Burlesque Appreciation Month 2020 - An Introduction

In February, I decided to celebrate what I called Burlesque Appreciation Month on my Facebook page. Twenty-nine days, twenty-nine mini-essays about burlesque performers, personalities, ideas and institutions that have come to mean something to me in my decade or so as a fan of the art.

I began with a mental list of possibilities that numbered well over twenty-nine. I knew I'd not be able to get to everything I considered. As the writing commenced, it became clear that I was best-served writing about performers I have met and spoken with about their history and artistic process. I further narrowed it down to people I actually was friends with on Facebook, but again, that left many writing options I simply didn't get to.

Every day, I began my essay with this descriptor/disclaimer, and it only makes sense to copy it here for everyone to read:

"Just some quick notes on methodology, 'cause I'm a nerd. While I have some idea of what I'll be writing about in broad strokes, I haven't locked anything down, so I'll legitimately be writing each day off the top of my head. I do this not to exclude anyone or anything, but to piece together some thoughts in hopes that, in 29 days, I'll have celebrated an art form I've come to love in the best way I can, and I hope to be inclusive in that respect."

Who am I? I hope that question is revealed somewhat in each of these mini-essays, but I'll answer here, too. I'm a burlesque fan and a frequent attendee of shows and festivals all over North America, and I've been fortunate enough to develop friendships with several international burlesque performers, producers, support staff, and, of course, other fans. I've had a small hand in producing and sponsoring burlesque shows, and I hope to do much more in the future, but my goal is to continue to see burlesque as an educated enthusiast, first and foremost.

I may make minor edits as I re-read and re-post everything, but this should be 99.9% exactly what I wrote each day in February 2020. Things have changed in the weeks since these essays were originally published due to Covid-19, so some references to future events may no longer be correct. I will do my best to leave notes in those instances.

Read in peace, and please reach out if you enjoy this project.

Best,

Paul Lewis

Twitter - @TheOneWhoKnox

Instagram - @1WhoKnox 

Day 1 - Iva Handfull

I could start with a few different things, but the only place that feels right isn't at the beginning, which was a Velvet Hammer show in Los Angeles in the waning days of that troupe. It wasn't with a few other shows featuring world class entertainers who still rank among my favorites. It was at the very first Southern Fried Burlesque Festival (R.I.P.) when I saw Iva Handfull perform that I truly became a burlesque devotee.

It was her Firestarter act because of course it was. I don't even particularly like the song, but I certainly noted that it wasn't a typical music selection for a burlesque routine (or at least the burlesque I had seen to that point). I was used to fan dances being light, airy confections, with the fans acting as graceful, winglike implements, or gently expressive extensions of the arms and fingers. As Iva swirled and stomped and treated her fiery feather fans in nigh-violent ways I'd never seen fans utilized before, almost like razors slicing through the air, my third eye opened to the possibilities of burlesque. It could be a radical statement of individuality and personality. It could be whatever the hell you wanted it to be.

Had I not experienced Firestarter when I did, it's likely I would have continued going to shows, and another act could have had the same effect at a later date, but Firestarter was it for me, and I couldn't be happier that it was.

Iva remains a powerful and unique performer, a blockbuster producer, a thoughtful educator and a community servant through BurlyCon, the yearly burlesque education conference.

She's also my friend, and I love her.

Thanks, Iva.

Day 2 - Burlesque Hall of Fame

It's Super Bowl Sunday, so it makes sense to write a little bit today about the Super Bowl of Burlesque, The Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender aka "BHoF", held in Las Vegas in late May/early June every year. It's a fundraiser and P.R. opportunity for the actual Burlesque Hall of Fame & Museum, which is a lovely little museum space which is open year round in, you guessed it, Las Vegas.

Imagine the best burlesque show you've seen, and stretch it over four nights.

The first night is all about innovative acts and hypnotic performers and is the perfect survey of where burlesque is RIGHT NOW.

The second night honors the history of the art and the many women (and a few men) who have been keeping it alive for decades.

The third night features over THIRTY acts and, no matter how you feel about competition in the arts, the titles awarded this night, including Queen of Burlesque, mean a hell of a lot to the people pursuing them.

The fourth night is a bunch of performers who have won those titles in previous years just blowing the doors off because they have nothing left to prove.

My first year attending was 2012 and I thought I knew a few things. I didn't know A DAMN THING. The high level the performers who are accepted to grace that stage are consistently working at bent my mind. And since performers come from EVERYWHERE ON EARTH, you get to see stuff you'd never catch unless you traveled most every week all around the planet to see a show or two.

If burlesque has a Mecca, it's Las Vegas in the early summer. The call to prayer aka advance ticket sales usually start in March for members of the museum. I know where I'll be June 4-7, 2020.

NOTE: Due to Covid-19, Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend was rescheduled to August 27-30, 2020.

Day 3 - Ballet

I can't say I know a lot about ballet. I lack the ability to discuss big chunks of performing arts like music and dance because, while I know some words and concepts, I don't understand how they practically come to life on a stage (other than practitioners work their ass off to master their craft). I just don't have the vocabulary to do them justice.

It may be a bit of a cop-out to simply say "I know what I like," but in this case I have to resort to that. There have been so many times I've been thrilled by a burlesque performer and, in discussing their history which led them to the stage, I find they studied ballet for a time.

Now, I love many a performer who never wore a tutu or would even think of going en pointe. Some of my absolute favorites have no formal dance training at all. But I must admit that, for my eyes at least, ballet training and its emphasis on grace and precise control of movement translates powerfully well to the burlesque stage.

Usually, when I compliment someone and their formal training becomes a part of the conversation, they usually lead with "Yeah, all those years of ballet sure paid off!" as they acknowledge the disconnect between the "proper" art of ballet and the ignominious, oft-misundrrstood art of burlesque. Speaking only for myself, I love that disconnect.

Burlesque is not just about people taking their clothes off. It challenges convention and recontextualizes other forms of art to create something new. I find it gorgeous that one of the most stereotypically disciplined forms of dance finds itself frequently deconstructed and respun into something no less graceful and powerful, just more naked.

