Inspiration: Yoko Ono
When I think about some of my inspirations, I often think that they're not very visible in my work. Sometimes what informs a given number remains in it as an energy rather than an emulation of a style or technique. However, it's also true that a great deal of my work has actually been seen by very few people or by nonburlesque audiences. I have a history of numbers I no longer do, or I perform one-offs in shows that aren't photographed or filmed. While my more traditional numbers--which represent some of my most passionate expression of my belief in striptease as a standalone art form--are the ones I perform most frequently and are the most documented, I've done tons of performances and readings that look nothing like that. Yoko Ono, artist, activist, icon, and iconoclast, is probably one of the least visible influences in my burlesque work, though she's always there in my idea of the radical female who doesn't hesitate to make a statement in the nude. ht...