Welcome to my BIG Blog!

The Burlesque Innovation Guild blog (2009-2013), was my attempt to channel the frustration I felt from a lack of respect for innovation in the field of burlesque. For years I petitioned (unsuccessfully) to have innovation added as a category on the ballot for the Miss Exotic World competition at the Burlesque Hall of Fame. The contestants are judged on entrances, dancing, costumes and stage presence, but I believed not including creativity or innovation on the ballot was creating a bias towards historical recreation.  If you want to keep an art form alive, you need to nurture the innovative pioneers who are pushing the art form forward in modern times. As the song goes- “you gotta get a gimmick!” - and original burlesque was ALL about individuality that would give you a leg up! Whether it’s a giant balloon, a smoking couch, a trained bird/snake/dog/jaguar, or a martini glass, innovation in burlesque is part of its very fabric and it’s what has defined the careers of the icons of burlesque. I have always believed that if we truly care about preserving an art form, we need to nurture the pioneers. Artists are always on the front lines and while most performers I'm around describe themselves as a burlesque ‘dancer’ - I have defined myself as a burlesque ARTIST. This sentiment has fallen on deaf ears within BHOF and feels diminished by an adherence to aesthetic beauty and mimicry of the past. It annoyed me then. It still does now. It is possible to be innovative and classic at the same time and it’s way more challenging to pull off. Banana Peel is my answer to a classic gown act. It took me 2 years to complete. That’s just one example how I have tried to “be the change I wish to see in the world.” This short-lived blog was one such attempt I made in an attempt to turn the tide and make burlesque a highly revered ART form. The Burlesque Innovation Guild name itself was something I created thinking we could maybe form a guild for the weirdos.   -Trixie

Here is the original blog: http://burlesqueinnovationguild.blogspot.com/ 

REJECTION, ARTISTIC PROCESS AND EVOLUTION

 

My act was not accepted to compete this year at BHOF.  Of course I was disappointed. I spent a full 15 minutes in a mad quasi-pity-party, trying to figure out how fast I could sell off my weekend pass before I reminded myself of my own reasons for competing in the first place:  I compete to best myself, to one up myself and to push myself to my own next level.  So, was the version of the act I submitted my very best work, was it my next level?  The honest answer is "not yet."  

Do I believe I'm a good enough performer to be on that stage no matter what the act is? Yes. Do I want to be on it without my best work to support me? No. Putting ego aside, how do I feel about not getting in this year?  RELIEF.  Seriously, I feel like the universe or Madeline Kahn (guardian angel) is really looking out for me. 

Despite being well into the second year of development on my Banana Peel act, the truth is that the act it isn't fully cooked.  My 7 foot long banana prop is at this very moment in my friends' workshop- totally gutted, awating a new fiberglass coating...I won't meet with my costume designer in Seattle until April to re-make the undergarments with some new effects...even the more portable version of the act I perform regularly doesn't have set choreography- I perform it differently every time...not to mention the fact that I haven't road tested the full act with giant prop as much as I would like in order to be ready for the biggest stage in the burlesque world. 

Film Noir 2006 Photo: Don Spiro

MY BHOF RESUME
Monkey and I have made the June pilgrimage to Burlesque Hall of Fame / Exotic World every year since 2005...the final year in the desert...street cred!  Here is an outline of what I've done each year:

2005: Competed for Best Duo with our foot-balancing fan dance. Winners: Wau Wau Sisters

2006: Competed for Best Duo- WE WON performing Film Noir

2007: Performed stepping down Best Duo act- Total Eclipse of the Heart 

2008: Competed for MEW Title- Placed Second Runner Up with Mermaid.  Winner: Angie Pontani

2009:  Competed for MEW title with Flea Circus. Winner: Kalani Kokonuts.  Monkey also competed for Best Boylesque with his Marching Band number. Winner: Hot Toddy 

2010: Competed for MEW/RQ title with Viking. Winner: Roxi D'Lite. ALSO Monkey won Best Boylesque

2011: Performed Thursday at Innovators, Movers, Shakers with Jail Bait. Performed Sunday with Monkey performing Gypsy Little.

2012: Competed and Placed 2nd Runner Up with my Balloon number.  Winner: Imogen Kelly. Performed Sunday with Monkey- Kama Sutra Duo Trapeze.

2013: First year ever I didn't perform- I just watched and it was wonderful!

Viking 2010 Photo: Derek Jackson

Point is, this ain't my first rodeo. There have only been two years of performing where I felt like I executed the act to the absolute BEST of my abilities: 2006 and 2008.  The other years, I was lost in the worry of new acts. Worrying about details and choreography- stuff that pulls you out of the moment when performing. And it shows onstage. I've had enough of those types of experiences. Now I'm only going after the whale: a genius idea, flawlessly executed. And for me, that takes time. 

MY PROCESS
I live in New York. I mostly create new acts to keep working.  Luckily I work in venues that push me to do it all: classic burlesque, circus and even late night whacked out shit. I also create acts for my own cabaret shows with Monkey. I'm creating new work constantly. The gestation period of a new act is so wildly different, it's like I could be giving birth to flies, puppies or a giraffe. Each act needs different things, some simple and some complex. 

Last night at a gig, I watched a juggler who had just won silver at the Cirque De Demain, one of the most illustrious circus competitions in the world. His act was simple, moving and heart-tugging. He only juggled 3 rings and an umbrella. I actually know his coach well, so I easily imagined what went into the creation of that act. It reminded me how in burlesque our frame of reference is so much shorter, people are expected to churn out big, impressive Vegas-size acts year after year. And it's possible because burlesque is very image-oriented, you can outsource costumes and props. But in circus, a performer may perform one single act for a decade or a lifetime.  Because it's skill oriented, it can't be bought. I happily straddle those two worlds because I believe in choosing the harder road. The rewards are bigger. And by rewards, I mean that illusive feeling of accomplishment.

Even if I had tons of money to pay a dozen designers at once it wouldn't really matter. It takes me time to really think about the clever details that make my performances ME. No one can do that for me. I'm not a dancer. I consider myself a physical character actor. There's no formula for making acts that are truly smart, sexy and unique with a great payoff...it's just a grueling and continuous slog of trial and error.  Circus and theater have prepared me for that endless slog. Burlesque makes us much more vain and we need more ego stroking.  But it gets fun when we put ego aside and do the real work. Ultimately, we arrive at an act that makes us evolve as artists and humans. And then we create a whole show that does that. And then we create a body of work that does it again. And so on...until we're out of ideas. Or dead.

MY DEFINITION OF A FULLY REALIZED ACT:
*Has a clever premise, unique story or strong driving theme
*Has music that serves the idea and makes me feel sexy
*Has physical tricks seamlessly integrated with thoughtful costume reveals
*Has tricks that increase in difficulty/impressiveness as the act goes on
*Has a professional level costume
*Has a great pay-off
*Has set choreography with juicy character moments that I perform in the same order every time.

The last one is the stickler. That's where the "endless slog of trial and error" comes in.

Balloon 2012 Photo: Derek Jackson

THE LAST TIME I WASN'T ACCEPTED
In 2011, my Balloon act wasn't accepted either. In 2012, I competed with it and placed 2nd runner up. Now, that act is one a small handful that I consider fully cooked- I do it the same way every time and it still makes me happy. In hindsight, I am really grateful I wasn't accepted the first year I applied! 

