A couple of weeks ago L Magazine approached me wanting someone to write a few tips on how to twirl tassels, and wanted to make a video to go with it. I immediately suggested teaching boys, and since no one on the magazine staff was ready for the learning experience, I recruited two of my dear and daring friends. They literally jumped at the opportunity.
Read the entire article
There are many other ways to twirl tassels, including many without bouncing! There's an entire chapter on tassel-twirling and how to make pasties in The Burlesque Handbook.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Showgirl Accounting, from the Reigning Blog of Burlesque
I get offers to perform at benefits all the time, and I am usually happy to do it. In fact, one of the reasons I was inspired to create Pink Light Burlesque was because I was getting requested to perform at breast cancer benefits so frequently, and although I am always thrilled and honored to do it, I also feel survivors can represent even more powerfully. Some benefit events have budgets for entertainment, and on a weekend night when I normally could not afford to cancel other gigs that make up a quarter of my monthly income to perform for free, this makes it possible. If I am not already booked, I am almost always willing to donate my time and name and services for free, if I feel that the benefit is intended to do a real service. A misunderstanding that comes up with surprising frequency is when event organizers tell me I can deduct my donation of a performance, when in fact I cannot.
Above: Julie Atlas Muz with money raised at a Starshine Benefit for Exotic World.
From Miss Indigo Blue:
Hi darlings,
Donating performances is an AWESOME way to be involved in your community, get more exposure to new audiences, and get more stage time. However, the value of your performance is not tax-deductible - even if you're donating it to a Non-Profit Organization.
REPEAT: donated performances (aka "services") are *NOT* tax-deductible.
If someone offers you a performance opportunity, and one of the "benefits" is that you can deduct the value of your guarantee, they are WRONG.
Read the rest of this post
Image from Seattle Peach.
Above: Julie Atlas Muz with money raised at a Starshine Benefit for Exotic World.
From Miss Indigo Blue:
Hi darlings,
Donating performances is an AWESOME way to be involved in your community, get more exposure to new audiences, and get more stage time. However, the value of your performance is not tax-deductible - even if you're donating it to a Non-Profit Organization.
REPEAT: donated performances (aka "services") are *NOT* tax-deductible.
If someone offers you a performance opportunity, and one of the "benefits" is that you can deduct the value of your guarantee, they are WRONG.
Read the rest of this post
Image from Seattle Peach.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Stalking the Stocking
The visual impact of stockings is erotic and forceful. When I was a child I was so fascinated by the images of stockings in old lingerie ads that I painted them onto my Barbie dolls. I've been doing stocking peels onstage since I was in high school, going to Rocky Horror and portraying a poetry-reciting stripper character I had created called Prunella DuBois. I even got into trouble one day in high school for wearing stockings under my dress instead of pantyhose. As a dominatrix I found some quite unusual uses for my stockings, and accumulated bagsful of used stockings for nefarious purposes. I'm not a stocking snob, but I enjoy a good stocking peel more than the average person, and I have more garter belts than I can count.
Above: Me peeling out of red stockings from Frederick's of Hollywood at The Toronto Burlesque Festival. Photo copyright Mopo.
Above: Gal Friday teasing with an authentic vintage stocking in the School of Burlesque studio at The Slipper Room. Photo by Don Spiro.
Above: Dita Von Teese in her custom diamond backseam stockings. Photo from Secrets in Lace
Above--Not stockings, but pretty darn cool. Tights available from Peek Brooklyn.
When I teach my stocking peel classes, I'm often surprised to find that some of my students have never worn a pair of stockings, and it takes a bit of schooling to get them into a pair. For them, as well as for readers of this blog and other stocking-curious folks, I am presenting a brief glossary of stocking terms and types. This won’t make you an expert on stockings, but it should help you to buy the kind of stockings you are trying to buy.
Since this is not intended to be comprehensive, I would love for readers to post pictures and comments! Feel free to link your favorite stocking sources and resources!
Cuban Heel-- Cuban heeled stockings have a reinforced heel that rises up the back of the ankle into a taper that is squared-off at the top. Many packagers of stockings use the terms “Cuban heel” and “French heel” interchangeably, so it is crucial to check out the picture on the package to determine which you are getting, but many stockings aficionados refer only to the pointed top as the French, and to the squared off as the Cuban.
Denier—a Measure of the fineness of the strands in the knit of the stocking. The lower the number, the lighter, more delicate, and more sheer the stocking. Sheers are typically 15-20 denier. Legwear becomes opaque at about 70-100 denier.
French Heel (pointed, but refer to image)—French heeled stockings have a reinforced heel that rises up the back of the ankle into a point. Many packagers of stockings use the terms “Cuban heel” and “French heel” interchangeably, so it is crucial to check out the picture on the package to determine which you are getting, but many stockings aficionados refer only to the pointed top as the French, and to the squared off as the Cuban.
Fishnet Stockings--stockings in an elastic open knit that looks like a net.
Fully Fashioned—A fully-fashioned stocking is knit flat and is fully fashioned in the shape of a leg.
Garters—Also known as suspenders (UK). Elastic devices for holding up stockings. When circular, as in the 1920s, they would go around the top of a stocking as a tight band to hold them up. Now they are most frequently straps of elastic with clips on the end attached to a band that goes around the waist, called a Garter Belt.
Hold-ups (generally British terminology for Thigh-highs)—Same as Stay-ups. Stockings with bands at the top that holds them up without garters. The band may simply be thicker, or it may be lined with silicone or rubber to grip the leg.
Hosiery—Legwear.
Lycra—the miracle fiber of stretch.
Nylons—stockings, usually made of nylon. Nylon does not stretch.
Pantyhose—stockings with a panty attached. The panty may be sheer to waist, reinforced, patterned, control, or a variety of shapes.
RHT (Reinforced Heel and Toe)—More densely knit toe and heel on a stocking to keep it from running at areas of stress.
