Ten Years of Rockabilly & Burlesque

•12/03/2010 • Leave a Comment

Two great tastes that taste great together.

When rockabilly and burlesque collide, mutually weird and wonderful chemistry ignites. Tonight Evilyn Sin Claire and The Shanghai Pearl-two of my all-time favorite Seattle burlesque performers- moonlight with LuLu Bell at Hwy 99 Blues Club for Westerngents 10th Annual Rockabilly Burlesque Show. A ten year love affair deserves to be celebrated.

This month you can also catch The Shanghai Pearl guesting at HOMO for the Holidays, and Evilyn performs weekly in The Sacred and The Profane with Sinner Saint Burlesque. The troupe has been invited to perform in London in coordination with photographer Greg Holloway’s upcoming exhibition, Electric Burlesque. To help with funding, they’ve released a calendar (available at shows or by contacting Sinner Saint) featuring a dozen live photos taken by Holloway with commentary from the performers. I bought one at Sacred’s opening night, and it’s beautiful. I think I can even hang it up at work, if I move it to the side a little…

Posted in Written by Jessica
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Itty Bitty on a Bowling Pin

•12/02/2010 • 1 Comment

This week’s random bonus pic comes from our talented sister city, Portland:

Itty Bitty Bang Bang (photo by Greg the Mayor)

Rose City Shimmy’s Itty Bitty Bang Bang performed with this ridiculously amazing prop at Lebowski Fest. The fearless lady took some time to write about how the prop- and her involvement in the yearly festival- came to be:

My two greatest loves in life are burlesque and The Big Lebowski. So naturally one of the first acts I created when I started performing two years ago was a tribute to my favorite movie. I donned a bowling pin headdress for a burlesque version of The Dude’s drug induced dream “Gutterballs”. A few weeks later I heard that Lebowski Fest was hitting the road for a West Coast tour, and on a whim sent the organizers a video of my act. I was completely overjoyed when they invited me to perform at the Portland stop of the tour! The crowd loved it and I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.

I was beyond ecstatic when the Lebowski Fest crew asked me to join them again at the Seattle show in 2010 and I knew I needed to do something REALLY outrageous. I spent weeks brainstorming and playing with ideas. I had to find the perfect way to take my act to the next level. Finally I found my inspiration in a fabulous poster by Bill Green for the Los Angeles Fest. For “Gutterballs” 2.0 I needed an Itty Bitty sized bowling pin. My friend Jason, boyfriend Paco and I began a month of hard work and what-have-you creating the pin. I am so proud to have put plenty of my very own elbow grease in to this beautiful prop. My Rose City Shimmy sister, Charlotte Treuse, helped me perfect the final details of my costume and I was ready to hit the road for Seattle.

When the night finally came I was a ball of nerves, but once I stepped on to that stage and heard the cheers of a room full of Achievers – I was right at home! This act was especially created for that crowd, so receiving such an amazing response from them was one of the most rewarding and thrilling experiences I’ve had in my burlesque career. And that pin really tied the room together! The following night at the bowling party, I got to meet Achievers who traveled to the Fest from all over the Northwest and even won a trophy for my costume… not exactly a light weight. The whole weekend was just magical and it was an absolute honor to be a part of it. Now all I can think about is packing up the pin and traveling to Louisville next summer for the 10th Annual Lebowski Fest. That would be far out, man… far-fucking out!

**More on Itty Bitty Bang Bang and Rose City Shimmy can be found in the sidebar Suggested Peeping links, at right.

Posted in Written by Jessica
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Let’s launch over it: the holiday throwdown begins.

•11/28/2010 • 1 Comment

Ben DeLaCreme’s third annual “seasonal spectacle” HOMO for the Holidays is in full swing now through December 24 at West Hall. The show is a chosen family-style mix of the traditional and non-traditional- think ramped up Lady Gaga medleys as Xmas carols and well-researched (via Wikipedia) songs about the Maccabees serving up a “pain buffet”. DeLaCreme’s seasonal twist on current hits is bizarre and fascinating; she makes an endearingly shrill and Madonna-like Jacob Marley as well. Cherdonna & Lou, Paris Original and Ilvis Strauss (as Jesus) guest star. Ever wanted to see bellydancer Fuchsia FoXXX roleplay an extremely flexible sugar cookie while being smeared with frosting? Who wouldn’t? Get tix HERE and watch the trailer here:

HOMO for the Holidays poster

In other burlesque and cabaret holiday features this week:

The Jack & Wood Show launches a misfit toy inspired seasonal tradition with RUDOLPH! at the Jewelbox, Monday November 29. TIX HERE

Sinner Saint Burlesque kicks off The Sacred and the Profane at Noc Noc December 2 through January 6.

O holy night indeed

Stripped Screw rolls out Piece on Earth December 3-11, also at the Jewelbox.
TIX HERE

Piece On Earth poster

Speaking of Stripped Screw, this week’s random bonus pics come from last week’s Dr. Sketchy’s, which featured Roxie Moxie as model and muse. Here’s the lady herself, and some sketches from that night:

Roxie Moxie, the real deal: photo by Fiona Minx

A piece of Roxie: sketch by 2nd place winner Randy Phillips

More Roxie, sketches by Joanna Price

Posted in Written by Jessica
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You had to know this was coming…

•11/25/2010 • Leave a Comment

I wish I could continue to ignore this, but I’m giving it one posting for the day of The Turkey and that is all.

This movie starts today. Ouch.

It’s about enough to give me second thoughts about “Ain’t No Other Man.” And um, where is Cher’s face? Probably best watched in the privacy of your own home.

Get some hilarious (and undoubtedly true) perspective on Burlesque-the movie- on BADMOVIEART

Posted in Written by Jessica
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Three cheers for HUMP!’s winners…

•11/23/2010 • 1 Comment

One of the things I enjoyed so much about HUMP! 2010 was the gentle and somewhat (ok, mostly) obvious reminder that underneath clothes, out of closets, behind closed doors, or safe in anonymity- everyone is still pretty much the same. Bodies differ slightly, proclivities vary- but really, not that much. Everyone loves doing things with each other, to each other, and for each other. What a lovely state of affairs. The films were hot, heavy, and full of heart.

Apparently the winners were posted on Friday, and I was pleased to see that ALL of my personal favorites won. Three cheers to all of you clever, clever filmmakers!

Best In Show went to Hi, I’m Pon; the filmmakers have been tickled pink about their win and very graciously sent Burlesque Seattle Press a beautiful raw photo to post:

Photo kindly supplied by and permitted to post by the makers of Hi, I'm Pon

Posted in Written by Jessica
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