Burlesque Seattle Press

Waxie Moon: A “Full Grown Man” makes his way to Vegas.

•05/24/2013 • Leave a Comment

Waxie Moon in “Bolero” Photo ©Tim Summers

~ Written by/interview by Paul O’Connell (POC Photo)

Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend is now less than a week away. Performers from around the world will converge on the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Vegas for four days and nights of nonstop burlesque sexiness, enthralling competition, and pool parties galore.

The highlight is the 23rd Annual Tournament of Tease which crowns winners in a variety of categories – one particularly near and dear to our hearts is “Best of Boylesque”, in which two of the four competitors for the title “King of Boylesque” are from Seattle. This year’s competitors include Paris Original (Seattle), Ray Gunn (Chicago), Mr. Gorgeous (NYC) and of course, the incomparable Waxie Moon (Seattle).

This week Burlesque Seattle Press has been talking with the Seattle performers competing at this year’s BHoF. We’ve already highlighted Paris Original and today we focus on Waxie, the “international gender-blending queer lady boylesque performance-art stripping sensation!”

Waxie has certainly been as busy as any artist or performer can be this past year. Last June he gave an amazing performance at On The Boards with his 17 minute endurance strip, “Boléro”. (Please do this again Waxie). He choreographed “Miracle!” (a re-envisioning of “The Miracle Worker” created and directed by Dan Savage) which had a run at The Intiman Theatre last summer. There was the DVD release of the 2009 documentary “Waxie Moon” and the theatrical release of “Waxie Moon in Fallen Jewel” (both films were directed by Wes Hurley). Central Cinema’s monthly interactive screenings of “Waxie Moon In Fallen Jewel” have been hugely successful as well. Waxie also performed in Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann’s Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker and Through the Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland.

Waxie as The Cheshire Cat in Through the Looking Glass (POC Photo)

Waxie in Land of the Sweets (POC Photo)

He also found time to appear in last year’s Seattle Erotic Arts Festival, Kings: A Boylesque Extravaganza, Boys, Bois, Boyz and most recently the 2nd Annual New York Boylesque Festival. He appears regularly at the Pink Door and performs as one-third of Dance Belt. All this and he continues to teach at Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque. With a year like Waxie’s, inclusion in the “Best Boylesque” category is the luscious cherry on top of a huge, glittery, rhinestoned sundae.

Aside from the long list of Waxie’s accomplishments (we could go on and on), it’s easy to see why he was invited to compete. Waxie’s courageous approach and fiercely unique artistry are hugely influential to anyone that sees him. We wish Waxie and all the performers best of luck at this year’s competition.

And now for our interview… I asked Waxie about this year’s inclusion at BHoF:

POC: What influenced your decision to choose the act you submitted to BHoF?

Waxie Moon: I created the “Purple Man-Eater” act with the idea of submitting it to BHoF this year. I felt the purple gown and gi-normous tulle boa (created by the brilliant Mark Mitchell) was impressive and glamorous enough for the Vegas stage and competition. I think the boa is practically Catherine D’Lish scale. It’s HUGE. I also selected the song for the second part of the act (Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy”) because it felt appropriately representative of the idea of “boylesque”.

POC: Please share your thoughts about performing in the “Best of Boylesque” category. What’s it like competing with a fellow Seattleite?

Waxie: I am beyond thrilled to have been accepted for the competition. I think this is the 5th year I have applied for “Best Boylesque”. For that reason, I can honestly say I’m excited for the opportunity just to compete. I am also excited about my boylesque brothers. I think the crowd and judges will go mad for Paris’s extraordinary dancing. Ray is sultry and an exceptional mover, and Mr. Gorgeous is A.DOR.A.BLE. It’s an inspiring, exciting, and yummy group of men to get to share the stage with.

Waxie Moon (POC)

POC: Do you have any goals you would like to reach in burlesque or any other performing art?

Waxie: I am intent on sharing this extraordinary art form as widely as possible through performance and teaching. Combining sex and humor is an incredibly powerful tool for personal transformation. I would love for more people to experience it, as performers and/or audience members. I am also passionate about queer visibility; Waxie celebrates gay Pride EVERY DAY. Honestly, my goals are too many to mention, but they include everything from feature films to a Waxie jewelry line called “The Essence of Luxury”.

Waxie performing at this year’s Moisture Festival (Photo by John Cornicello)

(Photo by John Cornicello)

POC: You got involved in burlesque originally because you were struggling (artistically speaking) as a dancer and wanted to shake things up, and you decided to take a 101 class at The Academy of Burlesque. What does this mean to you now, since burlesque has been such an unexpected and wildly successful outlet for your art?

Waxie: I have become a fuller person in every way through the exploration of the art of burlesque. I am honored to be part of an extraordinary legacy and an evolving art form. I can’t wait to connect with my legendary friends in Vegas and am honored to represent Seattle’s vibrant gender-queer burlesque scene at this international festival. Also my father is coming to support me. That means so much to me. He’s Waxie’s biggest fan.

