A look back at BurlyCon’s record-breaking “Largest Fan Dance”.

•11/14/2012 • 1 Comment

Jo Weldon addressing the fan dancers at BurlyCon 2012’s attempt to break a world record. (POC Photo)

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

Last weekend saw the closeout of Seattle’s 5th annual BurlyCon, “a community-oriented professional growth and educational convention for Burlesque performers, fans, and aficionados”. Each year the convention keeps getting bigger; you can tell by the increasing number of attendees in the annual BurlyCon class photo. Corralling so many burlesquers in line for a minute gets harder to do with each passing year.

One of this year’s BurlyCon highlights was the successful attempt to break a Guinness World Record for “Largest Fan Dance”. This feat was accomplished by 252 dancers in tradtional costume waving their feather fans to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony for a full five minutes. The attempt took place at the ballroom of the Doubletree Hotel on the second day of BurlyCon. Volunteers stationed outside made sure all fans and costumes were on par with Guinness requirements before people were let in (specifically, fans had to be within the 12” to 50” range). As the eager particpants walked into the ballroom, volunteers did an official head count, not including official volunteers, videographers, and photographers (of which I was one). Over the next half hour people streamed in with giant fans, small fans, and everything in between.

Led by Jezebel Express, the assembled burlesquers performed a 6pm run-through where everyone followed along to a video than had been posted on BurlyCon’s website in the weeks leading up to the attempt. People continued to stream in and find their places in the ballroom; the main factor, of course was that at least 250 people had to participate. As the start time approached I could see some worried faces wondering if there would be enough dancers to participate- but by 6:30 volunteers counted a total of 252 lovely fan dancers.

Jezebel Express (NYC) Photo by POC

Though the dancers successfully met the Guinness requirements for setting a record on the first attempt, a second successful attempt was made as a backup. The next official step in the record-setting process is to send all evidence to Guinness and wait for official confirmation.

Before the attempt: EmperROAR Fabulous looks on in excitement.

Before: the ladies of TUSH! ready themselves with the other dancers

Afterwards, I talked with Cherry “Killer” Tomatoes, who was in charge of bringing this glamorous undertaking together…

Cherry “Killer” Tomatoes, one of the most essential organizers of the attempt.

POC: How did you get involved in this project?

Cherry: The Guinness attempt started when Waxie Moon made a joke about setting a fan dance record. Never one to turn down a challenge, soon after that Indigo sent off an application for setting the record to Guinness and the attempt was set in motion. I became involved because as a member of the Events Committee for BurlyCon and it was a good fit with my skill set.

Miss Indigo Blue, never one to turn down a challenge.

POC: What were the things you had to do to make this happen?

Cherry: This project involved understanding the very strict guidelines set by Guinness for setting a record, then creating a plan. This was a massive, risky undertaking. We had to create choreography for a five minute dance that a large number of people could learn quickly and do simultaneously in tight quarters, which Jo Weldon and Jezebel Express put their brilliant creative juices into. We had to get at least 250 dancers registered, and assemble a large team of volunteers and officials for the event. Because of our tight non-profit budget, we did not fly Guinness officials out to witness the event, which meant we needed to gather official witnesses, stewards, timers, photographers and videographers to observe the event and gather evidence to present to Guinness as proof that we set the record. We had a plan for just about every second for the day of the event so that it would run smoothly. Not to mention, a little hurricane got in our way- we weren’t sure that everyone registered would make it in time due to travel delays and flooded neighborhoods!

POC: How did you feel when the record was set?

Cherry: When I found out that we set the record on the first try, I felt pure joy and intense relief. But what really got to me was announcing it to the room and hearing everyone in the room cheering.

POC: How long before this record becomes official?

Cherry: We will submit the package of evidence to Guinness this week, after which we’ll have to wait around eight weeks for the Guinness officials to review our evidence and see if they agree that we met their guidelines. We made two attempts (and did it perfectly both times) so I am very optimistic that Guinness will agree we set the record!

POC: How do you feel about your role in setting this record, or BurlyCon in general?