Day 4 - Lola Frost

I wish I could post a time-lapse photo of my aura taken while watching Lola Frost perform, because that would better illustrate the energy she brings to her audience moreso than clumsy human words.

I saw Lola's "Mummy" duet with Cherry On Top at my first BHoF Weekend, and it's still one of my favorite acts I've been fortunate enough to witness live. I wrote a few things about it in a blog I used to play around with, she read those things and replied, and pictured here is when I actually met her at BHoF 2013. I am often nervous meeting people I admire, but I had no trepidation with Lola Frost.

Truly great performers bring a multitude of skills and talents to the stage, but also often have one shining thing that sets them apart like a flaming beacon. Lola is better than anyone I've seen at connecting deeply to an audience instantly, making 50 or 400 or 2,000 people feel that she is somehow performing directly to each of them individually. Jane Smith in the standing room only section who just casually bought a ticket on a whim and showed up late is still going to be leaving that show with a bone-deep sense that she saw something special, even transformative.

That's not just because Lola kills as a dancer and all-around performer, she radiates a wavelength that, when a scientist learns how to measure it, will be used to treat depression and other chronic ailments. Her "Drink Me Sober" routine is as cathartic an experience as I've ever had watching someone on stage.

Lola recently returned to one of the great burlesque towns in the world, Vancouver, BC, Canada and was just certified as a pilates instructor besides still owning every stage she walks upon. She is a stellar human being, a thoughtful friend, and equal parts serpent and panther, aka a "Serpanther." Usually when a dangerous animal is spotted somewhere, the local government enacts quarantine zones and warns residents to stay indoors. Vancouver hung up a "Welcome Back, Lola Frost" sign and threw a party.

Day 5 - Lola LeSoleil

One good Lola deserves another.

Yesterday I waxed rhapsodic about Lola Frost. Today I'd like to say a few words about Atlanta's Lady of Legitude, Lola LeSoleil.

I think it's fair to say that, when Southeastern burlesque is discussed, it's not as well-represented on the international stage as several other areas I could name. And while it may be true that New York City has more headlining performers per capita than Atlanta, that doesn't mean that the best of The Dirty South can't stand toe-to-toe with everyone else. Lola LeSoleil is Exhibit A in that argument.

She's never less than magnetic on stage, but in ways, she's as good a performer off-stage. Some of her greatest numbers feature her entering from the audience, working the crowd, building anticipation so that when she finally arrives in front of everyone, they're primed to go crazy. Which they do, every time.

Lola is one of the few Southeastern performers to solo at BHoF. Her "Stood Up" number there speaks to so many things she does well...telling an empowering story, owning an innate sense of musicality, and communicating a sheer joy expressed through movement. I love the moments when she just lets it fly onstage and dances it out, because she can MOVE, but that number also shows she can work with relative stillness and still never lose her audience. Why? Because STAGE PRESENCE.
She's also frequently the most stylish lady in the room, both at burlesque events and just hanging out IRL, but you can see that in the picture.

I met Lola before she became a performer at, ironically, a burlesque show, when we were just a couple of people looking to enjoy a fun show, so I've been fortunate to witness her progression as an artist after she decided to perform herself. Some people work and get on stage for months or even years before it clicks for them and they truly up their game. I think Lola had "It" from Day One.

Day 6 - James and the Giant Pasty

We're going back to Canada today, home of one of our great Boylesque performers, James and the Giant Pasty.

I had seen James perform at BHoF a couple of times (though never in competition for King, strangely enough), but got to know him fairly well a couple of years ago at the 2017 Toronto Burlesque Festival. We had a conversation about baseball, and when I can find a dude to intelligently discuss sports with in the burlesque community, I take it as a happy sign.

At that festival I saw James perform what was my favorite new act I saw that year, his Statue of Liberty/Donald Trump piece. It's overtly political, of course, but still inspiring, hopeful and entertaining. I've since seen it twice more when James has toured through Atlanta and I've found it just as awe-inspiring every time. It's a clever and beautiful act.

Despite not yet being accepted as a King competitor, James IS a member of the acclaimed Boylesque T.O. troupe, which has taken the "Most Comedic" title at BHoF. It was well-deserved.

James and I have spoken at length, so I'm somewhat privy to his work process, and when I add up who he is as a person with who he is as a performer, he's one of the most thoughtful, funny and downright innovative people who happen to make burlesque their primary art form. Regardless of titles or other honorifics, when I think of the all-around best Boylesque performers in the world, he's right there.

NOTE: Since the original publication of this essay, James was selected to compete for King of Burlesque at Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2020.

Day 7 - Charlie Quinn Starling

I look for potential tie-ins on these essays any time I can find one, and since this is opening weekend for Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, it only makes sense to write about talented cosplayer and burlesque performer Charlie Quinn Starling.

I met Charlie at last year's Smoky Mountain Burlesque Festival (after seeing her perform at BHoF) but then caught her in quick succession at BurlyCon and then the Savannah Burlesque Festival, to say nothing of a quick trip to Las Vegas I fit in at the end of last year. To be well-traveled as a burlesque performer is to be in demand, which she clearly is.

What I want to focus on specifically is her role in Absinthe, the #Vegashitshow which has been delighting and offending audiences in front of Caesar's Palace for nearly a decade. As much as I love burlesque, I sometimes worry that shows are produced largely by and for other performers and hardcore fans, and if a few stray normies show up, cool, that's a few extra bucks in the till. Absinthe is performed twice a night, and if that Spiegeltent is packed, that's 1,200 people who get to see a professional, polished and fun burlesque routine by "The Green Fairy" right at the top of the proceedings. That makes The Green Fairy one of the most viewed burlesque acts in the world, witnessed by people who might never buy a ticket to a show otherwise.