Waxie Moon in a quiet studio moment (POC Photo)

Posted in Written by Paul O'Connell
Tags: Bolero, Catherine D'Lish, Central Cinema, Waxie film, Waxie Moon, Wes Hurley

Paris is burning.

•05/22/2013 • 1 Comment

Seattle’s Paris Original will compete next week in Las Vegas in the”Best Boylesque” category (Photo by Eli Schmidt)

~ Written by/interview by Paul O’Connell (POC Photo)

Another Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend approaches and with that a new Reigning Queen of Burlesque will crowned, along with King of Boylesque, Best Duo, Best Group and Best Debut. The 23rd Annual Tournament of Tease takes place June 1 at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas, but the weekender kicks off with the star-studded Movers, Shakers & Innovators showcase on Thursday, followed by the 56th Annual Titans of Tease Reunion showcase on Friday, and finally closing out with the Icons and All-Stars showcase on Sunday.

The Pacific Northwest is well represented on all 4 nights: Russell Bruner, Sandria Dore, and Swing Time from Portland; Nicky Ninedoors, Brother Keys, Sweet Soul Burlesque, Lola Frost, Melody Mangler, Villainy Loveless, Ruthe Ordare, and Burgundy Brixx from Vancouver BC; and from our own backyard Velvet Ice, Trojan Original, Iva Handfull, and Miss Indigo Blue will represent Seattle. Paris Original and Waxie Moon will go head to head (among other great performers from around the country) for King of Boylesque, and Sydni Deveraux will compete for the coveted Reigning Queen of Burlesque title.

We asked the Seattle performers a few questions about performing and competing at this year’s BHoF weekend. First up this week, we bring you Paris Original.

A little background…Paris, a professional dancer, first arrived on the burlesque scene in 2009 in Paula the Swedish Housewife’s production House of Thee Unholy 3. Since then he has appeared in a variety of shows including Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann’s Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker, Burlesco Divino, L’Edition Francaise & Through the Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland. Paris also appeared in Stripped Screw Burlesque’s Disney After Dark and Clown Stripper Productions That’s F*cked UP! He is also one of the founding members of Seattle’s male burlesque troupe Mod Carousel and performs regularly at The Pink Door.

Paris Original in Through the Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland (POC Photo)

POC: What’s it like to be chosen to perform in the Best Boylesque category? And what’s it like competing with a fellow Seattle-ite, Waxie Moon?

Paris Original: I feel so honored to have been chosen to compete. I was in such disbelief when I first read the confirmation letter that I had to read it several times to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. I’ve really been trying to push the competition aspect out of my head. I’ve done a few dance competitions in the past and always found that focusing on competing was distracting and ultimately detracted from my performance, so I’m just trying to focus on my performance itself.

I love that all four of us in the category this year [Mr. Gorgeous, Ray Gunn, Waxie, Paris] are such different performers who offer very different things to boylesque and I’m super excited for the opportunity to share what I do with everyone at BHoF.

As for competing against a fellow Seattleite, I’m just proud of us both for getting into the competition at all. I’m really proud of the Seattle scene in general for having such great representation at BHoF this year!

POC: What influenced your decision to choose the particular act you submitted to BHoF?

Paris Original: The act has always been a crowd pleaser. I’ve received many spontaneous standing ovations for that number and often times burlesque performers in particular get really excited about it so out of all the acts in my repertoire it seemed the best suited for BHoF.

Paris Original (Photo by Charlie Ainslie)

POC: Before your first burlesque show what were some of your impressions of burlesque?

Paris Original: When I was first exposed to burlesque I remember thinking it seemed really fun. And rowdy. I liked that there was so much room for artistic freedom and exploration of gender representations. It’s an art form that doesn’t feel as constrained as other forms of performance art, and dance in particular, can be.

POC: Do you have any goals you would like to reach in burlesque or any other performing art?

Paris Original: My current goals are to grow my success and travel opportunities. I have so many ideas that would require much bigger budgets than I currently have at my disposal. It would be so lovely to get to a point where I can make those ideas come to life and share those ideas with the world!

Paris Original in Stripped Screw Burlesque’s Disney After Dark (POC Photo)

Posted in Written by Paul O'Connell
Tags: BHOF 2013, Burlesque Hall of Fame, Paris Original, Sydni Deveraux, Waxie Moon

Through the Looking Glass: this week’s Pick of the Glitter.

•05/14/2013 • Leave a Comment

Through the Looking Glass: the Burlesque Alice in Wonderland will enchant at the Triple Door May 15-18 (All photos by Scott Butner)

This week’s Pick of the Glitter is a classic tale cleverly re-imagined and skillfully modernized by Lily Verlaine & Jasper McCann: Through the Looking Glass: the Burlesque Alice In Wonderland visits Seattle’s Triple Door May 15-18. Now in its fifth season, there are still a few surprises and new twists down the rabbit hole- watch for a new ‘face card’ making an appearance at The Looking Glass nightclub, as well as Paris Original cast as the Knave of Hearts. “The ‘Butterfly’ duet between Lily and Trojan Original has changed a bit…a metamorphosis, as it were,” hinted Jasper. “There are different thematic elements to look for.”