Performing on that stage is one of the greatest thrills and most horrifying nightmares. BHOF is hard because:

1. The stage is the size of a football field. It's like a giant still lake where every hesitation or poor choice ripples out endlessly across the surface. 

2. The audience is made up of your peers. They have literally seen it all, so it is both hard and easy to impress them.  

MY ADVICE TO OTHERS NOT ACCEPTED?  HERE IT IS:
*You weren't rejected. Your act was.  There is a difference.

*Don't compare yourself to other people. It's really pointless, I don't need to explain why.

*Set your ego aside and and ask yourself if what you submitted was your personal best? Or was it something you thought was classic/elegant/typical you figured was what "THEY" were looking for? If it was your best, keep refining and apply again. If it wasn't, keep going.

*Focus on bringing the most YOU to every act, stop worrying about judges, the selection panel, the legends, your peers.  Keep doing you. Sounds obvious, but can't be stated enough.

*The only reward is the feeling of executing your act to perfection. You can do that on any stage in the world.

*Don't get discouraged. I read in a book that the single defining characteristic of an optimist is the speed at which they rebound from rejection and adversity. So, all we can do is get up and get back to work.

WHAT NOW?
I'm accepting that my Banana Peel is still in development, and I'm really excited to finish it...hopefully in 2014. And I'm lucky that Monkey and I will still get to perform together in Vegas on Sunday. We will be digging out an act that we've always felt was about 75% cooked and will be working diligently this spring to bake that fucker to a perfect golden brown so we can perform the hell out of it and feel 100% satisfied.  

See you in Vegas, Bitches!

BIG WINNERS - BHOF 2013

Trixie's BIG Awards for Burlesque Hall of Fame 2013

WHERE THE BOYS ARE. 

 

“I want to be where the boys are!!!”  This was the phrase that kept repeating in my head during this year's Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend.  Probably over 80 women were on stage over 4 days and it was a handful of men that had me entranced...ironic.  The guys slayed me this year.  They were brazen, brilliant bad asses and the whole time all I kept thinking was that I wanted to be exactly like them.  THEY were my role models.

I love my career. In addition to burlesque, I am also part of the circus/cabaret worlds, which fill me with passion too. But I got my chops doing burlesque so I can see clearly how with the professionalization of modern burlesque, there is more reward heaped on the classic beauties than the creative geniuses. Viewing this phenomenon from the fringes, it’s hard to feel like we aren’t just reinforcing ultra-traditional stereotypes of women. A pretty girl in a gown dancing perfectly is hardly the feminist bad ass that I want to be.  I see how slowly the most brilliant, edgy wackos are bitter and/or retired and how pretty girls in pretty gowns get lots of bookings.  It is main stream tastes which get us all booked for dinner shows and help us make a living.  Such is life. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. 

I actually believe it’s a worthwhile pursuit to aspire to be a mainstream wacko- that’s really my milleu. I always believed in starting the revolution from within the system instead of attacking from the outside.  Resisting artistic homogenization *used* to be what we were all doing, but now I’m not sure what everyone is interested in aside from looking skinny and taking selfies.  Image obsession is SO BORING to me.  The real artists, the smart-asses, the freaks, the rock-n-rollers ARE INTERESTING. After over a decade in the burlesque scene, I can say for sure that if we don’t honor our own pioneers, no one will. Which is why I started this blog, to sprinkle a little fertilizer on the unique flowers.

To me, the best burlesque is a fusion of sex and brains. I find intelligence incredibly sexy.  I view creativity as a sign that the performers’ brain is just as engaged as their body and THAT is hot.  I don’t want to invoke that inane argument of “classic vs. neo” at all because classic acts should be wildly creative and vice versa.  Creativity has no limits; you can spot evidence of it in clever costume design, unique movements, surprising character choices, expression of individuality or narrative story telling...but the only rule with creativity is that there are no rules.  

My friend and colleague, Rose Wood, and I talk often in the dressing room about our artistic process. As one of the most prolific and dedicated artists I know, Rose believes  that getting reaction out of the audience is of the utmost importance; she wants the audience FEEL something- anything- even if it’s nausea, disgust or anger. She loves it when people believe her characters are so real that they will storm the stage or throw things at her in outrage. She makes a real distinction between the characters she portrays onstage and her own identity. While Rose deals in shock and boundary pushing, I myself seek more inspiring reactions, but we are both dedicated to trying to get the audience to FEEL something.  So, my desire as an audience member in Vegas for four nights was exactly the same- I wanted to feel something in my heart or loins (or both ideally!).

It can’t be underestimated how much weight our community puts into the Miss Exotic World competition.  I would prefer to make the whole thing more of an artistic celebration than a beauty pageant, but as it is, BHOF leans towards the latter.  As an artist, I see the irony in putting myself up for judgement in this “beauty pageant” model, but the reason I chose to do it again and again is because the experience of competing pushes me to push myself...and motivation is priceless to an artist. But I am somewhat disappointed with BHOF (because they do carry so much weight in the world), I wish they validated the revolutionary women with their highest honors. Those on the forefront need to be cultivated and loved or they will give up and disappear.

I mean, don’t you ever wonder what it would look like in an alternate universe where more importance was placed on creativity, innovation and on doing something we haven’t seen before?  I imagine it would feel so refreshing. The performers would have to be judged subjectively. Instead of evaluating all the individual parts of an act and giving them a number (Ie:  Costume= 7 Presence= 8 Movement= 5), the judges would have to evaluate at the act as a whole. It would essentially come down to: which act did the judge feel was their favorite?  Which act will be remembered in a year or ten years?  It’s a much different lens through which to evaluate. You can’t give “art that resonates in your soul” a score-  it’s just a feeling in your gut and it’s completely personal.  Burlesque is too idiosyncratic, it’s not like watching figure skating where you rewind the tape to see if a certain skater completed a full rotation. My friends are probably tired of this rant of mine, but this is art, dammit!  But opinions are indeed like assholes...so I’ll move on...

All of this is just a little background on how I became obsessed with innovation in our art form- equal parts inspiration, frustration, passion, disgust and optimism. I enjoyed the entire Weekend immensely and so many people rocked it. I was again renewed in my love of burlesque, which is why I come every year. I liked lots of acts this year, but this blog is about the innovators.  So, without further adieu, here are the artists that have earned my Burlesque Innovation Guild Award for BHOF 2013...

(All photos by Richard Just)

AMEN FOR THE MENS

I’m usually a big note-taker at BHOF. This year, I didn’t feel like writing much, but my comments on the Boylesque page said: “Showed the fuck up. Sent me to school!!!!!!”  The translation of which means:  “They had fierce presence and were so expert they made me feel like a novice.”  The male solo performances that had me jumping out of my seat and squealing like I was at Justin Beiber concert were: Jett Adore (on Thursday), Paris Original, Ray Gunn, Waxie Moon, Mr. Gorgeous, out-going King Russell Bruner and the group number by the Stage Door Johnnies (they performed Sunday night)...collectively, all geniuses. 


