Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

The last day at BurlyCon. Priorities today included packing up, checking out, and making sure to say good bye to some people and “See you at The Expo” to others. I still managed to get in a goodly number of classes.

Advanced Floorwork (Bella Blue): This class promised to be fast-paced and not for the faint of heart. I didn’t realize we were going to be learning a choreography which incorporated some floorwork, rather than floorwork techniques (although there was a little of that later). I realized I was in over my inflexible head when Bella encouraged everyone to try a drop split to conclude the routine. I did my best to keep up and took copious notes about the things I wanted to try again later.

Sass and Play, Cabaret Dance Class (Midnite Martini): This class was so much fun! Midnite is a terrific teacher. As promised, we ran through a sassy, playful choreography to a song from Chicago. It reminded me of the importance of naming moves and combinations so they can easily be shouted out during teaching.

Roundtable: I’m Too Old for This Shit: Scandal from Bohemia led this discussion for older performers (“older” running a wide range of ages). Lots of interesting points raised about the problems and benefits of no longer being a spring chicken.

Prep for Press, Producers, & Festival Applications (Jo Weldon): I was going to go to Scarlet O’Hairdye and Bolt Action’s class on pattern alteration, but I realized that A) I didn’t have the brain power to give it the attention it deserved and B) they had proposed it for The Expo. Instead, I wandered late into this class of Jo’s and curled up in the corner to listen to her share her experience & wisdom. Honestly, it was old hat to me, but it was fabulous to see so many people learning the correct way to work with producers, etc. for the best possible result on all sides. This class should be mandatory for all performers.

I briefly went to Closing Ceremonies (not a raffle winner again), but couldn’t stay for the actual ceremony because my sister was going to pick us up for a visit. Last BurlyCon she and I tried to get together, but between managing the massive renovations on her house and getting ready for a trip to Beijing, it was impossible. It was delightful to see her, and finally encounter all the new (to me) things in her life: gentleman caller, house, and cat.

After a lovely dinner and a tour of her newly-renovated house, it was time to head to the airport for what turned out the be a rather hellish flight. Red-eyes are always no fun, but this was particularly special. I had booked an aisle and window seat in the hopes that there would be no one between us. Of course it was a completely full flight, so I gave up my window seat to sit next to Scratch. And discovered that the center seat wouldn’t recline. I managed to get some fitful sleep my head on the tray and the flight lasted approximately 67 hours. It’s so glamourous being a traveling showgirl.

I was so glad to get home, pet Albert, and then pass out on my luxurious bed for several hours.

Next up, the shopping!

Dear Constant Reader,

And thus the third day of BurlyCon dawned, but not too early.

Easy Tricks for Costuming (Bic Carroll): I took this class last year, but returned for an encore because Bic said he’d teach us to make his famous 2-yard gown and bring the pattern for us to copy. As I suspected would happen, most of the material he covered was totally different from last year and I ended up with pages and pages of notes and sketches.

There were some other classes I thought about attending, but decided instead to socialize and shop. I didn’t buy much this year, but that will be a separate missive.

Gloves & Stockings, Basics and Beyond (Midnite Martini): I was really looking forward to this one, after all, she’s The Stocking Girl. I came up with a stocking pull that I can’t wait to incorporate into a number. We did an interesting group exercise involving using the gloves as a prop. As it turned out, I was the only one with a pair of gloves in my group. We turned that into an advantage and I was pretty happy with our presentation to the class.

The Talk: 100 Years of Burlesque (Neil “Nez” Kendall): I can’t resist burlesque history. It was an excellent talk, even without the planned slideshow (his laptop had been stolen — boo). Some things I knew, some new information. Quite enjoyable and informative.

Scratch & I had to duck out as soon as class ended because we had big dinner plans and a tight schedule. He found that there was a Hawaiian barbecue place walking distance from the hotel. The walk was miserably wet and cold, made worse because my shoes were soaked. Soon we discovered we were practically at the old hotel! Good to know it’s not that long a walk away. I was able to sample the delights of a plate lunch (chicken katsu with rice and macaroni salad — half of it ended up in our fridge), which I’m sure would be even more delightful in tropical Hawaii itself instead of rainy Seattle.

Then we hustled back to the hotel so Scratch could prepare for Story Time. I changed into my lounging attire — red silk slip, ostrich-trimmed robe, and marabou mules. And forgot to take a picture.

Story Time was a new event this year and I was delighted that Scratch was able to participate. He’s an amazing storyteller, as some of you know, and taught me most everything I know about storytelling.

There were 11 storytellers plus Jonny Porkpie hosting. Each storyteller had 5 minutes, but I knew that wasn’t going to be enough time. And, sure enough, everyone ran over. I wished that some hadn’t rushed to conclude — I wanted to hear more! Maybe next year (and they absolutely should do it next year) there will be fewer storytellers with a longer time for each.

Some of the stories were funny, like Evilyn Sin Claire’s recounting of a very special audience member who was extremely into their show. Some were intensely personal, like Jo Weldon’s reminisces about Sherry Britton.

Scratch told a story about Joan Arline at The Expo. Normally, he works extempore, embellishing as he goes. In this case, he wrote the story down and read it. He wanted to make sure the language was exactly right, as befitted the perfectionist Sexquire Girl. It was a lovely story and several people were in tears at the conclusion. Mandy Flame, who was responsible for the event, was also recording everything, so you might even get to hear it.

Pleading fatigue, I decided to skip the movie, Us, Naked: Trixie & Monkey, despite Scratch being one of the backers. We’ll just have to wait for his copy. Although my plan was to go right to bed, we ended up talking to Nez outside the BurlyBar for a very long time about burlesque history.

And tomorrow is the last day.

