The Mardi Gras Ball

Dear Constant Reader,

Last Saturday The Boston Babydolls were honored to be a part of the 21st(!) annual Mardi Gras Ball. I’m not exaggerating when I say that we look forward to this event all year. It’s a great event for a great cause and we get to dance to our favorite songs with an amazing band. What’s not to love?

The stage at T.T.’s is a special place. For one thing, it’s crammed with musicians (that’s a good thing), for another it’s filthy (that’s not). To make everyone’s life easier, we take turns catching for one another — one of us stands front & center and the dancer tosses her the costume pieces. Somehow this also involves buying each other shots.

Stella worked out “The Boston Babydoll Shot Chain” which worked like this: you catch for the person who performs before you and you buy a shot for the person who performs after you (who was the person who caught for you). We have varied tastes: Stella & Devora both preferred whisky, Betty wanted coconut rum (much to the bartender’s disgust), and I had a Coke (shots are so not for me).

For the record, we performed:

  • Devora, Blue Prelude, a glove & gown strip with a boa
  • Mina, Harlem Nocturne, a fan dance
  • Betty, Tombstone Blues, a classic strip in Mardi Gras colors
  • Stella, Moonglow, a little vignette in which she is molested by jacket

    • A few amusing notes…
    Alissa Coates (she comes every year with her sweetheart — the event is their anniversary) told me that there were some girls who screamed every time I flashed a hint of rear, as though they’d never seen a bum before.

    Betty got a little enthusiastic with tossing one of her gloves to Stella and it went wild. Stella started hunting and immediately, Hunter was shining his flashlight on the stray glove.

    One of the guest singers this year was Hayley Jane of Hayley Jane and The Primates. But once upon a time, she was Baby Jane, one of the original Boston Babydolls. We had a lovely reunion backstage. Maybe we won’t wait so many years next time.

    I have to give a special thank you to Paul Ahlstrand, who was playing sax with an injured arm that night. “Harlem Nocturne” needs its brass and I adore those guys.

    I saw a photographer in the audience, so maybe there will even be some pictures.

    M2

    Published in: on 10 March 2014 at 4:10 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    Friday Tip!

    Dear Constant Reader,

    Happy Friday! Time for a tip! This piece of advice comes from Mr. Scratch, from whom I have learned many valuable things about business and communication.

    Send handwritten thank you notes.

    You should always send thank you notes — to a producer who booked you, to a photographer who shot you, &c. — and obviously a quick email serves that purpose. However, people are always delighted to received an actual something in the mail; it so rarely happens these days. And it shows you took the time and care to hand-write a note, address it, stamp it, and mail it. Plus, most people don’t want to toss something like that in the trash, so your note will linger, reminding them of you.

    It’s also a great excuse to have a library of appropriate stationary and cards. Just look at Lili St. Cyr’s personalized stationary! If you had letterhead like this, wouldn’t you want to send letters?

    M2

    Published in: on 7 March 2014 at 10:02 am  Leave a Comment  
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    New Costume

    Dear Constant Reader,

    I love costumes. One of my favorite things about burlesque is that I get to indulge in making fabulous costumes. By the way, today happens to be the birthday of two women who taught me a great deal about costuming. Happy birthday, Heather & Rae!

    I also love burlesque history and have occasional bought costumes or accessories that have belonged to someone notable (to date that’s been current performers/costumers). But I won’t just pack them away to be admired — I wear them on stage. It wars with my museum training, but these costumes deserve to be seen as they were intended, on stage. But I treat them with the utmost of care and document any alterations I do.