RAY GUNN - Congrats my creative-compatriot on your win. Your physical strength is always exciting and your flexibility is a marvel.  You have a dark edge that you release into a sexual energy that gave me real feelings in my lady parts. And I have seen you grow so much as an artist over the years, your victory feels like a victory for us all.

 

PARIS ORIGINAL - I am enchanted by your grace and your costume was such a brilliant, surprising element that made me feel like we were playing a game together.  Your dancing skills are outrageous and elegant!

 
WAXIE MOON - Your joy was infectuous and I was giggling with delight watching you have so much fun on that stage!! Your boa was whimsical, absurd, ridiculous and playful while also being a traditional burlesque prop. Yes, all the way!

JETT ADORE -  To you, I say, Fuck You. You are a world class asshole for having so much talent in such a hunky package. Sick of it.

MR. GORGEOUS - I couldn’t be more proud of you for winning Most Comedic, my dearest friend. Your willingness to make fun of yourself before all others makes you humble and hilarious, which comes through onstage. I can’t see you as sexual cause you’re like my brother, but other people tell me that you are good looking too.

 
RUSSELL BRUNER - You were on stage way too many times in one weekend, but I’m going to forgive that cause you’re relentlessly clever and you have that tiny car! (WTF!?) And you're so funny!


STAGE DOOR JOHNNIES - You guys nail it every time. The massive ensemble cocktail party / Fosse festival was like watching Hollywood Squares, each performer a legend in their own right! Thank you for the even attempting the monumental effort of herding that many pussies into such a fun dance piece.  
 


It feels weird to me that *most* of my heroes of the weekend were mostly male. Either the women need to work harder to impress me, or I’m really jaded or I should become a gay man.  Time will tell.  BUT there are THREE magical ladies who earned hero status with me! I want to give a Burlesque Innovation Guild Awards to the following...
 

 
LAURIE HAGEN
Laurie Hagen blew my mind clear out of my skull and I think that it took me about an hour to recover and focus again. She was the first spontaneous standing ovation of Saturday night, and it was well earned. If you’re wondering what I mean when I talk about performers using their brains, this is it.  She was gorgeous, yes, but performing a reverse strip tease as if was actually being rewound in real time makes your mind ache. It’s meta-burlesque, beyond anything we’ve seen before. It was all I talked about at the pool the next day and it was an act I’ll never forget.  The Most Innovative trophy alone doesn’t do it justice. You win everything in my book, Laurie!

 
IMOGEN KELLY
Ironically, the woman who delivered the biggest emotional gut punch of Saturday night brought it in the simplest package.  Inspired creativity comes in many forms and Imogen Kelly displayed it elegantly with a tensile-fabric dress that had so many shapes to it, invoked so many emotions, and had such fluid transitions that it literally took my breath away.  Imogen embodied both child-like delight and a woman’s sensuality and sophistication with equal weight.  A smart and heart-aching piece of work, my dear.

 
ROXI D’LITE
Roxi, you are a Twat with a capital T.  How can you continue to churn out skilled acts with inspired creativity and perfect execution?  It’s annoying how hard you’re making us all work to try to live up to your level of awesome. I never tire of seeing strength and femininity together. Cyr wheel is an incredibly difficult circus apparatus that now has the sexiest practitioner in the world. And stop being so good with puns...”Moonlight Cyrenade?”  Your muscles are lickable, your gown was the stuff of little girl fantasy and that strappy sling shot was geometric genius.  Stop it.

I do have a few other shout outs....let’s call them HONORABLE MENTIONS

 
JO BOOBS - HELL IN HEELS
I want to thank Jo Boobs too for calling her devilish minions from the depths for a massive spectacle of fire and brimstone. If this is what hell is like, I can’t wait. Your act was so much fun, a total ride.  And I like being taken for a ride by a sexy, powerful woman. Thanks for that!

 
BURGUNDY BRIXX AND MIDNITE MARTINI - FEATHER ENGINEERING
To beginning burlesque students, these gals illustrate one of my main obsessions: do classic, but reinvent the familiar EVERY time.  Don’t stop thinking on it until you have a brilliant new offering. And it can be simple! Here are two classic burlesque props that were so refreshing to see:  Burgundy’s feather fans that looked like the rays of the sun and Midnite’s feather-tipped glove-fans. GENIUS. I know the work it takes to get new BHOF acts competition-ready and how much thought goes into pioneering any new prop or costume element.  Please keep making these inventions, Gals!  And thank you for thinking so hard.

THE MISSING YEAR: 2012

I'm back! I took the BIG site down in 2012 cause I was too busy to write much with getting married and traveling - and was tired of paying for it.  But I decided to start BIG up again in the form of this blog!  Mostly because I realized that I still get really pissed off that creativity isn't championed as much as it should be, and I want to be a force of change.  So, I have opinions and they will be here....in the mean time, here is a photo gallery of what I've been up to the past year. 

BOYELSQUE IN A NUTSHELL- Nov 2011

BOYELSQUE IN A NUTSHELL
November 8, 2011

The fervor over male burlesque performers is reaching a fever pitch.  Before they take off to Liberace-level fame, I wanted to get to know their personalities and inspirations a little better. Interviewing performers that I have seen recently at BHOF, NYBF and in Toronto, B.B. Heart helped me compile all their responses. And this is the end result.  Enjoy!

DEFINITION OF BOYLESQUE

 
TIGGER!:  Boylesque is a term I naively thought I'd coined in the mid-90s, simply as a way to promote myself. In the early days I worked with amazing women like Julie Atlas Muz and Dirty Martini, and I wouldn't dream of placing myself above them, so I said I was “New York’s premier Boylesque performer.” This suggested I was #1 in boylesque, which was an easy claim because for 6 years I was the only man we knew who was stripping in a burlesque style (as opposed to go-go or Chippendales stripping). I was actually stunned there was no one else doing it for so long. It seemed so obvious. At the first Tease-O-Rama in 2001 there were other men, but they were doing the same old shit men have always done in burlesque. They were in the band or hosting in their retro suits (that they never take off) while making lewd jokes about the naked women. We didn’t see any men getting naked -- and that’s the bottom line of boylesque. Then in 2003 I met San Francisco's Roky Roulette and later, Baltimore's Evil Hate Monkey, and I thought “AT LAST!” 



TODDY:  I really dislike the term. I prefer to just say burlesque, or if I'm joking around, "burley-esque.”  As an adult male, any term with 'boy' in it feels a little silly.  The word feels like a sub-category of burlesque, as if it were less or “cute” that guys are doing burlesque.  Although it is traditionally a female form, it's just as valid now for men to perform it.
 
MONKEY:  To me, boylesque is no different from burlesque except with the possibility of penis.  Or at least penis jokes.  There's not a lot of difference.  Although boys seem to do more comedy and don’t generally go for straight forward classic. Inherently we’re doing some parody because this is a female art form- so just by a male doing it, it creates parody. But if men are going to be in this world, they have to first honor it before they mock it. It goes back to theater cross-dressing and drag...the male performers still had to be skilled actors before they could play a woman. They had to honor the craft before the parody.  It’s the same for us, we better be good before we flaunt our sexuality in a feminine art form.

JOHNNIES: 
In a way, we feel like the term "boylesque" is almost offensive - like it separates our art from the same art of burlesque that females perform. We really approach our pieces just from a guy's perspective. We are the same artists as the girls - only a little anatomically different!
 