Dear Constant Reader,

My plan for my second day at BurlyCon was to begin with a Pilates class. When I woke 10 minutes before the class was to begin, I took it was a sign. Instead I had a leisurely breakfast in the hospitality room (Top Pot donuts!) with Scratch before starting my day full of classes.

FAN-tastic Feathers! (Beau Bordello): Obviously I love fans and feathers, so this was a must take. A couple of years ago I bought some fan staves from the instructor and eventually made my own fans (at right). I was hoping for some pointers, especially with stringing the fan. There was a lot of information about feathers and some kits for practicing attaching feathers to fan staves. Unfortunately for me, she doesn’t actually string her fans, so I’m still thirsting for an easier way. The booklet in each kit, also available as a PDF, was very informative on all aspects of feathers.

Take a Seat (Ophelia Flame): As you might imagine, this was a chair dance class. Although we did cover some chair moves, I found the most valuable part of the class was following along while Ophelia “made shit up” to differing types of music. Best was the Sharks/Jets dance off with half the class watching the other half perform.

Teasing Theories (panel): I was delighted when Sailor St. Claire invited me on this panel with Waxie Moon, Kristina Nekyia, and Tootsie Spangles to talk about “Aaaht”. All the panelists are educators with diverse backgrounds in other artistic disciplines and we had some interesting discussions. I have to admit feeling a bit of impostor syndrome in such company!

#pussymagic (Bella Blue): I loved the classes I took with Bella at The Expo and I was intrigued to explore her philosophy of pussymagic. We learned a short choreography and then after a pussy meditation, we performed it again, for a partner, keeping the principles from the meditation in mind. It was an intense experience and I want to thank Sapphire for being my pussymagic partner. I’m still thinking about my take-away from this class.

After classes ended Scratch & I trekked to a nearby Denny’s for an elegant dinner. There we saw the lovely Strawberry Stems from Anchorage having a solitary meal and asked to join her. Pleasant company indeed. I do hope my travels take me to Alaska some day.

That night was the Mystical Menagerie Dance. I was looking forward to it. My first thought had been to wear my satyr costume, which is very impressive, especially the hooves, but it takes up a lot of room in my suitcase and I can neither sit down nor dance. Pass.

Instead I went as…

 The Faerie Queene.

It took longer than I expected to get ready — getting eye makeup just right for wearing with a mask is challenging, despite previous practice — so I missed the class photo. Oh well. Scratch had fallen soundly asleep, so I went to the dance without him.

There were some charming vignettes in the ballroom, particularly the mermaid grotto and the Narnia setting, and a ton of fabulous costumes. Unicorns predominated, matched only by mermaids. I was so glad to see Whisper de Corvo and give her the big hug I’d been holding onto for months. She made my headdress above, by the way.

After a while I was too tired to dance and headed back to the room. On an impulse I stopped in at First Light Photography and took advantage of their Friday the 13th special. I need a good photo of this costume!

I opened the door to our room and caught Scratch putting his pants on to come join me. Instead, we called it a night. Tomorrow is going to be another very full day!

Dear Constant Reader,

My annual pilgrimage to BurlyCon began as usual, getting up way too early to head to the airport, an uneventful and dull flight to Seattle, and arrival around lunchtime. We had hoped against hope that the room would be ready, so there could be a nap, a shower, and clothes changing before classes, but alas, it was not to be.

I’m not crazy about the new hotel. It’s closer to the airport than the previous one, but further from anything else. Admittedly, there were some restaurants within a 10-minute or so walk, but it was cold and raining (more than the usual Seattle drizzle) most of the weekend. Also, the conference center was in a separate building from the rooms, which required a short (although covered) jaunt outside. I think it’s possible that the room block could have been further from the conference center, but it would have been challenging. But that’s enough with the bitching.

Although we got there in time for the first rank of classes, we opted for lunch instead. There was a restaurant a short walk from the hotel. I was hoping the fact that it was open 24 hours meant it was a diner, but alas.

Then one class I attended was Risque Rhythms with Ronnie Magri: There was a bit less about music than I’d hoped and a bit more about generic burlesque history and how to produce a burlesque show than I needed. However, there were some great stories about burlesque back in the day in New Orleans. I appreciated the information on how to work with a live band, something we do from time to time. The best part was a break-down of a typical headliner’s fifteen-minute set.

I had to leave the class early because the front desk called. Our room was finally ready! I was going to go to another class, but punted in favor of a nap, unpacking, and a little shopping.

That was night was the Vintage Meet & Greet. Although I contemplated wearing an actual vintage dress (a Halston one-shouldered gown from the mid-eighties), I decided on my Stephanie Buscema mermaid dress and its voluminous crinoline. Not truly vintage, but it has that look. Scratch had to take his weekly Expo tech team call, so I went down solo and amused myself helping with the icebreaker game — I was able to be someone wearing seamed stockings, who had performed aerial burlesque, and something else that escapes me now. Sadly, I wasn’t one of ones who visited the Goat Farm and oddly for me I wasn’t carrying a fan. I also bumped into Vivacious Miss Audacious, whose signature I wanted for my copy of It’s All the Glitters and of course I’d left my copy upstairs! We had a nice chat nonetheless.

Eventually Scratch joined me. Photographic evidence here:
Photo by Paul O’Connell. Photobombing by Evilyn Sin Claire.

There are some more photos floating around from the fabulous photo booth. It had a camera with a foot trigger, so one could take photos without needing a photographer. And there were silly props too. I’m sure the photos will become available soon. There were a ton of people taking advantage.

After not too long, I was exhausted and ready to skip the peer reviews in favor of bed. And yet somehow we ended up in the Burly Bar… That’s ginger beer from one of the sponsors. An actual cocktail and I wouldn’t have made it back to my room!