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| aboard The High Roller |
Last year
I had passed up the invited to go to BHoF because I had already committed to
A-kon.
Before the anime convention was
even over, I had made up my mind to go to Vegas the next year.
Despite my determination, I was
apprehensive.
I knew BHoF had the
potential to make my social anxiety skyrocket the same way A-kon had.
I arrived at the airport wondering what I had
gotten myself into, but then Carmen St. Cloud, my BHoF roommate, showed up and
I saw the sun.
We were going to have a
lot of fun that weekend.
Since we
arrived a day earlier, we explored the Strip and saw Criss Angel's Believe.
The show was entertaining but not the best I've seen in Las Vegas. Afterward, we rode The High Roller, a new
attraction that took us over the entire city.
The view was gorgeous and a good way to cap off a night of doing
non-burlesque things.
The
official first day of BHoF began early due to the time difference and us being early
risers (for burlesquers).
I had bought an
afternoon ticket for the Shimmy Shuttle to the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum so
Carmen and I staked out a spot by the pool.
The Shimmy Shuttle was fun although I wish I had a travel buddy since
everyone else seemed to have one.
Tiny
as it was, the museum was wonderful.
The
featured exhibit outlined the history of burlesque, beginning with
The Black Crook and Lydia Thompson's
British Blondes.
Having researched the
history for my All-con panel, there wasn't much I hadn't all ready known, but
it was cool seeing those flyers and photos in real life.
Plus we got to admire the
exquisite details of the costumes up
close.
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I don't think I've been as excited
to see a G-string. |
By the
time I returned to The Orleans, the pool had been taken over by
burlesquers.
Again I couldn't stay for
every long because Carmen and I had to change, get dinner, meet up for the
Texas photo op, and find our seats.
Sadly
we couldn't really enjoy the buffet due to the time crunch.
At least we had a decent sized group for the
photo op.
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| Photo by Ed Barnas |
Day 1's
show was Movers, Shakers, and Innovators which highlighted dancers at their
most creative.
My three favorite acts
were: Sizzle Dizzle whose tribute to her friend with cancer brought tears to
all our eyes (never thought that would happen at a burlesque show), Rubensque
Burlesque who fiercely embraced their curves and gave a big F-U to modern day
beauty standards, and Ray Gunn's Jabberwocky which made the English major in me
squee with delight.
His attention to all
the aspects of staging is really admirable.
I was super inspired by everyone that night.
The
highlight of Day 2 was taking "Latin Moves with Tai Ping". I was nervous about not being skilled enough
of a dancer, but the class turned out to be easy-going and fun. Tai Ping and Kristina Nekyia made a great
team, and I came away with more knowledge of Latin dance and how to create drama. A bonus was our mini Q&A session with Tai
Ping and learning how she got started in burlesque.
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| Photo by James Lester |
After
browsing the Burlesque Bazaar, Carmen and I wound up checking out the Barecats
Bowling Invitational because we knew it would be wild.
Some of the Ruby Revue ladies were
participating so we got to cheer them on.
There were a lot of fun costumes and wild moments.
It made me want to participate even though
the game ended so close to when the doors for the Titans of Tease Reunion
Showcase would open.
Maybe one year…
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| Blaze, me, and Carmen |
Being a
newcomer, I know my opinions don't carry much weight.
However, I shared World Famous *BOB*.'s
disappointment at the number of empty seats.
This was the legends' night!
I
thought that was what BHoF was about, and the competition was just a bonus.
I felt terrible that my exhaustion and an increasingly upset stomach (most likely from dinner) prevented me from being less attentive than I could have been because the
legends deserve all the props.
It was
hard to pick a top three, but mine were: Lovey Goldmine who made us green like
our outfits with her rockin' body and then shocked us by going down in her
splits (and this was her return to the stage!), Holiday O'Hara whose commanding
seated performance culminated with her standing (and the rest of us followed
suit), and Gabriella Maze who impressed the belly dancer in me by fiercely
moving to Beats Antique.
Toni Elling
received Legend of the Year, and she was the embody of grace both on- and
off-stage.
World
Famous *BOB* told us to "become what you see tonight".
Seeing all the legends on-stage really
hammered that message home.
Regardless
of the fact that this is really a hobby for me, I wanted to work harder and be
someone worthy of carrying on the legacy of burlesque.
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Carmen, the legendary Dee Milo, me, and Lily LeCroix
Photo from Lily LeCroix |
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