Absinthe begins with a delirious chair-stacking act just before The Green Fairy literally descends from the apex of the tent, singing beautifully (the Green Fairy has a VOICE y'all!) and welcoming the crowd to the show while also performing a striptease. Most weeks, if you see the show on Sunday or Monday, your Green Fairy is Charlie Quinn Starling. Big love also to Hazel Honeysuckle, the Tuesday-Saturday Green Fairy, Raquel Reed, the bombshell in the gorilla suit, and Melody Sweets, who originated the Green Fairy role. Absinthe always features a wealth of burlesque talent.

Charlie is also part of a "Cabaret" themed trio with Lily Starr and burlesque legend Lovey Goldmine that brought down the house at both BHoF and the Smoky Mountain Festival (for serious, the applause level was thunderous). She also has formal ballet training (see day 3 of these essays) that clearly helps her either grace up her smuttiness or smut up her gracefulness on stage. She is generous and talented AF, and though I don't know her nearly as well as some other people I'll be writing about, I very much want to see a lot more burlesque from her in the coming years.

Day 8 - David Bishop

You can produce and promote a show and you can book the best emcee and the finest performers in the land, but if you don't have someone managing that stage, it will likely be a mess. That's when you go see David Bishop.

Burlesque shows can be weird. You can easily have twenty or more performers at the big festival shows that are smart enough to hire David as their traffic cop, and that's a mix of big personalities and specialized props and costumes that may need a lot of help getting from one place to the next, to say nothing of cleaning up glitter dumps and any number of other foreign substances that can find their way to a burlesque stage (I just mean stuff like food and water and maybe some fake blood. Get your head out of the gutter, dear reader). It's a specialized job, to be sure, but David tackles it with ablomb, commanding a squad of stage kittens with military precision.

David more than manages the stage of most of his shows, he also frequently opens gigs with the infamous "Burlesque Blessing." I remember the first time I saw him, wondering who the hell this pope-looking guy was doing this blessing thing. Now that I've been blessed well into the double digits, I've come to embrace the theology David espouses ("Omnium, Pastieum, Tassleum...G-Stringum") with evangelical vigor. I think even agnostics or atheists can understand the power of ritual, and I'm happy that the Burlesque Blessing is our inclusive invocation at so many shows.

David has become one of my best friends in the burlesque community and I dearly appreciate when I can catch up with him for the five minutes he's not busy during the day helping to run tech and being certain everything will run smoothly. I've spoken with him A LOT, and I know his love of the art of burlesque and the many people he helps backstage to be profound and genuine.

I can also easily pick him him and carry him around, which is neither a positive or a negative, necessarily, but a fun fact to end on, nonetheless.

Day 9 - Coco Lectric

Today will be a bit of a twofer as I reflect on one of the best singular performances I've seen on a burlesque stage and the performer who brought it, and also how the act in question is different than most other performances I've enjoyed. If you stop reading at this paragraph, let this be your takeaway: Coco Lectric and a boa are a winning combination.

Admittedly, I'm a bit more of a neo-burlesque fan than a classic burlesque fan. I tend to enjoy character creation, storytelling, humor, or acts making some sort of statement, not just someone getting on stage in a glamorous costume and showing out. But every time I think I'm bored of that classic ethos, I remember how singularly perfect it can be in the hands of a master.

There's a festival I no longer attend, and I won't mention it by name because reasons, but Coco was crowned festival Queen in 2010. I spoke to her afterwards, wondering how she had worked out her choreography and how long she had rehearsed her winning act, and the answer was: she really didn't. She asked the band to play (all the performances were to a live band, btw) and she just went up there and gave everything she had with that red boa, trusting her instincts as a dancer and a performer and the hundreds of hours spent in general rehearsal and on dozens of stages to JUST MURDER THE CROWD. It was so 'Lectric (ha ha) that the crowd didn't need defibrillators to be brought back to life. The performance was a constant circuit of kill/revive, kill/revive, kill/revive. She probably didn't even need the boa, but it was the exclamation point that drove the act home.

I tend to prefer to be prepared, myself. I like to know what I'm getting into and what expectations for me might be. That may well be why I prefer acts that have that same wavelength, that structured polish. But I also know that the unexpected, the accidental, the impulsive, and the improvisational can achieve an alchemy unlike anything else on earth. The risk is high, but if you're as amazing a performer as Coco Lectric, the reward is great.

Coco is a founding member of Austin, Texas' Jigglewatts burlesque troupe, though she has stepped away from active membership in the group (I suspect you'll be reading more about them in the coming days). She also co-produces the Texas Burlesque Festival and produces shows with her company Mistress of Musicality Productions. She currently serves as board President for BurlyCon, the burlesque education convention for performers and producers. If she were my champion in a duel, I'd choose a red boa as her weapon.

I found a photo I believe is from that 2010 performance, and that's what I'm sharing to illustrate the essay. Credit goes to Derek Jackson, an amazing photographer who has stepped back from the burlesque scene and is very much missed.

Day 10 - The Jigglewatts

We're staying in Texas today because, once I land in Austin, I don't like to leave. It's a land of amazing live music, tons of outdoor activities, some of the most delicious food on the planet, and The Jigglewatts Burlesque Revue.

Most burlesque performers are independent contractors, as it were, but sometimes they choose to band together and transform into Burlesque Voltron, aka a troupe! Troupes can have different performance aesthetics and different criteria for allowing people to join, but I love what The Jigglewatts have crafted over the years. They've essentially formed a troupe full of headliners, each who could carry a show on any given night, so you know when you're buying a ticket that the level of performance you'll see all evening is exceedingly high.

But it's not a cookie cutter situation where the members are expected to only perform certain kinds of acts in certain ways. The Jigglewatts bring classic burlesque, humor, singing, acrobatics...pretty much anything a seasoned audience member would expect from a variety show. I'm admittedly a total mark for this troupe because when I started watching burlesque, co-founders Ruby Joule and Coco Lectric were some of the first professionally polished and inspiring performers I got to see. As I met more of the troupe, and the badassery kept stacking up at unbelievable levels, I just gave myself over to it. Why deny the greatness directly in front of you?

