Lab teching my way through striptease school: My First BHoF Weekender - Day 3

The one must-have item from Burlesque Hall of Fame wasn't even official merchandise; it was a rhinestone necklace spelling out one's stage name from DuBerry's.  There was a practical function: it made the perfect burly name tag.   Lily LeCroix and I didn't have one so we, along with Black Mariah and Carmen St. Cloud, made it our mission to hit up with the indoor swap meet.  I kept an eye out for potential costume pieces or a nicer dress to wear to one of the shows, but I kept a tight fist around my wallet.  I did, however, get my "name tag", an eyebrow pencil, some hair clips, and a belt—for a total of less than $15.  After a sketchy ride back, we hit up the Burlesque Bazaar again, where I did find a costume piece from Booty and the Geek.

Our pre-show dinner became a battle
between the blues and the reds.

People were not kidding when they said I would overdose on burlesque by the end of the Tournament of Tease.  Two performances in and I already had two of my favorites for Best Debut.  Lisa Fa'alafi gave a huge middle finger to Polynesian stereotypes and managed to make leaves look chic.  Then Jeez Loueez brought so much attitude to the stage as Rufio, dancing to Michael Jackson.  Rounding out my top three was Bonnie Fox who Charleston-ed faster than anybody I'd ever seen and into the Best Debut and Most Dazzling Dancer titles.  I was also rooting for Dallas' own Missy Lisa who was the obvious pick for Most Classical.

The next three categories sped by due to fewer competitors and a lot of high energy performances.  Since I considered Japan my second home (I lived there for a year), I was eager to see Circus de Moccos in Best Group.  They did not disappoint, and I truly appreciated their whimsical and silly take on sexuality.  The Land of Sweets won the category, and while they stuck to more traditional dance, I had to give them props for their technical skills and the homage to my favorite ballet, The Nutcracker.  Although Best Troupe had me biased with the Ruby Revue competing, the ladies really were on point in every little aspect.  Even looking back at the photos now, I'm impressed with how everybody's legs were extended to the same height.  I was super stoked for them.

Ruby Revue also gets my pick for cutest dress theme,
as they matched their gowns to their costumes.

King of Boylesque was my favorite to watch because all four contenders had such a different aesthetic.  They represented all forms of masculinity—from graceful and androgynous beauty to "Macho Man".  I couldn't pick a favorite…except that Mr. Gorgeous did win my heart by building his act around one of my favorite things in the world, ice cream.  He won the judges' hearts too, as he got the crown at the end of the night.

Finally the Miss Exotic World/Queen of Burlesque competition came.  It wasn't as diverse as some of the other categories, which was a little disappointing, but everybody was dancing at such a top level that I was still in awe.  The ones who did stand out to me were the ones who took a different approach.  Iva Handfull rocked her suit and giant mohawk; she brought the fierceness that I've admired since I knew who she was.  Melody Mangler's transformation from a devout Puritan to a fiery enchantress was unique and well thought-out— I always love a good narrative.  The two I was cheering loudest for were Midnite Martini and Ginger Valentine for obvious reasons.  The former epitomized grace, innovation, and boldness with her mix of aerials and classic burlesque while the latter displayed the perfect balance of elegance and raw sexuality.  I was super stoked when Ginger got second runner-up with the gorgeous Medianoche getting first runner-up.  Then I became even more elated as Midnite Martini took the title.  Very rarely do we have a woman of color as Queen of Burlesque (especially an Asian), and Midnite Martini's ability to take the most classic moves to a new level is inspiring.

I helped Carmen her mission
too: getting a pic with the
handsome Trojan Original.

After that marathon, I didn't have that much energy to party.  However, I did want to congratulate the winners, particularly my classmates and teachers.  I also made it my mission to tell Circus de Moccos "Otsukaresama deshita", which translates as "Thank you for your hard work" and is something you say to performers afterward in Japan.  Sometimes I wish we had a standardized phrase like that in English because "I loved your performance" feels repetitive after a while and "You were awesome" sounds corny.  I don't know where to find the middle ground between expressing appreciation and coming off as a super fangirl.  Being overly self-conscious of being the latter kept me from talking to more people.  There was one more night left so I didn't stress about it too much, especially since I had a lovely day and evening with friends and great performances.