ACTING BURLESQUE with Tigger! Disney After Dark launches Thursday March 8.

•03/07/2012 • Leave a Comment

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.

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Return of the DIY Showgirl.

•03/06/2012 • 1 Comment

Where The Shanghai Pearl's showgirl bits are born.

Wandering into The Shanghai Pearl’s downtown workspace/loft apartment is a bit like stepping into an exotic den of fanciful things, a glamorous costume museum-cum-workspace. In fact, it’s exactly like that- every surface, shelf, and ceiling-high hanger as you cross the threshold’s stone floors is festooned with beautiful objects either fully formed or in process. The indelible impression is that the visitor is a fortunate guest where showgirl fineries rest in their “off” time. Impossibly long, curlicued eyelashes made of feathery tendrils wink demurely from a perch. Multicolored pasties twinkle in a tiered dish, their tassels curled demurely around tiny Swarovski points. Bejeweled heels and taffeta skirts peek from cabinets and hangers. A dress form proudly displays an elaborate “barely there” gown of what appears to be nothing but beading and tiny strips of black trim. (Shanghai tells me later it’s actually made of beads, twill, satin, glue, and “showgirl math”). The room is a wonderland of detail one could easily get lost in, but there’s a definite air of organization and neatness to The Shanghai’s Pearl’s loft. You get the impression if one single rhinestone was misplaced, a preternatural instinct would kick in and she would know it.

Some impossibly long lashes among other pretty things at the studio.

Being exceedingly crafty is one of Shanghai’s natural talents, one especially suited to her full time pursuits of teaching and performing. In addition to being a lead Burlesque 101 instructor at Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque, Shanghai often teaches one-off classes such as the popular “How to Strip for Your Lover”. She is frequently booked in cities like San Francisco and Boston, and whenever possible she sets up mobile workshops under her burlesque craft class moniker “DIY Showgirl”. February and March saw the local return of these classes as a three-part series: For Your Eyes Only: Create Your Own Custom Eyelashes, Be More Naked! (or, Merkins 101), and the final class Headdresses, Fascinators, and YOU! takes place Saturday, April 14 in Seattle. It’s just been confirmed that due to increased demand, Shanghai’s eyelash and merkin classes will repeat in similar form in May.

While instructing me in the fine art of feather-curling, Shanghai chatted about her latest adventures (such as Orlando’s annual Nude Nights) and her hands-on approach to artistry. She recalls being compelled to make pretty things as far back as she can remember. Primarily interested in painting, she wanted to be an artist before discovering burlesque. “What’s really interesting about burlesque is that we’re always playing with inaccessibility and accessibility, but also, the knowledge to do it is accessible,” she says. “People were always asking me about merkins, and lately I’ve had a lot of questions about my eyelashes and headdresses and things…I decided to offer them in a series because I feel like it’s really empowering to make your own stuff. That’s what’s so amazing about burlesque, we’re telling our own stories, and it’s amazing when we get to make it all.”

A headdress in process.

Dreaming up and executing her own ornamentation was a creative compulsion as much as it was an obvious choice given availability and finances. (If you can’t afford or find that insanely detailed headdress you imagine, why not make it?) Always inquisitive and eager to soak up knowledge, Shanghai honed her craftsmanship skills with Lindsey Cunningham of Spotlight Fashions and from her time interning with Catherine D’Lish. These days, Shanghai relishes the opportunity to impart some of her hard-won showgirl tricks through the DIY series. Though she’s hosted larger workshops at BurlyCon, she says she prefers to keep the class size smaller- more like guided craft nights. People with absolutely no knowledge can sign up or students can bring in projects they are working on for tips or a little brainstorming.

And for those who don’t know…what exactly IS a fascinator? Shanghai tell me that it’s basically a tiny hair ornament, or as she puts it: “a doohickey you wear on your head.”

Here are the details on the next three classes in the DIY Showgirl Series:

April 14th: Headdresses, Fascinators, and YOU!
May 5th: For Your Eyes Only! (Learn how to create your own custom eyelashes)
May 19th: Naked City (Make your own g-string, plus tips on making and wearing a merkin)

Please visit diyshowgirl.eventbrite.com for more information.