The Jigglewatts have lost, gained and re-gained a few members over the years, but the current line-up of Ruby Joule, Jolie Goodnight, Ruby Lamb, Something Blue, Lola LeStrange, Layna D'Luna, Pearl Lux and Alexander The Great is something to behold. A lot of the members travel out of town for other shows, produce other shows all over the place, and continue to do their thing for the wider arts community as individuals. But you can be sure that, at least once a month, they'll again form Burlesque Voltron and put on as entertaining a show as you could hope to find as The Jigglewatts.

To paraphrase Elvis, I can't help falling in #JiggleLove.

Day 11 - Bunny Wigglebottom

When I started this project, I only knew one mini-essay I was going to write as well as the day I'd write it. Since February 11 is my birthday, and since burlesque has been a gift, I have to thank the person whose drive and passion and curiosity about burlesque led me to discover it myself.
I'm a fan of burlesque because Bunny Wigglebottom invited me to a show. Thank her, or blame her, I guess, whichever one you prefer.

The first one was a Velvet Hammer show in Los Angeles. It may have even been after that group was defunct, some sort of reunion show, but it was certainly in the latter days of their run. I had fun, for sure, but didn't necessarily expect to go back. But I did. A lot. All because she wanted to learn and see as much as she could, and I got to tag along most of the time. I got to browse the books and articles she was reading and watch the documentaries she dug up and when she started wanting to attend festivals to see even MORE, there, too, went I.

Bunny eventually became a performer. She had studied so much and learned from so many legends and future legends that I don't believe she ever worried or doubted that the burlesque stage was not a place for her. She produced several kinds of acts, from classical to neo, but when she steered directly into comedy without flinching is when I think things opened up for her. Her "Motivational Stripper" act has brought crowds to their feet at most every festival she's attended. Her "Applause" number has already won a costuming award. And she won the freakin' Burlesque Buresque Burlesque pageant in Asheville! She's royalty! I know the next two new acts hitting the stage, and they take the absurdity she's been playing with to new heights. And she probably has solid ideas for about a dozen more.

Bunny's day job commitments sadly don't allow her to perform as regularly as she would like, which only makes it all the more special when she does. I'm obviously biased, but she's become one of the most interesting and creative performers in the Southeast. I'm hoping the "alternate" acceptance she received from the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in 2019 becomes a full-blown acceptance soon. I know of no one who would relish it more than her.

Day 12 - Betsy Bottom Dollar

Canadians, for the most part, fit the stereotypes, chiefly being that they're so damn friendly. At least most of the Canadians I've met have been so. I'm sure there's a bunch of assholes somewhere in Manitoba, but I don't have to deal with them, so good on 'em. Once you start traveling to festivals and meeting people, friendships start to form and conversations take up where you left them a year or two ago at the last festival. I'm decidedly glad one of my friends is Victoria, BC songbird Betsy Bottom Dollar.

I met Betsy and several members of her troupe, The Cheesecake Burlesque Revue, in New Orleans. I really enjoyed their company because, again, Canadians, but you meet people you like all the time and not much comes of it. But I kept running into Betsy in New Orleans, and then in Las Vegas, because the Cheesecakes are often accepted to perform at BHoF. I should mention here a possible bias, because her husband, "The Ginja Ninja," is also named Paul, which is proven scientifically to be in the top 3% of all names and therefore implies that he is a noteworthy gentleman well worth knowing.

Betsy can belt. She has pipes. She can carry a tune home after it gets too drunk at the neighborhood pub. She has a great sense of humor that more often than not finds itself in her routines, and she plays well with others, both as a performer and a damn good emcee. She is endlessly delightful on stage and is as good a friend as I've met through this burlesque thing. Today's theme is friendship, If I've not made that patently obvious yet.

When I went to Victoria, BC late last year, all the time I've spent with Betsy and Paul resulted in an amazing day where they drove my traveling party around the island, giving us the low-down on all the neighborhoods, took us to their beautiful home, and perhaps most importantly on a trip to Canada, secured us the best poutine in town. It was wonderful to spend time with such genuinely warm and thoughtful human beings away from the noise and the constant distractions of a burlesque afterparty. I had a beautiful and relaxing trip to Victoria, a place I've wanted to visit for 20 years, but that afternoon was the thing that put it over the top. A little thing called the Isle of Tease Burlesque Festival was also nice and, ya know, if you like burlesque maybe look into going, I dunno. Just be forewarned that you will be treated well by producers and staff and see a lot of great acts, if that's your kinda thing.

Betsy has taken a step back from performing recently to focus on some other things, and while I certainly hope she is able to return, we never know what life may bring us. All we can hope is that the people we've met along the way will be there for us as the inevitable change has its way. Betsy and Paul have certainly been there for me.

Day 13 - Rebel Vitale

One of the things I've come to love about burlesque and the multidisciplinary artists who create it is that I sometimes learn an appreciation for things that I didn't previously feel were "my thing." For the most part, modern dance styles are not for me, but then I saw Rebel Vitale make them part of her burlesque tapestry, and I had to rethink what I thought I believed.

Like or dislike something, that's OK. Not everything is for everyone. There are thoughtful, passionate, artistic people who may not like burlesque in general, and that's fine. But you should experience a good version of something before you dismiss it.

I first saw Rebel perform at the 2nd Smoky Mountain Burlesque Festival. She made quite an impression, I heard, at the first show at the first fest, which is the only show at that festival I've missed in four years, because the crowd that night was INTO HER. They were WAITING. Even though her style of performance was a bit foreign to me, her style is not the only thing that makes her special. Rebel is SO DAMN INTENSE she can make an audience feel whatever she's feeling. She can literally sway an audience's mood with her own, in some sort of broadcast empathy. She could be inert for most of her act and she could still make an audience feel some sort of way. That is a special skill for any performer to master, and Rebel is one of the best.

Rebel performs frequently in her relatively new hometown of Asheville, North Carolina and also produces the Savannah Burlesque Festival, one of the most promising fests in the country after just two triumphant years. She's been recovering from an injury that prevented her from performing at 100% for several months, and knowing her singular drive, she'll be trying to prove that humans actually CAN exceed 100% effort. Yes, she'll be laughing at basic notions of math and science.

