Keeping Exotic Dance Alive with The Heavenly Spies

•11/22/2010 • Leave a Comment

Reviewing Mata Hari– the newest Heavenly Spies show currently at Can Can- isn’t easy when no less than twenty kinetic performances are rolled out with barely a pause in between. Five primary dancers plus chanteuse Caela Bailey once again prove that when it comes to the realm of exotic dance-burlesque fusion, they’ve found- and mastered- a niche all their own.

The first of three brisk acts leaned heavily on exotics and belly dance, not so much on the espionage of the show’s namesake. Keeping with primarily belly dance felt a little restrictive at first, considering that the Spies’ strength is their range within a framework- combining heavy dance music with intensely physical routines stylistically all over the map. The girls can do the cancan or the caterpillar without missing a beat. You won’t find mock-surprise burlesque faces at a Heavenly Spies show, it’s genuine showgirl smiles at all times. They look like they’re having a ball, and they’re funny: Kimberly Galore jump-roped in a scarf she’d been wrapped in seconds before, beaming her 1000-watt smile throughout Stereo Total’s ridiculous track “I Am Naked”.

As always, the costumes changes were constant and glitzy- sequined harem pants, flouncy bloomers, full-body feather headdresses, and expanding multi-colored cone bras came and went song after song. I’m constantly amazed at how many pieces the ladies put together for a single performance. See for yourself:

Kimberly Galore during "I Am Naked"

Violet Hour and Honey Sexpot

Costumes to die for: Honey Sexpot (left) and Agent Rhinestone (right)

Agent Rhinestone

Mata Hari runs through December 31. Advance tickets highly recommended; table seating is a must. Check out the sidebar at right for reservation info through Can Can Kitchen & Cabaret. *Special thanks to The Heavenly Spies and Chris Blakely for photo permissions).*

Posted in Written by Jessica
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A Call to Arms (and legs, and other parts)

•11/18/2010 • Leave a Comment

YOU could help Lily and Jasper with the holiday pageant dreams are made of.

If you’re keen on burlesque and get tingly with the thought of being a helpful cog in the wheel of one of the biggest theatrical events of the year, you should know that Land of The Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker is looking for volunteers for its gigantic 23 show run in December. Produced by Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann, the shows are a massive undertaking- requiring months of pre-production work, rehearsals, and generous assistance. Check out this tempting call:

Perhaps you’re an avid fan or looking for ways to connect with other people sharing a similar passion for the art of burlesque or you’ve only recently discovered the allure of the tease and you want to expand your involvement. Volunteering at local events provides an excellent opportunity to make this fabulous world accessible. You are also providing a service to a flourishing arts community and quite possibly your friends and acquaintances. Tis the season!

We are currently searching for several individuals to assist Land of the Sweets as ushers. Ushers would be responsible for distributing programs and door prize slips to our guests as well as collecting the slips at intermission. The only qualifications necessary are at least a two show (one day) commitment, possession of a white dress shirt, black slacks, black shoes, and of course a friendly and positive demeanor. We compensate you for your time with free admission to the show on the day of your service, a meal and drink ticket from the delicious Wild Ginger, as well our sincere gratitude for helping us make this year the best yet!

If you are interested in being a part of one of the year’s largest burlesque productions or have any additional questions, please contact Madeline Rider (Production Assistant to Lily Verlaine and Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker) at the following email address: th3.wasp@gmail.com.

Posted in Written by Jessica
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“The birds sing a pretty song, and there’s always music in the air.”

•11/16/2010 • Leave a Comment

Self-proclaimed “pre-war harmonious gypsy swing band” The Stolen Sweets paired up with pals from Portland burlesque collective Rose City Shimmy for an inspired evening of grown-up entertainment Friday at Portland’s Secret Society. Formerly a Masonic temple and currently operating as a multi-story lounge/ballroom/recording studio, The Secret Society looks a lot like Seattle’s Odd Fellows Building, but with heavy red curtains and halls gently brimming with well-dressed people sipping classic cocktails. The perfect location for an old-fashioned burlesque show with a 1920s-1940s musical twist.

According to Rose City Shimmy’s Charlotte Treuse, the “hand in glove” relationship between The Stolen Sweets and the soloists performing together under the moniker Rose City Shimmy began in 2009 when she caught the band opening for Squirrel Nut Zippers. Soon after, the newfound collaborators sold out Portland’s Wonder Ballroom and a uniquely beautiful relationship was born. Rose City Shimmy performs with The Sweets as often as possible, and the ladies pop up solo or together all over the Northwest (Rose City’s Wild West Burlesque show hits Astoria December 10th). Nina Nightshade- a Salem-based performer who runs Bergamot Burlesque- also guest starred Friday; Russell Bruner and Sugar Kane from SwingTime PDX cut some rug for a few tunes, fully clothed. Tables went quickly and I had to peek between heads and shoulders to see, but the combined effect of the music, the lighting, and the girls shimmying in front felt like a step back in time.