GO-GO HARDER:  Boylesque draws from so many performance forms: theatre, drag, classic burlesque, stripping, go-go dancing, dance, etc.  It's this fusion of sex and sexuality along with stylized movement which creates these monologues, whether there's speech or not.
 
PACO FISH: Boylesque is theatrical striptease and/or staged satirical skits performed by men. Burlesque by men.
 
FERRO:  Boylesque is the same as Burlesque, the only difference being its practitioners!
 
DEW LILY:  As much as burlesque plays on its own stereotypes, Boylesque amplifies them even more. The most fun is watching boys conjure up 'classical' burlesque routines that would normally be performed by women. Women are our inspiration, and more and more boys are coming up with amazing original material.

JETT: I try not to define "boylesque" because I've found that the word means so many different things.  My aim in male burlesque is simply to create a male counterpart to the historic art of burlesque. 

WHERE DOES BOYLESQUE FIT INTO THE SCENE? 



TIGGER!: The girls in NY and I were never concerned with the fact that I had a penis and they had pussies. I was a sister. We were all artists together and had a show to do. Boylesque only started to mean something to me after there were more men involved. Now I feel paternal about boylesque. I really care that men respect this female art form and do their part well.
 
TODDY: This is a valid counterpart to the female form. Although I know men performing is a "newish" phenomenon in the burlesque world, I feel that  the men I see performing are stepping up to the plate and taking the art form seriously, truly paying homage to the form while trying to figure out how to translate a "celebration of the female" into male terms.

JOHNNIES:  In our experience, unfortunately, a good deal of boylesque out there is intended to spoof the females - making fun of them rather than honoring them. There are a few well known males out there (like Tigger, Monkey, and Hot Toddy) really helping guys just to be included and we really look up to them as mentors and role models.



MONKEY:  It's really gaining momentum in a good way. For a while there was a handful of men that were serious about it and then just the boyfriends of burlesque dancers getting up there.  But now I'm seeing more men who are dedicated to the art of striptease. So that's the common thread for boy/burlesque- there still has to be a tease.  I hope that the female form will always be more prominent but it's useful to have boys because it adds variety and helps balance out the show. Audiences are definitely up for it.
 
GO-GO HARDER:  A big difference from classic female burlesque is that we don't have a classical "form" to draw from. We have to find our own way and because of that, we have a lot more freedom to be creative and use our sexuality. For instance, I?m not going to unroll my stockings necessarily because it?s a move that was designed by women to seduce and tantalize. Boylesquer's have to discover our own "powers of seduction" and then find creative ways to use them in our strips.
 
PACO FISH: Boylesque seems to be something of an anomaly. Those within the community realize there's a fair amount of it out there, but the average stranger is often surprised to find out about men doing burlesque. It seems to break up their understanding of what burlesque is.
 
FERRO: Boylesque is an extension and expansion of the burlesque scene, allowing 'boys' to explore erotic and exotic theatricality in a way once considered only for women.
 
DEW LILY: Boylesque follows on the coat tails of the legends: the women. Boys are a treat, a novelty in burlesque shows almost in the same category as the singers and vaudeville acts.



SINCE BOYLESQUE IS INHERENTLY AN INNOVATION, HOW DO YOU SET YOURSELF APART?  




TIGGER!:  A key mission of burlesque is to explode gender stereotypes and laugh at them. I knew this was a woman’s world and I consciously took on that role. Stripping along with women is my form of feminism. Men should always respect that we are lucky guests in this world and accept no special privileges. We should always ask ourselves, 'Would my performance fly if I were a woman?’ If you don't work as hard and don’t get every bit as naked as a woman, then you are a sexist asshole! Your job as a burlesque performer of any gender is to be an actor, to make yourself unique, and to connect with your audience. It should also be a heightened experience for the audience, so make your clothing special & put on some damn make-up!
 
TODDY:  I actually try to think of it as fitting in, to make a male equivalent to all of the amazing female performers, past and present, who have perfected the form. The first time I went to Exotic World I was nervous and excited to see if what I was doing was staying true to the form. If I do set myself apart it is primarily because of my dance training and experience with choreography. 



JOHNNIES:  We're aiming to set ourselves apart in the same way that female burlesque dancers do; by working hard at the craftsmanship, construction, forward concepts, etc. We're constantly trying to come up with the next great idea and learn new skills (i.e. Chinese pole, acrobatics, aerial) to keep our approach fresh and flexible. Also, there is a trend right now in making burlesque shocking and extreme and we're really trying to focus our energy on the classic forms and the tease, without giving it all away.



MONKEY:  Well, I'm a monkey. I try to constantly work in new genres like singing or ballet where I'm taking it up a notch...I want to have skills in acts.  I like the idea of taking something that's supposed to be female/feminine, becoming skilled at it, then transforming it and making it your own.  I like moves and facial expressions that you wouldn't see a woman or even a human do, but a monkey would.  I think I also have the advantage of being a duo with Trixie and also being able to branch off and be a solo artist.  It’s important to incorporate all the parts- costumes, choreography, skills and to consider this a craft and art form...not just getting up there as the boyfriend of a performer who has an itch to be onstage.
 
GO-GO HARDER:  Just like there are all sorts of female burlesque performers, so too are there different styles and aesthetics in the boylesque world. Man: A Tease! 2010 was a great example of this because you had Tigger! combining rock 'n roll, drag, and monologue-ing, the Stage Door Johnnie's who appear to come from a more classically trained dance background, and the Evil Hate Monkey whose performances all revolve around the same theatrical, stylized character.
When I see artists that really turn me on creatively and sexually I feel like I take a piece of them back to my rehearsal process.
 
PACO FISH: I'm working to dismantle the notion that boylesque is an innovation in itself. It's a break from tradition, but the fact that men are doing the same types of things as women is, by definition, unifying. However, it does present different opportunities for humor and sexuality using the structure of the body.
 
FERRO: I follow my own interests and curiosities, both in music and in theme, and see where that takes me. I think that if you explore your unique interests and talents and perform with authenticity you naturally set yourself apart.
 
DEW LILY: Dew Lily was an accidental creation. As are the ridiculous acts that followed, ranging from funny, gory, sexy, gay, bloody and messy sometimes all combined. Dew has become a figure of vanity and beauty that makes you love him as much as he loves himself, even though you want to hate him.



JETT: I aim to create a character who has a playful sense of humor, without sacrificing legitimate sex appeal; to explore masculinity and to draw on images which promote it, exploit it, twist it, exaggerate it, expand it. I never intend to “bend gender,” but I ask, always as a man, what can be provocative in the contrasts between delicacy and masculinity, softness and brawn? Is there a bit of fancy in football? 