RT (Reinforced Toe)-- More densely knit toe on a stocking to keep it from running at areas of stress.
Seam—the line running up the back of the leg, which may be a design woven into the knit or an actual seam.
Stay-Ups(generally British terminology for Thigh-highs)— -- Same as Hold-ups. Stockings with bands at the top that holds them up without garters. The band may simply be thicker, or it may be lined with silicone or rubber to grip the leg.
Stockings—Legwear without a panty or elastic top, which must be held up by garters. Usually sheer.
Stretch Stocking—a knit stocking with lycra built into it to fit a variety of leg shapes and sizes (though not one size fits all).
Suspenders—See Garters.
Thigh Highs (generally US terminology for Stay-ups)— -- Same as Hold-ups. Stockings with bands at the top that holds them up without garters. The band may simply be thicker, or it may be lined with
Tights—in the US, opaque or patterned panty hose; in the UK may be sheer.
Welt—the doubled-over top band of a stocking.
Feel free to add to the list and let us know if you have different definitions for any of these terms!
Above: Me peeling out of red stockings from Frederick's of Hollywood at The Toronto Burlesque Festival. Photo copyright Mopo.
Above: Gal Friday teasing with an authentic vintage stocking in the School of Burlesque studio at The Slipper Room. Photo by Don Spiro.
Above: Dita Von Teese in her custom diamond backseam stockings. Photo from Secrets in Lace
Above--Not stockings, but pretty darn cool. Tights available from Peek Brooklyn.
When I teach my stocking peel classes, I'm often surprised to find that some of my students have never worn a pair of stockings, and it takes a bit of schooling to get them into a pair. For them, as well as for readers of this blog and other stocking-curious folks, I am presenting a brief glossary of stocking terms and types. This won’t make you an expert on stockings, but it should help you to buy the kind of stockings you are trying to buy.
Since this is not intended to be comprehensive, I would love for readers to post pictures and comments! Feel free to link your favorite stocking sources and resources!
Cuban Heel-- Cuban heeled stockings have a reinforced heel that rises up the back of the ankle into a taper that is squared-off at the top. Many packagers of stockings use the terms “Cuban heel” and “French heel” interchangeably, so it is crucial to check out the picture on the package to determine which you are getting, but many stockings aficionados refer only to the pointed top as the French, and to the squared off as the Cuban.
Denier—a Measure of the fineness of the strands in the knit of the stocking. The lower the number, the lighter, more delicate, and more sheer the stocking. Sheers are typically 15-20 denier. Legwear becomes opaque at about 70-100 denier.
French Heel (pointed, but refer to image)—French heeled stockings have a reinforced heel that rises up the back of the ankle into a point. Many packagers of stockings use the terms “Cuban heel” and “French heel” interchangeably, so it is crucial to check out the picture on the package to determine which you are getting, but many stockings aficionados refer only to the pointed top as the French, and to the squared off as the Cuban.
Fishnet Stockings--stockings in an elastic open knit that looks like a net.
Fully Fashioned—A fully-fashioned stocking is knit flat and is fully fashioned in the shape of a leg.
Garters—Also known as suspenders (UK). Elastic devices for holding up stockings. When circular, as in the 1920s, they would go around the top of a stocking as a tight band to hold them up. Now they are most frequently straps of elastic with clips on the end attached to a band that goes around the waist, called a Garter Belt.
Hold-ups (generally British terminology for Thigh-highs)—Same as Stay-ups. Stockings with bands at the top that holds them up without garters. The band may simply be thicker, or it may be lined with silicone or rubber to grip the leg.
Hosiery—Legwear.
Lycra—the miracle fiber of stretch.
Nylons—stockings, usually made of nylon. Nylon does not stretch.
Pantyhose—stockings with a panty attached. The panty may be sheer to waist, reinforced, patterned, control, or a variety of shapes.
RHT (Reinforced Heel and Toe)—More densely knit toe and heel on a stocking to keep it from running at areas of stress.
RT (Reinforced Toe)-- More densely knit toe on a stocking to keep it from running at areas of stress.
Seam—the line running up the back of the leg, which may be a design woven into the knit or an actual seam.
Stay-Ups(generally British terminology for Thigh-highs)— -- Same as Hold-ups. Stockings with bands at the top that holds them up without garters. The band may simply be thicker, or it may be lined with silicone or rubber to grip the leg.
Stockings—Legwear without a panty or elastic top, which must be held up by garters. Usually sheer.
Stretch Stocking—a knit stocking with lycra built into it to fit a variety of leg shapes and sizes (though not one size fits all).
Suspenders—See Garters.
Thigh Highs (generally US terminology for Stay-ups)— -- Same as Hold-ups. Stockings with bands at the top that holds them up without garters. The band may simply be thicker, or it may be lined with
Tights—in the US, opaque or patterned panty hose; in the UK may be sheer.
Welt—the doubled-over top band of a stocking.
Feel free to add to the list and let us know if you have different definitions for any of these terms!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Pink Light Burlesque in TIME
"Jennifer Burke used to prize her breasts as her best feature. But it wasn’t until she had a double mastectomy that she found herself performing a burlesque striptease in front of an enthusiastic New York City crowd...."
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/26/pink-light-burlesque-breast-cancer-survivors-strip-down-and-celebrate/#ixzz1lBUioeaK
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Signs of Scott Ewalt; Interview, Part One
Burlesque signs have always rocked my world. As a child, every time I saw a burlesque sign on a lounge I got an illicit thrill, imagining women of impossible repute removing stockings with a knowing wink. I could picture the heavy lashes, the big hair, the chiffon robes. I was mesmerized.