Cherry: This was an amazing experience for me personally. I think it was really special for BurlyCon to have this collective performance experience together, for us to accomplish this as a team and further bond our community. Nothing like this has ever been done before! I am really grateful.

POC: I certainly felt a strong sense of community, which has always been one of the more appealing aspects of burlesque here in Seattle for me. And I felt it at BurlyCon while taking the different classes and attending the thought-provoking panels…I felt it during the meet & greets and the “Under the Deep Blue Sea” Dance Party. I felt it as I met new burlesque friends from across the country. Even at the crazy after parties at different suites, acting crazy and playing games (like Cards Against Humanity) I felt it. I truly love being amongst the glittery, fabulous, outrageous men and woman of burlesque.

Posted in Written by Paul O'Connell
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Tell me a story.

•11/02/2012 • Leave a Comment

While everyone we know is out enjoying BurlyCon, setting records for the world’s biggest fan dance, or justifiably heckling the film Burlesque, we offer you a special literary kind of supplement to tide you over until our post-Con recap…

If your daily news consumption gravitates toward smart sex bloggers, journalists, and erotic writers then you’ve probably heard of Rachel Kramer Bussel and Cleis Press. I first sought out Rachel’s intelligent commentary in the blogosphere after her name kept appearing in the seemingly endless wormholes of book recommendations I found myself navigating on Amazon. At the same time, I noticed Rachel had a hand in many of the books I thumbed through at Powell’s in the relative seclusion of the sexuality/excess culture/gender studies/erotica sections. (Yes, they were once corralled into the same aisle or two of the glorious Portland book shop).

From her home base in New York Rachel has written for some of the most broad-minded outlets online and in print (including Jezebel, The Daily Beast, Salon, The Village Voice, and The Huffington Post). She’s contributed to over 100 anthologies, and has edited the excellent Best Sex Writing series and scads of erotica collections with Cleis Press since approximately 2007. Another association that caught my eye? For five years Rachel hosted the In The Flesh Erotic Reading Series in New York City, which featured several authors from the strip and burlesque communities such as Lily Burana (Strip City: A Stripper’s Farewell Journey Across America), Jillian Lauren (Some Girls: My Life in A Harem), and New York School Of Burlesque Headmistress and BurlyCon Co-founder Jo Weldon (author of The Burlesque Handbook, who I previously interviewed HERE.)

This summer and fall, I read three books edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel: Best Sex Writing 2012: the State of Today’s Sexual Culture, Going Down: Oral Sex Stories, and Suite Encounters: Hotel Sex Stories. Lucky for the reading public – particularly those with a penchant for sexy stories or exploring sexuality as the ultimate form of self-expression in a sometimes contradictory culture – Rachel’s curiosity is as boundless as her cultivated literary eye.

For starters, the Best Sex Writing series is a nonfiction-loving sex journalism nerd’s dream. Since the series began in 2006, the collections have gathered the very best features covering everything from the origin of SlutWalks, to the tangled web of age of consent laws, and on to the weird world of female orgasm workshops. You never know what you’ll get from year to year; it’s fascinating just looking back at what topics were foremost in the media at a given point in time. In “An Unfortunate Discharge Early in My Navel Career” Tim Elhajj recounts some youthful experimentation and the unexpected venom he encountered when caught with another officer. Hugo Schwyzer’s essay “I Want You to Want Me” contemplates body shame and self-image from the often less verbalized (but no less damaged) male standpoint. “The Careless Language of Sexual Violence” by Roxane Gay exposes the appalling story of a brutal small town rape and how the New York Times so carelessly wrote about the violence that an ugly situation became far uglier, and from a media source and culture we naively hoped would know better. In “Pottymouth”, Kevin Sampsell ruminates on ladies he’s loved and the unique language they used between the sheets.

