BHOF

So this post was originally going to be about my upset over not going to any of the shows or panels at The Burlesque Hall of Fame weekender. I was SOOO wrong!!!!!

So If you know anything about burlesque then you might have heard of the Burlesque Hall of fame Museum that originally started in the middle of the desert and then ended up in home sweet home Las Vegas!!!! It's located downtown and I have to admit it is one thing I have yet to go to....shhh I know what's wrong with me?  I'm getting there soon promise. I'm actually looking to volunteer this summer while I have time away from one of my kiddos since his mom is off. Maybe when I start doing more shit I'll also finally start posting pics as well....who knows.

So The Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender is a four day event where you get to see a SHIT TON of amazing performers do their thing, take classes, go to panel discussions, and for those who are already performers see friends they may not have seen in a year. The tickets are pricey but from everything that I am told it is is freaking worth it. Now this year I wasn't able to afford a wrist band so at first I wasn't going to go at all. the other issue I have are two little monsters. Can't take those two anywhere together cause they like to make things a bit weird at times for others. Besides is it really a good idea to take two little boys to BHOF?? So my dreams were quickly crushed and during class Cha Cha asked who was going and almost no one spoke up including me...shit. That night I came home and started looking through the classes and found a panel on Saturday that I could take. Also there were tickets left for Sundays show!! 

Now, because I am such a chicken about going anywhere alone I was hesitant. Luckily I know some great gals. Taking one of my fambam with me on Saturday and then one of the girls from class wanted to go to a show. The other big thing for me was that when I started talking to my hubs about it he asked if he could go. I love that he is enjoying this with me. We have already decided that next year we are getting weekend passes and staying at the hotel for the weekend. He listens to me on a daily basis talk about some of these women so it's great he gets to see them with me.

So after all my pouting and being droopy I was able to figure it out. Hah... I love this amazing world I have entered. It's way better then fucking Disneyland any day...we get glitter and boobs.

What is my inspiration?

So in Jo Weldon's handbook and in Cha Cha's class inspiration has been a main topic. In the beginning I thought it was all about the movies I watched or just feeling better about myself. But through the classes I have started thinking of what my real inspiration is since I have fully engrossed myself into the community. Part of it is still my self esteem being boosted and Tim Curry my childhood love. Tim Curry in drag is a beautiful thing and I am noticing now that the boylesque performers who are more in drag then an average joy stripping make me feel great and strive a little harder at home practicing. I am also realizing that being a nerd will allow me to be the funny girl in my acts. The performers I have seen who are playful or do things slightly off in comparison to some of the more glam performers make me jump with joy and scream like no tomorrow.

So I guess for inspiration I would have to say All those performers who take them selves less serious in one way and are completely serious in another way. I know this may sound weird but  I am here to give examples. Last Saturday night was the monthly show that Cha Cha Velour produces. During this show I saw the fantastic Tito Bonito, Billy Boylesque, and Kira Von Sutra. These are just to name a few everyone in this show was beyond ridiculous and seeing the get naked was great. I name these three though because their acts showed the two sides I am talking about. Their choreography was so spot on and obviously well practiced, their costumes were out of control, and their facial expressions were hilarious from time to time. These three people recently inspired me to be me. I know I like begin nerdy and all but I like to also just have a lot of fun and I really want to look glamorous. If you haven't ever seen these people perform please hunt them down on the dang Internet.

 Billy Boy made me feel like a teenager with his frickin glam and sexiness while Tito made me feel glorious for being a geek and that Kira Von Sutra and her bat wings!!!!!!! No seriously she had purple large bat wings and this classic style corset and skirt on. She flipped off the audience made silly faces and swung these huge bat wings around and looked so fucking good doing it. No this is how idols are formed and as an audience member I want be their stage bitch anytime!! They were so great and gave me hope for being someone awesome in this world.

So inspiration is everything to me...no really. the art form that each performer brings out on stage, the glamour of it all, the comedy of it, the self esteem you get from it, and just the freaking fun you have doing it. If I were to say drag queens are a huge one for me. they look fucking hot all the time, they're comedic, and they know how to put on a show. That's it Drag Queens is the winner for me....for now.

Forms of popping Burly cherries

So there are ways to pop your cherry in the burlesque community. Now that I am officially part of it I understand some of them. One is being new to a show or performing for the first time. For me though there are so many other ways. Like being a part of a show through helping, talking to a performer, or getting comfortable as an audience member. these may not seem like steps to other people but for me these are huge steps. I have always been a very social person, but feeling at home in places that are new to me take time and like most I take baby steps. I am still in the new phase for myself and still feel very weird from time to time at these places.

...Rant Coming...