Lashes made by students of the DIY Showgirl.

As for The Shanghai Pearl, next she is headed to Colorado to perform and teach at the end of March; in April she will bring her classes to Tease-O-Rama in San Francisco and to the Great Boston Burlesque Expo.

Let Shanghai expose her secrets. Or at least, some of them...

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Dita’s Strip Strip Hooray! now on presale.

•02/29/2012 • Leave a Comment

She is coming.

Yes, the undisputed champion and first inspiration for many a hopeful ecdysiast is bringing her star-studded Strip Strip Hooray! Variety show to Seattle. West Coast tour dates were announced on Monday and include two nights at The Neptune (Seattle) and two at the Aladdin Theater (Portland).

At this point, tickets are only available on presale for Seattle, and the password is ELECTRONIC.

Click HERE for Seattle presale, and HERE to see the rest of the tour dates.

Here’s a nice chunky event description from STG Presents with a little background on our beautiful lady:

STG presents Dita Von Teese Burlesque at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle on Thursday & Friday, May 24th & 25th, 2012.

She is the biggest name in burlesque since Gypsy Rose Lee. She is a modern day fashion icon who tops best- dressed lists all over the world. She is credited for bringing back the glamour and allure of Old Hollywood stars. Self-created. Distinctive. Iconic. Often imitated, never duplicated. She is Dita Von Teese.

Born Heather Sweet in West Branch, Michigan, Dita grew up fascinated by the Golden Age of Cinema, pin-up imagery, and vintage lingerie. This naturally blond, mid-western girl then transformed herself into one of the glamour girls she grew up adoring. Performing burlesque since 1992, she is the undisputed international queen of burlesque, and credited with bringing the art form back in to the spotlight with a new sense of glamour and sophistication.

Taking audiences on a journey into fantasy and spectacle, Dita is renowned for her ornate sets and dazzling haute-couture performance costumes adorned with hundreds of thousands of Swarovski crystals. This “Burlesque Superheroine” (Vanity Fair) determines every aspect of her burlesque shows from the set and costume, to the music and lighting. Best known for her cocktail glass show in which she performs a classic style striptease that culminates with her bathing in a glass, Dita recreated this iconic show for her role as the global ambassador for Cointreau. Her “Be Cointreauversial,” show is a grander version of her famous cocktail glass show which she has performed in Tokyo, Sydney, New York, London, Paris, Sao Paulo and Los Angeles. She also just developed her 2nd Cointreau cocktail, the MargaDITA, inspired by the original Cointreau Margarita, and launched the Cointreau Prive pop-up bar in London.

Dita is the performer of choice at high profile events including those for designers such as Marc Jacobs, Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Chopard, and Cartier, and was the first guest star in history at Paris’ famed Crazy Horse (established in 1951) where she has performed several sold-out runs. She recently brought burlesque to prime time television in the States when she appeared as a guest star on CSI and performed her classic Martini Glass show, in an episode billed as “too hot to handle.”

A self-styled fashion icon that has topped several international best dressed lists and walked in various high profile fashion-shows, Dita is bringing some of her signature style to the masses this Fall. Her first fragrance, “Dita Von Teese” launched in October and is currently available in Germany/Austria/Switzerland with plans for expansion into the UK, US, Canada, and Australia slated for early 2012. Her lingerie collection, “Von Follies by Dita Von Teese” is launching exclusively at Target Australia in March 2012 with expansion to the UK and US later in the year. In addition, Dita is launching her first dress capsule collection exclusively at David Jones in Australia in January 2012, with global expansion to follow. “Dita Von Teese MUSE” features 4 dresses and 1 coat, all based on some of her personal vintage treasures. A high-end lingerie collection and cosmetics collection will follow in 2012 as well.

A best-selling author, Dita is currently working on her third book, a guide to eccentric glamour, which her bevy of female fans is eagerly awaiting. Her first book Burlesque and the Art of the Teese charted in the USA, UK, and Europe. The follow-up, Dita Stripteese, is an ornate box set of 3 retro-styled “flip-books.”