Framing the story in a nightclub setting allowed the producers to realize the “adult” Alice as well as certain aspects of the story’s more unsavory characters, who weren’t quite so charming as memory may serve. “We were trying to give a different musical context to the characters so the audience could forget about the ‘Alice’ they’ve been forced to get to know, and meet these new ideas of the characters with an open mind,” Jasper explained in our 2011 interview on the evolution of the show. “Sure, The Queen of Hearts still loves beheading people, but that’s dark stuff. The original book, retitled, should be ‘Through The Looking Glass and all the jerks Alice met there’. The Mad Hatter and the March Hare are NOT jovial, happy-go-lucky sing-song characters in the book. They’re horrible. And so are many of the other characters… they’re pompous, rude, indifferent, contrary, and aggressive. So take that, and boil it down, make it glamorous and shiny, and you’ve got yourself a show.”

Through the Looking Glass: the Burlesque Alice In Wonderland mixes jazz with exotic music and dance styles as Alice discovers what wonders lie beyond the velvet rope at Wonderland’s exclusive nightclub, The Looking Glass. Get tickets and more information HERE, and what follows are five very, very good reasons to spend the weekend following Alice:

Lily Verlaine (Photo by Scott Butner)

Waxie Moon (Photo by Scott Butner)

Miss Indigo Blue (Photo by Scott Butner)

Jasper McCann (Photo by Scott Butner)

Inga Ingenue (Photo by Scott Butner)

Posted in Written by Jessica
Tags: Burlesque Alice in Wonderland, Jasper McCann, Lily Verlaine & Jasper McCann Present

Ultimate Grand Supreme! A royal Northwest tour kicks off in Seattle.

•05/06/2013 • Leave a Comment

This weekend!

The clouds have lifted, the sun is shining, and there’s burlesque royalty sashaying through the springtime hamlets of Seattle and Olympia. Portland’s Russell Bruner (Reigning King of Burlesque 2012) and Chicago’s Michelle L’amour (Miss Exotic World 2005) will appear at West Hall on Thursday, May 9 and then continue the royal procession on over to Olympia’s historic Capitol Theater on Friday, May 10.

Seattle’s Ultimate Grand Supreme will feature Kitten LaRue (Producer and Head Bombshell of burlesque supertroupe The Atomic Bombshells), Lou Henry Hoover, hostess extraordinaire BenDeLaCreme, plus more surprises. Inga Ingénue (Miss Viva Las Vegas 2011) will perform the act that served as her step down number from her coveted Vegas title.

Kitten recently explained how she came to know Russell and Michelle: “I originally met Russell because he auditioned for Freedom Fantasia the first year we were casting the show! We of course LOVED him, but he had a schedule conflict with the show dates. As for Michelle, she and I first met when we were both asked to perform at the Legends Ball at Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2008. I did my “Feline Fantasia” act (a tribute to Lily Christine) and I was absolutely blown away by her Sally Rand tribute fan dance….one of the most gorgeous acts in burlesque. I’m excited that Michelle will be bringing two acts that Seattle has never seen before!”

Michelle L’amour is a modern day trailblazer- she’s been performing since 2002 and has captivated audiences on five continents with her singularly glamorous style, not to mention her fabulous appearances on multiple television shows (most recently, “In the Bedroom” on the Oprah Winfrey Network). Classic pin-up photographer and Bettie Page protégée Bunny Yeager featured Michelle in her recent book- a top honor for any burlesque performer. Rising burlesque starlets from miles around are instructed in technique for all skill levels at Michelle’s popular Studio L’amour in Chicago… the city which is home to the flagship chapter of Naked Girls Reading….which as it happens, was founded by Michelle and Franky Vivid. Ms. L’amour is quite an in-demand showgirl, so catch her here in the Northwest while you can.

Kitten LaRue Presents:
ULTIMATE GRAND SUPREME!
A Night of Burlesque Royalty
Thursday, May 9th
7pm and 10pm
West Hall Theater
The Oddfellows Building, 2nd Floor
915 E Pine Street, Capitol Hill
Get tickets HERE…$26 in advance, $30 day of show
VIP TABLES AVAILABLE!

***

The Olympia show on May 10 will feature another round of performers, including Miss Indigo Blue (Queen of Burlesque/Miss Exotic World 2011) and several of the Seattle performers on their way to perform at the Burlesque Hall of Fame next month…including our very own Sydni Deveraux, who will be competing for Reigning Queen 2013.

Here’s the skinny:

Miss Indigo Blue and Gotta Jones Productions present an extraordinary night of royally raunchy burlesque: The Reign of Fame! ONE NIGHT ONLY at the historic Capitol Theater in downtown Olympia. Doors 8 p.m., show 9 p.m. 18+, 21+ bar with ID!

Starring 2005 Reigning Queen of Burlesque, Michelle L’amour (CHI) and 2012 King of Burlesque Russell Bruner (PDX)!