As for the recreation provided by the pair of straight-up erotic collections Going Down and Suite Encounters (both also published by Cleis Press in 2012) – while traveling with these books tucked in my bag I began to contemplate the particular thrill that can be found in “reading your porn”, rather than watching it. Well-written erotic short stories are not only red hot reads, but often penetrate intimate places that visual stimulation alone takes some picking through to satisfy – your brain, and at times, your emotions. Contrary to current popular belief, contemporary erotica didn’t start with Anne Rice (aka A.N. Roquelaure) and then resurface with the poorly-written Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. There’s a lot of stellar sexy collections out there, and independent sex-positive publisher Cleis Press has been churning out an impressive library for over 30 years. Rachel Kramer Bussel’s witty introductions to Going Down and Suite Encounters set the stage for these two anthologies, and the rest is a rollercoaster ride through the limitless imaginations and sexual fantasies of writers from around the globe. Going Down, as the name implies, delivers over 20 explicit stories about the intricacies and pleasures of oral sex, but in ways that often unexpectedly get your imagination as well as your blood pumping. “The Perfect Shade” by Elizabeth Coldwell describes a woman giving her husband a thrill by leaving a lipstick mark where it counts; gum-chewing climax tale “Bubble Dance” is memorable for not only the bizarre scene, but for Jeremy Edwards’s clever use of language (“My erect cock floats as if it were a balloon animal’s tail.”). “Pretty Dull”, Going Down’s opener, wasn’t dull at all – but feverishly descriptive and oddly sweet.

From the microcosms of Going Down to the wide world of hotel sex – Suite Encounters is only a slightly less carnal collection that leans more toward the voyeuristic. What goes on behind closed doors may surprise you. The stories in Suite Encounters are satisfyingly steamy, while a few are touching for the loving relationships portrayed through the lens of a neutral playing field – the hotel room. A husband and wife arrange a situational lunch hour in “Selfish”. Lascivious strangers on a murder-mystery getaway in “An Inspector Comes” aren’t such perfect strangers after all. A male sex worker learns to be dominated from a desk clerk in “Night School”. There’s also the lush and dreamy language of hot little stories like “Air-Conditioning. Color TV. Live Mermaids” by Anna Meadows and the intriguing sexual proclivities of the writer known as Remittance Girl’s “Proof of Desire”. Suite Encounters is as lusty, varied, and complex as the relationships it visits. This is a book you’ll definitely want to take with you on your next trip- even if it’s just an overnighter with someone you love.

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Sooth your post BurlyCon depression by dipping your toes into some new books over at Cleis Press and don’t forget to pay a visit to the titillating literary world of Rachel Kramer Bussel. The 2013 edition of Best Sex Writing will be out in January 2013.

My heroine: author, blogger, and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel (image from http://www.365portraits.com)

Posted in Written by Jessica
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Get Haunted (or, How To Inhabit A Character).

•10/27/2012 • Leave a Comment

Portland’s Lady Stockholm as the Elephant Man (POC Photo)

~ All photos by Paul O’Connell (POC Photo), text by Jessica (with additional assistance from Jo Jo Stiletto).

Two shows in October proved that becoming possessed by a simple, yet brilliant idea and truly inhabiting a character for a few minutes of stage time often carries an act more than showing a bit of skin (although in burlesque, that’s the delicious icing on a many-layered cake).

First, Portland’s Sign of the Beast & Go Go Rocket Productions brought Black Lodge Burlesque: A Night of Cabaret Inspired by David Lynch to Seattle – an impressive feat for an all out-of-town cast – and knocked David Lynch fans on their proverbial asses with their spot-on interpretations and subtle Lynchian references. The nightmarish phone call scene from Lost Highway was expertly recreated by Vera Mysteria as the creepy “Mystery Man” character, ending with a life size and amusingly nineties-style dancing cell phone.  Hai Fleish brought the life and death of Laura Palmer to a vivid conclusion, and Baby Le’Strange played a dual role as Dorothy and Frank from Blue Velvet– complete with an oxygen mask yanked from her skivvies. The show was hosted by who else? The Log Lady (Vera Mysteria once again).

Geeklesque Unites was a collaborative show dreamed up by Jo Jo Stiletto Events and Portland’s Critical Hit.  The theme cast a wide net: everything from comics to video games, cult films and role playing games were represented. In structuring the show the producers avoided requesting new acts, instead using the theme as a guide to selecting from a library of already fully-formed (but sometimes rarely seen) acts.  The result was the “best of the best” of the geeklesque genre, and probably the most fun, smart, and unabashedly sexy show I’ve seen in a long time.