As a teenager, I was excited by the signs on strip joints in Atlanta. I knew that the Domino Lounge was one of the last of the old school burlesque venues in town, but the contemporary signs got me riled up with promise—one day I’d be of age, and I’d know where to go by the signs. A favorite was the sign for Tattletale’s, of “Girls, Girls, Girls” fame—a delicate outline of a nude woman’s hip drawn from the back, her weight on one leg, her hand relaxed at her side, based on this line drawing by Picasso:
Later they had to take it down, since it incorporated Picasso’s drawing without permission. Bad strip joint! But good taste.
In the early 1980s I had started working in those clubs. One of them, The She Club, got shut down for trying to blow up Starcastle, the strip joint across the street. The government took possession of The She Club and publicly stated they would open and operate it, though they never did. I fantasized about them actually doing it so I could work there and tell my mother I was working for the government. For years afterward the big sign that had been posted at the entrance was leaned against a cement wall behind the club, and every time I drove by I coveted that sign.
Above: Scott at home with his Venus sign.
Scott Ewalt, like me, is fascinated by signs. He is fascinated by other things, which I’ll get to in other sections of this interview when I post them later, but I fixated on the collection of signs in his apartment the first time I saw them. I thanked him in the intro to my book—his passion for burlesque legends is contagious and has inspired me over and over. Also, he was the first DJ I worked with at the Slipper Room, spinning some of the best go-go music I’ve ever heard.
Currently he’s represented in the book Dead Flowers, edited by Participant Press and Vox Populi. It’s full of prepunk and postbunk artists that all segueway into each other. The main subject is Timothy Carey, a psychotronic filmmaker; the link between Scott and Timothy is that Lilly Christine taught Timothy his signature dance, which he debuted in a movie called “White Trash,” and Scott Ewalt has done extensive studies of Lilly Christine, including his latest, Which shows Lilly Christine walking in front of a building with burlesque signs on it. Scott also does reconstructions of Times Square Burlesque houses as digital artwork. His eye for the sign is as obsessive as mine, or as any cop perusing the signs on broadway. When I interviewed him about his collection, the signs were by far his favorites.
How did you get interested in Burlesque?
That's a many layered question. I was inspired by Bugs Bunny, the outro to Bullwinkle, I Love Lucy, seeing the Carol Doda sign at the Condor Club as a kid. Seeing the postwar burlesque houses in San Diego as a kid. A Date with Elvis by the Cramps. Meeting John Sex, Katie K, and International Chrysis. All these things combined helped me find this aesthetic.
How did you start collecting burlesque ephemera?
Paula Klaw from Movie Star News sold me a Tempest Storm Teaseorama poster and from that point on I was equally fascinated with burlesque as with the vintage S/M imagery I had been collecting. It would have been in 1986.
What are some of your favorite items in your collection?
Original Tura Satana lightbox, the Venus and Eros marquee neons, the first all-male burlesk sign ever put on the exterior of a building, my Zorita lifesize cutout, my Liz Renay silver hologram, my lifesize sign of Virginia Bell, the Babydoll Lounge sign, the Billy's Topless sign, my Patrick the All-American stripper 8 by 10, my Sally Rand fan dancer lamp from the 30s, and my Henry Dixey commemorative coin.
Tell me about some of the signs.
The Tura Satana Light box: A poster store called me and told me they were tearing down the theater next door to them, and when they pulled off all of the signage underneath there was this image of a woman, and when they told me it was Tura I almost lost my mind. It's from 1957. Buffalo New York. The guy from the store mailed it. He had sold me 24 Jon Voigt posters, the ones that wallpaper my kitchen. When I first met Tura she remembered having lost that sign. She kind of widened her eyes like: "Would you give it back?" and I kind of narrowed my eyes like "No"--I mean, she gets to be her, right?
The Venus and Eros Marquees: I lived in Times Square in the late 80s . I was walking home from work one days and they were taking down the Adonis sign and cutting it into one foot sections and dropping it into a dumpster. I tried to stop them and they said if I could take the sign right then I could have it, but my apartment wasn't even as big as the sign. So it piqued my interest and I realized that there was no effort being made to preserve these things. When Giuliani was closing all the burlesque houses I contacted Chelley Wilson, a grindhouse pioneer and the meanest woman in Times Square. She sold me the Venus and when she passed away her daughter sold me the Eros. They were just happy to have someone get them--it was a ridiculously low price. They were on 46th and 8th ave.
The first All-Male Burlesk sign--that was part of that lot. When I got it home it was about 4 inches thick and I realized it was more than one sign and I cracked it open and there was an older sign from when it was the one of the first gay theaters (three opened simultaneously in the 1960s) in the US.
Zorita cutout--I got it at the Chelsea flea market for 50 dollars. Rode it home on my bike--to cheers from people I passed by! They were cheering when I went by with Zorita flapping in the wind. Was it 1994? I never got to meet Zorita unfortunately. I had known about Zorita because I had found some 4 by 3 images of her in a box in the back of an adult book store in Loa Angeles, a store that was a front for a gambling and crack den, that actually had a rotating wall and it turned and behind the pornography were guys gambling and smoking crack.
Liz Renay hologram--Luke and Laura rescued it from her attic and it's a print plate for her 8 by 10s when I went through her collection; it was something I was allowed to pick for posterity. It was covered with rat turds but of course it's not anymore. I met Liz after having lunch with John Waters in 1994. He said to look her up she's in the phone book, tell her I sent you. I flew to Vegas, called her up, and I was there for five days and on the third day she said she had a cancellation for lunch and I could meet her. And I was hooked after that. Her memory was so sharp and she was so sweet. And funny. And sexy!
The Virginia Bell Sign: A man called me from Toledo and said he had a sign from the Roxy Burlesque and Vaudeville theater in Cleveland. Irma the Body, Tempest Storm, Blaze Starr--all those signs had been destroyed. The picture he sent me of the theater showed a tractor parked in front of it. His grandkids were getting old enough that they were starting to ask who the naked lady in the garage was. Actually his wife called me and asked if I could buy from him. I had bought some other ephemera from them.
