Heading off to the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend!

.Off to Vegas I go!

Burlesque Hall of Fame, here I come!

One of the images from 2011's event

This year is the 55th weekend event and the 22nd annual Miss Exotic World Pageant that will decide the Queen of Burlesque for the year! It's being held at The Orleans Hotel and Casino.

I'm so unbelievably and extremely excited to finally be heading to Vegas. This will be my first BHoF, and my first Vegas experience! A little overwhelming...but luckily I've been so busy lately that I haven't even had a chance to worry about what I've gotten myself into (aside from the spastic flailings at showgirls who have gone, along the 'What do I pack?!' lines)Luckily, the BHoF site has this little gem of a guide:

Vegas for Burlesquers

I want to go to everything.

I will be heading there with he talented Toni Wallachy of Orangeroads Photography, and Pink Panther Studios, who you've seen images done by...everywhere. Including yours truly. She will be one of the official photographers of the weekend, so keep an eye on 21st Century Burlesque for almost instant photos of performances over the course of the weekend!

This year's image! That's Jennie Lee and Dirty Martini!

'What is Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend?' you may be asking:

The Burlesque Hall of Fame is the name of the burlesque museum that is now located on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. It was formerly located on the site of an abandoned goat farm in California and known as Exotic World. Dancer Jennie Lee started collecting burlesque memorabilia after she retired. After Lee's death in 1990, burlesque legend Dixie Evans took over the farm and turned it into The Exotic World Burlesque Museum. Disrepair and a host of other events eventually had it relocated to where it now sits on Fremont Street.


Dixie Evans started the Miss Exotic World competition in 1990 as a way to draw people to the museum. Queens of the past include Dirty Martini, Michelle L'amour, and more.

Indigo Blue, in chartreuse. Previous queen Roxi D'Lite in blue. Photo by Don Spiro, from BHoF 2011

The annual Miss Exotic World pageant is the first Saturday of every June. Each year a burlesque performer is crowned Miss Exotic World in a contest that is basically the Miss America of Burlesque, or the Superbowl of Burlesque. Winners receive both the title and a gigantic trophy. Last year Miss Indigo Blue of Seattle won, and the year before we had our first ever Canadian winner: Roxi D'Lite!

Roxi D'Lite. Photo by Don Spiro, from BHoF 2010

This year, who knows?

Off to...pack? Ick.

~Red

2011 in Review!

2011 was a whirlwind year for me, and now that it's at a close I finally have a chance to look back over what I've accomplished and what still needs to be done in the coming year.

This year I made the decision to roll with the punches and layoffs and try to manage a self-employed career involving burlesque and some of my other talents. I'm hoping I can keep that up in 2012!

Image from weheartit.com

Productions:

I produced two shows this year, and helped out with a few others. Ladies in Red was the first show of the year, at Cherry Cola's Rock 'N Rolla. The show went spectacularly, and I am so happy to have had a chance to work with the girls who have become a staple in my cast for producing. Also on this show was the debut of Izzy Ridged, aka Joey Arrigo who you may know from So You Think You Can Dance Canada. The drama following this show was disappointing and I found myself losing faith in the community due to the behaviour of some jealous people but it's best to ignore it and move forward, and that's what I did and will continue to do!

Babes in Space was another resounding success! My Star Trek vs Star Wars burlesque show sold out both nights of its show and received several positive reviews, as well as TV spots with Naked News and Cosmo TV. I'm so thankful to the audience and my performers for pulling out all the stops to make this show amazing, and to my friends who worked their pert asses off at FanExpo to help with the booth.

I've come to expect drama surrounding productions. Babes in Space was dogged by a very similar pair of productions by a group that had originally stated that they were aiming to promote and contribute to their community. Originally. I've removed myself from their association and the success of my event speaks for itself.

I've learned to guard my productions a little bit more seriously heading forward, and to consider those who I am making partnerships with more carefully. There are a lot of unscrupulous people that I simply do not need to waste time on. I will continue to surround myself with inspiring and talented people who don't feel the need to bully others to get ahead. Lead by example and all! Both shows were great success and moving forward with that will be my main goal!