    Scratch had found these Hedy Jo Star costumes for sale on-line and when he saw that the owner lived in Massachusetts, asked if we could display them at The Expo. Maybe she’d get a buyer…

    And she did:

    The costume has six components:

    bra

    pantie

    collar

    gauntlets

    skirt detail

    fan (there are 2)

    Despite being in great shape, it’s not completely ready to wear. There are a lot of small wear & tear repairs to be made. All of the elastic (especially on the bra) needs to be replaced. While the skirt fits perfectly around my waist, I can’t zip it over my thighs. It looks fine open in the front, but I’ll have to decide if I want to remove the metal zipper as a snagging hazard or leave it in place as part of the historical integrity. And it needs pasties and a g-string. Perhaps the pasties I bought at The Expo will work. We’ll see.

    I won’t lie; this was the most expensive costume I’ve ever bought. So once my new act is ready, I’ll be looking for gigs!

    The woman I bought it from can’t remember the name of the stripper she bought it from. The costume was made sometime in the 80’s and worn locally. I would love to find out the provenance, so please, if you have any leads, let me know!

    M2

    Published in: on 5 March 2014 at 11:29 am  Comments (5)  
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    Expo 2104: The Newcomers’ Showcase

    Dear Constant Reader,

    The Expo concludes with The Original Newcomers’ Showcase, an opportunity for newer performers to strut their stuff in front of a friendly audience. For the past several years, I’ve been hosting it, which is both delightful and nerve-wracking, since it’s usually the only time all year that I host a show. I don’t get to see all of the acts or see them from the best vantage point because I’m in the wings and often checking in with the next performer.

    A few of my favorites that I did see this year:

  • Jovie DeVoe was buoyant and bubbly with a classic balloon pop
  • Holly Deck blew my mind with a fan dance in tribute to Gary Busey. Yes, really.
  • Ginny Nightshade is a perpetual favorite of mine and great to work with. Her “Wolf in Peep’s Clothing” act was super-hot.
  • Trixie Santiago was the brave soul who made her striptease debut at the “Boston Loves Dixie” show. She wowed me with her new act, which suits her perfectly.
  • Stella Chuu was just stunning with her “Tron” number.

    • I’m so proud of the moment when the Burlesque Your Way students make their stage debuts. This year they only had 5 weeks instead of the usual 6 to create their acts and they worked so hard!

    Serena Soirée, Voluptuous Vanessa Vixen, and Penelope Strut were just fabulous and I hope to see more from them and soon!

    And then other than strike, that was the end of another Expo. See you in 2015! It’ll be my birthday!

    M2

    Published in: on 4 March 2014 at 2:44 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    Expo 2014: Tea Party

    Dear Constant Reader,

    One of the many things I do at The Expo is host an afternoon tea party. It’s a nice way to relax on Sunday afternoon after all the craziness of the weekend and recharge before the Sunday night shows. We have a variety of teas, finger sandwiches, scones, and little pastries. The food is provided by the hotel, of course, but we bring in the tea from generous sponsors.

    Brigitte Bisoux is my co-hostess and in charge of finding said generous sponsors. This year MEM Tea Imports provided us with half a dozen different kinds of tea for the party and many little samples for the attendee goodie bags.

    Our new sponsor was Runa: Clean Energy, which make a tea-like beverage from guayusa (it’s like mate). Not only did they provide us with 3 different flavors of teabags, they gave us cases & cases of their bottled beverage. The strike crew was very happy to have the boost later that night…

    In fact Runa was so generous with the bottles, that we had quite a few left over. We’re selling them at B.A.B.E. and all the money will go to make next year’s tea party even better!

    One of the things I wanted for this year’s party was decorations on the tables and Mimi Mischief was happy to make cute centerpieces with a Valentine’s theme.

    Since both of my hostesses from last year desperately wanted to take Perle Noire’s class just before the party, I sought someone to help me set up the party. Blaze, The Red Rose of Texas, answered the call, tea apron at the ready. She was invaluable at getting the tea prepared and especially in keeping the pots refilled.

    And here’s the whole staff, product placements in hand.

