SHOW!!!!!!

Wow that last post was so serious. Well here is something that may cheer you up. I am getting kinda naked this weekend!!!!

 

 

Who's Gonna make you a chubby chaser?? I am!!!!!

 

 

Fun times and lets hope I don't end up looking like an ass on stage during the second act.

Getting booked

So after having our big show now we are now left to start promoting our selves in order to start performing. This is a big task for all of us to take on. Self promotion can be a scary thing when you have to start doing it. Figuring out where to start and how to sound professional. Not everyone does it this way, but we have all been taught it is our job to ask never wait to be asked. If you do that it may never come. this includes if we all perform for years. Meaning we shouldn't stand on a pedestal waiting for others to come to us. We may be fabulous, but none of us are the queens we all wish we were, so there are no hand outs.


Now for me I started hanging around the shows, community events, and started talking to those who produced shows. When talking I did it either over Facebook or in person. Starting on Facebook really helped me, because I felt like it was a lot of pressure taken off the initial beginnings. It does leave the gap of them recognizing you in person. So I introduce myself to anyone I have spoken too on Facebook if I see them in person. Many don't remember me the first two or three times, but I introduce myself again and again along with jogging their memories of how we know each other. This my friends has helped me out a lot!!!! The other thing too is I have listened to my friend Kiki when we are out together when she explains to me who is who in the crowd. She helps many people in our community out through her fabulous seamstress skills so I am right there listening when she speaks.

Being round and getting your face out there in the beginning is so important I am now realizing. It was worth the late nights and blabbing I have done at shows. The other thing that helps too is social media!!! I am all over social media stuff now. I look at Facebook daily, I use Twitter, I have this blog, and am getting ready to start a fan page in a few months when I finally have enough shows under my belt.  Having all of these are really helping me see what is out there along with supporting as many other shows as I can.

Emailing professionally either on Facebook or through email are harder then they seem when you are new. We don't know how to start the email with more then five words, but it has to start somewhere right. Oh and having your video. We don't have ours yet, but videos are a great thing to have. If no video being willing to audition in person is the other option. I don't expect anyone to take me into their show if they have no idea who or what my act is about. And I know being let down is part of it as well. I will not be what people want all the time and I will count myself lucky every time I get picked.





Lil off subject but things that will help you...I hope.

More things that have helped me personally are not drinking when at these events. Not that I won't have a few drinks, but not allowing myself to act like an idiot in front of others. I am too good at doing that and no one wants to see my short ass wondering around stumbling and slurring my words. I want to leave a good impression not a bad one. Another thing that sticks in my head from classes, Thanks Cha Cha.
 Attempting to stay out of the drama. Don't get me wrong when and if I actually do hear something I allow myself to be a woman for a few minutes, not gonna lie. But after those minutes are up I remember it doesn't matter if I like them, love them, hear something weird about them, or anything else. They are just like me a human being who makes mistakes, is a bit weird (well in my case a lot weird and proudly), are parents, or just a hot damn mess. So why should I look at them any differently then I would myself. This is a thanks to the lovely Lou Lou.

I swear those two women help me out all the freaking time. Thank goodness for those two sex pots.

The Dixie Evens Poster is out for the Big Vegas show

The Dixie Evens poster is out for the Big Vegas show. I can't wait to go and see all of the amazing performers.

And the best part is this is going to help someone in the community as well.

Dixie Evens Week

This is such an amazing thing our community across the world is doing. When I first heard about it I was unsure what it was really about . But a hunting I went and found out that the woman that most would call, if not all of us, the Godmother of Burlesque needs our assistance. She was the woman who kept it alive when no one knew what it really was. She opened the museum and helped so many when burlesque started making its come back. Now she needs help from all those that can thank her for the revival. Half the shows in Las Vegas are going dark in honor of the fundraising show at the end of August. Across the nation and around the world will be doing fundraising shows to assist in the medical assistance she needs right now.

 It's pretty amazing to see how this community bands together to help the woman who has helped so many of us. We all have our Burlesque mothers, those who have helped us get into the scene as baby burlesquers and helped us learn. But if it weren't for Dixie keeping it alive none of us would have this gift of performance in our lives. So many women would not feel empowered by being the artists many have become and are becoming. She is a hero to so many without ever meeting or talking with any of them.

I will be at the Vegas one on the 31st to support this wonderful woman whom I will never know, but am so grateful for.