ROLE OF GENDER 



TIGGER!: Gender is exaggerated in burlesque and boylesque. It is always a performance of the myth of gender, no matter what your gender may be or how you portray it. Straight, white, wealthy men get to run the world, but they're constantly afraid of doing the wrong thing as a man, of looking like a fool or being unmanly (whatever that is). Although many men think they can get away with anything, they are shackled in a way that they don’t understand. Women and faggots have already had to face being less-than-equal. We have been laughed at all our lives, and that has made many of us more fearless. We have learned to protect ourselves with a sense of humor and by adapting to circumstances beyond our control. Men are generally far more afraid to participate than women, afraid to laugh at themselves, and terrified of being laughed at. It’s important to put men on stage as sexual objects too. It's important to laugh at the almighty dick. Genitals are fascinating and fun, but they're also ridiculous and funny. It's hilarious that men fight to keep a built-in mystique around their dicks, around something that 48% of us have. That is why I’m fond of making my penis a punch line, because at the end it's just...laughable.
 


TODDY:  At the risk of repeating myself, burlesque is traditionally a female form, of course. So a male performing burlesque, which glorified the female form...how do you do that? Women obviously have a whole slew of burlesque templates to draw from and be inspired by. What does the male draw from? And how do you then glorify the male form? To me that IS the challenge of the male in burlesque. It is probably what every male performing burlesque has to figure out for himself. The exciting thing is how different all the answers  
are. Look at Tigger, Monkey, Sexy Mark Brown, or any of the other men in burlesque. No two are alike, but they are all amazing and exploring the form as men. I find that incredibly inspiring and exciting.



MONKEY:  An advantage to being a guy would be when you are in a mostly female show, you provide variety and are like a special novelty.  Like during the first New Orleans Burlesque Festival I was a HUGE hit because there were almost no other guys around.  It was great!  I don't see a lot of disadvantages, as long as you aren't a scum-bag backstage.  I like to think of myself just as an equal among the other performers. In the beginning of my career before people really knew who we were (like at The Slipper Room where it's really tight backstage) I used to make sure I didn't seem creepy so I’d try to give girls more personal space to change, but Tigger said something that made me think differently.  He said if the girls are getting naked, I have to be an equal and not run off to the corner to put on my g-string. I took that to heart and get naked backstage with everyone now.  Regardless of gender we’re all performers together.



JOHNNIES:  Well, we've found it pretty successful to keep 'masculinity' in mind when creating our personas. Yes, we are in a female-dominated world, and yes, we still have all the rhinestones and glitter, but at the same time we try to use our masculinity as a turn on for both genders. Incidentally, in doing so, we get a lot of response from straight males who find this particular style more accessible than male burlesquers who are drawn to the more sexually ambiguous or effeminate vices.
 
GO-GO HARDER:  Queering of gender (or my personal fav: "gender-fucking") is definitely apparent in the work of Tigger! and Waxie Moon. Even the act of a male performer putting on stylized make-up or Evil Hate Monkey putting on high-heeled boots starts to queer the more conventional (if not boring) male aesthetic. 
 
PACO FISH: The role of gender in burlesque is the same as in any other medium and our society at large: it's a criterion for classification. Because burlesque is such a sexualized art form, the audience's sexuality, which is rooted in gender identity and perceptions of the performers' gender, determines the judgments and response to the performances. In short, the audience determines the role of gender. If burlesque were a purely sexual medium, I would not be able to entertain straight men, but I do. And plenty of straight women and gay men love girlesque. So gender really doesn't make much of a difference in the performance, as long as the performance is compelling.
 
FERRO: Gender is immediately apparent in boylesque because the art form is traditionally female dominated. Because everything in burlesque can be so theatrical and exaggerated, exploration of gender and its extremes fits well within this paradigm. In many of my pieces I try to be very butch, and that's a fun role to play because I'm really not that way in real life, but it allows me an avenue to explore different aspects of myself as a person and as a performer.
 
DEW LILY: Boys will be boys, even if they are dressed as girls or dressed as an Inuit. They will eventually be undressed, and that what we all want to see. We know they are boys, and just like the girls we want to see that package unwrapped.
 
JETT:  Burlesque is universally arousing regardless of a performer's gender or an audience member's sexual preference. Though the crowd may roar at the glimpse of an exposed bottom or rhinestoned nipple, what they are applauding in that moment is an innovation, a surprise, a brilliant bit of artistry.  What I have found fascinating is the positive and enthusiastic feedback we get from straight men. They come for the ladies, but to their astonishment (often it’s all they can do not to groan and squirm as soon as a male performer is announced), they somehow find a cleverness and theatricality to our acts which allows them to watch, enjoy, be roused, even inspired and empowered by a guy getting naked. That's breaking down boundaries. I love that.




THE FUTURE OF BURLESQUE AND BOYLESQUE...



TIGGER!:  What is important is that we don't let ourselves get lazy or take our place at the table for granted. Because we could very easily become a flash in the pan and go right back to being a novelty. We definitely have an added responsibility as boylesque performers. Because there are so comparatively few of us, there is a good chance that every time we perform we represent what boylesque is to much of an audience. We have to be skillful and fearless and not hold back! We need to ask ourselves “What can I contribute?”  This isn’t just a gender question, it's something that everyone should ask themselves. This is how you become a contributor and not a consumer. Men should all challenge themselves to make a contribution that defies the sexist hierarchy of our world AND is entertaining. If that continues to happen then boylesque will get bigger. Personally, I’m interested to see what will happen when burlesque is no longer trendy.  I care about the people who can't help performing, who are in it for life.
 
TODDY:  In 5-10 years I think we'll see a lot more men jumping in the game and I can't wait to see what they come up with. I love my boys in Chicago, The Stagedoor Johnnies. They keep coming up with more and more material and are really setting a bar for new male performers.

MONKEY:  It seems like guys don't generally want to be naked on stage, but I think more men will attempt it. Especially the more skilled guys.  Burlesque should remain a female run art form, but it can't be denied, the men are "coming." And it's going to only get better.  The men are definitely going to push themselves for higher quality.  Just look at the Stagedoor Johnnies.  That’s the future.

The Evil Hate Monkey Photo: Don Spiro

MONKEY: The future is being skilled and having new tricks. There's no limit to the talents you can add with nudity.
 
JOHNNIES: Well, hopefully, it will become so integrated that there won't be a differentiation between 'burlesque' and 'boylesque'. The really interesting thing is to see the staying power of individual performers.  Hopefully,  guys won't be just a passing fad, but instead will stick around long enough to make their names known as burlesque icons.
 
GO-GO HARDER: It surprises me that there aren't more guys in NYC doing Boylesque, but at the same time, I feel like there are a lot of male performance artists in this city who are creating unconventional work that is sexually charged, queer, and creating its own performance values.
 
PACO FISH: Boylesque will grow in the future. The more people see it, the more they will feel they can do it, and will be inspired to do so. I would like to see it merge with burlesque and hope that audiences will want to see men performing as much as they want to see women performing.
 
FERRO: The interest in boylesque definitely seems to be increasing. I believe there will be a much larger number of male performers in the coming years.
 
DEW LILY: I hope to see more naked boys in the next 5-10 years.  I love originality from new performers. It inspires and makes me green with envy (as in, why didn?t I think of that?)



INSPIRATIONS


TIGGER!:  Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop. Alice Cooper brought Grand Guignol theatre to rock and roll. He's like the hellspawn of Bela Lugosi and Liberace. Iggy Pop is a purely animal, sexual, Dyonisian celebration of chaos. And they both love their audience to death. And of course Bowie worked both of their lessons beautifully and made the world a better place.
Other major influences are Carol Burnett, the Muppets, Bugs Bunny, Divine, and the women I’m surrounded by constantly. We are always raising the bar for one another. Being a friend and partner-in-crime with brilliant artists like Julie and Dirty forces me to work harder.