An advocate in the fight against HIV and AIDS, Dita was a MAC Viva Glam Spokesperson from 2006-2008 and in 2009 she participated in the H&M/Fashion Against Aids campaign. She has also performed and appeared at several events for Amfar and was honored with their Award of Courage in 2008. Her status as a burlesque star and modern-day feminist has also garnered her an invitation to speak at the Oxford Student Union, where other elected speakers have included the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Tony Blair, and Anna Wintour.

Dita is currently preparing to take her variety show “Burlesque: Strip Strip Hooray!” on a nationwide tour in 2012!

Posted in Written by Jessica
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Rose City Shimmy returns to Noc Noc.

•02/23/2012 • Leave a Comment

Hai Fleisch of Rose City Shimmy performing last month at Noc Noc (POC Photo)

Last month’s visit from Portland burlesque collective Rose City Shimmy was memorable not only for the finely tuned bumps and grinds, but for a particularly raucous audience response. Men were hollering, ladies were shrieking- it could have been flesh-pinching pandemonium had the ladies not been such consummate teasers. Host(ess) Diva le Déviant (freely referring to herself as “The Bitch In Charge”) kept the crowd and its sprinkling of birthdays and bridesmaids on task with foul-mouthed sass, not unlike a brassy Bette Midler.

Another memorable detail about Rose City Shimmy was their exquisitely detailed costuming- from beautiful hand-made shimmy belts, embellished corsets, and golden Isis wings to…chipmunk genitalia. There was a little bit of everything, and it was all visibly well-made to the point where snatching discarded sundries off the floor for a closer look was severely tempting.

Itty Bitty Bang Bang (POC Photo)

If you missed them last month, you can see a whole new set of Rose City Shimmy acts and feast your eyes on the costumes (and what’s underneath them) when the ladies return to Noc Noc Thursday, February 23. Reservations are at capacity, but there are a handful of unreserved seats that are up for grabs when doors open at 9pm. For the best chance of getting a seat, arrive a little before 9pm to get in line before doors open. (Noc Noc, Downtown Seattle, $15).

As for the art of costuming, here’s what the girls have to say:

Burlesque Seattle Press: Your costumes and headpieces are always exquisite- PDX ladies really kick the costuming up a notch. Do you make them?

Charlotte Treuse: I make all of my own. Part of why I wanted to be a performer was because I loved the opulent burlesque costumes so much. I find it totally relaxing to sew, and my favorite “days off” are days just spent holed up with my man and my cats, working on something sparkly and fabulous. When I first started out I made everything except for my corsets and my panties, and now I’ve learned how to make those too.

I also have been doing costuming for some other performers, most notably Baby Le’Strange and Perle Noire. Baby’s hot dog is my creation, and I’ve made her a Martian set, and her Blue Velvet robe as well. I’ve been working with Perle for months now. I am in the process of making her “exotic mystere” costume… I hope to open an Etsy store specializing in burlesque lingerie in the next few months. My fantasy is to support myself sewing. A girl can dream.

Charlotte Treuse (POC Photo)

Burlesque Seattle Press: I loved your Chipmunk Act, Baby- where do you come across your gigantic and bizarre costumes? Do they find you somehow, and then you create an act around them? Or is it the other way around?

Baby Le’Strange: As for my hot dog, Charlotte made it. I cam up with the idea and she made the costume come to life. There are still pieces of the costume in the works that will debut when the Speedbump tour comes through Portland.

The chipmunk came about at a party at my friend’s house. There was this hideous head sitting above the cupboards in the kitchen. It looked like a beat up beaver. I of course took it down and started thrusting around with it on my head. I thought, “I have to use this someday”. Then came Stripped Screw’s request for me to guest in the Disney show in Portland. I begged my friend to “lend” me the head so I could make a Chip and Dale style act. I had my friend that works for the Portland Opera paint it up for me, then I imagined the act. Since the head was bringing me do much joy I my friend let me keep it. This costume will also be getting a small overhaul by Charlotte in the future. I always feel like my acts are a constant work in progress.

