Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend Video Blog!

For the first time ever, I just attended the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Las Vegas! For those who aren't aware, the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend is held annually as a fundraiser and competition to benefit the Burlesque Hall of Fame (henceforth, BHoF). Every year burlesque dancers from all over the world flock to Vegas to watch or compete for the title 'Queen of Burlesque" also known in the past as Miss Exotic World.

So, my first time at BHoF,  my first time in Vegas.

The whole weekend? Utter win.

As many of my road trip vlogs apparently do, please be aware that this contains bikini's, debauchery, hot women, alcohol, and profanity. Also glitter.

~ Red Herring

Reveal Me at the Rivoli - Reviewed!

The wonderful Rachel of Rachel Approved attended Reveal Me at the Rivoli's March show and was lovely enough to write this wonderful review!

Spoilers below:

Approve: I do approve, and I would go to another show to cement that good opinion.  ~ Rachel

 Oh yeah. We're approved. Take a look at everything else Rachel approves here!

Check out the next Reveal Me at the Rivoli June 6th, with information here!

I'm always interested in seeing what performers have to offer, and I always pay. Would you like to be on my stage? Apply!

~Red

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

GEAR BOX: A Steampunk Burlesque - Photos

Red Herring Productions teamed up with Les Coquettes and Canadian Steam Productions to provide you with a show sure to get your gears grinding!

This was an amazing show for me to produce and I feel so honoured that I had the company of so many amazing performers and crew on stage and off. Here are some photos from what is one of Toronto's only fully-plotted burlesque shows!

Percy Katt as the mad scientist

Eve of Destruction as the experiment

JD Spark as the cat burgler

Tsuki Tsunami as a cabaret performer

Obskyura as a cabaret performer

A review from Edward Williamson

Red Herring really knows how to entertain the masses. If you have the opportunity to attend one of her events, I do highly recommend you take that opportunity. Not only does she find the best acts in the land, but she also finds the best venues with the friendliest staff.

It is always nice to see familiar faces and old friends, but I do also enjoy meeting new people. With Gearbox being tied to the convention circuit, Red did an excellent job of bringing in new faces. I do believe I spoke to as many people who don't attend conventions as I did convention attendees. A most superb turnout, indeed.

Mina LaFleur as the Madame

The cast of GEAR BOX: A Steampunk Burlesque

Performing for Free? Note to Club Owners - Article by Dave Goldberg

A common issue across all performing and artistic communities is the struggle of performers to actually get paid for their art, their work, their time, and their talent.

I am firmly, and occasionally viciously, against performing for free. There are very very few cases in which I think it's acceptable. Especially in burlesque, in which you are stripping. Call it what you like, but you are stripping. There is absolutely no excuse to be giving that away for free.

Don't event use the word 'exposure.' After I'm done shuddering I might just expose you to a blunt object.

This article lays out the 'why' very well. Mind you, it's specifically directed at LA club owners, and from the point of view of a musicians, but the concepts cover all artists and club owners. The next time someone wants you to perform for free, think back to this.

Click here to read it.

Do you want some good points to convince you to click over?

"...it is no longer good enough for the musician to be willing to perform for little compensation...The expectations are that the band will not only provide great music, but also bring lots of people to their venue. It is now the band’s responsibility to make this happen, not the club owner."

"When a venue opens it’s doors, it has to market itself….Do you really want to leave something so important up to a musician?…I’ve played places where for whatever reason only a few people have walked in the door on a Saturday night.The club owner got mad at me, asking where are the people? I turned it around on him asking the same thing: Where are all the people? It’s Saturday night and your venue is empty. Doesn’t that concern you? What are you going to do about it?"

"...explain to the club owner that it’s not in their best interest to operate their business like this. There is too much at stake for them not to be truly invested in the music presented in their venue. Convince them that if they think that live music is important to the demographic that they are trying to reach, then they need to reach out to that demographic in a professional way. "          ~Dave Goldberg

There are many more ideas for how to get this point across tothe clob owners in your area. If this becomes a bit more commonplace maybe we'll start to see a change across the artistic community as a whole.

~Red