TODDY:  My original inspiration was classic burlesque. Lily St Cyr, Gypsy Rose Lee, etc... Watching and seeing how I think men would do burlesque if they had been doing it in the 40's and 50's. I adore Michelle L'amour, of course.  I've probably seen more of her than anybody and nobody gets the tease better than her.  Also old movie musicals, or the Rat Pack, slapstick comedies or the showmanship of Liberace.  Anything that makes me say "I wanna do that!"
 

The Evil Hate Monkey

MONKEY:  Coco the painting gorilla, Pee Wee Herman's zaniness, Jim Carey for over the top physicality and facial expressions, Tigger is a big influence on refining my performances, Julie Atlas Muz who's willing to fail for one good trick to see if it works, the Jackass guys.  I just try to be funny.


JOHNNIES: Of course Tigger, Monkey and Hot Toddy! Right now, they're the only guys we have to look up to. But also Michelle L'amour, Julie Atlas Muz, and (we hesitate to mention you, cause it's your blog, but we're going to say it anyway) Trixie Little, those who are innovative and find new ways to play on old ideas. Also, since we're classically trained dancers, Duane MacGregor, Nicholas Leichter, Bill T. Jones and even good ol' Martha Graham and Loie Fuller.
 
GO-GO HARDER:  I draw from performers like Tigger!,  Julie Atlas Muz, World Famous BOB,  Stormy Leather and Rosewood. I'm attracted to their work because a lot of it is unconventional even in the burlesque world, yet they've created these beautiful visual and emotional pieces that people know by name.  I get inspiration from local artists and performers: The Daisy Spurs, House of Yes... I'm a big fan of collage. Of taking bits and pieces of pop culture, fashion, sex and just seeing how things "fit," or... how they don't...

PACO FISH: I draw a lot of my inspiration from performers of every medium. These include comedians like Bill Cosby and Bill Hicks, whose commitment to expressing their beliefs through their humor is powerful, musicians like Jason Webley, whose charm with an audience is unyielding, and burlesque performers like Trixie Little and Little Brooklyn, who are geniuses at bringing unique concepts to fruition and creating extremely clever parodies.

FERRO: I was at a performance festival years ago in Portland, OR and happened to see show by Tigger!, Julie Atlas Muse and Taylor Mac. I had seen burlesque before, but nothing as modern and innovative as I'd seen that evening. At that moment I knew exactly where I wanted to be and what I wanted to be doing, and moved to NY to explore performance and burlesque a year later. I'm still inspired by the work of these three, as well as so many other amazing performers I've been lucky enough to work with in NYC. I also find a lot of inspiration in the images of James Bidgood. The dream-like, pin-up boy aesthetic he created is always in the back of my mind.

Jett Adore

DEW LILY:  Tanya Cheex for her fearlessness, Roxi D’Lite for her energy, Tigger! for his commitment, Hot Toddy for his originality and masculinity, Jett Adore for his sexuality and Charlotte Webber for determination!

JETT:  The rest of Jett Adore is mystery and secrets and plenty of gemstones, and to try to sort through it all would spoil the magic.

BIG THREE OF 2010

THE BIG THREE OF 2010
January 11, 2011

These next performers are in their own category because they rank as the ones I talked about the most all year.  I can gauge how much I like I something by surveying my external monologue.  When I have recounted in overly-excited detail someone's act more than ten different times to performers, fans, friends and strangers...then I realize that I've been really moved.  These are the 3 artists I talked and thought about the most in 2010. 
-T.L.

SURLIE TEMPLE Denver, CO

Surlie Temple performed a quite literal interpretation of Weezer’s “Sweater Song” during the Colorado Burlesque Festival that had me torn between complete hysteria and stunned silence.   Looking like a Gen-X fiber arts major, Surlie took the stage attired in an crocheted knee-length dress, matching stocking cap and leg warmers.  When the song began, it was plain to see where this scenario was headed.  She’s going to unravel a sweater.  BUT THIS? A hand-made crocheted art project that probably took 3 hours to reset each time it was performed?  Make no mistake...I am no fan of literally interpreting songs in burlesque, but this was SO literal and so well executed, it is worth recounting in more detail.  Ms. Temple began pulling at a single thread slowly.  Bright yarn pulled out faster and faster, revealing that the dress was pieced from crocheted strips that she had stitched together.  As I screamed “YAAAARRRRN ARRRTTT!!!” over and over again with my arms raised above my head, Surlie took a break form the dress and paused to unravel a gorgeous leg warmer that would probably have cost $200 at Anthropology, but she had obviously made them herself.  Genius.  As the final chorus built.... “lying on the floor, I’ve come undone...”  the sweater dress deconstructed into a pile around her feet that literally and figuratively immobilized her.  At this point, the act had completely transformed in something timeless. The sight of Surlie’s yarn (of course) pom-pom pasties was nice, but her performance had a transcendent quality.  This journey had begun as a disaffected yet stylish battle between hurt, revenge and sacrifice...  A sacrifice of not just an incredible craft project, but of something more elusive: time and love.  I found out later her mother was in the audience that night.  Her mother who taught her how to crochet....and, it turns out, she wasn’t a fibers major in art school after all.  Epic.


MICHELLE L'AMOUR'S "PANTHER" ACT
It seems so obvious to celebrate Michelle L'Amour.  She continually puts on the most professional burlesque shows, seamlessly stars in them, tops even herself artistically year after year and runs a huge talented burlesque empire in a major American city.  SO FUCKING WHAT, MICHELLE....WE ALL WORK HARD! So what, indeed. But really, let's break it down.  She's a major pioneer in the world of burlesque and tirelessly titillates huge audiences on the largest stages in the country.  And this year she turned out her best work yet with her "Panther Act."  The act is smart, smoldering art house sex brought to life.  Set to Artie Shaw's ominous "Nightmare" Michelle slinks around with a dark and dirty edge that makes the act completely mesmerizing.  The performance is innovative not only for it's thorough use of a giant cage (girls take note on how to work a prop!), or for Michelle's minimalist costume that included shoulder garters for her gloves and paw shaped merkin, but REALLY it's innovative because it's completely modern.  Not a hint of camp anywhere.  She fucking means business.  This act gets my highest praise because Michelle is a woman who can present the filthiest stripper moves like they are high art and you feel smart for being so turned on.

And last but not least, there was one artistic achievement that stood out the most for me this year. One that deserves the overall top prize this blog can offer...

