Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I’ve been sharing items from the American Burlesque Collection on my Patreon. The most recent was a costume made by Hedy Jo Star and I also wrote a bit about the designer. If you’re interested, you can get access for as little as one dollar a month!

I’ve got a lot going on right now. I’m teaching Introduction to Burlesque on Thursday nights, Isle of Tease is June first at House of Hatchets, and Devastasia starts teaching Introduction to Burlesque on Sunday on June 2nd. In July and August I’ll be teaching fan dancing!

And now, here’s your tip.

Check the ceiling height of your venue.

Performance spaces, especially for a niche art like ours, can be, shall we say, quirky, and there may not be a huge amount of clearance above. For example — a converted basement. While that’s fine for stand-up comedy, it’s not awesome for showgirl headdresses or fans.

I am not a particularly tall person and I have performed in places where I could touch the ceiling. Over-head fan sweeps would have been a disaster. However, if you know in advance, you can modify your movements (or choose a different act). The summer we performed on a harbor cruise, we reworked the choreography of our trio just a little bit to better accommodate the low ceiling of the ship’s interior space.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this

Published in: on 24 May 2024 at 4:43 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Stripper’s Holiday, November 2023

Dear Constant Reader,

I found this in my drafts folder. Whoops!

Five years ago I attended Michelle L’amour’s Stripper’s Holiday. Follow the link to read about that experience and what exactly is a stripper’s holiday.

I was so excited when I heard she was offering SH again. There was so much interest, she decided to run two sessions and offered me a spot in the November one, which worked well with my schedule. Last time we were in Los Angeles, but Michelle now lives in Las Vegas. I haven’t been there in at least ten years!

I had a very easy flight (direct from Boston), which left in the afternoon. That was so weird — I’m used to getting up in the middle of the night for pre-dawn trips to the airport. Then I met up with Tessa Trueheart from upstate New York, who had been on the same flight and we waited for Red Velvet to arrive from San Francisco. Red was the only person, other than Michelle, that I knew in this group. In a lot of ways that was good — going into this with a mostly-rasa tabula.

Michelle picked us up and took us back to her place. Las Vegas sure has changed since I was last there! It been over a decade at least. There definitely wasn’t a stadium before…

Michelle’s rather swanky apartment complex had a guest suite, where we were staying. It worked out extremely nicely that it happened to be right next door to her apartment. Once there we met Dinah Dare, from Glasgow, Scotland, who was barely awake. The rest of us weren’t much better and went to bed soon after meeting Lavendelle, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Demi Entendre from Tulsa, Oklahoma who were staying in Michelle’s living room. There was supposed to be one more person, but she unfortunately had Covid and canceled.

For the next four days, we would go over to Michelle’s in the late morning for breakfast and receive the food tour. That is, there were a lot of options spread out over the kitchen (we had a number of people with food restrictions and Michelle has her own requirements) from which one could assemble their plate. No one went away hungry. 

At noon we were in the studio where we were joined by our fellow strippers, who were locals: Meilani Venus, Glitter Ginger, and Buttercup. For the next four hours we worked. Hard.

Every session started with a warmup. Then we’d work on technique or learn a choreography. These were real challenges, as befit an advanced workshop. I was sweating so much as we drilled our boa choreography that bits of ostrich feather were sticking to me in a not particularly sexy fashion. 

Each day three people would present a routine for feedback from Michelle. I was in the first group with Dinah and Buttercup. Performing for other performers is always nerve-wracking, but performing for Michelle freaking L’amour, knowing you’ll get critique is a whole nother level. Yes, I know that’s what I was there for, but my lizard brain wouldn’t stop freaking out.

After everyone performed and got their feedback, we would have a relaxing movement session to close things out and go back to Michelle’s for dinner. Once again we had the food tour and many delicious options. I am definitely making the butternut squash stelline “risotto” sometime.

On the last day, everyone performed their acts again for a final round of feedback. We also received Michelle’s initial notes from when she viewed our videos, so we could really see how far we’d come.
Last day in the studio
It wasn’t all hard work! Although I was still on East Coast time and was pleased that I could stay awake until 10pm, others went on nighttime excursions. One night some folks went to The Haunted Museum, and the next to Lost Spirits Distillery to see Michelle perform. I stayed behind with the others for snacks and conversation before climbing into bed to do my crossword puzzle. I am such a party animal.

I did join everyone for dinner at Tacotarian, a vegan taco restaurant. I’m not a big fan of fake meat, but there were some purely veggie offerings and the batter-fried avocado tacos were delightful! Tacoterian
Then drinks at Stray Pirate, a dog-pirate themed bar (trust me — it worked). The decor was excellent, but it was crowded and very noisy. I hear the drinks were excellent, but I knew even one cocktail on top of jet lag and a very physical day would put me out. I was just about getting tired of standing and having trouble hearing anyone when a table opened up. I ended up having an excellent conversation with Demi. Stray Pirate
The last night we all went to The Fluff Follies at The Mint Tavern. I hadn’t seen Audrey Deluxe since I did Burlesque Bingo in The Before Times. The show was fun — fluffy like the name implied — and had some creative acts and talented performers. It was inspiring to see Michelle perform with her huge fan. 