Hosted by The Illustrious Ms. Hattie Hotpants!
Featuring special guests:

Seattle’s Sapphic Sweetheart MISS INDIGO BLUE!
(Miss Exotic World 2011)

“Poetry in Motion” PARIS ORIGINAL
(Mr. Exotic World Contestant THIS JUNE!)

The gender-blending queer lady boylesque performance art solo stripping sensation WAXIE MOON!
(Mr. Exotic World Contestant THIS JUNE!)

Read more about the show by visiting our friends at Olympia’s Own TUSH! Burlesque HERE, and get advance tickets over HERE.

Posted in Written by Jessica
Tags: Capitol Theater, Kitten LaRue, Michelle L'amour, Russell Bruner, Sydni Deveraux

La Femme Céleste: Portland’s Big Time! Burlesque welcomes Jo Weldon; KINGS gets rolling in Seattle.

•04/30/2013 • Leave a Comment

Madison Moone, Production Manager of Big Time! Burlesque (Photo by Matt Adamik)

Portland’s Big Time! Burlesque and musical paramour Orchestre L’Pow share a grandiose vision of glamour in their productions. “Think Henry Mancini meets The Cramps,” says Production Manager Madison Moone.

Moone, who has been producing in Portland since 2008, cut her burlesque teeth with one-woman show Madison Moone’s Burlesque Revue. Her shows were routinely backed by a live trio, solidifying her belief that the chemistry between band and burlesque is a vital part of exciting an audience, not to mention turning up the heat in a performance. Through these events she met bassist and future Orchestre L’Pow production partner and Musical Director Sean Hudson. Today, the team also includes The Infamous Nina Nightshade, who stepped in as Talent Coordinator when the much-loved Charlotte Treuse took up residence in New Orleans last fall. Creative direction is a collaborative effort each season, but with the help of sponsors such as Portland’s leading sex positive boutique She Bop and the addition this year of corporate sponsor Drambuie Liquor, Big Time! Burlesque is becoming a whole lot bigger. “This has enabled us to bring national and international headliners to our stage,” Madison explained. “This was one of the goals we set at the very first Big Time Burlesque round table discussion and we are so thrilled to be making that a reality”.

This Saturday May 4, NYC burlesque maven Jo Weldon will star in the second show of their 2013 season, La Femme Céleste. In addition to Jo’s long list of burlesque benchmarks (author of The Burlesque Handbook, headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, co-founder of BurlyCon, Pink Light Burlesque, and the list goes on…), she is also a performance icon and a champion of honoring the histories of the many unruly women that came before the current wave of burlesquers. Much like Madison Moone and Orchestre L’Pow, Jo is a master of onstage sizzle.

La Femme Céleste (‘the heavenly woman’) will channel iconic goddesses from around the world. From Isis to Aphrodite, Cleopatra to Freya, performers pay homage to these often enigmatic figureheads of fertility, creativity, birth and death. Also sharing the stage will be Seattle’s very own Boom Boom L’Roux as well as the L’Pow! Company Dancers: Madison Moone, Itty Bitty Bang Bang, and The Infamous Nina Nightshade. Internationally renowned burlesque emcee Vincent Drambuie will host, and all dance routines will be performed to the “post-punk big band” sounds of Orchestre L’Pow!

Big Time! Burlesque Company Dancers (Photo by Casey Campbell)

Jo Weldon will also be teaching while in Portland- read about her May 4 afternoon class “The Living Glove” and pre-register through She Bop HERE (although the class itself will be at the Bossanova Ballroom).

Madison took some time to explain the unique symbiosis of band and burlesque (as well as how they connected with Jo “Boobs” Weldon):

Burlesque Seattle Press: Are Orchestre L’Pow & Big Time! Burlesque always paired?

Madison Moone: Yes, Orchestre L’Pow and Big Time! Burlesque are always paired. It’s true that the band does exist and work as its own entity. L’Pow was originally founded several years ago by our drummer Dain Hudson (Sean’s brother). They primarily worked in Seattle with a rotating cast of dancers. The band took a short hiatus for a redevelopment period and Dain handed the band over to Sean. Sean wanted to resurrect the project under a different guise; however he was living here in Portland. That’s around the time that we met on my project. He pitched the new model to myself and Charlotte Treuse, our Talent Coordinator before her move to New Orleans this past fall. What he pitched to us was the vision of a glamorous, full production, over the top stage show backed by a bad ass live band. Hence the name Big Time! Burlesque.

Orchestre L’Pow (Photo by Casey Campbell)

Charlotte Treuse, Big Time! Burlesque’s Talent Coordinator before her move to New Orleans this past fall (Photo by Casey Campbell)

BSP: Portland seems to have a good understanding of the power of live music matched with burlesque. It’s very potent! Why do you think that is?

Madison: I can’t speak for how others are using live music in their productions but I can tell what is potent about it for us. All three of us on the production team have a very strong connection with live music performance. Nina Nightshade has training in several styles of dance, most notably belly dance. Sean and I are both formally trained musicians in classical composition, jazz improvisation and rock ‘n’ roll.

