads and necks of cool gals of the future.
Cleaning Lady Becomes Burlesque Performer
English reality TV is truly amazing. Faking It: Burlesque Special turns homely bingo-playing homebody Sharon Pallister into a va va va voom burlesque dancer.
The premise of the show is 34-year-old Sharon has four weeks to turn herself from a shy Welsh cleaning lady into a confident London Burlesque dancer. With the help of Britain's top Burlesque performer, Immodesty Blaize, and ballet legend Wayne Sleep, Sharon must convince a panel of judges that she is a professional burlesque performer.
It is a myth that women need special powers or talent to be a burlesque performer. A friend of mine says, "There are no ugly people, just lazy people." As superficial as that sounds, it actually rings true. Everyone has the potential to be attractive and desirable. It seems to be that we try to pigeon hole beauty into one small category.
The show premiers on UK TV station E4 on Tuesday, March 13. Silly ol' me, I live sans TV, so I will not be able to view the show. I would love to hear reviews, though. I might try to get my hands on a copy of the show.
Fired for Being a Burlesque Performer?!?
A seattle burlesque performer, who goes by the stage name of Ravenna Black was fired from her day job for being a burlesque performer. She worked at Windermere Real Estate/Kingston, an agency in Kitsap County, which is just outside of Seattle. After being fired, she landed a job in downtown Seattle selling luxury homes.
Stop me if I'm wrong, but aren't there laws against discrimination? Besides, it is not like burlesque is illegal or... I just think that people don't really know what burlesque is all about.
I'm curious to see what kind of burlesque show gets a girl fired from her day job in this day and age.
Saturday Night's Burlesque Show
I didn't stay long at the Spy party the other night, but I stayed long enough to see two acts performed by Burning Hearts Burlesque. The acts I saw were quite cute, and I wouldn't mind checking out some more of their shows. They have also performed recently at The Last Supper Club.
Snowboarding and Burlesque
I went snowboarding instead of going to The Vancouver International Burlesque Festival. What can I say? I am a ski bum, and marvel at what my jeep looked like this morning! 
How could I possibly deny myself the pleasure of a foot of fluffy white fresh powder? I could not.
So, what does snowboarding have to do with burlesque? Nothing. Except I have been tossing an idea around in my head of doing a burlesque piece that involves snowboarding. I have noticed that there is something about women who snowboard that is strangely appealing to both men and women. Is it the danger? The adventure? It could not be the gear or clothes, because, although women's snowboarding gear has come a long way, it is still a long way away from being ergonomically designed to actually FIT women. I'm guessing it's the danger.
Tonight, in honor of Japan launching its fourth spy satellite today, I am attending a party in Seattle called Spy which includes a performance by Burning Hearts Burlesque.
Burlesque Yoga
What will they think of next?
Vancouver International Burlesque Festival
The Vancouver International Burlesque Festival is this weekend! I'm thinking about going, if I don't go snowboarding. According to the site:
Vancouver has long been famous for breathtaking mountain views, gorgeous beaches, yoga mats and fat-free vanilla lattes, but you may be surprised as to the nature of the city’s more recent claim to fame. Over the last decade, a hugely diverse cross-section of Vancouver’s subculture - from punk clubs to rockabilly shows to electronica parties to queer clubs to political demonstrations - have been organizing their own DIY cabarets far beneath the bicycles and SUVS. Burlesque is fun, sexy, fresh, accessible and BACK for good… especially in Vancouver.
Yoga mats and fat-free vanilla lattes don't come to mind when I think of Vancouver, but maybe I have just had different experiences on visits to that fair city. Anyway, any excuse to go to Vancouver is good enough for me, and this sounds fun.
Is Burlesque Anti-Feminist?
A friend of mine and I were debating about whether my involvement in a burlesque troupe is a step back from the years of the feminist lifestyle I have lived. Whenever I talk to her about the troupe, she makes a noise, such as "hmm," which drips with a supressed feminist rant. Her view, in my words, not hers: Burlesque perpetuates the idea that women are allowed to be objectified and we can only hold value if we are seen as being sexually desirable.
Well, she has a point. But here is my point: In a culture that places so much value on appearance and makes women hate ourselves because of how we look no matter what we look like, isn't it wonderful that there is an outlet for women to love our bodies? Besides, why do women have to hide our sexuality in order to be feminists? Women are sexual, so why is it is horrible to be sexually desirable? Pretending that we as women are not sexual beings simply to prove that we are equal to men is silly. That is like burning bras. Why did women burn bras? I never understood that. Burning a bra is pretending you don't need something when you need it.
And let's not skip over the fact that women are constantly being objectifed and sexualized no matter what. You don't think so? Ladies, put on your grungiest pair of sweats and walk past a construction site. Are sweats and construction sites perpetuating the objectification of women, too? I spent the majority of my teen years making myself look ugly to mainstream society by dressing in an extreme punk/goth style. I felt like I was taking a stand against being objectified. However, it didn't make any difference. Take a look at Suicide Girls. I bet if I stopped brushing my hair and taking showers, there would still be some jerk who would objectify me. And then there would be a website called nappyheadedsmellychicks.com.
I am not blind the the sexism of today's society and I would like it to change, but I also don't let it control my life. If ever I get to a point in burlesque where I feel it limits me in other aspects of my life or if I feel like I am not being respected, I will quit. So far, it's been fine.
What is Burlesque?
Burlesque is an artform, therefore it is difficult to define. Different people have different interpretations of what burlesque is. According to the wikipedia definition of burlesque,
In burlesque, performers, usually female, often create elaborate sets with lush, colorful costumes, mood-appropriate music, and dramatic lighting, and may even include novelty acts, such as fire-breathing or demonstrations of unusual flexibility, to enhance the impact of their performance.
Burlesque is theater performed mostly by women, for adult men and women. Burlesque performers are women of all shapes, sizes, and ages. In today's society, so much value is placed on a woman's appearance. Burlesque shows that attractiveness comes from a woman's personality, and not not her age or shape.
Making Costumes
The best burlesque performances seem to be coupled with beautiful, elaborate, and unique costumes. And the best way to get a beautiful, elaborate, and unique costume is to make it. I know a few of the best burlesque performers make their own costumes. Vienna LaRouge makes all of her gorgeous costumes! Jo Boobs posted a picture of herself sewing.
Does this mean you have to be a costume designer to be a burlesque performer? It doesn't hurt to know how to sew. My troupe and I work together on creating costumes. Some of us are good at sewing, some of us are good at glue gunning. Some of us are good at bringing the wine and food to our sewing parties. I'm good at eating pizza. We all use our talents in a collaboration and that works out great for us.