The highlight for me was that Tiffany Carter was in the audience! It was so good to see her. She, Demi, and I all have something in common, which isn’t something I talk about muchMina, Demi, and Tiffany Carter

The last day was travel day. Some of my fellow strippers were gone before I even woke up. Those that remained — Dinah, Demi, me, and Michelle — spent some leisurely time in the hot tub, before Michelle drove Dinah and me to the airport for the long flights back to reality.
Hot tub
I was back in my own bed before 2am.

As for my act and some overall thoughts about the event, you’ll have to wait. Hopefully not another six months…

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 23 May 2024 at 2:45 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Tomorrow is Isle of Tease at Deacon Giles Speakeasy! We’ve got a whole bunch of fun tropical acts for you — some fan favorites, some brand new — and some spectacular costumes. I can’t wait to see what delicious delights the bartender whip up!

Also, Introduction to Burlesque classes start next week! Although the Early Bird discount just ended, we’re still offering our new “Bring a Friend” special — register for all 4 classes and bring a friend for half price (or get a 25% discount on two registrations, depending on how you want to look at it).

One last note, the BeauTease and B.A.B.E. both use a ticketing service called Humanitix. They’re a charity who donates profits from the ticketing fees to other charities. Earlier this week, the Meta-bots, in their infinite wisdom deemed Humanitix a cybersecurity issue and removed all events, ads, and posts with links to their site. Days before a show. Yay.

Anyway, here’s your tip:

Make a mock up.

When trying out a new pattern or design for a costume or clothing do a test version first to check the fit and try out any new techniques. I can’t recommend this enough if you’re using an expensive fabric or don’t have much to spare. Get all the dumb mistakes out on the first go-round.

The traditional material for mock ups is unbleached muslin. You can also use old bedsheets, tablecloths, or curtains from around the house or the thrift store. It’s recycling!

However, if you make your mock up from a less-precious fabric that you like, you’ll end up with a wearable garment!Mrs. Maisel dress at CC39
This is my mock up of Mrs. Maisel’s red dress (season one). I made it in black linen before trying to make it out of red silk (which I will do… someday…). I’m glad I did because parts of it were very fiddly and I had to redo the skirt a couple of times. Linen is much more forgiving than silk when you need to rip out stitches and resew.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 17 May 2024 at 2:53 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! It’s lovely out today and we are just over one week away from Isle of Tease at Deacon Giles! Do you have your tickets? We’ve got some great new acts for you!

This week’s tip is for audience members and I’m sorry I’ve got to give it.

Stay off the stage.

I know that seems obvious, but you’d be surprised.

I have definitely been in shows where security has had to keep patrons from joining the show. I’m glad you’re inspired, but the performers are the ones here to entertain the audience. 

I remember one not-sober college student becoming so besotted with Dominique that she ran on stage and tried to hug Dominique in the middle of her act. Dominique gently led her to the side of the stage where someone took charge of her. That’s a bit disruptive, but not dangerous. Although sometimes it can be dangerous.

What sparked this tip was video I saw recently of Lavendelle, one of my Stripper’s Holiday compatriots. As she stood on a folding chair in her platform stilettos, facing the back of the stage, someone came up and smacked her on the ass. There are so many things wrong with that. Not only is it potentially assault (maybe even sexual assault), she was certainly not expecting it and could have lost her careful balance and been injured.

Please note, I’m not talking about when audience members are invited onto the stage. Sometime a volunteer is needed for something or it’s someone’s birthday and they’re going to be celebrated. That’s done with everyone’s consent.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 10 May 2024 at 5:05 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I was just out for a walk and the trees are covered with blossoms. Spring is such a brief and lovely thing in New England! This week’s tip is:

There is no set order in which to remove your costume pieces.

Sure, sometimes you have to remove one garment to get to another, like shoes before stockings, or it will be easier for you to manipulate a fastening if you’re not wearing your gloves at that point. However, there is absolutely no reason to follow the “canonical” striptease of gloves>gown>bra if you don’t want to. It changes the audience’s expectations.

When I created my Lizzie Borden act, over a decade ago, I used to take the blood-stained apron off as the very first thing, then the skirt, then the blouse. Very pedestrian. Very much like getting undressed for bed. Now I take off the blouse and the skirt under the apron. It’s a bit more challenging, but there’s more tease. And the audience can have a little surprise when the apron finally comes off.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 3 May 2024 at 4:21 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Review: Punk Rock Aerobics

Dear Constant Reader,

Your Faithful Correspondent is laid up in bed with some sort of bug (I’m doing better, just very tired) and since I can’t seem to bring myself to do any of the active things had planned for the day, how about a book review.