The Babydoll Lounge Sign: I had some girlfriends that worked there. I went to visit them one day and I noticed that the shingle sign was gone. I went in and asked what happened to it and the owner looked at me like I was crazy and asked me how much I had in my pocket. I pulled out two twenties and said that was all I had, and he said to take it. One of my favorite things that attracted me to the Babydoll was the fact that it was across the street from the Mudd Club, and in a classic symbiotic relationship the musicians dated the strippers--Cookie Mueller was there. It's also the bar where the famous headline “headless body in topless bar” comes from, and it was Janis Joplin’s favorite hangout when it was a Hell's Angels bar. I love it for the crudeness of the painting. Hand-painting is definitely my ongoing fetish in all of them. They remind me of Stuart Davis paintings. He was an artist in the late 1920s who came from Paris to New York and did paintings of signage, and who is lightly regarded as the father of pop art.
The Billy’s Topless Sign: Billy’s was where the House of Domination all worked during the day, those performers from Jackie 60. One day I was there visiting them and the sign had blown off and I went into the back room and talked to him about purchasing the sign. He was much less green than the other people I had contacted, having worked with people like Gypsy Rose Lee, and he said he knew it was a valuable artifact. He said if Guiliani passed the text amendment that made the word "topless" illegal on the exterior sign of a business, he would sell me the sign for 300 dollars. Three months later I opened the paper and read that Guiliani had passed the text amendment, and I called the owner, and he said he'd been waiting for my call all day. He was able to keep the signs that read across in one line because he moved the exclamation point and made it Billy Stopless, but he couldn't do that on the shingle sign because it set in two lines.
I’ve been interviewing Scott about Boylesque as well as his involvement with the Burlesque Hall of Fame—lots more to come!
And, if you've got any photos of burlesque signs you'd like to share, please do! You can post links in the comments.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Breast Cancer Survivors Performing This Sunday
Pink Light Burlesque is a program to provide free classes for breast cancer patients and survivors, provided by The New York School of Burlesque.
December 4th is our first-ever showcase, featuring students and instructors of this program.
The show will be dedicated to our friend Diane Naegel, who was hoping to perform as part of the project but lost her battle with breast cancer due to complications on September 25. Our hearts go out to her and her friends and family, and to all others experiencing the same struggle.
The proceeds of the show will benefit You Can Thrive, Sloan Kettering, and the operation of Pink Light Burlesque.
Sunday, December 4, 8-10.30 pm.
The Wild Project
195 East 3rd Street
New York, NY 10009
Contact Jo Weldon at pinklight@schoolofburlesque.com
School of Burlesque Phone 212.561.1456
Wild Project Phone 212.228.1195
Buy General Admission Tickets
Tickets are $10, $15, and $20. Visibility is perfect from all seats; lower prices are furthest from the stage.
This is a small venue and seating is strictly limited, so do not wait to buy tickets.
Priority seating in the front two rows is available to donors and sponsors.
We have tiered the ticket prices to make this event affordable for as many people as possible.
If any tickets are remaining the night of the show, they will be available for cash purchase at the door for $25 preferred, $20 second tier, and $15 third tier.
Please contact us about donations or sponsorship opportunities. pinklight@schoolofburlesque.com.
Burlesque celebrates the human drive to amuse, provoke, charm, and seduce. The Pink Light Burlesque project invites survivors to take classes to experience the joyous and body-loving fun so many burlesque students embrace. For those who would like to perform, we hope to create a performing troupe of burlesque dancers made up of breast cancer patients and survivors (and a few of their allies). If they continue beyond the classes, these dancers may wish to perform professionally as well as to benefit charity and fund raising events.
We would like to thank Duane Park, home of some of the fiercest classic burlesque, live jazz music, and fabulous food and drink, for sponsoring our studio rentals for November and December.
Check them out!
We would also like to thank Night Owls, The Champagne Riot, and the friends and family of Diane Naegel for their substantial support.
We will be helping other burlesque schools to create similar programs in Seattle, Denver, Columbus, and more cities. Please contact us if are an instructor, survivor, or patron wishing to create a Pink Light Branch in your area.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Interview with Veronica Varlow
I've had this interview for awhile and have been trying to write the perfect intro for it, and I give up. She's just too awesome. I am so thrilled to have this woman as an instructor at The New York School of Burlesque, and that's that.
Above: Veronica Varlow and me with David Byrne at the Bowery Hotel. Why not?
How did you learn to do burlesque?
When I first saw burlesque, it was as if I was spying on an ancient and secret rite of women to claim the power in their own sensuality. I was awe-struck that first night I stumbled upon this world of burlesque in 2000 at the Slipper Room. That little corner of Orchard and Stanton became my version of church which I visited weekly to worship the power and beauty of the performers there.
At that point, I was learning. I was an eager pupil to learn the movement of confidence, to learn the slowness of sensuality, to learn the power of being unafraid.
I was a bystander for 3 years. A witness to the world I longed for. But, alas, the comforts of my cubicle were too good. I was skilled at the world of work, but I knew nothing about this mysterious world of boas, of fringe, of tassels.
In December of 2003, I was volunteering at a local animal shelter in Brooklyn, when a recently picked up dog, a rottwelier - sunk his teeth into my face. He ripped the right side of my nose and tip of my nose from my face and his top teeth landed less than an inch away from my left eye, digging into my skin.
I was in surgery for eight hours, staring at the ceiling, contemplating my life. In the end, that rottwelier was an angel in disguise. Lying in that hospital bed that day, I was at a crossroads. I realized that the only reason that I hadn't done burlesque is because I was afraid of what others would think of me. I realized that I had stayed in a comfortable life that I was bored with to appease others. I realized that the rottwelier could have killed me if he wanted to, that I could have possibly been lying there in the hospital with ten minutes left to live regretting all the things I hadn't done in my life.
That was the turning point.