Has modern dance become my thing? No, at least not yet. But I'm glad I get to have Rebel Vitale try to change my mind.

Day 14 - Blanche DeBris

On a day devoted to love, I want to talk about one of the best emcees in the game, who is one of the best because her love for the performers and the audience is palpable. I speak, of course, about Blanche DeBris.

I have no desire to be on a stage. I'll never be a burlesque performer. But I was forced once to emcee a private show where all three performers were close friends and there was zero pressure from the crowd, and even with NO STAKES AT ALL, I got the sweats and felt completely overmatched. I know how hard it can be to emcee a show, so I study the good ones, in case I'm ever stuck again for whatever reason.

I've seen Blanche emcee more festival shows than anyone else, because so many festivals know: book this woman and she'll deliver. She's hilarious, both with any material she's prepared and with in-the-moment reactions, she's just a damn fine singer who frequently opens shows with original song parodies, and, even with all that ability, she never makes the show about her. Blanche always brings the focus back to the performers in the show, and features generous and thoughtful introductions of them. It's clear she just LOVES TO DO THIS and her enthusiasm is contagious to every audience she gets in front of.

More than that, she reminds all of us that we're seeing something great, live theater, together as a community. We are neighbors, if just for 90 minutes, and we have more in common than we probably know. She gives even veteran burlesque fans great perspective on what they see while encouraging newbies to open up and find something they love throughout the proceedings. And when she gets excited and can't contain her energy anymore and does a high kick on stage, I get the giggles every time.

Blanche is heavily involved in the arts community in Las Vegas, and this weekend is finishing a run in a production of Sweeney Todd, playing awful pie purveyor Mrs. Lovett (oh yeah, she's a damn good actress, as well). She has said it's her dream role, but she's already been playing my favorite role of her career for years...the perfect burlesque emcee.

Day 15 - Gidget Bardot

The lifeblood of the burlesque community is not the big festivals, awesome as they are. It's the local shows that allow performers to work out and perfect their acts while fostering an audience that will put money into performer's pockets. I just attended a fantastic local show in Nashville, Brewlesque, held at the Corsair Distillery Taproom and co-produced by Gidget Bardot.

A perfect local show features not only great native talent, but also brings in guests so both the audience and the performers themselves can be exposed to different voices and styles of performing. Brewlesque does that. Nashville has a lot of strong performers, and the show I saw ran the gamut of classical to neo stylings. Themed shows are fun, but my favorites highlight a variety of acts only united by the fact that they're good.

Gidget is a warm and generous person, and her signature act is "Organelles," a stripping biology lesson in more ways than one. Burlesque, with rare exceptions, is not usually a vocation that allows a performer to make a living wage, so most every performer has a day job of some sort. Muggle Gidget actually is a scientist, and I love that her professional life has informed her memorable signature act. A lot of performers run as far as they can from their actual selves when they're on stage, and Gidget's authenticity is a wonderful thing.

Wherever you are, I can almost guarantee there's a burlesque or variety show somewhere close to you at least once a month. There is a good chance you'll enjoy what you see, and those artists will be fed with your cover charge and your applause more than you can know.

Day 16 - Siomai Moore

It was pretty obvious that yesterday's picture was cropped, so it's only fair to share the other half of the picture today and say a few words about The Steamiest Asian Dumpling, Siomai Moore.

Siomai, despite being a relatively new performer, has stormed the scene with a delightful verve and confidence, but, even moreso than her performance career, it may be her offstage contributions that have cast the furthest echoes thus far, but more on that in a moment. I have seen Siomai perform once, and it was her signature "Dumpling" act. It's one of the great costume/prop elements I've seen on stage of late, and my understanding is that the costume has undergone upgrades since, so I hope to see it again!

There isn't really a central hub of burlesque information and conversation. There are facebook groups aplenty and text chains and probably message boards. A lot of people attend Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend and BurlyCon, and connections and consensuses are forged in those places, but not everyone can be there. But everyone CAN listen to one of Siomai's interviews on her podcast, The Pastie Tapes, and feel like they're in a room with their favorite performers telling tales about their origins and inspirations.

I've seen burlesque interview shows or heard burlesque podcasts, but they are often intermittent at best, or end quickly at worst (no judgement...sustaining creative endeavors is hard). For the last few months, Siomai has been doing the work and interviewing a wide swath of burlesque personalities. Hell, I even appeared in an early episode, discussing one of my favorite acts. You may hear my name again on an upcoming cast, but I'll talk about that when it happens.

When I think of Siomai, I first think of her limitless passion for burlesque, a passion that clearly drives her performances, but that also has led her to be one of the clearest voices in the community. Her ability to amplify voices has led her to run multiple professional social media accounts and to teach classes to performers about how to best represent themselves to the wider world. If there's ever a Governor of Burlesque, it will probably be her, so I'm lobbying now for a Cabinet position.

Day 17 - Sweetpea

There are certain performers who have been stalwarts in the decade or so that I've been paying attention to burlesque. Not every performer has longevity in them, and that's OK. I've seen several people do their thing for a few years, then step back for reasons personal or professional. There are others who not only perform within that highly professional strata, but who seemingly find ways to level it up. When I think about this self-improvement dynamic, I think of Sweetpea.

When I think about how crowd-pleasing Sweetpea is (thunderous applause every time) and always has been, it's crazy to think she found new gears to shift into. I've always enjoyed watching her, but about 3 years ago I noticed, Oh damn, she's GETTING BETTER. I can't imagine how you can be at the apex of the game, then figure out how to top your own best self.

I've written about a couple of performer's on-stage energy previously, and though that can't be measured, most of the greats have figured out how to harness and project some intimate aspect of themselves. That said, you can't speak about Sweetpea without talking about her contributions offstage. She is heavily involved in outreach and care for burlesque Legends, the terminology used to describe performers who were active before the neo-burlesque "revival" in the 90's. She genuinely cares about her forebears in the industry, but she really cares about everyone, near as I can see. Even though she drips danger on stage, that is cut through with a profound generosity that can't be hidden, and I think that openness is what feeds a crowd so fully.