    Just a few fashion notes: Brigitte is wearing yet another of her ridiculous hats and a vintage, reversible apron from my collection. Blaze is wearing a vintage hat, dress, and tea apron. I’m wearing a fascinator by Cristal Blu and an apron of my own creation. And no make-up — I was tired at this point and it really shows. Mimi is displaying one of her centerpieces.

    M2

    Published in: on 3 March 2014 at 9:57 am  Leave a Comment  
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    Friday Tip!

    Dear Constant Reader,

    Happy Friday! Today’s tips is based on a recent sad experience for a whole bunch of people.

    Facebook is the worst method of communication.

    If you need to get in touch with someone, especially in a professional capacity, DO NOT send them a FB message. There’s a good chance it will end up in the “other” folder.

    What “other” folder?, you may ask. Go to your messages and next to “Inbox” there’s a greyed-out link called “other”. Click it and get ready to cry at all the missed opportunities…

    If you want to send a message to someone and have them get it, use email.

    If you want to get all your messages, make your email address easily available. And let people know that you want to be emailed not messaged. And then respond promptly to emails.

    M2

    Published in: on 28 February 2014 at 11:09 am  Leave a Comment  
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    Expo 2014: Shopping

    Dear Constant Reader,

    I couldn’t neglect talking about the shopping at The Expo!

    This was my small haul this year:

    I needed a necklace to go with my hosting outfit for The Original Newcomers’ Showcase and Su’ad was able to hook me up with the lovely set on the left. Su’ad and Farasha are performers themselves, so they understand the need to have great jewelry that won’t break the bank.

    Funny story about the pasties on the right. I saw them on the Glorious Pasties table and every time I walked past it, I looked at them. On Sunday Lili VonSchtupp mentioned she’d bought a pair of pasties, to support Cheeky Cheetah, and would be adding them to her collection. A quick glance at the table showed me just which pair she’d bought and made me realize how much I wanted them. Happy ending all round — I bought them from Lili and she bought another pair for her collection.

    There was so much other great stuff, like from Meadhall (who stock up on the shiny trim for this event), Cleavage Couture, Booty & the Geek, Bella’s Tchotchkes, and of course, Vixens Ahoy (I know I missed a bunch), but I was just generally running around and too busy to do much shopping.


    I didn’t buy either of these books at The Expo, but they’re still connected. Doc (of Doc & Stumpy) was selling his fantastic book Baggy Pants Comedy, now in paperback. That’s a hardcover above because I got it as a gift for Scratch as soon as it was published. The book (and its pricing) was really intended for academic institutions, but I wasn’t going to let that stand in the way of gaining really valuable information about burlesque comedy. Doc was gracious enough to inscribe it to Scratch.

    The other is one of my purchases from early in my burlesque career. Angie was kind of amazed to see it (“published by Kinkos!”) and cheerfully signed it.

    Other than all the shopping, the Costume Exhibit, and the Bordello stage, the Vendor Hall has the cafe. You see, unlike BurlyCon which has attendee-provided hospitality, the Hyatt won’t allow any outside food. And it’s a hotel, so the dining options are kind of pricey. Scratch does what he can to help out there, like having breakfast included in The Whole Shebang ticket, having local take-out menus at the reg desk, and arranging for the cafe. It offers soup, sandwiches, salads, and the like for pretty reasonable prices and they’re quite good. And then there are tables in the Hall, so you can sit, eat, socialize, and plan your shopping.

    Saturday I had gotten my lunch from the cafe and Scratch waved me over to the table where he was sitting with Angie and her husband Brian (who is one of the nicest guys on the planet). I’ve known Angie quite a while, have some of her hand-me-downs in my closet (we wear about the same size), and have performed in a bunch of shows with her. So, here I was, sitting with some friends, chatting about stuff, but, in the back of my brain, there was this little voice squealing like a fangirl “Oh my God, I’m having lunch with *Angie Pontani*!!!”