You should see if there is a show near you and go as well. I am sure it will be filled with amazing artists who have wonderful performances in store.

http://www.dixieevansweek.com/

Isn't community great!!

Photos!!!!!!

The premiere of Chastity Badcock

Sunday night was the most exhilarating time of my life. I watched my classmates shake theirs asses all over the place and strip like pros.   My throat was sore by the end of the night from all of the screaming I did. 

I had 13 close family and friends show up for this first performance of mine and I could not be luckier to have the support system that I have.  My husband and Amazon were there, my Mommy was too,  9 of the greatest friends I have including my best friend from high school, my sister was there and out of my friends 2 came from San Diego. I heard them all scream their heads off the whole time I was performing. Made me getting naked so much easier knowing those I love and hold so close were supporting me. 

 If you ever think of doing this take the time to make your vision exactly what you want. Meaning put the time to put your costume together right, practice until you think you can't and do more, get to know your song forwards and backwards, listen to your song until you get sick of it and then fall in love with it all over again. Also don't forget to have fun with it and keep a smile on your face. Don't allow yourself to over think it too much cause you have an amazing support group when it comes to Burlesque.

Now as for nine women I performed with and three great mentors. This is going to be long so I will happily say read it bitches!!' They deserve all of what I say here. 

First to our mentors

Cha Cha I've told you before you scared the crap out of me and made a few of us want to pee our pants when enforcing the rules. But I realize now in the end it was never truly you that scared me, but your professionalism. And it is now something I strive for myself daily. You work so hard and really all you want to do is help everyone become the best they can be. I feel so privileged to say I took your class and you gave us girls the ability to believe in our selves. I am forever grateful to you. 

Miss Karla Joy your mentors hip has been so much fun. You have so much to put into our brains and your wit is awesome. You have aided in my confidence. I'm so glad we had a chance to get to know you. And your puppy is so adorable.

Veronica for being so new to the scene you have been such a great help. You are a lot of fun to be around and I love all of your both poppin!!

Now for the nine ladies I had the privilege of getting to know

So I was going to do individual thanks to all of the ladies but I have realized this was much harder then I thought.

So to all you wonderful women who I have spent the last three months with you are so freaking wonderful!!!! Lottie and Melons thanks for being the first girls who accepted my weirdness first and making us the stripping trio. Kiki thanks for making the minimal costume I started with and making it the great costume it is now. And in that process becoming one of my close friends I can be a total wacko with. Chantana you are too sweet girlie and am so glad I get to call you a friend. Missy Miss thanks for being so willing to joke sound with me, I am proudly a dick now :P Classic Bitters thanks for also being a nerd. Geeking out during class with someone who gets it makes life that much sweeter. Deviant Dahlia you have made class a lot of fun with us giving each other shit all the time and you dealt with my waxing too.  Vivi Vegas you have been pretty quiet the whole time but you have always been supportive toward all of us and I can't wait to get to know you more. And let's not forget about Shea Michael thank you mama for reminding me we can always have fun and making my smile every class.

These ladies rocked the house Sunday night and I could not be prouder to say I was part of their group. The numbers were dazzling and the amount if time and effort put into costumes was great!!!

Sky's the limit!!!!!!

 

Beginning to end

So at the beginning of class we were all asked to write down what our definitions were of burlesque. Now because I had been researching prior to class I told myself I had this in the bag. I literally wrote maybe five sentences. Boy was I in for it. Five sentences does not describe what burlesque is to me. But then also I don't know how to explain what it is. So here is where I will try and tell you lovelies what it is and hope it makes sense.

What is burlesque sounds like such an easy question, but really it isn't because it depends on the person. It could be all about the show and for others it could be about the comradery. For me personally it is a mixture of both. And really it was about how it turned my insecurities into something great. Burlesque has also changed from a dancer on stage for me into a performer on stage. There is so much more that a person has to think about and do in order to make what they are envisioning grand on stage. I have also been shown how you can be any kind of person and make your vision look amazing and never have performed a day in your life.

So again what does it mean to me......

Burlesque is this hidden art form that allows me to seductively reveal myself to you. Now this reveal may be my flesh, cheekiness, sexiness, courage, or all of them put together. This all being done on stages with fun, loud, rowdy audiences. This art form allowed me to gain a community that accepts my individual art and assists in making it better.  When it comes to it being an easy art I don't believe it is at all. You have to have dedication to the form and really want it bad enough in order to make it into something amazing. In the end it is worth every hour I have spent listening to the same song over and over, dancing in the random spaces of  my house, and trying hard to stay within a budget and make a great costume. It also comes with the modern twist of personal promotion where I have exhausted myself (and my hubs) by going to as many shows as possible, pushing my personal boundaries by talking to many people I don't know yet (but quickly I do), keeping up with social media, and personally learning not to put my foot in my mouth.  I have become a person who hears music differently again, looks at common things like fans and begins wondering how they can be used in a number, and in the end I have gained some great female friends that I can be me around.