THE 2010 BIG ARTISTS OF THE YEAR...THE STAGE DOOR JOHNNIES

If I heard myself ask one more person in NY this fall, "Have you seen the Johnnies yet?"  I think I was going to poke my own eyes out.  I've fallen hard and fast for them.  The love affair began in June in Vegas at BHOF when Jett Adore swished his cape around my heart during his Zorro number that had me wondering why the hell that perfectly choreographed, dashingly flirtatious and hilariously executed act didn't make it into the competition.  I proceeded to quietly stalk him all weekend and take pictures of him whether he was looking in my direction or not.  I had met the Johnnies before, but seeing them on their own was like meeting a hot guy who is friends with two other hot guys...oh, crap! Even my ability to make analogies is immobilized with them! Anyway, then in August I got see all the Johnnies together on their home turf: at their weekly boylesque show in Chicago.  Ray Gunn, Jett Adore and Bazuka Joe.  Jaw-on-floor.  They did it all: they danced solo, they danced together, they were serious, they were funny, they had great costumes, they looked great naked, they flipped out of their pants, they teased constantly and totally tormented the audience until I found myself screaming my head off to see their junk.
I got to spend more time with them in September in NYC during Tigger's Man-A-Tease show at Coney Island, and exchanged fascinating emails while researching the Boylesque article for this blog in October.  And that's when the deal was sealed.  They have so much physical talent, such clever ideas, execute them so well and are so incredibly pleasing to the eye, they truly are BIG Artists. They have raised the bar for all of us and I hope they continue to astound us for a long time!
CONGRATS, JOHNNIES!!  You win...uhhh....you win a lot of love, CAPITAL LETTERS and bragging rights, woo hoo!
Enjoy them together:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R95IYxmHzTY
Enjoy them separately:  Ray Gunn,  Bazuka Joe and Jett Adore

FALL 2010 BIG WINNERS

FALL 2010 BIG WINNERS 
October 24, 2010

In the world of burgeoning burlesque festivals, the New York Burlesque Festival has both seniority and street cred.  Regardless of where the performers are from, they seem to get hopped up on the energy of the city and seriously BRING IT.  Where many festivals feel like a party onstage with your friends, the NYBF feels like a poetry slam or break dance battle or some other macho display of skills (still with friends in a fun spirit, of course!).  But it does feel as if everyone is working harder to earn it from the audience.  After it was all said and done, these performances stood out to us and deserve to be recognized for their innovative style.  Assistant writer B.B. Heart helped compile notes on all four nights of performances.

BROWN GIRLS BURLESQUE:  COSTUMING  Costumes that are simple, inspired and surprising all at once!  Imagine a cotton, plaid, ruffly, peasant-meets-showgirl look with top hats...with a multi-cultural can can that gave way to a group corset unlacing extravaganza.  Each girl undoing the laces of the girl in front, creating a sexy daisy chain of strings and burgeoning nudity.  Revealing international flags and appearing to be having the most fun ever, it all culminated with each of them perched on a nest of discarded ruffle skirts wildly swinging their bras over the heads.  The U.N. should really consider hiring these girls to promote world peace.

MADAME ROSEBUD:  RISK TAKING  This is some of the ballsiest burlesque we've ever seen. Rosebud created a compelling and fucked up character through grotesque exaggeration.  Super hard core, she danced to Grace Jones' song "Corporate Canibal" and managed to take even Grace Jones to the next level. It's hard to even describe all of the crazy things that happened but we'll try...there was a "Phantom of the Opera"-type mask pulled away to reveal an entire lace face stocking that then pulled off to reveal a genuine flaming red mohawk.  There were splits, giant jumps to landing on knees and the dirtiest butterfly leg moves ever seen.  Rosebud was dirty, aggressive and raw and walked the line between sexy and obscene.  Thanks Rosebud, for the amazing reveals and wild physicality, all delivered with precision and polish.

LEROI THE GIRL:  ENERGY  Leroi is literally a one woman parade....and this time the holiday she's celebrating is Chinese New Year.  Entering the stage jumping up and down with a giant Chinese dragon head piece, Leroi maintained a ridiculously high level of energy from start to finish. Rampaging playfully in the crowd's face and showing her claws, she was a sexy playful dragon bouncing with exhuberance.  This woman is a living confetti canon!

KARL GIANT:  TRANSORMATION Make-up artist and photographer, Karl Giant, graced the festival with his presence this year to sell his over-the-top eyelashes, but also found time on Saturday to transform his longtime collaborator, Julie Atlas Muz, into some sort of glamorous Russian go-go dancer posing as Alice Cooper.   But visual spectacle was only a tip of the iceberg.  The real fun was watching Julie onstage as she put the power behind the style.  With a captivating punk fusion of sex and dancing that included whiplashing her pony tail around her head, dive rolling out of her underwear, ripping off her pasties and parading around like Naomi Campbell wearing trashbags. Even still the icing on the cake may have been the song itself, which gave voice to this hilarious monstrosity by repeating over and over in the lyrics: “Fuck you.”  Thanks to Karl for helping give birth to Julie's latest incarnation.

SHOUT OUTS TO MY OTHER FAVES OF THE NYBF: Cherry Pitz for incredible acting while staging a scene with Vincent Price.  Boo Boo Darlin's slow motion striptease to hip hop was hilarious.  Dr. Lucky gets props for putting the ass in class while appearing as Marie Antoinette on her "golden throne."  Cherry Typhoon delights every time with her exuberance.  And Miss Tickle's genius transformation from a blow up doll.

2010 BIG WINNERS from BHOF Weekend

2010 BIG'S BHOF WINNERS 
June 9, 2010

The Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend is like the Olympics of striptease.  This year was the 20th anniversary of the competition and it took place at The Plaza Casino in Las Vegas. Monkey and I have attended every year since 2005. I want to give a shout out to all of the BHOF winners- see them listed here.  Major props also to some of my other favorite performers of the weekend who were entirely titillating: Miss Astrid, Foxy Tann, Michelle L’Amour, Lola Frost, Cherry Typhoon, Coco Lectric, Leroi the Girlboi, Jett Adore, Frenchy Kiss and many more!

A few discernible trends emerged from the BHOF weekend as a whole:
*Canada is clearly taking over.  The great, white north SERIOUSLY represented this year in both quantity and quality.  Watch out, world!

*This was the year of the giant prop!  Our collective imaginations went for scale in a big way this year and the results were outrageous:  crystal covered toilets, a coffin, candy apple, a bull, smoking cigar, several cages, a swing, a couple of shadow screens, half a dozen couches, and a cake with taxidermy mounted on it (that one’s mine).

 *We were reminded of the fragility of our living legends. Tempest Storm was injured after an on-stage spill at the Friday night Legends show, but thankfully she has already had hip surgery and is in physical therapy.  Everyone is hoping she's back in her heels as fast as possible!
I took notes diligently during the four nights of shows (100+ performances) and was very inspired!  When forced to look purely at the criteria of "innovation" and ask the hard question: "have I ever seen this before?"- seven artists emerged as BIG Winners.  Fittingly, several of them were also winners at the BHOF.  Listed below in no particular order.

INTRODUCING THE BIG WINNERS from BHOF 2010

Venus DeMille: Minnie the Moocher for COSTUME Hands down, Venus created the most innovative costume of the entire weekend. Emerging from a gorgeous gown to become Minnie Mouse, I was laughing and screaming through every moment: a mile-long glove removal, giant white cartoon hands rubbing all over her body and mouse ears made from the cups of her bra. All of this brilliance was set to the Cab Calloway "Minnie the Moocher" standard that Venus has now ruined for me for all time.