I started watching old films of burlesque, going to shows, and developing my alter ego (who has since taken over entirely). I signed up for a Burlesque 101 class with the NY School of Burlesque when it was back at the Bowery Poetry Club and dragged a friend with me. World Famous Bob was a guest speaker that day and the things that the both of you said during class opened up my mind to what could be possible. You presented a whole new delicious road to me. A month later, I debuted in World Famous Bob's New Revue for the first time, and a week after that did my first full show with Ixion Burlesque, and I was hooked. The burlesque bug bit me. Hard.
What are some of your favorite acts to perform?
I just performed with Gotham Burlesque singing My Heart Belongs to Daddy with Albert Garzon on piano - and that was an epic night. I love weaving magic into the words I'm singing and also creating a spell with the slow stripping out of my clothes simultaneously.
I also love doing my Isis number because it mixes the sacred and the sensual for me. I perform a magic ritual with my dance and I honor the dancing women of lifetimes past. It's a special one for me.
I debuted a new fire poi burlesque number at Coney Island this Summer. For me, that is reclaiming the fire, after we lost our home and our things in an electrical fire in April. When I was on stage, I was dancing with the fire as a partner. That powerful element swirled around me on the Coney Island stage in the dark, two months to the day that our house burned to the ground, and I truly felt like the Phoenix in that moment.
How did you come to tour with Emilie Autumn, and what was that like?
Amazing and life changing! Emilie doesn't hold auditions. She just puts the call out. She's a very magical person and she's incredible at manifesting the world she wants to create. My good friend, Aprella, was performing with her for a year and had suggested me as a possibility for a new member in the show.
What's crazy is that Emilie had seen me and bookmarked my Danger Dame site years before. So we were destined to perform together and when the moon was full and the stars perfectly aligned themselves, I found myself on a plane to Germany for rehearsals. We are a tight knit family and I am grateful for all the beautiful adventures we have had together all over the world and I'm looking forward to future adventures. We are headed to Australia in November!
When did you start teaching within the burlesque community?
I believe that was 2007 and it was inspired over a cup of tea at Teany's with you when I finally got the courage to ask you if I could teach a class at the NY School of Burlesque. You said that you wanted to create new classes that were different than anything else out there and asked what I was thinking of. Then I said I had this crazy idea of teaching my gypsy magic combined with performance - to be able to use magic to boost confidence and cast a gorgeous spell on a willing audience. You fully supported the birth of that idea and gave me a shot at teaching and I fell in love with it. I love passing on my Grandma Helen's magic in my classes to other women. It has changed my life and I hope it can help others as well.
Did you ever expect to be teaching regularly?
No! Teaching kind of weaved its way into my life and it's a definite passion of mine. It started as something I wanted to try and I'm in love with it. I just think back of my first class with you in 2005 and how much you changed my life by sharing your experiences and knowledge. Teaching has the power to make the world a better place. It really does.
What are some of the classes you teach?
I am so proud to be teaching all of my burlesque classes, Spellbinding Burlesque and Advanced Spellbinding Burlesque at the NY School of Burlesque. I'm excited for this September 17th to be teaching Spellbinding Burlesque again at NYSB.
I also teach non-burlesque classes at my own Danger Dame School of Deadly Charms, which has classes like: Love Magic for Couples, Foundations of the Femme Fatale and the Seven Secrets of Seduction. It's about confidence, signature style, and rocking it out in our day to day experiences as women. It's the sexy version of life coaching.
What have been some of your favorite experiences as an instructor?
Seeing change occur. When I worked with Andrea on MTV's Made - and I got a chance to be a teacher for her every day for six weeks, I saw a big change happen. One of my favorite things that made me cry, was just seeing the way she held herself, it had changed by the end. Her shoulders were back and proud and she held her head high. That was not the girl I met, it was the girl she became. We saw each other in March when I was on tour, and two years later, she is rocking her confidence. She has grown leaps and bounds and is an inspiration to others.
In Spellbinding Burlesque, one of my favorite parts is teaching them to strut with magic intent and then seeing all these badass girls strutting with me as we dance towards the mirror together. I have learned that the magic part is more than something you can see, it's something you can feel. You can feel the power radiating off of them. It's not something you can fake, it's something you have to draw from deep within. When it works, it's earth shattering. It's literally spellbinding. One of my favorite experiences as an instructor is being a witness to that.
What do you most hope people take away from your classes?
I hope they can have a more positive and saucy outlook, knowing that we can create our experiences with the magic that we were born with.
I once heard this analogy that stuck with me.... I realized that when I was running around in my life doing all of these things I didn't enjoy and trying to please others, I was like a a person running up and down a beach with a flashlight trying to bring the boats in. Which doesn't work. Only when I stood tall in my true self, unashamed and wholly me, was when I could become the lighthouse and draw the right "boats" in. Everything in my life clicked when I was the true me. So I tell my students - Be the lighthouse. Shine who you are to the world and the world will come to you.
Final word of advice for aspiring performers?
See you in class!
Catch Veronica's next class at The New York School of Burlesque!
Above: Veronica Varlow and me with David Byrne at the Bowery Hotel. Why not?
How did you learn to do burlesque?
When I first saw burlesque, it was as if I was spying on an ancient and secret rite of women to claim the power in their own sensuality. I was awe-struck that first night I stumbled upon this world of burlesque in 2000 at the Slipper Room. That little corner of Orchard and Stanton became my version of church which I visited weekly to worship the power and beauty of the performers there.
At that point, I was learning. I was an eager pupil to learn the movement of confidence, to learn the slowness of sensuality, to learn the power of being unafraid.
I was a bystander for 3 years. A witness to the world I longed for. But, alas, the comforts of my cubicle were too good. I was skilled at the world of work, but I knew nothing about this mysterious world of boas, of fringe, of tassels.
In December of 2003, I was volunteering at a local animal shelter in Brooklyn, when a recently picked up dog, a rottwelier - sunk his teeth into my face. He ripped the right side of my nose and tip of my nose from my face and his top teeth landed less than an inch away from my left eye, digging into my skin.