I am noticing that there are many people who come off as elitists, or just kinda mean. Now as for the elitists some of them in my mind have the right to be this way since they have paved the way for many and  still are while others make me just feel like I'm not good enough. this is a battle for me since I am insecure about who I am as a person from time to time. As for the mean ones this came as a shock the first time, which was recently, I dealt with one. I am not a mean person and I try very hard not to talk crap about others since I have had that a lot in my life about me. But when dealing with a mean person who didn't even know me I feel this should be put out there for others to realize mean never goes away for some. I understand that catty behavior is inevitable with a group that is dominated by women. Women have high hormones and we tend to get butt hurt way too easily. It doesn't mean though that it didn't come to me as a shock when it happened. I didn't even know the performer personally and really you should never treat an audience member like that especially if they frequent shows you are in. really what it has shown me is that I will have to work hard to not let others make me feel bad about me and to show others that nice is a better way to go.

...Sorry for the rant guys and dolls....

Now back to the cherry poppin. I popped my audience member cherry over two years ago. that was an amazing experience and got the wheels slowly turning for me. The getting comfy cherry took a while I always felt weird shouting out and getting into the performance, but now I will shout out like a crazed teenager at a Justin Bieber concert when those who work it like a mad sex machine on stage. Over the weekend two of the girls from my intensive course went to the monthly badass show put on by our teacher. It was their first show and they loved it. One girl was not so comfy shouting out though, but in time she will be a screaming machine too. the other cherry I'm getting ready to pop is being an usherette for the first time. I don't know the producer of any of the shows other then my teacher and unfortunately I am not at the right caliber yet to be a part of her awesome show. Maybe in a year or two I can make it happen. So here I go reaching out to people I don't know asking to assist when they have openings for it. I got my first gig and that was nerve wrecking waiting for a yes or no. But I am officially an usherette with my friend Melons Collie at the second show ever of Nerdlesque produced by Miss Penni Piper. I am feeling lucky for the opportunity she has given me in June. The last one is gonna be the hardest but at least I will be surrounded by awesome women and many friends. Then it's just about not stopping and loving the shows from a different view point.

The Passing of a performer

I am new to burlesque and I don't know every performer out there in the world yet. But as word quickly spread about the passing of a well known performer Sparkly Devil I went searching the interwebs to learn of who she was. From everything I found she was a fantastic woman who really helped pave the way for many performers. Her passing was unexpected and truly too early. She helped others with her knowledge, her great performances, and apparently the act of making others laugh. I never saw her perform, but did search Youtube like a proper burly stalker would and found wonderful performances she did all over the freaking place, who knew watching a woman peel her skin off as a zombie burly performer would be so hot. If you haven't seen anything of her you should do the same and start learning who this great woman was.

 Through her passing though she has still managed to inspire a baby burly girl on her journey and I only wish I had the chance to have seen her perform live.

This photo was taken from the blog Gokaleo.com and it was taken by Mike Maginot

I found this through my personal research and found it to be appropriate for her passing. For those of you who may have known her or saw her perform in the world of burlesque you are so lucky and I send my thoughts your way.

Crazy Ass Two Weeks!!!!!!!

So I have been MIA for the last two weeks. Let me tell you how glad I am to be back on here finally and in silence. Spent the last two weeks dealing with family visiting. My Mother in-law and her husband can be a lot to handle though she is only doing it with kindness in her heart. And I am getting ready for another week with my little brother before he goes to Alaska. to say the least my life has not really been mine recently.

The thing I didn't take away from myself were my classes. I didn't miss lovely Lou Lou's classes on Mondays. Which since we are on Monday night classes I am feeling great about being in there now. Before I felt embarrassed and even doubted myself a little in the beginning. Now I go in and I feel great the whole time. Last week one of the girls from my Wednesday class joined and I loved having her around and we both just felt sexy. Lou Lou has been great for my confidence I couldn't have asked for such a nice person to be the teacher I was first introduced too.

The other was my Wednesday classes. Can't miss those cause how am I supposed to learn to be amazing if I'm not there. Now as for how Wednesdays are going  lets just say it is a healing place. I have made two friends already. They are both great girls who are in it for similar reasons as myself. to sit in class and have the ability to talk to others and smile at them while we are listening is great!!! Also it has been years since I have more then one female friend at a time since I get along with guys better. These are my girls I love them. One of the girls always says she feels she has found her people and we are sisters.
         As for class it's self we are already going into week 4 this Wednesday  I feel like it is coming up so quickly and that seems a little scary. We also have given our names, concept and songs to Cha Cha. Granted I have done a lot of the homework already and am half way through my choreography, but it's coming quick. Also Last week we worked on moving in heels and faces. Again I had this moment of FUCKING FACES!!!!! I felt so nervous about having an internal conversation about how my face is the sexiest face. Having to get myself into a state of mind where I do actually believe what I am saying to myself isn't easy. There are girls in my class who are so fucking beautiful and I know I don't fit into the same category as they do. I really do have to fake till I make it. One day I will be sexy in my own eyes until then this sex talk to my self has me going a bit crazy.