In order to play live music or dance to live music you must develop the ability to connect with each other on stage. When jazz musicians improvise, they have a road map, so to speak, that they are working from, but to really make the music come alive they have to be listening to each other and looking at each other, paying attention to the moment…connecting…as if they were having a conversation with a friend. They feed off of one another. One player will finish the other player’s thought. The same connection must be present between the dancer and the musician. For example, if the drummer is really paying attention to what the dancer is doing he has the ability to give an extra accent to a bump or the guitar player can play a really dirty slide when she grinds. Using live musicians give us the freedom to turn the volume up on these “oh so special” accents.

Sean custom arranges all of the music for every single show. We are not just simply doing what the recording is doing. We can bring the finer details more forward; the dancer can make special requests regarding her needs for the vision of the act. Dancing to canned music, while it’s nice for precise tempo etc. can come across as robotic or too precise. In my opinion, because we as dancers have to listen to where the band is going, it forces us to be more present with the audience. They will always be directly affected by the connection between players and dancers on stage. It’s as if the audience lives vicariously through the band. They always go wild when a spontaneous interaction or flirt happens between dancer and band member; again it’s the connection in the moment that gets them, not the perfectly executed choreography.

BSP: Can you tell me a little about how you came to curate this “Goddess” themed show, its cast, and how Jo came to be involved?

Madison: As for the cast, we spent our first season working through a group of dancers that we were interested in working with. In our second season we decided to form a company. Our three principals include myself (Madison Moone), The Infamous Nina Nightshade (Bergamot Burlesque) and Itty Bitty Bang Bang (Rose City Shimmy). Our stage kittens include Hyacinth Lee and Lady Loaded Guns, both of whom have been with us for over two seasons. And last but certainly not least, Vincent Drambuie is our emcee. Vincent has been on board since the very first show and really acts as the glue. His sense of comedic timing is classic yet fresh. He reminds me of a cross between Jackie Gleason and Conan O’Brien.

Vincent Drambuie, Lady Loaded Guns, Hyacinth Lee (Photo by Casey Campbell)

As for the “Goddess” theme, I had the idea several years ago. I was just wrapping up my stint producing the solo show and just coming on board to produce Big Time! Burlesque. I may have even pitched it at the first table meeting, I can’t remember. But at any rate, the moment wasn’t right for it; other ideas were really taking off so I filed it away, with the hope that we could revisit it again. When we got the Drambuie sponsorship this fall, we knew we wanted to take the opportunity to develop new shows and bring in headliners. As I was looking at what the company already had existing in the rep, it seemed like the perfect time to develop it. Nina Nightshade had created an exquisite tribute to Cleopatra for a previous show and Itty Bitty Bang Bang has a luscious Jungle Goddess number involving a giant tiger. I was in the process of developing a Golden Goddess act and a tribute to Shakti the Hindu Goddess. The show was already in process, we really only needed to develop a few more pieces.

Itty Bitty Bang Bang (Photo by Casey Campbell)

The Infamous Nina Nightshade (Photo by Casey Campbell)

As for Jo Weldon’s involvement, we have been in dialog with her since last summer about coming to do a show. Of course, since Jo is in such high demand and our show schedule is relatively strict, we were having a difficult time nailing down a date for her to come out. When it came time to book the headliner for La Femme Céleste, we hadn’t talked to Jo in a while. Nina suggested we try Jo again and sure enough she had that date open. At the beginning of the year we had talked about how wonderful it would be to get her for this show, she’s the ultimate goddess! We just weren’t sure if the timing would work out. We are all bursting at the seams about her coming out; she really is perfect for this show!

Jo Weldon will appear with Big Time! Burlesque in Portland May 4 (Photo by Allen Lee)

Orchestre L’Pow! & Drambuie Present
Big Time! Burlesque
La Femme Céleste
starring Jo Weldon

May, 4th 2013
Bossanova Ballroom,
722 East Burnside Street, Portland, OR
Doors 7:00pm / Show 8:00pm / 21+

Tickets on sale now:
www.bossanovaballroom.com/event/orchestra-lpow-2

******

Speaking of Orchestre L’Pow, there always seems to be less than six degrees of separation when it comes to Portland and Seattle: Paula the Swedish Housewife was in an early incarnation of the band, which led to their prominent feature in the 2008 documentary A Wink and a Smile, in which Loren Dutton and Dain Hudson wrote some original music for the film.

In case you haven’t heard, A Wink and a Smile director Deirdre Timmons is starting those big wheels of pre-production turning for her next film: KINGS. The movie will be a fictitious romp following a group of male performers vying for the title “King of Boylesque”. Recently Portland’s Russell Bruner appeared at what functioned as something of a kickoff show for the film in KINGS: A Boylesque Extravaganza at the Triple Door. You can catch footage of Russell from that show alongside boylesque titans Waxie Moon, Captain Kidd, Evil Hate Monkey, and the Stage Door Johnnies in the teaser video over HERE.

