As a budding burlesque beauty how does one promote themselves? I just graduated from Trixie Little Burlesque Bootcamp and had my first performance. I live in the Washington D.C. area. Any tips?

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Congratulations on graduation!
It depends on what you want to promote yourself to do! If you want to perform, put together a facebook page, create a few more acts, develop them as much as possible, film them any old way you can (rehearsal space is fine), and offer to help at other shows in order to get to know producers, performers, and venues. For many shows in smaller venues, people hire performers first because they are good performers, but also because they are reliable and easy to get along with, and this offers a chance to let them get to know you that way.
If you see auditions, go to them! Even if you don't get the gig, again, you'll develop a reputation for being reliable and easy to get along with.
Various cities are different, too, so this is just a brief answer.
Never offer to perform for free for gigs for which other performers are getting paid. Most producers are also performers, and will feel you're undercutting them. Plus, you'll be lowering the price for all performers, and the business can't sustain performers if they can't afford to keep performing because they aren't getting paid enough.

Ask me anything about Burlesque!

Comments

shimarella said…
What if you are asked to perform for free? And its not a charity event. When/how do you start being firmer about wanting to be paid for your time?
May 6, 2010 at 1:22 PM
Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque Blog said…
We all perform for free sometimes, but here's the deal--if people are getting paid, the performers should get paid. If people are making money off of you or their event is higher profile or better attended or looks better because of you, and they're making money off of the event, you should get paid. Even benefits should pay at least cabfare if at all possible. So politely tell them that it takes you hours to prepare and hundreds of dollars to make your costume, and the five-minute performance they see is not all you are investing in your appearance.

But we do all sometimes perform for free, for various reasons.
May 6, 2010 at 6:25 PM
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