Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Last day at BurlyCon!

After a quick yogurt, I went to my first class.

Gloves, Arms & Hands (Willy Barrett): I never pass up an opportunity to take a class with Willy (aka Delsarte Master Joe Paul Williams). He’s been a staple at The Expo since the very first year, and you can thank Betty Blaize for luring him into the world of burlesque! His teachings have strongly influenced The Boston Babydolls and I would encourage any performer to take one of his workshops.

This class was packed! I think someone said it was the second-largest class all weekend. There was one marvelous moment when the entire class audibly had their minds blown (it was the wrist-throat connection, for those who know). I heard a rumor he’ll be offering “Legs and Feet” at the upcoming Expo in February…

Power in Simplicity (Perle Noir): Well, I planned to attend. The class was crowded and I realized I didn’t have much concentration at the moment. After the warm up and watching the choreography demonstration I left.

Instead, Scratch and I checked out of our room, put our bags in the holding pen, and had a pleasant brunch with Jonny Porkpie, Jo Weldon, Kristina Nekyia, and some other folks that I can’t quite remember at the moment. The conversation turned to flexibility (as Porkpie showed a photo of his recreation of a vintage Hustler cover involving a bit of contortion). Kristina, a professional contortionist, mentioned that she had an instructional DVD on splits and backbends. I’ve always wanted to be able to do a split and have been unable to find a good training program, so I ordered it as soon as I got home. We shall see how that goes…

And then back to class.

Merkins (Lola Love): For my non-burlesque readers, a merkin is basically a g-string without the string — a little patch that covers the bits that must remain hidden. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever wear one, Boston decency laws being what they are, but I still want to know how to make one. They are really quite simple to construct. Keeping one in place is the challenge.

Then there was a little more shopping before my last class of the weekend.

Dances of the Roaring 20’s (Gin Minsky): So much fun! We learned the Charleston and the Black Bottom and then spent most of the class putting everything together into a choreography. Exhausting! A great way to end the convention.

Then I wrestled my suitcase out of luggage jail, changed into travel clothes, and had a spot of bother returning said bag. But it was okay because I got to hang with Lili von Schtupp while she tried to rescue her bag out.

Then we went out for some dinner with Scandal, Hoi Polloi, Dahlia Fatale, and a brand new burlesquer named Pepper before it was time to head to the airport.

We had an overnight flight, so I was beyond grateful that whoever was supposed to sit between us failed to show up and I could stretch out a little and sleep. We arrived in Boston a bit earlier than scheduled and watched the sun come up as we were chauffeured back to Stately Babydoll Manor. There to be met by a large white cat who missed Scratch terribly.

Next time, it’s all about the shopping!

Dear Constant Reader,

Saturday morning I was starting to feel the effects of travel plus a bunch of dance classes, so I started by day off (after breakfast, of course) with Soft Core Stretching (Inga Ingenue): A blissful hour of stretching, yoga, and a little core work at the end. Just the thing.

Stripping Behind the Fans (Michelle L’amour): Another packed class and the big fans didn’t help visibility at all. Again, Michelle taught perched on a couple of chairs. I’m told the Sunday afternoon run of the class was much less crowded. We learned how to hold 2 fans in one hand (Michelle truly has more strength in her little finger than almost anyone) and how to strip off gloves and a bra while doing so.

A brief break for lunch and some shopping and back to class I went.

Beginner Burlesque Choreography (Perle Noir): Ah, a chance to dance with Perle Noir. We learned a short choreography to “Cuban Pete” (the Desi Arnaz version, not the one Betty uses). It was just complex enough to be fun and simple enough to not be frustrating. Perfect.

Advance Chair Dancing (Lux LaCroix): I was expecting to get my ass kicked in this class. I ended up with a banged elbow (still sore after more than a week), a bruised thigh, and utterly sore muscles. It was glorious. There are several moves I am totally going to use in my next chair dance and a whole bunch I need to work up to. More core for sure.

At this point I took a much needed break instead of going to another class.

Illuminating Costumes (Laika Fox & Scarlett O’Hairdye): This class focused on using LEDs and EL wire in costumes. There was an introductory presentation about what they were and how they worked and then the room was spit into two groups for demos. I was in the LED group. Sewing, even with conductive wire, is right up my alley, so there’s a non-zero chance of working with LEDs in the future. On the other hand, I’m sorry I didn’t see the EL wire demo; I’ve always wanted to learn to solder.

After the previous night’s dinner debacle, everyone was promised there would be enough food, so not to rush the hospitality room. When I arrived, about an hour after service had begun, Scratch was standing in the hallway, directing people to any of the three rooms which had been set up with tables of delicious Mexican food. And the food tables had been arranged so people could go down both sides, which I knew was Scratch’s doing. It was so efficient that I had my tacos (thanks Tigerlily Salon!) in no time.

After a visit to Dr. Jen for some custom foundation formulation (more on that in the missive devoted to shopping), we attended the peer reviews, although missing the first few acts.

For those of you who are wonder what that means, it’s an opportunity to get feedback on an act from your fellow burlesquers. The performer get to say a few words about the act and specify why they want feedback, then they perform. A few audience members, selected by a moderator, get to give commentary and everyone has the opportunity to write notes which are given to the performer. One of the hardest parts is that the performer must remain silent while the feedback is given. I did it a couple of years ago and found it very valuable. Although I must say, performing for my peers (Yikes! Jo Weldon is in the front row!) is much more nerve-racking than for the average audience.

It seemed like a lot of the commenters started out with “Oh My God! That was incredible! You’re amazing and I love you!” Very nice, but it would have made me nuts to have the precious time (I think there’s only about 5 minutes for each performer to receive comments) taken up with empty praise instead of useful feedback.

I was particularly struck with acts by Deanna Danger, Darlinda Just Darlinda, and Sailor St. Claire. I hope I have the opportunity to see their performances again after they’ve incorporated the thoughts they were given.

Then the evening event I’d been waiting for — the Movie Pajama Party! Okay, I wasn’t actually looking forward to watching “Zeta One”, but I had a great outfit.
That amazing robe was made by Catherine D’Lish and I adore it. many people recognized the style right off the bat, so I didn’t even have to brag about who made it. The photo was specifically taken for Corinne Southern who had recently announced that she desired “Catherine D’Lish dressing gowns” and “Boudoir slippers with feathers on them” and when I mentioned I’d be wearing both, insisted on a picture. You can’t see my marabou trimmed mules in the photo.

I stayed just long enough to be seen, not win the raffle drawing, and watch the “previews” (here, I’ll share: a music video, a PSA, and the only actual movie trailer). Then I strolled around in my regal glory, accepting compliments, and never quite managing to make it to the bar for a Kitten DeVille cocktail.

One more day!