We often speak of the member of a group who best exemplifies the ideals the collective puts forth for it's best self as the Heart of that group. The Heart of Burlesque may well be The Energizer Honey herself, Sweetpea.

Day 18 - Roxi D'Lite

There are a lot of great contemporary burlesque performers, but there are a few among that group that will be studied by future generations if burlesque manages to survive. It's difficult to predict the future, of course, but winners of the Miss Exotic World, Queen of Burlesque title at Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend will likely be in that group. So too will performers who create epic signature acts that evoke their name with a single word or turn of phrase, such as "Cigar." If you win other titles, like World Champion of Exotic Dance, well, you're a first-ballot Hall of Famer. You're Roxi D'Lite.

When I think of all the aspects of what makes a burlesque performer, the list includes stage presence, impressive costuming, purposeful movement, a sense of storytelling, connection to the audience, and some undefinable X factor, the "know it when you see it" test. If burlesque were an Olympic event, Roxi would score 10's across the board, even from the notoriously difficult Russian judge.

This past September, I got to witness Roxi's new bathtub act in which her husband Dante dutifully pours bottle after bottle of champagne over her. It's the signature act of Roxi's new Whoopee Club show, which is currently playing Detroit on the regular. It's a spectacle of decadence that is absolutely unforgettable, the sort of thing I'd imagine would be spoken of in whispers over barstools if it existed in the 1940's or 1950's. " Hey, Mikey! That show has a girl what gets champagne poured all over her in a bathtub!" You gotta see it!"

She may still be best known for riding a giant, smoking cigar prop to win Miss Exotic World 2010. Not much to add, other than that is cool as hell. She played the lead role of "Bourbon Sue" in the powerfully fun feature film "Burlesque Assassins" and has been immortalized in comic book form in the pages of "The Goon," if you want to bring multimedia into it.

I've gotten to know Roxi a bit over the last couple of years, and like the other Canadian subjects of these little essays, she's wonderfully open and generous. Ten years after taking the top honor in her field, she continues to perform at the highest level on the burlesque stage. Her generosity extends to anyone fortunate enough to witness her blazing across their field of vision.

Day 19 - Salome Cabaret

I addressed burlesque troupes a few days ago, but there's more than one way to construct one, none more or less valid than another. What one of my favorites troupes filled with some of my favorite people espouses is the idea that burlesque can be for everyone, and if you show an interest, do the work, and refine your act through rehearsal and peer review, you absolutely will be able to share it with an audience. This is my hometown troupe, y'all. It's Knoxville, TN's Salome Cabaret (Burlesque You'll Lose Your Head Over)!

First of all, I'm not going to mention any names in this essay, because I've known almost everyone in the troupe over the last few years, and there have been a lot of them. I'd inevitably leave someone out, and I'd feel terrible. I'm grateful for each person who has chosen to get their burlesque on all over Knoxville, be it just to stage kitten a few times, to put in a year or two, hopefully finding that thing they were looking for when they started burlesque, or if they've been there the entirety of the troupe's tenure.

When I began to be more than a casual fan, a monthly Salomé show was my textbook (with a centerfold cleverly hidden inside, of course). I got to see all kinds of acts, some grand successes right off the bat, some noble experiments that didn't quite gel. But what I really saw was growth, new performers gaining confidence while seasoned performers anchored the proceedings and mentored the constant trickle of newbies who wanted to learn to do what they were seeing on stage. As such, Salomé has been a frequently shifting entity, with some stalwarts putting in years of service time, some leaving because of life changes, but with a constant influx of new voices at any given time.

I try to not be overly emotional in these essays, but of the cornerstones of my fandom and my interest in burlesque, Salomé can't be understated. Even if they just put on entertaining shows for me to enjoy, featuring some of the best burlesque in the Southeast and exceptional special guest performers from around the world, that would have been enough, but they became my friends, cheerleaders, and even business partners a handful of times. I love what they do, who they are, and wish I could be at every damn show they put on.

Anyway, if you're visiting Knoxville, check the calendar and hope Salomé Cabaret is performing while you're there. Maybe they can be your centerfold-hiding textbook, too.

Day 20 - Smoky Mountain Burlesque Festival

Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend is the biggest burlesque festival on the planet, but it seems there are more every year. Some of them are themed, such as nerdlesque festivals, but most just cast a wide net and accept the best applicants they receive. I've been to a lot of these other festivals, and my favorite just happens to be in my hometown of Knoxville, TN and involves several people from Salomé Cabaret, the subject of yesterday's essay. It's the Smoky Mountain Burlesque Festival, which will throw its fifth multi-night shindig again this September.

Smoky Mountain has been leveling up every year. If you attend SMBF, you'll see some fun shows, of course, and with success comes more applications, which means a stronger stable of performers to pull from. Some of the shows are held at the Bijou Theater in downtown Knoxville, a fantastic space that allows performers who can really move and work a stage an epic enough allowance to do that.
Most festivals aren't just performances. There are usually classes and workshops taught by festival headliners, to say nothing of networking opportunities for people meeting up for the first time. Where SMBF is extra-special is their Sunday outing to the most popular amusement park in the region: Dollywood. If you've never seen a bunch of art strippers invade a country-themed park and run amok all day amongst vacationing families, I highly recommend the experience.

The outing is emblematic of what SMBF does well that not all other fests can quite pull off: a sense of home. The festival books new performers every year, of course, but also has a passel of returning favorites. People continue to apply to this fest because it's a warm and open experience staffed by volunteers who want to show off their home city.

If you think BHoF in Vegas might be a little much for you, but you'd still like to see dozens of fantastic burlesque acts of every stripe, I recommend you check for a festival in your region. Or just come to Knoxville, where they've been killing it for four years straight. Dolly Parton herself agrees...The Queen of Country Music came to one of the shows last year.