Babes in Space group finale, photo by Chris Suppa

Shows:

I've had a chance to perform and play with a load of amazing people this year! The highlight was the recent show with my teacher Coco Framboise. Performing with Armitage Shanks and the whole cast was stellar.

The Toronto Burlesque Festival seemed to whip by this year and I really wish I had more of a chance to throw myself into the crowd! My performance on Sunday was both less and MORE stressful than performing at the beginning of the 2010 festival. Last year I was the Thursday opening act, and able to enjoy the rest of the weekend with the pressure off (though the pre-performance pressure was insane!). This year I had a load of other performances in my head and nervous anticipation leading up to the show! But the environment was great and I was in the first set so I got to see the rest of the performances. I was also able to write up the first few days of the festival for 21st Century Burlesque, and you can check out my diary over there!

Impromptease is probably my favourite regular show, both for the reason that its producers are brilliant, and the show is a ball of hilarity. I was also able to perform at Comedy Bar again, which was a bit nostalgic as that's the bar where I did my first burlesque performance!

Learning:

I was able to take quite a few classes this year, and I hope I can continue that into the new year. Coco's classes are a regular thing for me, and I was excited to take lessons from Burgundy Brixx and Jett Adore (whom I got to interview later). Through her I was also able to learn from Minnie Tonka and Armitage Shanks (who was brilliant, as usual).

Other classes I was able to take included a series of circus classes with my trainer through Centre of Gravity. I hope to focus more on my aerial skills in 2012, since quite a few things got in my way this year! I managed to make some progress on vocal classes with my sexy teacher, but due to time and cash I also had to let those slide. Again, something I want to pursue more responsibly in 2012! I also took some dace classes with Carla Catharwood, and though her idea of burlesque is at odds with mine (PussyCat Dolls style vs Strip Tease, which is a whole other blog post) she's an amazing dancer and a great teacher. I'd like to take more classes from her in the future.

A major class I took with the Hourglass Workout with Lyzabeth Lopez. This is a really hardcore women-only bootcamp focused on creating and enhancing an hourglass figure. I lost 15lb and about 15 inches over the course of the her classes, and made huge increases in strength. I'm continuing these classes in 2012, and you should too.

People:

I met some great people this year and furthered some previously existing relationships.

Toni Wallachy of Pink Panther Studios was a great connection and we've done amazing work together (and I hope to continue to do so).

Brook Alviano has continued to make some amazing costumes for me and others, and was indispensable with Kinky Biscuit (an upcoming star) during Babes in Space and the insanity there.

Tatiana of Spanish Fly Films has been incredible at filming and editing some amazing trailers, and I've got a load of work for her in the new year!

Coco Framboise stepped in near the end of the year and has been amazing, despite her busy schedule.

Kinky Biscuit, Toni Wallachy, and Tatiana in Windsor

I've learned a lot about how to keep positive influences close and disregard the negative ones that come out, and I'm going to try to get better at this in 2012.

The Future!

2012 already has a ton of things underway. I've been running in circles throughout December trying to get moving on projects that don't have dates yet. Of course, without dates, I have nowhere to go!

I'm really excited for the productions I have lined up for the new year! You can expect another Babes in Space from me some time around FanExpo. I will also be coproducing with the amazing Toni Wallachy of Pink Panther Studios , and have another show in the works with another infamous (and dapper) colleague that I'm incredibly excited about.

My monthly show is an experiment that will be launching February1st (stay tuned for more news!) and I have plans being made to attend Miss Exotic World in Las Vegas during the summer, and BurlyCon (finally!) in the fall.

With my passport renewal underway I'm excited to explore performance opportunities across the border and maybe even overseas!

That being said, obviously production is a major push for me this coming year. I'm hoping to continue my streak of sold-out shows! No pressure.

With my employment situation transforming from corporate salary to self-run business, I'll be looking for multiple opportunities to expand my social media clientele and taking some time to teach myself more tips and tricks in this area. Even though I feel I'm strong in this category, I'm all about staying on top of learning!