I was in surgery for eight hours, staring at the ceiling, contemplating my life. In the end, that rottwelier was an angel in disguise. Lying in that hospital bed that day, I was at a crossroads. I realized that the only reason that I hadn't done burlesque is because I was afraid of what others would think of me. I realized that I had stayed in a comfortable life that I was bored with to appease others. I realized that the rottwelier could have killed me if he wanted to, that I could have possibly been lying there in the hospital with ten minutes left to live regretting all the things I hadn't done in my life.
That was the turning point.
I started watching old films of burlesque, going to shows, and developing my alter ego (who has since taken over entirely). I signed up for a Burlesque 101 class with the NY School of Burlesque when it was back at the Bowery Poetry Club and dragged a friend with me. World Famous Bob was a guest speaker that day and the things that the both of you said during class opened up my mind to what could be possible. You presented a whole new delicious road to me. A month later, I debuted in World Famous Bob's New Revue for the first time, and a week after that did my first full show with Ixion Burlesque, and I was hooked. The burlesque bug bit me. Hard.
What are some of your favorite acts to perform?
I just performed with Gotham Burlesque singing My Heart Belongs to Daddy with Albert Garzon on piano - and that was an epic night. I love weaving magic into the words I'm singing and also creating a spell with the slow stripping out of my clothes simultaneously.
I also love doing my Isis number because it mixes the sacred and the sensual for me. I perform a magic ritual with my dance and I honor the dancing women of lifetimes past. It's a special one for me.
I debuted a new fire poi burlesque number at Coney Island this Summer. For me, that is reclaiming the fire, after we lost our home and our things in an electrical fire in April. When I was on stage, I was dancing with the fire as a partner. That powerful element swirled around me on the Coney Island stage in the dark, two months to the day that our house burned to the ground, and I truly felt like the Phoenix in that moment.
How did you come to tour with Emilie Autumn, and what was that like?
Amazing and life changing! Emilie doesn't hold auditions. She just puts the call out. She's a very magical person and she's incredible at manifesting the world she wants to create. My good friend, Aprella, was performing with her for a year and had suggested me as a possibility for a new member in the show.
What's crazy is that Emilie had seen me and bookmarked my Danger Dame site years before. So we were destined to perform together and when the moon was full and the stars perfectly aligned themselves, I found myself on a plane to Germany for rehearsals. We are a tight knit family and I am grateful for all the beautiful adventures we have had together all over the world and I'm looking forward to future adventures. We are headed to Australia in November!
When did you start teaching within the burlesque community?
I believe that was 2007 and it was inspired over a cup of tea at Teany's with you when I finally got the courage to ask you if I could teach a class at the NY School of Burlesque. You said that you wanted to create new classes that were different than anything else out there and asked what I was thinking of. Then I said I had this crazy idea of teaching my gypsy magic combined with performance - to be able to use magic to boost confidence and cast a gorgeous spell on a willing audience. You fully supported the birth of that idea and gave me a shot at teaching and I fell in love with it. I love passing on my Grandma Helen's magic in my classes to other women. It has changed my life and I hope it can help others as well.
Did you ever expect to be teaching regularly?
No! Teaching kind of weaved its way into my life and it's a definite passion of mine. It started as something I wanted to try and I'm in love with it. I just think back of my first class with you in 2005 and how much you changed my life by sharing your experiences and knowledge. Teaching has the power to make the world a better place. It really does.
What are some of the classes you teach?
I am so proud to be teaching all of my burlesque classes, Spellbinding Burlesque and Advanced Spellbinding Burlesque at the NY School of Burlesque. I'm excited for this September 17th to be teaching Spellbinding Burlesque again at NYSB.
I also teach non-burlesque classes at my own Danger Dame School of Deadly Charms, which has classes like: Love Magic for Couples, Foundations of the Femme Fatale and the Seven Secrets of Seduction. It's about confidence, signature style, and rocking it out in our day to day experiences as women. It's the sexy version of life coaching.
What have been some of your favorite experiences as an instructor?
Seeing change occur. When I worked with Andrea on MTV's Made - and I got a chance to be a teacher for her every day for six weeks, I saw a big change happen. One of my favorite things that made me cry, was just seeing the way she held herself, it had changed by the end. Her shoulders were back and proud and she held her head high. That was not the girl I met, it was the girl she became. We saw each other in March when I was on tour, and two years later, she is rocking her confidence. She has grown leaps and bounds and is an inspiration to others.
In Spellbinding Burlesque, one of my favorite parts is teaching them to strut with magic intent and then seeing all these badass girls strutting with me as we dance towards the mirror together. I have learned that the magic part is more than something you can see, it's something you can feel. You can feel the power radiating off of them. It's not something you can fake, it's something you have to draw from deep within. When it works, it's earth shattering. It's literally spellbinding. One of my favorite experiences as an instructor is being a witness to that.
What do you most hope people take away from your classes?
I hope they can have a more positive and saucy outlook, knowing that we can create our experiences with the magic that we were born with.
I once heard this analogy that stuck with me.... I realized that when I was running around in my life doing all of these things I didn't enjoy and trying to please others, I was like a a person running up and down a beach with a flashlight trying to bring the boats in. Which doesn't work. Only when I stood tall in my true self, unashamed and wholly me, was when I could become the lighthouse and draw the right "boats" in. Everything in my life clicked when I was the true me. So I tell my students - Be the lighthouse. Shine who you are to the world and the world will come to you.
Final word of advice for aspiring performers?
See you in class!
Catch Veronica's next class at The New York School of Burlesque!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Interview with Kitty Hartl, the producer of Cabaret New Burlesque.
