Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

I hope you’re having a good Friday. We’ve been having big rainstorms all day and Bartholomew A. Cat has decided the best thing to do is nap the afternoon away on the fabric I spread out for cutting. Anyway, here’s your tip:

Make your bed right after you get up. 

Tip courtesy of Scratch.

What does this have to do with burlesque? A couple of things.

It’s a way of making a little bit of order out of chaos and it doesn’t take very long.
You have accomplished one thing right away that day, which can help motivate you to do more.
f you’re one of those people (like me) who lays costumes out on the bed to double check before packing, you have a tidy platform to do so.
When you get home late after a rehearsal or a show, you have an inviting place to lay your head.

These 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.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! How about a tip? Yes? Good. Here we go…

Trends come and go; stay true to yourself.

There will always be that thing it seems like everyone is wearing or doing or using. Just because it seems like the whole burlesque world is wearing a mesh corset or clacking their heels or performing to that song that you can’t stop hearing everywhere or portraying a character from the latest blockbuster movie right now, you don’t have to.

I’m not here to say you can’t jump on a burlesque bandwagon, but don’t do it because you think the audience or the festival committee or the judges or your peers think you should. Do it because you think it will be fun or it speaks to you.

These 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.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! This is a  bit of a specialty tip today.

If you tap dance, you can make sure you always have a good dance surface with a tap board.

How many times have we had to perform on carpet or some other less than ideal stage? It can make a regular burlesque routine challenging, but for a tap dancer, it can be impossible to perform.

The answer is a tap board — a portable wooden dance surface. You can buy them or make them (there are plenty of tutorials out there). For our most recent show, Scratch constructed one for Ava that was disguised as a briefcase, which opened flat when she was ready to dance on it. (it’s not light, but Ava handled it with grace).

These 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.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s another hot and humid day. Ah, summer in New England! While this tip is especially helpful in summer, I think it’s pretty good year round.

Pack clothes for after the show. 

After sweating your way through a show, it feels good to put on some fresh clothes afterwards for socializing or just the trip home. If you can’t bring an entire set, at least bring some clean underthings to change into.

These 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.

Dear Constant Reader,

Summer is here! It’s very darn hot in Boston. Here’s a seasonal tip!

Consider keeping a small folding fan in your bag.

Not only can it help you cool down but you can use it to speed up drying your liquid makeup or pastie adhesive when it’s humid.

These 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.

Dear Constant Reader,

A very pleasant Friday to you! Here’s your tip!

A costume does not an act make.

Burlesque is very costume-dependent. Performers lavish lots of money and time on elaborate and highly embellished layers of costume. However, a costume is just one part of an act. Relying on a dazzling costume is not enough. You also need to have choreography, music, a storyline, engagement with the audience, &c.

A spectacular costume will get applause at the beginning of an act, but if that’s all the performer has, there probably won’t be much at the end. In contrast, I’ve seen performances with very simple costumes absolutely wow audiences because of everything else the performer brought to the stage.

These 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.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s a tip that I should listen to more.

Dream big.

When coming up with a new act or costume or show &c., go wild. Think of the greatest version of what you want to do. Now, it might not be possible due to time, budget, skills, &c., but maybe someday… Scale back and keep your options open in case circumstances change.

These 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.

Dear Constant Reader,

Many folks I know, including Scratch and Ava, are at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend right now. That event plus yesterday’s missive inspired this week’s tip.

Our Legends are non-renewable resources.

And their numbers are dwindling. Seek them out. Listen to their stories. Learn from them.

These 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.