This blog will be undergoing a mini-makeover with some expansion into advertising, and I'm hoping to push forward on my Youtube page as well! My website needs an overhaul. This'll be a top priority for me.

As for my performances, I would like to audit my current acts and work on 'upping' their 'wow' factor. Less acts, higher quality! There are two festival style acts that I have buzzing in my head, and I'd like to refine my plane act as well.

Basically, more more more for this coming year!

Here's to 2012!

~ Red

Holiday Burlesque - Coco Framboise, Armitage Shanks, and more!

This holiday season was one burlesque event after the next! I don't think I had a chance to stop and enjoy the 'holidays' until I left Toronto on the train on the 24th!

Charlie Quinn and Timmy during rehearsal.

However, the rehearsals and meetings and events were fun and definitely worth it.

I had the pleasure of working with Coco Framboise, my teacher and mentor, and took advantage of the chance to pack my mind with a ton of tips and tricks she uses to stay cool and classy during a month that was even more hectic than mine. 

I also took advantage of the workshop class Coco ran with Armitage Shanks. This is the second one I've attended by him, and his format really encourages experimentation and learning. It really was amazing to learn from him, but also to learn from the other members in the class and how they executed his challenges, and what it took inside my own head to complete my portion of the workshop.

video by Spanish Fly Films

I'm trying to pull some of the attitude I displayed on poor Coco's lap into the act I'm doing tonight! We'll see how it goes!

Up Your Chimney: A Holiday Spanktacular, was an amazing show surrounded by hectic circumstances. There were many other events bracketing the show for Coco Framboise, including a huge personal inconvenience, a dashing out-of-town guest in Armitage (who was amazingly organized and amusing all times I saw him despite the busy schedule), and something like eleven gigs on her table.




Here are some backstage photos from show night!

Percy Katt as the Baby Jesus, Charlie Quinn, and El Toro in the backstage explosion.

Some components of the costume Lady Bonah, Coco Framboise and myself fabricated for our act.

Miss dd Starr making sure my rack was in place. Much thanks for the help!

Everyone pulled together to put on this show, and it was spanktacular to be able to work with such talented and sexy people who I've known and admired for a while. The show was a blast, and I had some dear friends in the audience who I were so happy could make it!


~ Red

Burlesque Classes - Coco Framboise hosts Armitage Shanks

Armitage Shanks is back in Toronto and teaching again at Coco Framboise's School of Burlesque!

I had the oppourtunity to take the first version of this class last time, and those who know me know I'm a total sponge for classes. I'll take any chance to learn that I can!

Armitage was one of the best teachers I've had from Coco's selection of classes. There was theory and technique and improv all rolled into one. It's amazing to be able to learn from a performer who's been practically everywhere and produced and directed and worked with a multitude of performers across the international scene.

To me, classes are what can send an average performer to star status. One should always take the oppourtunity to learn from the successful people in your industry. Researching them online and seeing their shows is one great way, but nothing can really beat the educational experience of a class where they lay it all out for you and you get an oppourtunity to connect one-on-one.

In short: Take classes. Take this class.

I'm going to be attending this class once more, and hope to take the chance to polish up some of my routines for the load of shows I have coming up, including one on December 17th with Coco Framboise and Armitage Shanks himself! Up Your Chimney will be one of the many productions Armitage is hosting with Coco during his stay in Toronto, and it's definitely one XXXmas show to catch!

More info on this show (and others) to come! See you there!

~Red

Dita Von Teese - Wet

Burlesque: it's in you. Or some cheesy tag line like that.

But seriously? This has managed to be kind of classy. Not to mention the previous interactive Perrier ad campaign (link probably NSFW) which was all kinds of hot and classy.

"A glamorous new 2011 limited edition of Perrier features the iconic queen of burlesque, Dita Von Teese. Chic, sensual and sassy, this limited edition Perrier has a festive showgirl style and adds sparkle to every party.

These new Perrier by Dita Von Teese designs will be available from November 2011 in supermarkets, restaurants and bars."

I kind of wish I drank Perrier, just for this awesome design. The last design was pretty cool too.

Damn it, I need to be on a bottle! Maybe a bottle of rum...

~Red