During Class 2 Cha Cha talked a lot about what she felt was acceptable and what isn't when it comes to performing.There happened to be three different show going on that week. She suggested that we go to all of them and see the difference between shows and performers. The first night was a show I go to every month twisted Cherry Burlesque. I love this show, because of the diversity of performers. You have performers who are seasoned and those who are new to the scene. It also happens to be the show that my Girl Jeffery Xerxes Brice is in. So it's good to see the different levels through out the show. The next night We went to Rag Tag Revue. this was a first time show and they had a lot of issues like the Mic going out. One of my favorite performers was in it and she happened to be the Producer as well Porcelain Vanity. The third was Gorgeous Grindhouse Girls. this was a great revue though you had to stand the whole time. over all all three shows had great and not so great performances, MC's for two of them we magnificent, and overall I had a great time while learning things.  Going to these shows was awesome too cause I went with my new girl Lottie Las Vegas all three nights, My Hubby was at two of them, and two of them I spent with another of my new girls Melons Coly. Having my Hubby there with me has been great and so much fun. He is even getting into it when his hollering and stuff. I like having him there a lot.

I know I haven't been here for a bit, but I am still diving into the community like no tomorrow.

No room for bitches in burlesque

This was said during our first intensive class. I love that this seems to be very true. If you are mean and nasty no one wants to work with you. And so far everyone in class seems to be really freaking nice.

I can see though where someone may come in as a diva and make life a living hell for everyone.  If that's the kind of person you are then you make enemies very quickly causing other performers to dislike you and producers not want to use you. If there were a tone of people like this the community would be rather small. It doesn't change that drama can happen it just means you try to deal with issues correctly instead of flipping your shit.

Honestly it was the one thing I worried about it. Fabulous women who worked their ass off to be a performer I figured they would be the most judgmental about all of us noobs. I didn't say this was good thinking just what ran through my head. Those I have seen and know they are great scared me a bit. I was quickly proven wrong of course after taking class from them. You never know though until you get to know a person. With me I couldn't be happier with getting to know Lou Lou Roxy and Cha Cha Velour along with a few more.

So the thing is just be a nice person and everyone will be nice to you as well.

Getting my foot in the door

So I have my very first volunteer opportunity next month. Tips from another blog that Cha Cha Velour posted spoke about volunteering. I get it you need to pay your dues in order to make relationships happen and have the ability to perform.  It makes sense to put yourself out there in order to get to know a side of the community that otherwise you wouldn't. I want to do this the right way so I am going to volunteer my butt off this summer. First is the newest show Nerdlesque. I am going to be an usherette!! And of course that means I get an awesome spot to watch the show. This happens to be a show I'd like to one day be a part of. 

I can't wait also to volunteer for the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum. I can only do it during the summer, but I just want to spend time there learning and seeing and enjoying.

So here I go getting ready to have fun and learn my burlesque community a bit more.

First intensive class

OMG!!!!! Wednesday was freaking awesome!! I am spending the next three months with some pretty awesome chics. We got to hear why all of the girls are in the class and it was nice to hear so many were there for healing reasons like me. Well and I really wanna perform. And hearing Cha Cha talk about how long she's been in the burlesque scene, how she will help with all body problems, and having good times. I love this lady she is amazing and something other ladies need right now. I do feel that I am a bit of an over achiever right now. I made the decision to do burlesque over a month ago and that was after being an audience member for a year and researching the hell out of it. So on the first day we are looking over some of the homework assignments and I am realizing that I have done many of them all ready. I can't help but feel like this is what I am meant to become so I have grabbed a hold and won't let go.

One thing that Cha Cha Velour was talking about in class were names and I had picked my name after week one with Lou Lou and researching names in burlesque. She kept saying that we have to remember that our names will make our audience think of something. It may be good or it may be bad. While she was talking I began thinking shit maybe I picked the wrong name. But then I looked down at my notebook and saw what she said about my name. I had commented earlier how Darby said my name was 70's porn actress name worthy and Cha Cha said more like 70's bondage porn. It filled me with giddy warmth knowing that this is what I was provoking in people's minds. So after seeing 70's bondage porn written on my papers I decided that this was the ridiculousness  I want people to think about and it goes along with the kind of persona I am going for over the top and kinda funny....well I'm hoping for funny we will see where it goes when it comes to that.

One more thing No one has realized what a chatty Kathy I am. I think Cha Cha may know since I talk her ear off every time we are in the same room. One of the girls asked if I knew Cha Cha for long and outside of the class. I told her that I had seen her perform several times and that is how I know her. really I don't know Cha Cha all that well. She is just really nice and easy to talk too. I can't help but want to suck all the knowledge I can right out of that fabulous brain of hers. So I don't know her I just talk a fucking lot. :P