Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! On this last day of July, what are you looking forward to in August? Here’s you tip!

When practicing traveling turns, follow a line on the floor.

To move in a nice straight line across stage, give yourself a guide when practicing. If your floor doesn’t have convenient lines, lay out a piece of tape. If you start standing on the line and end on it, you’ve done it! If not, where you end up will let you know how you need to correct your course.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. I appreciate you all so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday!

Before we get to your tip, I want to remind you about my on-line classes. The third Tuesday of every month at 7pm Eastern I’m offering a talk on history or costuming or whatever strikes my fancy. I’m having a great time nerding out, researching, and creating theses classes and presentations for you. If you can’t make the class, you’ll still get the recording and resources.

Upcoming workshops are:

• July 21, Achieving Closure: how to choose and use the best fastener to keep you costume on until the moment it comes off


• August 18, Fan Dance Uncovered, the history of fan dance and some of its foremost practitioners, plus how it influenced everything from fine art to ashtrays.


• September 15, Stalking the Stocking, part lecture, part practicum. You’ll learn hosiery history and then learn stocking peels and how to strip out of a garter belt.

And now, here’s your tip!

If you’re bringing in any kind of tech for your act, test it at home and then test it again at the venue.

You want to make sure whatever you’re using (a black light, a fan, a projector, &c.) works before you use it in your performance. You should be confident that it works before you leave for the show, so that if it doesn’t when you try it out at the venue, you know the problem is not with the equipment and it’s a little easier to troubleshoot.

Hint: sometimes the issue is a dead outlet. This is where last week’s tip about the extension cord comes in handy.

If, for whatever reason, it really won’t work, you’ll know before you hit the stage and can make any changes to your act that are needed. It may be frustrating, but at least the audience won’t know that something went wrong.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

I hope those of you who had a holiday weekend last week enjoyed it!

If you are using any kind of electronics, bring all the cords.

Whether it’s a projector for your class, a black light for your act, a video camera to record the show, or anything else that needs power, make sure you have the power cable or charging cord, any connecting cables (like HDMI), and an extension cord. Even if you have prearranged (of course you prearranged this) with the venue and they’ve sworn they have everything you need, you never know. Similarly, if you’re sure the battery will last the whole time you’re using the device, better to be safe and have a way to charge it.

Personally, I’ve found the extension cord to be incredibly useful. Sometimes outlets are just not in a useful location and a little extra reach makes all the difference.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday everyone! It’s been hot and humid these days, which inspired this tip.

You know to stay hydrated, but also keep your electrolytes in mind.

When you’re sweating, you’re losing minerals, like sodium, even if you’re drinking enough water. If you lose enough of them, you can feel pretty terrible (ask me how I know!). You’ll be in no shape to perform if that happens.

The easy solution is to keep some appropriate snacks on hand during hot weather. Nuts, potato chips, pickles and pickle juice (two for one!) are all pretty good for replacing sodium. Coconut water and bananas have potassium.

I used go camping for two weeks in August every year, which could be very brutal. I’d bring a tube of Pringles, which I don’t normally like. If I found myself craving Pringles, I knew I was in need of electrolytes and I’d have a few chips until they stopped tasting good.

And don’t forget the water!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I hope you’re enjoying Juneteenth and reflecting on the day. This week’s tip is a thoughtful one:

There is always more to learn.

Even if you are an expert (or think you are an expert) in a subject, it’s worth learning from someone else. You’ll see new perspectives and perhaps information you hadn’t seen before. A class, a book or article, a documentary, a museum exhibit — it doesn’t matter. Expand your horizons and get out of your comfort zone.

Just this week I took one of Bebe Bardeaux‘s Burlesque History Institute classes at The Chocolate City Burlesque Academy. It was on burlesque costumes, a subject you might think I know a lot about. And yet, I discovered costumes and costumers, both historic and current, and performers with whom I was I not familiar. There was even something I want to add into a class of mine, which isn’t about costumes. When the autumn session comes around, I highly recommend checking out Bebe’s classes.

Thus, I want to encourage you to come to my burlesque history class, A Who’s Who of Classic Burlesque, this Tuesday at 7pm. I’ve got stories of successes and scandals, video clips, and some museum artifacts to share. You might just learn something new!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. All Patrons get free access to my on-line workshops!

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday and I don’t know about where you are, but it is unpleasantly hot & humid here, which inspired today’s tip.

Air conditioning can be very dehydrating. Prepare for it.

It’s great that AC helps when it’s humid out, but it can have a negative effect on you. Perhaps you wake up with a headache or a sore throat. Your skin feels dry. It can happen especially badly in hotels where you have little control over the climate control.

As you might expect, drinking plenty of water will help, as will cutting back on caffeine. Using saline mist can help with the symptoms. A light moisturizer before bed will keep your skin looking good (and it’s just a good idea after being in the sun — you are wearing sunblock, right?)

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Here ’tis Friday again. Here’s your tip!

When gluing rhinestones, put your fabric on a silicone mat or piece of parchment paper.

Gluing rhinestones is a bit like baking. You don’t them to stick. I mean, you do, but you only want them to stick to the surface you’re decorating. Not to your work surface. Not to the layer of fabric underneath. Putting either parchment paper or a silicone mat under the piece you are decorating will prevent glue soaking through and sticking to something else. By their very nature, they’re easy to peel off when the glue is dry.

Silicone is pricier, but reusable. Parchment can be cut into precise shapes, like say, the inside of a glove. I use both, but I also bake a lot.😁

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday again! Here’s your tip!

Naps are nice.

I don’t know about you, but at heart I am an old lady who would like nothing better than a good book, a cup of tea, some cats, and an early bedtime. However, I have chosen to be a showgirl and some of those shows start pretty dang late.

To stay perky and focused, the answer might not be more coffee, but, if you can swing it, a nap. The key is to get enough sleep that you are feeling refreshed, but not so much that you’re groggy. Everyone is different and you’ll need to figure it out. For me, about half an hour is right. Don’t forget to set an alarm and then actually get up as soon as it goes off. A little light stretching and maybe a quick shower or sponge bath and you should be ready to go.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.