You’ve heard the saying it takes a village…well it takes a village, a dedicated burlesque community, and a whole bunch of ‘cheddar’ to make a film. Deirdre needs our help to get this movie’s engines started- please get on board early and make a donation that will help to immortalize this über-exciting time in boylesque history. Support KINGS HERE.

Australia’s Captain Kidd appeared in KINGS at the Triple Door.

Posted in Written by Jessica
Tags: A Wink And A Smile, Big Time! Burlesque, Charlotte Treuse, Deirdre Timmons, Infamous Nina NIghtshade, Itty Bitty Bang Bang, Jo Boobs Weldon, KINGS, Madison Moone, Orchestre L'Pow

POC’s TXBF Diary & a Queen pays Tribute to a Legend

•04/25/2013 • Leave a Comment

Closing night of Texas Burlesque Festival 2013

~ Written and photographed by Paul O’Connell (POC Photo)

By now many of you know my excitement about attending burlesque festivals and events. Meeting new burlesquers and saying hi to returning ones makes me just want to jump into a big, naked burlesque hot tub with you all. And this year’s Texas Burlesque Festival was no different. Produced by Lynn Raridon and co-produced by Jigglewatts co-founder and 2010 Queen of New Orleans Burlesque, Coco Lectric, the TXBF – now in its sixth year keeps getting bigger and better. This was my third straight year attending and the second as performer Man Johnson (my perverted, absurd boylesque persona).

At times it’s a still a surreal experience for me performing burlesque. Like everyone else I have my bouts with nerves etc. and usually get along just fine. However the particular act I was fortunate to be invited to perform (at the Thursday night showcase “Nouveau Nuit”) would be the first time it would be done in public. Although I was pretty sure it would come off okay, there’s still that uneasy feeling…similar to when you’re climbing the ladder to the highest diving board at the community pool. Then just as they’re announcing your name, you say “this is it” and then you take the plunge.

My main concern though was my assels. (Assels for those of you who somehow don’t know, are just like tassels for boobs except you put them on your ass.) Not that they wouldn’t spin, because I in fact practiced my ass off thanks to Lady Drew Blood’s expert guidance in assel theory. But would the assels still be sticking to my butt by the time I hit the stage? After all, we’ve all seen pasties fly off.

As I watched the show in full costume I kept wondering to myself, “are they coming off???” and I would feel my butt to see if they were still attached. But it was all just silliness- the act went off without a hitch and I had a pretty good time up there, with both assels and front tassel (yes, that’s a cock-tassel) spinning beautifully. It was also nice to be Runner Up as Audience Favorite for the second year in a row.

The Texas Burlesque Festival is three nights with an Audience Favorite picked on Thursday and Friday that is invited to compete at the Saturday night showcase.

Here are the 2013 TEXAS BURLESQUE FESTIVAL details:

Thursday Night Audience Choice Winner: Lady Luck- Austin, TX
Runners Up: Man Johnson, Sherry Bomb and Ron Dez Vous
Friday Night Audience Choice Winner: Cruel Valentine- Chicago, IL
Runner Up: Ginger Snaps, Jasper St James, Mary Lynn Mayhem
Saturday Night: Best Costume- Tiny D- Brooklyn, NY
Best Use of Prop/Novelty- Bobbie Burlesque- Hollywood, CA
Best Ensemble- Queertini Time- Austin TX
Most Original- Crimson Skye- London, UK
Best Tease Factor- Franki Markstone- St.Petersburg, FL
Best Solo- Peggy De Lune- Columbus,OH/London UK

One of the best things about TXBF is Cora Vette as the Emcee. With her dirty jokes, powerful singing voice (she totally rocked “Barracuda”) and constant harassment of certain stage hands, it’s impossible not to have a constant ear to ear smile on your face. This year’s TXBF had ASL interpreters for the Thursday and Friday night show. I loved how Cora would start one of her jokes with “A man was jerking off,” and then she would quickly turn towards the interpreter to see how you would sign that.

The headliners for TXBF were current reigning Queen of Burlesque, Imogen Kelly, Dirty Martini, Camille 2000, current Queen of New Orleans Burlesque Angi B. Lovely, Ruby Joule (last year’s best debut at BHOF), two-thirds of The Stage Door Johnnies (Ray Gunn & Bazuka Joe), and Coco Lecric, who did a tribute act to Wild Cherry.

Coco Lectric’s tribute act to Wild Cherry (costume by Sherry Bomb)

I asked Coco to elaborate on how her tribute act to Wild Cherry came to be:

I don’t really know where to begin when it comes to my Wild Cherry tribute performance. When Cherry and I spoke about it this past September, I immediately became thrilled and nervous! Hailing from New Orleans, Wild Cherry worked the touring circuit from the late 1950s through the 70s. There are no videos of her during her touring years, but her incredible performance style and before-her-time abilities made me want to share her career with audiences and fellow performers. She was such a physical performer, using tumbling techniques, balance and exotic floor work. The first day we met for her to train me she had abdominal isolations and foot work ready to go. The gracefulness of her arms was the first thing I noticed about her when I saw her perform for the first time, and there she was teaching me to do it! She was very sure to include her signature moves from her signature piece, a number in which she spun, gyrated, isolated her movements and traveled across the stage in the splits in a teal costume.