Baby Le'Strange's "Chipmunk" number (POC Photo)

Burlesque Seattle Press: A question for Hai: I remember those amazing Isis wings from when I came for the Stolen Sweets Secret Society show- they’re amazing. Did you make the wings and your beautiful ship headpiece? Your champagne bottle was also hilarious.

Hai Fleisch: As far as the wings, I wish I could say that I made them but I ordered mine from a company in Egypt. They’re so fun to play with! I did make the ship hat though, and the rest of the costume. I was inspired by the ladies of Marie Antoinette’s era wearing little ships in their powdered wigs. I also built the champagne bottle, which I had to pattern myself.

POC Photo’s full set of Rose City Shimmy’s January Noc Noc show can be seen HERE.

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Olympia’s Own TUSH! Burlesque.

•02/21/2012 • 1 Comment

Frida Fondle as Frida Kahlo (Photo by Israel Caine of Lock & Key Photography)

A few weeks ago Olympia’s majestic, 650-seat Capitol Theater once again featured its burlesque main squeeze- TUSH!- in a one-off themed show paying tribute to a subject wide open to interpretation: art.  TUSH! Mounts the Masters featured ten inventive acts, a musical guest (Autry, from Portland), and two special guests, Paris Original and Olympia’s Wednesday du Monde.

Arriving at the historic downtown theater not long before show time, it was apparent that when TUSH! performs in Olympia, it is a very big deal.  The line wound through the theater’s lobby and down the block, and the crowd was charged with anticipation and good spirits.  Similar to the wide net cast by larger scale productions in Seattle, it seemed that the audience was not so singularly burlesque-focused, but more of a cross section of general fans.  Patrons and spectators seemed curious not only about striptease revivals and (mostly) naked ladies, but in live performance and “fringe arts” in general.  In other words, Olympia really loves its arts community, and TUSH! reigns supreme in the realm of the tease.

Sharp-witted host Hattie Hotpants expertly guided the enthusiastically vocal/somewhat rowdy audience through an array of well-known artists and famous works cleverly reinvented by TUSH!  The stupendously beautiful Nani Poonani paid tribute to Georgia O’Keefe in a visually stunning cape and high-drama reveals, Frida Fondle played a deadpan Frida Kahlo, and Princess Lucky Buttons gave the Mona Lisa a raunchy run for her money. Paris Original started out as a chaste Degas ballerina, but moved by classic song “The Stripper”, quickly shed his skirts as well as his inhibitions. Bettie Beelzebub launched a hilariously over-the-top interpretive go-go dance tribute to Surrealist Salvador Dali complete with eyeballs and lobsters (and a hand from assistants Nani Poonani and Hattie Hotpants).  The final number was a pastoral scene of nymphets and voluptuous ladies in repose, quickly coming to life to the exquisite pleasure of an unsuspecting museum guard.

TUSH! Mounts the Masters was polished and professional, but gritty enough to keep minds just a little in the gutter- as it should be.  It’s easy to see why the ladies have developed such a dedicated following and undomesticated reputation in their hometown of Olympia.   They’ve got a wicked sense of humor, talent, and ideas to match.

After the show, Bettie Beelzebub took a few minutes to give me some background on Olympia’s Own TUSH! Burlesque:

Burlesque Seattle Press: How did TUSH! form, and how long have you been together?

Bettie Beelzebub: TUSH! was originally formed in 2009 with a friend who has since moved – it started originally with the name TUSH! and a Craigslist ad! Nani Poonani was one of those originals, and me. We heard that a local business wanted to do burlesque as a “First Friday” type event.  So I went there to inquire about it, and met Frida Fondle (she just happened to be that store’s manager), who said “OH! I just took Indigo Blue’s Burlesque 101! Let’s DO THIS!” The troupe just kind of fell together naturally after that- we have members from Burlesque 101 and we have members with other backgrounds in dance, theater and other performance.

