ACTING BURLESQUE with Tigger! Disney After Dark launches Thursday March 8.
Tigger! (Photo by Don Spiro)
Around 2004 or so, when the burgeoning neo-burlesque movement that had been going on since the early ’90s was noticeably spreading beyond New York and LA, many of those obsessively searching for information discovered a book called Burlesque and the New Bump-n-Grind by Michelle Baldwin. The foreword was by none other than living legend Dixie Evans, and the paperback was chock-full of the art form’s secret history (modern as well as from burlesque’s “golden age”). What struck me most at that time were the photos. I’d seen snapshots of the Legends before, but never before had I encountered this underground world of exotic new performers- Bambi the Mermaid? The World Famous *BOB*? The arresting girl with the eyepatch…Miss Astrid? One performer in particular caught my eye, not just because of his bizarre makeup and ferocious poses- although those definitely made an impression. Here was a very unique man in a world of neo-burlesque seemingly dominated by women. Tigger! was his name, and little did I know at the time that he was the missing link between burlesque, boylesque, male strip, and theater, predating anything I’d considered related to those types of performance.
Men can do this too? I wondered. Yes, they can. And they surely do.
Tigger (who in addition to Boylesque boasts triple titles of Artist/Actor/Dancer) started stripteasing in 1992 and was one of the first performers in New York’s burlesque revival. Men performing under the banner of “burlesque” were fairly rare at that time; it wasn’t until years later that Tigger met up with other pioneering male performers from other parts of the country like San Francisco’s Roky Roulette and Baltimore’s Evil Hate Monkey. Over the years, Tigger became an accidental mentor and teacher to a new generation of burlesque and boylesquers. To this day he remains a cherished performer in the now very wide world of burlesque.
Stripped Screw Burlesque have brought the man himself to Seattle for Disney After Dark this weekend, and he is also teaching a class at the Academy of Burlesque on Saturday March 10.
Here’s the scoop:
ACTING BURLESQUE with Tigger!
Set the stage on fire! Go from talented to TNT! Build a larger-than-life Burlesque Persona with Tigger! and take your shows and your stage identity to the next level. Tigger! is a recognized pioneer of the current burlesque scene but has been an actor all his life, “acting like a stripper” for 20 years. Using his degree in theatre, his experience teaching college acting, and over 30 years on the stage (both Shakespeare & Shimmy), he employs his theatrical training & perspective to break down what makes a burlesque performer stand out from the herd.
Whatever you do in front of any kind of an audience, You are an Actor. Learn techniques and tips to make the most of what you’ve got.
*Bring anything from ideas to works-in-progress to signature numbers to workshop in class.*
Saturday March 10
1pm-4pm
West Hall
$35 in advance, $40 at the door
Tickets can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/228084
Also visit www.tiggertiger.com
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And back to Disney After Dark– in addition to Tigger, Stripped Screw’s three night run at the historic Columbia City Theater will also feature these legends-in-the-making:
Sinner Saint Burlesque's Evilyn Sin Claire (Photo by Greg Holloway)
Portland's Baby Le'Strange (Photo by Meghann Mary Gilligan)
Don't miss out! This bill is too good to miss.
Get tickets to Disney After Dark HERE, and visit Stripped Screw’s brand spankin’ new website HERE.
Burlesque Seattle Press 