Punk Rock Aerobics by Maura Jasper and Hilken Mancini, 2004.

Wait, you say, is this our refined Miss Mina writing of punk rock? You many not believe this, but as a dainty young thing I could be found in the mosh pit at an all-ages hardcore club. I still retain a great deal of affection for the music. And you know how I love creative workouts.

I encountered Punk Rock Aerobics last fall whilst I was working on the Boston Public Library Passport Challenge (a missive for another day). The Parker Hill branch of the BPL was celebrating “Punk Rock Week” and I decided it give the it a whirl. I had a lot of sweaty fun and picked up the book.

The creators hated traditional fitness classes and gyms, but wanted to get in shape. After becoming certified aerobics instructors, like true punks, they tossed everything out and developed their own gritty workouts with moves like “skank” and “Iggy’s pop”. However, many of the exercises are ones you would recognize, just with punkier names, like the “unnatural axe” is a hamstring stretch.

The book takes you through the equipment needed, including good sneakers, a mat, water, weights (they use bricks) and then progresses through the vocabulary: stretches (both warm-up and cool-down), cardio, strength training (standing and on the floor). All of these are illustrated with black and white photos. The cardio moves are classified as hi-fi or lo-fi (high or low impact) or both. Difficulty is rated with skulls. “Hand-written” notes give helpful tips.

After an extensive tour of the moves, they show you how to create workouts. Pick three cardio moves (a mix of hi & lo-fi) and a song, which they call combo-hatching. You’ll be doing the three moves over and over to the song. Fortunately, punk songs are pretty short, so there will be a lot of variety in each cardio section. Then string your combos together into rock blocks. Choose your stretches and strength moves and put them all together into a workout of your desired length. Don’t panic, there are plenty of examples of combos and sample workouts.

The last chapter is tips on how to sustain your fitness practice. Throughout the book there are Q & A’s with musicians about their fitness routines and the authors recommend movies and albums for inspiration. The tone of the book overall is, as you might imagine, irreverent, but encouraging.

It’s hard to learn physical skills from a book, so I wouldn’t recommend this to a fitness novice. But if you’ve got some exercise experience, this is a fun way to shake things up.

A live PRA class ends with the instructors lobbing mini-candy bars at you, so give yourself a sweet treat when you’re done sweating.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 29 April 2024 at 11:04 am  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday again! I try to makes these tips practical or uplifting — more “do”s than “don’t”s, but that’s not the case this week.

Sometimes people just suck.

There are people in the burlesque scene who seem to derive pleasure from attacking others and rallying others to do similar. Sometimes those who do not join in or speak in opposition become targets themselves.

I don’t have any solutions. Just that if you have been the victim of one of these campaigns, you have my sympathies. If you are considering jumping on the bandwagon, think about the facts of the situation and form your own opinion before spouting someone else’s line.

There are much more important things in the world to be outraged about than the drama du jour, which, if taken far enough, can not only drive people out of the burlesque scene, but permanently damage their reputations and even livelihoods.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Welcome to my newest Patron, Danielle Colby! Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 26 April 2024 at 5:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip:

Make sure your jewelry and your act are compatible.

I don’t just mean that the jewelry coordinates with your costume. Rhinestone jewelry is notoriously catchy; check that you aren’t going to snag delicate fabrics on the settings (I have a tip that can help!). Can you wear bracelets with your gloves and still do a smooth peel? Does your necklace look good with the different necklines of your costume layers? Do your earrings get tangled in your hair after some vigorous floorwork? Try it all out in advance and you’ll look polished on stage.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 19 April 2024 at 5:04 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s a very blustery day here in Boston. I hope everyone is snug inside, or having better weather than we are!

Here’s a tip to brighten up the day:

When removing, keep moving.

I don’t mean that you have to be in constant motion while stripping. In fact, there are time when you want to be still to highlight a garment peel. But make it a deliberate choice. Just stopping dead to remove something and then starting up again can look like it’s hard to do two things at once. And we want the audience to think this is easy (it’s not, but we can make it look easy). So, strut, grind, shimmy, &c. while taking it off. It’s more fun to watch. And it will make those moments when you choose stillness have more impact.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 12 April 2024 at 4:13 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I’ve been tidying up my sewing room and reorganizing my supplies. That reminded me of this tip:

Flexible measuring tapes are often made of materials that can stretch or shrink over time. Periodically check yours against a plastic or metal ruler. If the measurements are off, toss it.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.
Published in: on 5 April 2024 at 4:25 pm  Leave a Comment  
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