    M2

    Published in: on 27 February 2014 at 2:54 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    Expo 2014: The Costume Exhibit

    Dear Constant Reader,

    I love the Costume Exhibit at The Expo. For the past 6 years it’s been created by BettySioux Tailor and Baroness Blitzen von Schtupp and always amazes me. This year the theme was “In Love with Burlesque”, so there were hearts everywhere and the costume labels has answers to the questions “When did you fall in love with burlesque?” or “What do you love about burlesque?”.

    My camera, of course, chose this time to have one of its hissy fits and not allow the flash to work. Some of the pictures are a tad blurred. Sorry about that. I really need a new camera.


    From L to R: Madeline Sinclaire (I believe this is a vintage gown, but the rest was made by her), Angie Pontani, April March, Blaze (“Sparkling Diamonds” and “Pink Diamonds” — two Moulin Rouge reproductions)


    After April March and Blaze, we have Femme Brûlée, Me (my “La Vie en Rose” costume), Scarlett Letter (“Love for Sale”, which she had worn in The Rhinestone Revue), and a boudoir robe by Catherine D’Lish (owned by me)


    Hedy Jo Star (Cleopatra headress, Bob Mackie/Cher-inspired costume, and peacock costume — Scratch was able to get these on loan for the weekend, but the collection has since been split up), Pat Manzo (from the same source), BettySioux Tailor (“Friendly Conversation”, worn in The Rhinestone Revue). On the table is a scrapbook of Gypsy Rose Lee photos and clippings, compiled by one of her close friends and given to Willy Barrett.

    You can see most of the individual costumes and a tiny bit more information here.

    M2

    Published in: on 27 February 2014 at 11:30 am  Leave a Comment  
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    Expo 2014: The Main Event

    Dear Constant Reader,

    This is the reason so many people come to The Expo, the competition. not only dancers, but audience too. In fact, the show completely sold out. As a judge, I get the big perk of sitting right up front, but the incredibly hard job of picking winners. I have to give credit to my fellow judges, Gore Jess, Scandal from Bohemia, Donna Denise, and Femme Brulee, for making the judging easy and non-contentious.

    Scratch really wanted a big production number to open the show and Willy Barrett created something fabulous. The dancers came from all over the country, learned the choreography via video (some local gals came to a couple of rehearsals Brigitte ran at B.A.B.E.), and had one rehearsal all together the day of the show. It was amazing and you can see it here.

    The competition was fierce this year and I’d like to recognize some acts I really liked* that didn’t receive awards or honors:

  • Kelly LiMone: She opened the show beautifully with a classic strip
  • Tiny D: I was completely blown away by her tribute to Gina Bon Bon
  • Olatsa Assassin: Strong and beautiful as a frost giant.
  • Madeline Sinclair: Her fan dance was totally dreamy. And I love that version of “Sleepwalk”.
  • Deliliah: her act wasn’t in competition and I usually don’t get to see that set because we judges are off deliberating. See above note about fast and non-contentious. I was able to see all of this gorgeous fan dance, albeit from the wings.

    (Unless otherwise noted, photos are by John Bilotti)

    The Honorees this year were:

    April March’s choice: Sailor St. Claire

    Angie Pontani’s choice: Francine “The Lucid Dream”

    Perle Noir’s choice and the Judges’ choice: Üla Überbusen

    And the Howard Award winners:

    Best Hybrid: Scarlet Starlet

    Most Classic: Blaze, The Red Rose of Texas

    Most Humorous: Red Velvet

    Most Beautiful: Whisper de Corvo
    (Photographer unknown)

    Best Solo: Nina La Voix

    And here are the winners (with a little ad for next year’s Expo):
    (Photographer unknown)

    And then we all went to the pool party!

    M2

    *I had to restrain myself or I was going to start listing everybody

    • Published in: on 26 February 2014 at 10:12 am  Leave a Comment  
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    Expo 2014: The Conference

    Dear Constant Reader,

    The Conference is the jewel of The Expo — 4 tracks of classes covering everything from dance to business and beginner to professional-level. It’s a fabulous opportunity to learn and I wish more people took full advantage of it.