I met with Wild Cherry a few times, but each time was packed with so much knowledge that I had to take notes and run home to practice. Through the year I learned to invest in a good set of knee pads, a thicker yoga mat and some really good gel to keep my own signature Bettie bangs slicked back so I could wear Cherry’s signature ponytail. In my attempt to truly do justice to Cherry’s tribute, I did my best to maintain her style and personality. She didn’t smile often, she would zone out at times during this piece and really get into the music; she was tiny and tough. While I couldn’t quite pull off the “tiny,” I dug into that part of myself that is intense and serious…and physical. A photo shoot with Steve DeMent got me into character as we tried, take after take, to recreate Wild Cherry’s famous promotional picture and I went through her signature moves, hoping for one good frame. We were very lucky to get several pictures that capture her intensity and exotic feel.

Legend Wild Cherry, and Coco’s brilliant recreation of that famous photo with the help of photographer Steve DeMent.

Fellow Austinite, costumer extraordinaire, and producer of the Bat City Bombshells burlesque troupe, Sherry Bomb, was hard at work examining the Wild Cherry costume Miss Indigo Blue so graciously let me borrow, and studying images of Cherry online. After hearing about my concerns, Sherry was quick to adjust the costume so I wouldn’t trip over the panel skirt or fall out of the cape. When I picked it up a couple of days before the show, it was covered in rhinestones and sequins. I couldn’t believe how much love and care she put into it. It looked just like Wild Cherry’s in its original color, and it was perfect!

I don’t think I slept at all the night before I performed during our Friday Night: Night of Legends. I hadn’t been this nervous is quite some time. I realized that because I was doing my best to “be” Cherry and not myself that the techniques I use to fall back on when I’m on stage were no longer available to me. I couldn’t wink and smile to get the audience on my side. I couldn’t start into an improvisational dance to get myself out of a jam without feeling like I wasn’t doing as authentic of a job as I could have.

I spent a considerable amount of time in the trailer with Angi B. Lovely stretching, putting on our makeup and finding ways to relax and get into character. The wine helped. I spoke to 2011 Reigning Queen of Burlesque, Indigo Blue for some guidance and to share stories about Cherry. Her Wild Cherry Tribute performances are stellar and it’s also apparent how our different experiences with Cherry make for different performances of her signature number. When it was time for me to go on…I reminded myself to dig deep, feel intense and sensual.

The lighting and sound were just perfect and lovely. Of course, there are always things I want to improve in my performances, but I was content enough in my show that I could rest easy that night…even though the biggest night of the festival was still upon us.

*** (back to Paul…)

Speaking of Sherry Bomb, she graciously allowed me to stay with her during the festival and then some. She pretty much spent the whole time I was there, sewing, rhinestoning costuming. In fact she was still sewing the beautiful costume she wore on Thursday night right up until we had to leave for tech rehearsal. She also got me hooked on the Dr Who reboot series (thank you, Sherry).

The TXBF performers are naturally mostly from Texas but there are always participants from around the country and the world including Canada, England and of course, Australia. Many electrifying acts wowed the audience. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing a crowd fully pumped up, and watching a performer mesmerize them all. Crimson Skye was one of many performers who certainly did that with her fabulous boylesque routine- and she picked up the award for Most Original in the process.

Those selected to perform in these festivals really bring their A-game, and it’s always apparent how hard they work back home bringing burlesque to the people, whether in a large dance hall/theater or the smallest of dive bars. It’s really an honor and a pleasure to be involved with such a vibrant community in Seattle as well as Austin (which may be my second burlesque home someday) and around the country. I’m always excited to meet new people and learn about their own unique burlesque histories.

On that note- I hope everyone attending and performing at the Kansas City Burlesque Festival and the New York Boylesque Festival this weekend and the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival the following weekend have a grand time.

What follows is a gallery of photos from TXBF 2013:

Day 2

Cora Vette learns some dirty sign language

Cora Vette from Denver-The Texas Burlesque Festival Emcee

Portland’s Baby Le’Strange

Cruel Valentine from Chicago-Audience Favorite on 4/12

Angi B. Lovely from Dallas- current Queen of New Orleans Burlesque

Camille 2000 performing on Legend night

Imogen Kelly from Australia- BHOF's current Reigning Queen of Burlesque

Imogen Kelly from Sydney, Australia- Reigning Queen of Burlesque

Dainty Dandridge from Washington D.C.

