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.
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.
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