Kitty Hartl is one of the loveliest people you'd ever want to meet, but sometimes I get so darn mad at her. My roommate is Julie Atlas Muz, and Kitty is always stealing her away to perform overseas! So I decided to pry into the motivations of this woman who deprives me of staying up late nights with my roomie.
"Forget the Follies Bergere, this is the Cabaret New Burlesque. Nude girls galore, but no porcelain dolls. Ferociously funny, extremely rock n roll, spicy, accomplished singers, and heirs to a long and rich American tradition, the savvy performers of the Cabaret New Burlesque are among the best in the business who, through sauciness and excess (in language and body), know how to find elegance and poetry in the absurd. Mezmerized spectators won't soon forget the grace and charm of [these performers]."
On Tour Now! See tour dates.
What is your background in the entertainment industry?
I have worked as a music and performance curator in a cultural center in France over 10 years, organised and curated several music festivals & art events.
What is Cabaret New Burlesque?
It's a burlesque show with 6 amazing American performers created in France in 2004.
How did you get the idea for it?
While doing researches for singular, unique and surprising projects for festivals, I found there's an artistic connection among some artists, especially rock'n roll ones I aready invited before.
How did you find the performers?
Dirty Martini, Kitten on the Keys and Mimi le Meaux at Tease-o-rama in Los Angeles in 2003, I also discovered Roky at this edition but only decided to add him in 2007 due to his cowboy pogo act! I think Dirty recommended Julie as I was looking for a mermaid for an art event in 2007, but then discouered her multi talents and since then she's been a regular part of the cast. Evie was recommended to Mathieu Amalric for the movie Tournée when he was looking for someone extremely shy and without much stage experience, so she's part of the Cabaret since 2010.
http://youtu.be/VhB8fq9HCok
How are audiences responding to the show?
Great, of course differently than in the states, less expressive and no shouting, but with the time to get used to it they learn to scream. Also, Kitten on the Keys coaches them very well how to behave.
What kind of people do you think come to the show?
All of ages, from 10 to 90 years, male and females mixed, all classes, from popular to high bourgoisie .
Photos by Eve Saint-Ramon
How big are the venues where you have the show?
It varies from 150 to 1000, lately more over 500 people, we even did a show at a huge Rock festival in front of 9000 people outdoors.
Where is Cabaret New Burlesque scheduled to show in the next six months?
Mostly in France, but also in some other european countries, eg London, Slovenie, Spain, Italy, perhaps Greece....
What would you like to see happen next for the show?
To tour and develop the spirit and the mouvement in some countries in Asia, especially also in Japan and South America countries.
She is absolutely shameless about her intentions to take my GF even further away! But I forgive her--the postcards are amazing.
Cabaret New Burlesque Website
"Forget the Follies Bergere, this is the Cabaret New Burlesque. Nude girls galore, but no porcelain dolls. Ferociously funny, extremely rock n roll, spicy, accomplished singers, and heirs to a long and rich American tradition, the savvy performers of the Cabaret New Burlesque are among the best in the business who, through sauciness and excess (in language and body), know how to find elegance and poetry in the absurd. Mezmerized spectators won't soon forget the grace and charm of [these performers]."
On Tour Now! See tour dates.
What is your background in the entertainment industry?
I have worked as a music and performance curator in a cultural center in France over 10 years, organised and curated several music festivals & art events.
What is Cabaret New Burlesque?
It's a burlesque show with 6 amazing American performers created in France in 2004.
How did you get the idea for it?
While doing researches for singular, unique and surprising projects for festivals, I found there's an artistic connection among some artists, especially rock'n roll ones I aready invited before.
How did you find the performers?
Dirty Martini, Kitten on the Keys and Mimi le Meaux at Tease-o-rama in Los Angeles in 2003, I also discovered Roky at this edition but only decided to add him in 2007 due to his cowboy pogo act! I think Dirty recommended Julie as I was looking for a mermaid for an art event in 2007, but then discouered her multi talents and since then she's been a regular part of the cast. Evie was recommended to Mathieu Amalric for the movie Tournée when he was looking for someone extremely shy and without much stage experience, so she's part of the Cabaret since 2010.
http://youtu.be/VhB8fq9HCok
How are audiences responding to the show?
Great, of course differently than in the states, less expressive and no shouting, but with the time to get used to it they learn to scream. Also, Kitten on the Keys coaches them very well how to behave.
What kind of people do you think come to the show?
All of ages, from 10 to 90 years, male and females mixed, all classes, from popular to high bourgoisie .
Photos by Eve Saint-Ramon
How big are the venues where you have the show?
It varies from 150 to 1000, lately more over 500 people, we even did a show at a huge Rock festival in front of 9000 people outdoors.
Where is Cabaret New Burlesque scheduled to show in the next six months?
Mostly in France, but also in some other european countries, eg London, Slovenie, Spain, Italy, perhaps Greece....
What would you like to see happen next for the show?
To tour and develop the spirit and the mouvement in some countries in Asia, especially also in Japan and South America countries.
She is absolutely shameless about her intentions to take my GF even further away! But I forgive her--the postcards are amazing.
Cabaret New Burlesque Website
Friday, September 30, 2011
Four Nights of Glitter and Glamour in Gotham!
September 29-October 2
The New York Burlesque Festival
It was the first burlesque festival of its kind in the world, and people come from all over the world to be in it!
Thursday September 29th
THE TEASER PARTY
Hosted By: The World Famous *BOB*
The Bell House
149 7th Street (between 2nd & 3rd), Brooklyn
thebellhouseny.com
Doors 7:00pm | Show 8:00pm
$10 advance, $15 at the door
Friday September 30th
THE PREMIERE PARTY
Hosted By: Scotty the Blue Bunny
Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn
brooklynbowl.com
Doors 8:00 pm | Show 9:00pm
$10 at the door
Saturday October 1st
THE SATURDAY SPECTACULAR
Hosted By: Murray Hill
BB King's
237 West 42nd Street, Manhatten
www.bbkingblues.com
Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:30 pm
$25 advanced, $30 at the door
$65 VIP advanced
SATURDAY NIGHT OFFICIAL NYBF AFTER PARTY
Featuring DJ Bill Coleman, GOGOs, & More!