Ruby Rage from New Orleans

Bat City Bombshells from Austin

Jasper St. James from San Antonio

Day 3

Blaze from Carrollton, TX

Lady Luck from Austin-Audience Favorite on 4/11

Ginger Snaps & Andylicious as The Flying Widows from Austin

Peggy de Lune from London-winner of Best Solo

Tiny D from Brooklyn-winner of Best Costume

Queertini Time from Austin-winner of Best Ensemble

Crimson Skye from London-winner of Most Original

Bobbie Burlesque from Hollywood, CA-winner of Best Use of Prop/Novelty

Franki Markstone from St. Petersburg, FL-winner of Best Tease

Ray Gunn from Chicago

Bazuka Joe from Chicago

Dirty Martini from NYC

Imogen Kelly from Australia-Reigning Queen of Burlesque

Imogen Kelly from Sydney, Australia- Reigning Queen of Burlesque

Imogen Kelly from Sydney, Australia-Reigning Queen of Burlesque

Red Hot Annie from Chicago

Black Mariah from Dallas

Rosie Rawhyde from Corpus Christi

Emcee Cora Vette as Snow White

Please visit the complete POC Photo sets HERE and HERE, and click on the tag “Texas Burlesque Festival” below to read and view images from 2012 and 2011 here on BSP.

Posted in Written by Paul O'Connell
Tags: Coco Lectric, Sherry Bomb, Texas Burlesque Festival, Wild Cherry

Picks of the Glitter April 19-24.

•04/17/2013 • Leave a Comment

Lola Frost of the Vancouver Burlesque Centre guests this weekend at For Love & Money

This week’s quick & dirty burlesque show picks stretch all the way from Columbia City to the Big Apple:

First up, Violet Tendencies brings the third event under the banner Valkyrie Productions to the Columbia City Theater Friday and Saturday, April 19-20. For Love & Money will flirt with a little multimedia action for the first time as the performers bring acts that “sell” versus acts that fall more into subversive territory.

“The ideal is when they are one and the same, however for many artists the marketability of what we are passionate about often has to take a backseat to what we are paid for, ” Violet explained. “My goal with this show is twofold – first, to offer a place for artists to push boundaries and create while showing off their skills with a well rehearsed crowd-pleaser… and then of course to offer our audience a unique glimpse into each performer as an artist…”

The contrast of high glamor showmanship with more animal impulses might reveal a duality in some performers we’ve come to know in a more “marketable” light. Lola Frost & Cherry On Top of the Vancouver Burlesque Centre will guest star. For tickets, click HERE or check out the Facebook event HERE.

Want a little peek behind the curtain?

April 19-20 @ Columbia City Theater

Jesse Belle-Jones (POC Photo)

Randi Rascal (Photo by Takako)

Cherry On Top of Vancouver Burlesque Centre (Photo by Dave Humphreys)

The Luminous Pariah (Photo by POC)

Paris Original (Photo by Ji Ji Lee)

******

Speaking of Paris Original and The Luminous Pariah, they’ll soon represent Seattle’s thriving boylesque scene at the 2^nd Annual New York Boylesque Festival. Fortuitously (but not surprising at all, given their stupendous talent) Waxie Moon and Trojan Original have also been accepted to the fest. It’s an incredible honor that the unique talents of these performers will not only be recognized- but will be recognized together. We couldn’t be more proud, and the four couldn’t be more delighted to make the journey together and support one another on their Big Apple adventure.

Give our hometown boylesquers a proper send-off Sunday April 21 at The Rendezvous as they prepare to embark on their journey to the world’s only boylesque festival. The event will showcase the acts to be performed in New York- now’s your chance to say you saw them before they were famous.

Bite the Big Apple is a performance showcase and fundraiser featuring a raffle and live auction. Proceeds will help to offset the performers’ travel costs. Help our Seattle boys turn it OUT in NYC!

Featuring Waxie Moon, The Luminous Pariah, Paris Original, Trojan Original (Hosted by Leeni). April 21 @ 7:30pm, The Rendezvous. Get tickets HERE.

Sunday, April 21 @ The Rendezvous

******

Finally, next Wednesday April 24 at West Hall there will be a special screening of the film A Wink and A Smile hosted by Miss Indigo Blue, filmmaker Deirdre Timmons, and special guests. Catch a glimpse of early Academy of Burlesque history among friends and familiar faces at West Hall. Doors open at 6:30, the film will begin at 7. $10 suggested donation.

April 24 @ West Hall

Posted in Written by Jessica
Tags: A Wink And A Smile, For Love & Money, Luminous Pariah, New York Boylesque Festival, Paris Original, Trojan Original, Valkyrie Productions, Violet Tendencies, Waxie Moon

Burlesque Seattle Press

Waxie Moon: A “Full Grown Man” makes his way to Vegas.

Paris is burning.

Through the Looking Glass: this week’s Pick of the Glitter.

Ultimate Grand Supreme! A royal Northwest tour kicks off in Seattle.

La Femme Céleste: Portland’s Big Time! Burlesque welcomes Jo Weldon; KINGS gets rolling in Seattle.

POC’s TXBF Diary & a Queen pays Tribute to a Legend

Picks of the Glitter April 19-24.

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