Day 21 - Neil 'Nez' Kendall

Several years ago, I strolled up to the dealer's room at Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend, and saw a display of photographs I fell in love with. They were images of contemporary burlesque performers, but shot in a retro-vintage style, like old pin-ups or promotional shots from press kits. The composition was masterful and you could tell the photographer had his models completely at ease and was genuinely capturing a piece of their spirit on film. That photographer was Neil 'Nez' Kendall.

First of all, I don't think it can be debated that Neil is one of the most accomplished photographers of burlesque performers in the world. Every time I see a new image from him, I feel a sense of time widening, because he so perfectly captures that mid-century aesthetic that co-existed with burlesque's peak of popularity. If you're a fan of photography, history, burlesque, or all of the above, there are so many things to love about Neil's work.

Neil more than re-creates history, he's an encyclopedia of it. I speak with him almost every year in Las Vegas, and the guy knows his stuff: performers, theaters, photographers, managers, who stole an act from who back in the day and other juicy stories, because he has sat and interviewed so many people with ties to burlesque going back decades. And he LOVES it all. He is a resource to the community in so many ways, and he also produces extravagant shows himself that I hope to attend one day. If I had to rank people based on their enthusiasm for the totality of burlesque, Neil would be in the top 10 worldwide. I relish every chance I get to spend a few minutes with him.

We all need to take a step back from things we love sometimes to allow them, and us, room to breathe. A couple of weeks ago Neil left his camera behind (don't worry, he still has his phone, which has a camera) and began an open-ended epic outdoor adventure. I know he plans to trek through a myriad of countries, and I hope he returns revitalized and with new ideas I know he'll share with us all.

Day 22 - Roula Roulette

I love burlesque names. What a performer chooses for themselves can be something that sounds close to their real name or the name of a celebrity, it can be evocative of the aesthetic they want to evoke on stage, or just a clever pun or turn of phrase. I just assumed Roula Roulette chose her name because it was alliterative and Vegas-y, but about a year ago I had a great conversation after a show with several Georgia performers about why they chose their names, and I got her story. "Roulette" means she never wants an audience to know what they'll get when she performs.

Some performers know what they do well and stick to it, and there's nothing wrong with that. Others like to push themselves, maybe even challenge their audience, and Roula is definitely in that category. I've been amazed and delighted to see her growth and breadth as a performer over the past few years. And the international community has clearly taken note, too. As I write this, she is visiting Australia to perform in Tricky Thick: A Fat Burlesque Revue!

Roula may be best known for conceptualizing and being the central performer in Candybox Revue's "#MeToo" group act, which has played several festivals and always gets an audience emotional. It's an act with an overt political agenda, but executed with grace and ending on a hopeful note of empowerment and solidarity.

Besides being the organizational guru who helps keep Atlanta's Candybox Revue a thriving troupe, Roula manages to be one of the deepest-hearted people I've met while also being a huge damn goofball, so you never know what she's gonna give you in life as well as on stage.

Day 23 - Kitty Bang Bang

Burlesque can be high art, but its origins are far more pop art, maybe even lowest common denominator junk, something to keep nickels and dimes flowing into vaudeville stages and peep shows on the edge of town. In many ways, that dynamic exists today, with acts straddling luxe performance and crowd-pleasing spectacle, whether intentional or not. No performer embraces that dichotomy/disparity more completely, in my mind, than Kitty Bang Bang, the Bedazzled Dumpster Fire.

The first time I saw Kitty perform, she popped out of a glitter-covered garbage can, then proceeded to go en pointe. That may really be all the evidence I need to supply, nothing could illustrate my thesis any better. I'll just say it remains a favorite act of mine for those intellectually-fulfilling reasons, but also because it's one of the silliest, most joyful, and surprisingly elegant acts involving a garbage can I've seen.

Kitty is a dedicated artist and also a right maniac. She plays with fire, literally, often breathing it, tooth enamel be damned. I know she gets singed fairly frequently, but she laughs it off and has some extra wine or rum to salve the wounds.

Kitty was just announced as a headliner for Treviso, Italy's Nasty Burlesque Festival in May 2020. She could also headline the Nice Burlesque Festival, though she'll rough me up for saying so, mostly because that joke is a groaner. She's one of the sharpest, funniest and most genuine people I've met since pursuing this burlesque thing, and seeing her unleash herself on a stage is nothing but thrilling, each and every time.

Day 24 - Dirty Martini

I've been saving this mini mini-essay for a day when work got the better of me. Today is that day. So let's talk about Dirty Martini ever-so-briefly.

There is little I can add to the volumes written about Miss Exotic World, Queen of Burlesque 2004. Obviously, she won the most coveted title in burlesque, which is a thing in and of itself, but she keeps going. She performs all over the U.S. and internationally. Name a burlesque festival, and there's a good chance she has headlined it at some point. She's a helluva dancer and a provocative performance artist, neither aspect of her overpowering the other. When I talk to people about what prompted them to pursue burlesque, her name pops up as much if not more than any other single person. If there's ever a Mount Rushmore of burlesque, she'll be on it.

She could rest on laurels, but she continues to innovate with her art. And she's just one of the most joyous, warm presences you could ever hope to be around. I think I could watch her perform hundreds of times, added to the dozens I've already seen her, and never tire of her skill and energy.

Let's raise a glass to Dirty.

Day 25 - Dee Flowered

There's an amazing dynamic at work when watching a performer, be it a musician, an actor, or a burlesquer. Sometimes you just light up within seconds of seeing that person for the first time, and you want to see or hear everything they've made. Such was the case when I witnessed Dee Flowered perform her signature Willy Wonka act for the first time. It was charming, silly, and subversive all at once.

 

 

Dee describes herself as "The Doris Day of Dropping Trou" and also a "Boob Clown." She does do outright comedy, but she also has a collection of social and politically themed acts, though often filtered through that humorous sensibility. A spoonful of sugar, indeed. She also has a predilection for hiding unexpected implements within her costuming, which is just as delightful, yet devious, as it sounds.

Dee has become one of the most popular performers in the Southeast not just because she's good, but because she is pleasant and professional. The latter half of 2019 saw her as a headliner at both the Smoky Mountain Burlesque Fest and the Savannah Burlesque Fest. I imagine more are on the way.