Betsy Bottom Dollar for MOVEMENT She was the closing act for Thursday night and nearly stole the show for me. This Cheesecake Burlesque darling looked like she could be the Tennessee sister of both Dirty Martini and Darlinda Just Darlinda. She performed to an over-the-top banjo heavy western piece of music that was brilliantly animated by just about every single part of her body and costume which reached thrilling proportions during her ass solo. I have never seen country music used to such hilarious, fun and stylish ends in burlesque before.

Julie Atlas Muz’ “Waiting for the Sun”: RISK TAKING Entering in the biggest headdress of the weekend, Julie’s major innovation was her hilariously entertaining slide across the stage on sunburst knee pads. Perhaps this was an athletic and playful fulfillment of some childhood fantasy, but she still looked hot as hell doing something totally ridiculous. One of Julie’s considerable gifts is her ability to take risks- both physically and conceptually. There certainly isn’t enough balls-out risk-taking in my book. Once finished her floor work, Julie ran into the audience, face-humped Java and concluded by downing a martini which she shot fountain-like out of her mouth above him. This woman is always full of surprises and wherever her creativity takes us, I always want to go.


Ms. Tickle’s Fan Dance: COSTUME Tickle clearly doesn’t need more acknowledgment since she took home a record THREE trophies including Best Debut, but considering how long she has been a creative force in the NYC scene, she deserves every bit of praise. When Tickle emerged with a full six white fans affixed to her arms as wings framing her porcelain figure, she gave us an unforgettable moment of beauty embodied that will be burned into our psyches. As Miss Astrid said “sometimes is takes 12 years to become an over night sensation.” Ms. Tickle totally proves you can be innovative and classic at the same time.

Midnight Martini: SINGLE MOST INNOVATIVE MOVE A fun and flexible contortionist who’s thoughtful act was brilliantly over shadowed by her historical achievement: Giving us the best stocking removal of all time.

Kristina Nekiya’s “Suspiria” Act: for REVEAL Kristina is an accomplished bellydancer and contortionist who shocked me with this dark tribute to a cult horror movie I’ve never seen before. But who cares? Seeing Kristina start the act by emerging zombie-like out of an ornate coffin and ending with a full skeleton rendered in glowing paint all over her limber body (complete with red glowing eyes and glowing hair), her final reveal in black light was disturbingly enthralling.

The Evil Hate Monkey: “Prima Primate”: MOVEMENT It’s true that I am completely biased, but I consider Monkey to be one of the most entertaining performers out there. He continues to amaze even me after 9 years of working together and I’d be remiss to over look his revolutionary use of pointe in burlesque. Not only did he demonstrate an impressive degree of mastery of a painful feminine form of ballet, he invented moves never seen before! These moves included a monkey-like squat hop where he repeatedly bounced up and down on his pointe shoes while in a deep squat that would make any athlete’s legs tremble...all while ape-ishly dancing with his arms. He also managed to pop straight up to pointe from sitting on the ground. Props, Monkey.

SLIPPER ROOM CLOSING FOR RENOVATION

The infamous Slipper Room in NYC is closing this month for a major renovation.  Let me be totally clear: THE SLIPPER ROOM WILL RE-OPEN!  But The Slipper Room, as we know it, is gone.  Even though I'm excited by the thought of the new larger space with actual sight lines, contemporary plumbing in the bathroom and higher ceilings- it's worth a moment of reflection to honor the 11 year contribution that this bad ass venue has had on the NYC scene (and by extension, the entire burlesque world).  I truly credit the Slipper with setting the bar for the burlesque community.  With only a $5 cover, an accessible location and more shows every week than most cities could boast in a month- for sheer quantity alone, the place is a landmark.  But as we all know, quantity is nothing to quality and Slipper delivered world class acts and plenty of surprises.  And of this was done with the same love and lighting for veterans and virgins alike- a populist stage if ever there was one.

All the love in the world to owners James and Camille Habacker- the gorgeous proprietors who host, perform, DJ and party with the utmost style. Thanks for making such a welcoming, fun, wild, consistent and unapologetic club house for us all, I truly look forward to the next phase....
Below are some cherished memories...I'll keep adding to this as they come in.

BEST MEMORIES OF THE SLIPPER ROOM....

JO BOOBS:  It was the perfect place for the School of Burlesque because we had such a great package for it. We could send students there to see shows with performers at all levels from all over the world, as well as teach there and do showcases there. It had the perfect mix of style and approachability, so the students were awed and inspired but not too intimidated.  I will very much miss being able to walk in at any time and feel at home among my people.

DARLINDA JUST DARLINDA:  My favorite was the time the girl threatened to beat me up because I took a sip of her drink as an interactive go-go thing and threw a lime at her accidentally! We tried to buy her a new drink but she wouldn't have it, I eventually talked her down and we were hugging at the end.

Also the time Saturn got her period and then got electrocuted two seconds later!
Then there were the BJ's in the basement . . .but that's another story for another blog...

KEN BALL: Scotty the bartender saying that he saw Bunny Love naked more than his wife.

TIGGER:  Favorite onstage experiences include my "What the Fuck?!?" birthday/holiday shows. Also the run of Daddy's Chicken shows in 2001-2002. That gave me booze-soaked memories like wrestling Matt Mohr in a wading pool full of baked beans to determine who was the babydaddy of the chicken to which Dirty had just given birth.  And we all know how the sink fell off the wall in the dressing room bathroom (cue Momotaro on the Barry White), but I'll let the guilty party name names.

DIRTY MARTINI:  Thooooooose were the daaaaaaaaaays!! .....and you know who you were then...... goils were goils and men wore men..... mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again.....

2009 BIG WINNERS

2009 BIG WINNERS
January 9, 2010

Thank you to the artists who changed my life in 2009.

I first had the idea of BIG in 2009 because of these weird and wonderful performances.  Although I have decided not to go backwards in time with this Blog, but rather only document what is happening at present- since these artists were the inspiration, I am grandmothering them in as winners for 2009.

NARCISSISTER for "Hot Lunch"  For shear provacation, Narcissister is up there with Rose Wood...so it is fitting that I have worked with both of them the most at the infamous Box in NYC. As an Alvin Ailey trained dancer, Narcisster moves like a lithe panther you want to pounce on, but the visual imagery she conjures surreally contrasts the many stereotypes she targets.

CRISPIN GLOVER for film "Everything is Fine"  Crispin Glover is the new Russ Meyer. And while this really is not burlesque-y in the slightest, I have to acknowledge game-changing inspiration when I see it. The actor-turned-director will only allow the second of his secretive trilogy to be screened by him personally, so it may be hard for most to even experience his genius. But this film changed my life. It was disturbing, hilarious, surreal, inspiring, scary and warped in the best ways possible. It is basically a wish-fulfillment fantasy of a man Cerebal Palsy having sex with and exacting revenge upon beautiful women.

MISS ASTRID for the nuptuals of Michelle L'Amour & Franky Vivid Weddings will never be the same. Astrid donned a veil over her eye patch, told the groom to fuck off, warned him that Michelle's "ass that goes POW" will one day be the "ass that goes Phft" and stole the show at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Friday night show.

TAYLOR MAC & THE CAST for "Lily's Revenge" Don't know where to start describing this one...and it's not burlesque at all but revolutionary theater- veteran burlesquers Tigger and Darlinda Just Darlinda were real standouts in this epic 5-hour theater piece.