Recently one of the girls posted an article where it spoke about the top five regrets of those who are dying. I now feel like I will not have major regrets in my life. Finding this "professional hobby"  has finally allowed me to do something that makes me happy (well and my hubs since he is the money maker), I feel like I am really living my life now, I have friends that I would really like to keep in my life ( along with the ones I have kept over the years), and to top it off I have this ridiculous support system at home within my family.

Burlesque and Social Media

Who would have known how much social media would play in this new venture of mine. If you aren't a savvy person with internet and social media start learning now!!

It was a requirement in our class to create a social media page of some sorts. I had started the blog and then went on Facebook and made a page there as well. Then when realizing I could probably do more to help myself get out there I started a twitter page as well. I know many who have instagram, fan pages, and websites too. One day I will probably make a website when I actually have content to put up, but for now I think this is enough for little old me.

The hardest thing I realize about social media is that you get weirdos wanting to be your friends and trying so hard to creep you out. Luckily I have personally only been creeped out once. And hopefully I will be lucky enough to only have that one incident. But for many of my other burlesque friends and colleagues they have many incidents where people they don't know try hard to gain information of photos that are unacceptable. It's hard to figure out who is okay to have on our pages and  who is a horrible idea until they are there already.

For those of us who are new we are at the beginnings of our careers so we are trying to build our following. We would like it to be filled with those who love the art we bring to the stage and  those who are also part of the art through mcing, performance, variety acts and so on. But it seems you get a lot of those peeps who just like to creep up on half naked ladies. It makes me wonder if any of the boylesque dancers ever have similar problems on their pages as well. Well I know I am a bit of a stalker with Billy boy, but he is so damn pretty. Anyway, it is weird that creepers crawl out of the woodwork in order to freak us out.

Since creepers are unavoidable I will say this to all of them. Stop asking for pics and telling us what nasty things you would do to us. None of us find this to be a quality we want in a human being on our pages. For those of you quiet creepers who friend request us and then never say a word, but we all know probably stalk our pages daily thanks for being quiet. If you want to be a non threatening creeper don't tell us how you want to be our friend and one day actually see each other. None of us are looking for boyfriends.

Two weeks and counting

Holy Mother Rucker!!!!! I know I have said it already but shit it is coming up on us quick now. This past weekend there was a group of us who all went to the new studio and practiced. Thanks goodness cause it was a great way to receive feed back from our classmates and a few friendly guests.

I am feeling good about what I am doing; I'm just getting nervous. The make up I have been practicing my make up skills since I am not used to wearing make up that heavy. Stripping my ass off at home trying to get things right. Tonight I am working with our teacher Cha Cha to polish my routine and then Wednesday hopefully finishing my costume over at Kiki's house. After this week though it will be all about practice. I wasn't nervous over the last few weeks I was actually feeling pretty good about what I was doing while I knew a few others who were freaking out. Well the tables have definitely turned. I am freaking the fuck out hoping that I don't fuck shit up in the end, wow that's a lot of fucks I'm giving right now ;p.

After this two weeks this means I am in the community for sure and can begin my hobby career as a burlesque performer. I am really excited for the opportunity to begin showing off my skills, but at the same time I am a bit nervous that no one will like what I have to offer and then tell me to fuck off. Well only time will tell, but so far the feed back is good.

The other thing that I have to keep ingrained in my head is professionalism. I forget sometimes that when I am Chas in public I should not allow myself to get out of control or wrapped up into things. As a warning to others who are in this community no one else's actions are not your actions so they do not reflect on you. That is something I learned this weekend and take it to heart also. My actions are my actions and if I decide to do something then I will have to deal with the actions no one else. So I have to work hard to remember that there are plenty of times to have good fun, but there are times when it isn't such a good idea too.

I now understand why during our classes Cha Cha has spoken about being healthy. This is the next thing on the list of things to aspire too. Losing a few pounds to maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul. And because I will be doing it thinking of me in my costumes and being with my family too it will help me follow through.

We shall see!!!!!!