Is TUSH! pretty much the core members featured in Masters, or has the lineup changed much? (You almost remind me of a collective- everyone having really strong individual ideas & distinct styles, yet performing together)…

We ARE sort of a collective- our troupe is run as a cooperative.  There is no one “leader” of the troupe- we work together in teams. Each member’s creative input is just as important as the other’s.  Although now and then a member might sit out a show, for the most part we all get so excited about the themes we come up with, we all participate in our shows…

We recently lost two members – Black Bonni- who needed to devote more time to school- and Bad Astrid- our former stage manager who is moving soon to Seattle.

How often do you perform together?

TUSH! does 3 or 4 of our bigger “themed” productions a year. We rehearse and plan for each of those shows for a couple of months leading up to them. The sisterhood that we have formed in this troupe- I’d like to say that for us, the time we spend together getting ready for our shows really adds to the quality of our shows. This troupe is a family. Many of our members also perform in other shows throughout the year.

The Capitol Theater is fantastic- it must be a great stage to perform on.  Is that pretty much your home base?  How did that relationship develop?

Yes! The Capitol Theater has become a home for us! We love performing there – we wouldn’t have it any other way! It has a long vaudeville history (and even a few ghosts!). We started at the Capitol Theater with the Dangerous Curves/Burlesque on the Go Go tour with those lovely NY ladies- and our relationship with the theater developed from there.

Olympia crowds seem super supportive, super enthusiastic, and not as “burlesque-centric” as they are here in Seattle…meaning, it seemed to be an even broader cross section of people, not just a burlesque aficionado crowd.   Do you think that is true?  (It just felt a little wilder and more “anything goes”, in large part because of the energy from the crowd to the stage. Plus you mixed in live music too, which isn’t super common)…

YES! Olympia LOVES its performance, of all kinds- theater, music, art…we have a wonderful, diverse performance community. It’s a social thing with Olympians- it’s a big part of our “downtown culture”. It’s a big part of this town. From live music to our twice yearly Arts Walk to our own Procession of the Species, Tallhouse Arts Consortium, Theater Arts Olympia and The Midnite Sun Performance Space and its yearly Vaudeville Show- we have it all here! Performance as a form of creative expression thrives here because of the wonderful support it receives from the community- it’s a circular thing.

Is Hattie Hotpants someone you always work with? A good host is like gold, and she is fantastic…

What would TUSH! be without Hattie Hotpants?? She is the glue that holds us together on stage. She is a BIG part of this troupe, our face to the world. Hattie is an amazing MC because she not only has a wonderful sense of humor, but her improv skills are pretty unmatchable. She has an extensive performance / theater background. We are very lucky to have her.

Were most of these acts, including the group number, created especially for this show?

YES! Members of TUSH! take a lot of pride in how hard we work to develop new acts to fit our themed shows. TUSH! shows are thought of a lot like plays I think- we work to tell a story with our shows- with a cohesive running gag throughout- with the Art show it was our security guard Prince Snappypants.

Who are the other troupes out there in Olympia?  Rock Candy was mentioned by Hattie…and they’re doing a Madonna tribute March 30?

We are excited to support the newest troupe in our South Sound burlesque community, Rock Candy- and we look forward to their debut. I know they are working very hard to produce a fun show. I’ll be doing pick-up for them for that show.

How was the idea for this show conceived?

TUSH! decides on show themes by literally making a list as a group, narrowing that list down to a reasonable few fun ideas, and then pulling one “out of a hat”! ART was one of those themes decided on that way. Once the group has made the final decision on the theme, each member proposes to the group what they would like to do under that theme- then we give each other continued constructive feedback through weekly rehearsals until all of our pieces are fully developed. I feel that once our themes are decided upon, the excitement tends to build- we are all very supportive of each other’s ideas and love watching them develop.

Bettie Beelzebub's tribute to Salvador Dali (Photo by Israel Caine of Lock & Key Photography)

Special guest Paris Original (Photo by Israel Caine of Lock & Key Photography)

Pretty as a picture (Photo by Israel Caine of Lock & Key Photography)

TUSH! Burlesque, in all their glory (Photo by Israel Caine of Lock & Key Photography)

For more information, please visit www.tushburlesque.com

Posted in Written by Jessica
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