Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!
Test your hairstyle in rehearsal.
Repeatedly pushing your hair out of your eyes is not a good thing. It makes you look nervous, sloppy, and unprepared. Deliberately moving your hair away from your face, like after a head roll or hair tease, is sexy. Either way, make sure you hair stays or goes where you want it to by rehearsing your act with your hair done the way you plan to have it on stage. And wigs count as hairstyles.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your tip.
Cut false eyelashes to fit your eyelid.
Lashes are one-size-fits-all, but, of course, that all lids are not the same size or shape. Don’t be afraid to give the lashes a little snip to make them flattering and comfortable.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday everyone! Today’s tip comes from Samuel Beckett (the playwright, not the time traveler).
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Dear Constant Reader,
Last week I groused about audience members taking authorized photos during shows. Now I’m going to turn it around with a tip for performers.
Always credit your photographer.
It’s just the right thing to do. Just a small line on a poster, a link on your website, a tag on your Facebook, where ever you’re using the photo. Just something so your admiring fans know who took your great photo. And do make sure you have the rights to use it before you do.
Dear Constant Reader,
Never fear, my multi-part Expo report is coming. I’m just waiting for the photos to start coming back from our official photographers.
Here’s your Friday tip!
Live entertainment should be enjoyed live. No pictures please!
This is a special tip for audience members. Stop taking photos and video at shows. Just stop it. You’re annoying the performers and producers, getting crappy pictures, and missing the actual show.
Many shows arrange for their own photographers and/or videographers. Their job is to get the best shots that showcase the performers in the most flattering way. They are professionals with professional equipment who are often allowed special access to get those good shots. The producers, venues, and performers can then control what goes out into the wide world. Wouldn’t you rather see a clean, crisp, attractive shot of your favorite performer than your dim, blurry cellphone picture?
The Boston Babydolls are happy to pose for pictures after the show and we’ve started letting the audience take pictures of our final lineup at curtain call. But not during the show. As Scratch often says, we don’t come to your job and take pictures of you making fries, please don’t take pictures of us while we’re working.
We promise, we’ll make good photos and videos available to our fans, but they’re going to be ones we are happy with and have control over where they’re posted. We have actively gone after folks who post unauthorized video and the results weren’t pretty.
Assume that no photos are allowed at any burlesque show, even if the MC doesn’t specifically make an announcement forbidding it. I forgot to make that announcement when I was hosting on Sunday at The Expo and Security had to tell a lot of people to put their damn phones away. Even on nights when the announcement was made, some audience members ignored it. There were even signs posted at the Reg Desk/Box Office reminding people of the no photo/video rule. It’s just rude to think you’re so special that the rules don’t apply.
Besides, don’t you want to enjoy the show while it’s happening?
Next week, a related tip for performers.
Dear Constant Reader,
The Great Burlesque Exposition of 2015 is here! I hope I see you this weekend.
Here’s your tip:
Volunteering is sexy.
Events like The Expo run on volunteer labor and you can be part of what makes the event great. Just donate a few hours of your time and you can make a big difference. As they say, many hands make light work. You can put your skills to use, learn new ones, see behind the scenes, meet new people, and generally get that sense of satisfaction from having done a good thing. Sometimes you get a reward, like a t-shirt or a free ticket, but the real reward is a successful event, thanks to you!
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! We’re currently bracing for *more* snow this weekend. I’ve got my fingers crossed as we’ve got two shows on Saturday: Bumps Upon a Grind immediately followed by our annual appearance at The Mardi Gras Ball. I’m particularly concerned about Sunday. Our Burlesque Your Way students missed their last two classes, plus a make-up class because of the snow. We’re trying to hold yet another class on Sunday, but I fear for it.
Anyway, enough fretting, on with your Friday Tip!
A plastic cup makes a tiny trash can for your make-up station.
During a show, there are lots of showgirl droppings — the backing from pastie tape, cosmetic pencil shavings, spilt glitter, snack wrappers, broken hair pins, &c. I like to keep my space clean & tidy. Rather than make a trip to the trash can (if there even is one in the dressing room) with every little bit, I just sweep the detritus into a cup as I go and toss everything before I leave for the night.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here in Boston it’s sub-Arctic outside, but I don’t care. I’ve got woolly leopard-print mitts to keep my hands toasty while I write to you. And tonight is the first performance of Bumps Upon a Grind, where I know our loving audience will cheer for us warmly.
Here’s your tip!
Use the right needle for the job.
When you’re sewing, make sure the needle you’re using is appropriate to the material. The wrong size or shape needle can really screw up your project. Today I’m going to talk about machine needles. Maybe another time I’ll hold forth about hand-sewing needles.
They’re color-coded*! Isn’t that great? Orange bands are for delicate fabrics, blue bands are for medium-weight, and purple are for heavy-weight. You can also get super-light-weight (green) for those really fine sheers and super-heavy-weight (grey).
Red-topped needles are sharps for woven fabrics; yellow-topped needles are ballpoints for knits. There are also special needles for denim & canvas and for leather.
Lay in a good supply of the kind you use most because there is nothing more frustrating than breaking your last needle and seeing the project come to a grinding halt. You might be tempted to use one of the other types or sizes you have, but resist!
* This is the Singer color-code. Other brands of needles have different coding. I have a vintage Singer machine, so those are the needles I use. Singer surely doesn’t pay me to endorse their brand…
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your New Year, New Habit tip:
Simplify.
Do you really need all that stuff in your act? Is every prop essential? Is every garment used to its full potential?
Paraphrasing the great Coco Chanel, take a good look at your act and take one thing out. You may find that you have more time for a skirt tease when you eliminated the glove remove that was kind of perfunctory. Or that you don’t need to have a full vintage bar cart on stage when all you really use is that one shot glass.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your New Year, New Habit tip:
Use your stash. Hoarding is no good.
There’s a saying amongst those who practice the fabric-based arts “She who dies with the most fabric, wins”. Not true. If you have it and don’t use it, what’s the point? I have nothing against having a stash — it’s awesome when you can whip up a garment or accessory without buying a single item. The problem is boxes & boxes of fabric & trim that just sit there, year after year, while you buy more.
I’m hardly innocent of this myself. Part of my own New Year, New Habit is to figure out what’s worth keeping and what I should sell or give away.
Go through your stash. Figure out some fabulous uses for that great fabric and then do it!
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 