    Friday
    The Teasing Touch (me): Friday afternoon classes are new this year. I wasn’t actually expecting anyone to show up, but I had 3 students: a newcomer, an experienced burlesquer, and someone for whom this was her first burlesque class! I was so thrilled. We explored some of the wonderful things you can do with your hands and gloves.

    There were more classes and some Birds of a Feather sessions, but I was in tech rehearsal for The Rhinestone Revue.

    Saturday
    Subtle Sparkle: Edge-Beading (me): I really like “make & take” classes. You go in with nothing and walk out with a thingy or at least the beginnings of a thingy and the knowledge to finish it. In this class I taught the basics of edge-beading and let the students practice it by making a ribbon choker. Here’s Gala Delicious modeling her creation. She practically beaded the whole thing in just two hours!

    Strip Like a Stripper (Sheila Starr Siani): After seeing Sheila’s terribly sexy performance the night before, I was eager for this class. We learned some key secrets and practiced some classic stripper moves. No surprise, everyone wanted to learn the booty bounce. Best moment, Stella with her legs up in the air demonstrating, mentioning that she learned it in college.

    The Road Warriors (panel): This was just fun, listening to Willy Barrett, Scratch, Angie Pontani, and Red Snapper share touring stories. Still, I learned some useful tips. Just have to point out that Snapper made *handouts*. For a panel.

    Dance Moves for Non-Dancers (Red Snapper): I swear I was not stalking Red Snapper. We learned a bunch of basic moves, hardly harder than walking, many of which we use in BABEfit combinations. The class finished with us all dancing The Hustle. And there was a cheat sheet, so I didn’t even need to take notes.

    Flirting with Fan Dance (Fanny Galore): You know I love fan dance and I take all the classes I can, even beginner ones because I’m always search for that one bit of gold. In this case, it was the experience of fan dancing to music that was nowhere near my comfort zone.

    Sunday
    Using Your Face (Willy Barrett): I admit it: facial expressions are one of my weak points and when I’m sharing the stage with Betty or Brigitte, it really shows. We learned the mind-body-spirit correspondences to the parts of the face and to the eyes.

    Down & Dirty (Red Snapper): I’ve taken this floorwork class before, but I always like to work my legs and abs. And besides, I might learn something new. In this case, it was the memorable phrase “tits up to God”.

    The Legs and Feet of a Dancer (Willy Barrett): I always love watch people’s minds get blown in one of Willy’s classes. And Brigitte was no exception — she’s already reworking her stocking removes. Besides learning the mind-body-spirit connection to the parts of the leg and the foot, we also practiced stances and their meanings. Favorite moment: Whisper de Corvo volunteered to demonstrate. She chose to be a tiger, then said she couldn’t be a bunny. You never say “can’t” to Willy Barrett! And yes, she can.

    Ribbon Work for Detailed Costumes (Whisper de Corvo): Ribbon flowers are so beautiful, but I’ve never tried making them. We made pansies from lovely ombre ribbon, some modern and some vintage. My creation turned out a little wonky (I think I needed slightly longer ribbon lengths), but still pretty.

    Go-Go Robics (Angie Pontani):
    (Photo by Kristin Chalmers Photography)
    I was really looking forward to this one. The Pontani Sisters’ Go-Go Robics DVDs (the original and sequel) were among the first I bought when I embarked on my burlesque journey, so I jumped at the chance to do it with Angie, in person. She taught a super-high energy choreography to “The Clapping Song”, which had us gasping and sweating in no time. Here’s a snippet of video. You can just sort of see me flailing around behind Angie.

    And then I had to skip the last class session to set up for my Tea Party!

    M2

    Published in: on 25 February 2014 at 10:37 am  Leave a Comment  
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