11pm - 1am @ Lucille's Bar
(Next door to BB King's and free for all Saturday ticket holders)
Sunday October 2nd
THE GOLDEN PASTIE AWARDS
Hosted By: Miss Astrid
Highline Ballroom
431 16th Street, Manhattan
highlineballroom.com
Doors 7:00 pm | Show: 8:00 pm
$20 advanced, $25 at the door
$30 VIP advanced, $35 VIP at the door
Sunday Night Official NYBF "All Stripped Out" After Party presented by BurlesqueBeat.com
DJs 2BTs, cocktail specials, mini-burgers and more!
11pm - 2am @ POP Burger
60 9th Avenue btw. 14/15th Streets
Headmistress Jo Boobs Weldon will be debuting a never-before-seen spectacular number Oct 1.
For details on the festival visit
http://www.thenewyorkburlesquefestival.com
For details on the classes we're providing during the festival visit
http://www.schoolofburlesque.com/newyorkburlesquefestivalclasses2011.shtml
Friday, September 9, 2011
Unleashed with Garo Sparo Premieres Tonight!
Yahoo!
AM New York's photo of me performing my Sherry Britton Tribute number at the Mother's Day Show at the Highline Ballroom.
Above: Me in the suit Garo made for my "Show Business" number, performing in my Striptease How-to video.
In honor of the premiere of Garo's show, I'm rereleasing this interview, which was also published in Alarm Press magazine.
In a recent post, I described how many burlesque performers collaborate very closely with designers, and named corsetier Garo Sparo as one of our favorite collaborators. Happily, Garo consented to an interview and allowed me the honor of taking some photos in his studio while he fit me for the "Parade of Muses" in his Sparkle and Cinch Fashion Show coming up on February 6.
Can you give me a little history about Garo Sparo? How did you begin designing? What do you like most about it?
I grew up around design. My grandparents were experts in bead-work and lace making. We always had sewing machines in the house while I was growing up. I began learning clothing construction from a Native American costume designer in Long Island when I was 11, which led to designing my first dress at 14. My teenage years were spent making hats that were sold in local shops and night clubs and making clothes for myself and friends. I think what I enjoy most about designing is that it allows me to make a living doing something I love, and I constantly get to work with inspiring and talented people.
Photos on the wall in Garo's Studio.
You're in the East Village where so much of the current burlesque scene exists or originated. How is the East Village scene for you?
The East Village is an amazing place, I live and work here and I would not want to be anywhere else. I think it is the only place in Manhattan where I could really feel inspired. There is always a strong gathering of colorful and creative people here to work with.
How did you become involved with burlesque costuming?
It began with working with * BOB * in the nineties. I always loved doing costuming, especially that which is functional and involves layering and mechanics, which burlesque often does. It also made sense that I would do burlesque work because corsetry is one of my specialties.
Bambi in her shrimp costume at Exotic World, Helendale, CA.
Tell me about your relationships with two or three of your burlesque clients.
Bambi: I love working with Bambi because her costumes are always transformations of her own personality into some kind of creature; a character that represents who she is by being totally off the wall and quirky but still beautiful and elegant. Her personality is embedded in the outfit and the costume is used to portray it.
Bunny Love- The purpose of Bunny Love's costumes is, and the reason I love working with her, is that they are created to abstract her true motivation. I once heard * BOB * describer her as "a playboy bunny with rabies," which is absolutely true. We always design things that are very sweet and girly, super feminine and even prim and proper. It is always to counter the truly subversive and bizarre nature of her acts.
* BOB *: * BOB *'s personality is framed by her costumes. She is not necessarily transformed into another character, but they serve to honor and present her own beauty and character and represent her distinctive taste and aesthetic.
How involved in the process of designing the costume or act do you become?
I become very involved in the creation of the entire piece. I discuss with the performer what will happen in the act. I then break it down so that the costume completely works with the choreography, and allows everything that will take place to happen in the smoothest, most beautiful manner possible.
As a costumer and performer I often find that the costume dictates the choreography, or the other way around. Do you find yourself getting involved in the acts? Do you go to see them after you make the costumes?
I always dissect the whole act so that everything will happen in a gorgeous succession. I design the costume, but also work with the performer on the choreography so that everything works together as a whole. Usually the performers that work with me perform acts that are particularly "costume –centric," so the outfit and choreography go hand in hand. I am always busy but I do try to see my clients perform when I can.
What has been your most challenging experience with creating a burlesque costume? Your most satisfying? Your favorite costume?
I think the most challenging outfit to date was probably Bunny Love's pink cake. It has to go from being a 5'8 tall cake to falling onto ground into a pile of ruffles in a matter of seconds. This was definitely quite a challenge mechanically.
It's hard for me to choose favorites but one costume that was very satisfying was Bambi's shrimp costume. It was very complete and extremely layered. It included something like over 10 elements of accessories and layers, and to top it off she had a lemon wedge that squeezed glitter juice all over her body! All the coordinating elements that created a beautiful whole made it very satisfying to design and create.
Another one of my favorites was Bambi's blacklight snail costume. I love it so much because she actually could get inside of it. It was beautiful on its own or under blacklight. It was extremely visually pleasing and also very layered and complex.
A sketch in Garo's studio.
What's next for the fabulous Garo Sparo?
I am doing a fashion show in February 2008 that I am very excited about. I will be showcasing my recent work and many of my burlesque and drag clients will be present to show off things I have made for them. I am very happy in my career at this point and am working to keep doing what I'm doing but on a larger scale. I want to continue to do couture, and costuming for film, events, burlesque and all types of performance. I love doing all of these things and I want to keep growing and expanding.
More photos from Garo's studio
Garo's Website
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