What made the show exceptional was the obvious passion in the creation of the roles and the way the performers inhabited them. The joy in presenting each character was so clear and creatively executed that even acts whose source material I wasn’t familiar with made for memorable, compelling characters- sometimes the weirder, the better.

Violet Tendencies reprised her role as Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled princess from Game of Thrones, fetishizing her dragon’s eggs with actual hot candle wax poured on her body; Iva Handfull found split second humor as a video game character on ‘pause’, and Randi Rascal made Tetris provocative. Several performers used dual roles to unique effect: Kit Katastrophic played both heroine and monster from Creature from the Black Lagoon. The Infamous Nina Nightshade played both Aughra and Kira from The Dark Crystal (the 1982 fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz).  The Infamous Nina Nightshade appeared again as both “Light Lili” and “Dark Lili” from the 1985 film Legend directed by Ridley Scott.

Jo Jo Stiletto explained the collaborative process of curating the acts: “Honestly, we could have made the show much longer with some epic acts from other performers in Seattle and Portland but we thought this was the perfect mix,” she said. “For Geeklesque Unites both Sophie and I wanted to show off how good nerdlesque can really be- to bring all the epic acts together under one roof. We didn’t want to ask anyone to create acts for this either. There really are so many good acts that deserve to be seen again.”

“It was meant to be a nerd cornucopia,” she continued. “…I wanted, honestly, to put out a really tight show… I wanted to really show that ‘Sustainable Nerdlesque’ that was written about earlier this summer. I think this is what sustainable looks like”.

Regardless of the clever catchphrases- geeklesque, nerdlesque, etc. – loving your source material and inhabiting a character is what these shows were about.  It’s also what makes a good idea into a great one.

Black Lodge Burlesque @ Rebar October 2012:

Vera Mysteria: Lost Highway style (POC Photo)

Hai Fleisch as Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks (POC Photo)

Laura “wrapped in plastic”- and Bob, played by Baby Le’Strange (POC Photo)

Meghan Mayhem as Wild at Heart’s Lula, with Sailor’s precious “symbol of individuality and personal freedom”  (POC Photo)

Burk Biggler as “The Arm” (POC Photo)

Baby Le’Strange in dual roles as Dorothy/Frank from Blue Velvet (POC Photo)

Vera Mysteria as the Log Lady gone wild- yes, that *is* an owl (POC Photo)

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Geeklesque Unites @ Rebar, October 2012:

The host of Geeklesque Unites!- Vanadium Silver (POC Photo)

Randi Rascal’s super sexy/super clever ode to Tetris (POC Photo)

Kit Katastrophic in dual roles as heroine and Creature from the Black Lagoon (POC Photo)

The Infamous Nina Nightshade as Kira, a Gelfling from the Dark Crystal (POC Photo)

Iva Handfull as Napoleon Dynamite (POC Photo)

Violet Tendencies as Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled princess from Game of Thrones, with her dragon’s eggs (POC Photo)

Lady Drew Blood as Moist, from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog…the true test of “can someone make an interesting act based on the smallest reference or character”, says producer Jo Jo Stiletto.

Satira Sin as GoGo Yubari from Kill Bill (POC Photo)

The Infamous Nina Nightshade as Light Lili and Dark Lili from the movie Legend (POC Photo)

Sophie Maltease as Gimli from Lord of the Rings (POC Photo)

Sophie Maltease plays Dungeons and Dragons with her d20 Gary. (“Or, simply, Sophie as Gamer Girl” says Jo Jo Stiletto)

A role within a role: Scarlett O’Hairdye as Wil Wheaton & the character Wesley Crusher (POC Photo)

Posted in Written by Jessica
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Picks of the (g)litter October 18 edition.

•10/18/2012 • Leave a Comment

“Pouty Wesley Crusher makes me pretty happy”- says Jo Jo Stiletto of Scarlett O’Hairdye’s photo.  See more of Scarlett at Geeklesque Unites.