A side note: it seems that Portland really has its costuming perfected. Charlotte Treuse was positively dripping in rhinestones behind fluffy white feather fans, and bombshell Hai Fleisch made jaws collectively drop with a magnificent gold ship headpiece and gigantic Isis wings.

Hai Fleisch (Photo by Heather Immoor)

Hai Fleisch (Photo by Spencer Watson)

This week in Seattle, Sinner Saint Burlesque indulges their own occasional musical dalliance. Thursday night you can catch the lovely ladies in between “official” runs with the accompaniment of The Tits and Brass Band, a five piece off-shoot of The Yellow Hat Band. It’s always a pleasant surprise to hear a horn section at Noc Noc, and the air is charged with a little extra chemistry when the ladies shake it to live music. Sinner Saint packs them in week after week- hit Noc Noc’s Happy Hour if you arrive before 9pm and claim yourself a ringside seat.

Sinner Saint continues their own live music dalliance November 18.

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Firestarter

•11/11/2010 • 2 Comments

Iva Handfull, ruler of the backbend

Working at a dance club in Texas throughout the 90s, I couldn’t escape The Prodigy’s undeniably jarring single “Firestarter”. Perhaps even more memorable was the video. Vocalist Keith Flint (looking like a chubbier, more slovenly version of Vivian from UK show The Young Ones) stomped around in a tunnel; gratuitous use of crazy-eyes and tongue-licking ensued. It was annoying as hell, but the song- and the video- stuck in my brain the way a burr sticks to a sock.

Last week at Eterea Studio in Pioneer Square, Debora Spencer and POC Photo teamed up with burlesque dynamo Iva Handfull for the debut of their own “Firestarter” video. The piece is an adaptation of a fan dance Iva has been doing for years, most notably at the New York Burlesque Festival in 2009.

Paul O’Connell of POC photo, who directed and edited the video, has worked with subversive material before: in addition to editing one of last year’s HUMP! winners, he and Iva collaborated previously on a Nine Inch Nails video submission. Debora Spencer, photographer and longtime friend of the burlesque community, shot the video and volunteered her studio for the premiere.

POC dished on how the project came to be:

As far as the video goes-we came up with the idea to do it a while ago, but because of our schedules, etc. we only shot it in August of this year. Basically the original video takes place in some kind a creepy tunnel, and I thought we should do that with Iva’s act somehow. But where to film that here…? Sometime in early spring 2010, Iva did a photo shoot with Fiona Minx in this great empty space downtown. Iva was able to get permission to use the space again for the video. It probably took a total of about three hours to shoot it-with Iva doing the routine from beginning to end about six times.

Here’s a sneak peek you can view only on Iva’s Channel (click on the actual link below if you encounter viewing or sound problems):

Follow this link to IVA’s CHANNEL.

Iva’s next live appearance is at Thee 2nd Annual Cornucopia Cabaret, a benefit for Treehouse‘s “Little Wishes” program. Get tickets HERE and read more about the event HERE.

And as special Veterans Day bonus, here’s Keith Flint and his doppelganger from the 80s:

Keith Flint of The Prodigy

Vivian of The Young Ones

Posted in Written by Jessica
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HUMP! springs eternal

•11/06/2010 • 8 Comments

HUMP! 2010 image from The Stranger's submission page

HUMP! 2010 sold out all fifteen showings in Seattle this weekend, proving yet again that we love our homegrown amateur porn. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, as I’ve missed it every year- this time I marked my calendar and made sure all bases were covered with tickets. In a brief intro, Dan Savage warned against cell phone use or recordings of any kind (allowing the filmmakers to “be porn stars for the weekend—not for life”) and gently reminded viewers to be kind to all bodies and orientations. And so began 24 short films- no more than five minutes each in length- at On The Boards in Queen Anne. Watching porn in a packed house with “normal” people at an afternoon showing wasn’t nearly as awkward as expected. It felt downright cozy.

The Stranger’s submission guidelines had minimal restrictions, and the filmmakers rose (literally- ha, ha) to the occasion for prizes in four categories, to be determined by audience ballot.

I won’t give away any film details, but I had a sweet spot for:

Hi I’m Pon (emotional/hot/funny-bitter)
Sink (hot/funny-creative)
The Nun and the Bum (hot/funny-sacrilegious)
Ad Man (hot/funny-classy)
Twincest (needlepoint)

The film festival lands in Portland next weekend, with tickets still available for two midnight shows at Cinema 21.

DO SOMETHING DIRTY and go vote for your favorites.

Posted in Written by Jessica
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