Of the dozens and dozens of performers I've met, and the few who become genuine friends, there's a tiny percentage therein of those who are akin to family. Dee has certainly become that, a valued and trusted confidante and one of the most compassionate people I've met in the last ten years. As Boob Clowns go, she's my #1.

Day 26 - Bourgeios Betty

Burlesque often includes performers who don't really (or rarely) perform burlesque, but their artistic temperament places them happily burlesque-adjacent. I've seen all sorts of variety artists on burlesque bills, and they're almost always a welcome change of pace: aerial artists, performance artists, comedians, slam poets, magicians, acrobats. But the most likely to make an appearance in a show, or at least the shows I've seen, is a singer. And you'll find few with a voice as good as Bourgeois Betty.

Betty is going to think I'm throwing shade, but she's one of my favorite personalities in burlesque, although, again, she rarely performs it. To see Bourgeois Betty perform is to witness the alchemy of whatever mood she's in interacting with whatever the crowd is like that night. If there's feedback on her mic, she's not going to ignore it, she's going to incorporate it. If a prop goes sideways, she might change her lyrics on the spot to acknowledge the flub. She often walks a performance tightrope, and, as such, you (and her) never quite know what you're going to get on any given night. I find her performing in the moment exhilarating and absolutely hilarious more often than not.

Betty has an interest in working more often as an emcee, and I hope she gets the opportunity. Thinking on your feet and working with whatever the crowd is giving you is an essential part of hosting, and Betty already does that in her acts, anyway.

Betty is a member of The Candybox Revue in Atlanta, GA and has won awards at the now-defunct Southern Fried Burlesque Festival. She also dressed as "Queeflejuice" on Halloween five years ago, and I'm insanely happy I got that accompanying picture with her.

Day 27 - Sydni Devereaux

I love learning about a performer's process for putting an act together. For some, it's music first. For some, it's a costume, and others, an idea they want to explore or a story they want to tell. All these are valid; whatever works for the artist and generates new material. One of my favorite performers to speak with about this dynamic is Sydni Devereaux, The Golden Glamazon."

If you don't know what synesthesia is, it's a difference in the way the brain processes information for some people, and it varies from person to person. Some people taste words, for instance. Sydni has a light form of it that equates colors to music, and that's the bedrock on which she forms her acts. A purple song can't have a yellow costume! I'm wildly simplifying, of course, but Sydni has such lovely, colorful costumes, it just makes me all the more curious to think about what she's seeing and feeling as she owns every stage on which she sets foot.

Syd is, as some might say, a tall drink of water, hence the Glamazon tagline. I'll use the term statuesque. It's thrilling to see her glide across a stage, though she can murder with stillness and a knowing look on her face. The first time I saw her perform, she popped a pastie near the end of her act. When the music stopped, she stood there, plucked off the other pastie, and gave the audience serious face for about ten seconds, but to everyone watching, it seemed like an eternity of staring at an illuminating painting. It remains one of the most badass things I've seen on a burlesque stage.

On a personal note, when I went through a difficult time a few years back, several people and groups of people I've written about thus far checked in on me, and among the most consistent and understanding in that was Sydni. Perhaps the healthiest thing we can do as human beings is to stay well hydrated, and if that figurative drink is coming from a tall glass of water, then so much the better.

Day 28 - Redbone

I've mentioned before that a lot of performers learn what they do well, and stay in that lane. There's nothing wrong with that; there's absolute value in knowing yourself and delivering your best to an audience. But, on occasion, we're blessed with a presence who can seemingly do it all, flawlessy. Classic slow burn, up-tempo hip hop, straight-up comedy, The Cyclone of Burlesque, Redbone, can kill 'em all, and more.

Ever since I've been traveling to attend festivals, Redbone has put in appearances at just about all of 'em. I could list the names of these fests, but it would just be a couple of paragraphs naming places. That's how often she's invited to perform. She can also often be found vending her own product at these shows: Glam Jam, a cosmetic glitter stick used by many a performer, so she has that Big Entrepreneur energy, too.

Redbone placed as first runner-up in the Queen competition at Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in 2019, which makes her the reigning Princess of Burlesque. She is also ranked the #3 burlesque performer in the world in the current poll conducted by 21st Century Burlesque Magazine. When you add all these rankings together, a pretty clear consensus starts to form. Redbone is scientifically proven to be one of the best damn people performing burlesque in the world right now, and she has been for a number of years.

Day 29 - Authenticity

Day 29. Wow. This past week I worked 60 hours at my day job, the week before almost 50. I wasn't sure I'd be able to diligently finish this mini-essay project, but I did. It was really an attempt to force myself to write a little something every day, as that is a habit I've largely let slide over the last five years. Very early on it was apparent to me that my best course of action would be to write about performers I've met and spoken with about their process, then I further narrowed it down to people with whom I was "friends" on Facebook. That still left me with dozens of options and there were ideas I played with that never got written. Maybe one day.

In this final essay, I'll discuss the idea that came to me again and again as I considered all the performers I've written about over the past month. What makes burlesque compelling to the people who love it? What makes a good performer into a great one? For me, it's authenticity. It's as simple and as complex as that.

Most performers take on a burlesque name, and also a burlesque identity. They invent a character and become that person, even if it's just an exaggerated version of themselves. They get up in front of an audience and almost always remove a certain amount of clothing, and 4-5 minutes later, they leave the stage. But for those few minutes, they are dancing and moving the way they want to move. They are exploring ideas and telling stories they want to explore and tell. Unlike most other performance art, the performer has complete control of what they are presenting to their audience. Despite the evocative monikers and exaggerated glamor make-up, you are seeing a piece of a person's soul for those few minutes. You are seeing the authentic them: what makes them laugh or cry, what makes them think or feel. And if they manage to connect with you in those few minutes, you will laugh or cry, or think or feel with them. The nakedness is real, but it is also the perfect metaphor for burlesque.

It's just a damn beautiful thing.

And that's all I got. Thank you for reading.