I will continue preaching the benefits of sexy multi-city couplings until I’m blue in the face…this Friday October 19, Jo Jo Stiletto gets down and dirty with Portland’s Critical Hit Burlesque for the glorious nerd-in called Geeklesque Unites, taking place at ReBar. Two back to back shows featuring some of the best geektastic ideas in the Pacific Northwest, including Randi Rascal, Iva Handfull, the Infamous Nina Nightshade, Violet Tendencies, Sophie Maltease, and Lady Drew Blood.  Presale tix are now closed, but Jo Jo reports there may be a few tickets left for the 7:30 show at the door; otherwise the 11pm show is your best bet. 

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Photo from Seduction 2011

Who but the folks at Seattle Erotic Art Festival could produce a smashing Halloween party both eerie and amorous?  The second annual Seduction takes place Saturday October 27 from 8pm to 2am at the gorgeous Fremont Studios, also home to the Seattle Erotic Art Festival itself every year.  It’s a glamourous location with plenty of dark corners you might be able to dash off to with a sexy stranger… or two.  Seduction features music, dancing, live performances, erotic art, over $3,000 in costume contest prizes and what press materials describe only as “interactive experiences”.  Coming from these particular organizers, “interactive” has a particularly lovely ring to it. 

“Last year Seduction had over 1,500 of Seattle’s sexiest and most creative people in attendance,” says Festival Director Clayton Hibbert. “Seduction is a sultry, adult Halloween party with fantastic music and stunning hand-picked art. It’s another chance to get dressed up, celebrate, and dance. The party will also raise money for our favorite cause: the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture, the nonprofit organization that produces the Festival.”

Tickets to Seduction are available through SeattleErotic.org, and will be available at the door.

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Another show to get on your radar:  the third annual run of Can Can Presents: This Is Halloween  takes place at the Triple Door October 26-27, and again October 28 and 31.  The show, inspired by Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, features members of the Can Can Castaways – amazing dancers first and foremost, charming yet scary ghouls and goblins secondarily.

Posted in Written by Jessica
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Whole lotta shakin’ going on: Ref 74, HUMP!, Satan’s Angel and everything in between. Really.

•10/11/2012 • Leave a Comment

First off, this clip made by Social Outreach Seattle stars some people that we all know and love and delivers an incredibly important message on why approval of Referendum 74 matters.  Don’t assume it’s going to happen- get out there and make it so.

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Stripped Screw Burlesque have also recently been in front of a camera, thanks to the talented Stella D’Letto.  This teaser scores high right off the bat for excellent use of “Sour Cherry” by The Kills.  Kutie La Bootie’s butt slap is my personal favorite moment.

If you want to see just a little bit more of the ladies, this Saturday October 13 they’ll be back at Columbia City Theater (which is an absolutely fantastic room to see them in) for their big third anniversary celebration: Keep It Up Again.  At this point you can still get tickets but I doubt that will last much longer; this is going to be a big one.

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Also happening Saturday October 13,  the Lesbian & Gay Film Festival is screening the documentary Satan’s Angel: Queen of the Fire Tassels and it looks like it is going to be F-U-N:

Miss Kitty Baby and the filmmaker will be in attendance and a Q&A will take place after the screening.  I’m going to tell you a secret:  use promo code EROTIC to buy 2 tickets for the price of 1 when you click for tickets over HERE.

Incidentally, the festival will also screen Waxie Moon in Fallen Jewel at Pacific Place on October19, get tickets HERE.  Waxie on the very big screen at Pacific Place? Yes, yes, and yes!

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Lest you forget, Thursday October 11 is J. Von Stratton Designs Fall Fashion Presentation at the Triple Door, and Friday October 12 and Saturday October 13 at ReBar is the show I won’t stop talking about: Black Lodge Burlesque: A Night of Cabaret Inspired by David Lynch. And finally…Atomic Bombshells Kitten LaRue and Lou Henry Hoover made the cover of this week’s Stranger…

…and have also been appearing in ads for the film fest I look forward to the most every year, HUMP! This year the homegrown short porn flick festival will screen in Seattle, Portland, and Olympia.  Get tickets HERE.

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