Lab teching my way through striptease school: Moonlight and Fire, the Debut of Mamo-chan

What happens when you attain one of your dream cosplays?  You come up with a new costume to fill that spot, of course!  Thanks to Black Mariah, I had done Sailor Mars, the first cosplay I ever wanted to do.  I was perfectly satisfied with portraying the character until I saw the 2013 live-action musical Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon - La Reconquista.  It differed from previous productions in having a woman play Tuxedo Mask, a.k.a. Mamoru Chiba or "Mamo-chan".  Yuuga Yamato came from the all-female Takarazuka Revue so she had lots of experience playing the dashing male lead.  I was smitten.  I wanted to have a fraction of her coolness, and by extension, I found myself wanting to be Tuxedo Mask.  The idea was further encouraged by discussions of a Sailor Moon cosplay group, which already had a Mars.

Yuuga Yamato in La Reconquista
www.theaterguide.co.jp

Around the same time, I discovered a cover of the anime's theme by Platina Jazz featuring Douglas Unger, "Moonlight Serenade".  They added a tango touch while adapting the translated lyrics to Tuxedo Mask's point of view.  The song just asked to be part of a burlesque number.  Since I was working on my solo debut at the time, I filed that away in my brain.

By Mr. Photopix
www.mrphotopix.com

I started to put a routine together at the end of last year with hopes of reaching out to shows with more classical themes.  Although I initially included the character's signature mask, I realized that I could make the outfit more generalized to appeal to a wider audience.  Yamato's Tuxedo Mask didn't really wear a mask either.  I could just save that for cosplay, which I did for All-con out of eagerness to be the character (sadly I was never at a con where the Sailor Moon group was happening).

No Mija Productions presents: Fuego Noche Tropicana might have been an unexpected show for the act, but I learned that you should always submit if you have an inkling of being a good fit.  This being a Latin-themed production meant that I did have to properly incorporate tango into the choreography.  Thankfully Youtube had a lot of helpful tutorials, and I mastered the basic 8-step for both the leader and follower, along with embellishments that could work in a solo routine.

By Mr. Photopix
www.mrphotopix.com

Although the audience was not expecting the Sailor Moon theme, they seemed to love the act.  It's tricky business combining cultures but also a lot of fun when it comes together.  I definitely had a blast because everything had finally come together and I was living out another dream.  Since I was also in the closing group number by Fuego Danza Company, I couldn't hang into my tuxedo.  That was probably the evening's biggest challenge: going from anime bishounen (pretty boy) to a sparkly, feathery samba dancer.  Even with the feminine elements of my routine, I still aimed for a more androgynous look.

The group number was a fun way to close a great first show for No Mija Productions, and while I wound up having a very tired Friday morning in lab, it was worth every bit of my energy.  I came away ready to both do more with Fuego Danza Company (catch us at the San Antonio BurlesqueFestival) and with "Moonlight Serenade".

Lab teching my way through striptease school: Body Acceptance - Eyes

"Men seldom make passes
At girls who wear glasses." - "News Item" by Dorothy Parker

Recently I did a photoshoot with Musico Roots for her Esteemed project.  It made me confront my struggles with body positivity and gave me motivation to finally get around this series—called "Body Acceptance" because I believe we don't have to be positive about every part of our body, but we need to find some level of acceptance (modification included).  I've been wanting to write a post about being a severely myopic performer as well so I decided to start with my eyes and talk about both their appearance and their function.

Like many Asian-Americans, I grew up with kids making fun of me for my eyes.  If that wasn't enough of a blow to my self-esteem, my own family often commented on how I "would be so beautiful if it weren't for [my] small eyes" or how I should get double eyelid surgery when I got older.  Even now people think I’m sad, tired, or angry when my face is at neutral.

From Buzzfeed's

"25 Beauty Struggles Asian Girls Go Through"

Ami-rian / Getty Images / Cathy Ngo / BuzzFeed

I've never desired double eyelid surgery, but sometimes I wonder if it would make life easier.  On top of having small eyes and monolids, my eyes are droopy and my eyelashes slant downward.  This makes wearing contacts, mascara, and false eyelashes a perpetual struggle.  I've tried every trick in the book with falsies and curlers, but gravity wins in the end.  Buzzfeed hit the nail on the head with all my eye make-up struggles.  If surgery could get rid of some of these and spare me the agony of having an eyelash or three frequently in my eye, I would be thrilled.  At the same time, I doubt it would actually get rid of my insecurities.  I'd be better off going under the knife for vision problems.

That brings me to the source of my biggest performance nightmare: my rigid gas permeable contact lenses.  Before every show, I freak out about the possibility of getting glitter, an eyelash, or a speck of dust into my eye and causing excruciating pain and lots of tears.  RGP lenses are an updated form of hard contacts, which means I can constantly feel their presence (one can get acclimated to them, but my eyes don't like wearing them every day).  A tiny thread on them feels like being poked in the eyeball.  I've had a couple of close calls and one incident while kittening.  It makes me feel bad that I end up being this liability to producers and stage managers.

So why do I bother?  Well, I can only see clearly about 4.5 inches from my face.  Everything else is a collection of blurry blobs.  I'd rather not risk taking a tumble off the stage; plus, unfocused eyes make me look high.  My small eyes and monolids keep me from being able to insert soft contacts, and my vision is still changing so LASIK will have to wait. 

I laugh at irony of contacts being preferred because glasses obscure my face and reflect light, yet having RGP contacts limit my expressiveness due to the fact that the lenses actually shift around my eyeballs.  I make do with what I have by working to be a better actress and sometimes drawing in that double eyelid.  I also get my bit of critique in with my "Black Glasses" act.  The ending is a reminder that glasses in real life are not accessories that enhance or conceal a person's attractiveness.  They're a necessity for near- and far-sighted individuals to live a normal life.

I want to end with a note of acceptance.  Initially I struggled to come up with something positive to say because my eyes have been my least favorite trait since childhood.  A few years ago, however, I discovered the character, Kyoya Hibari from Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Not only is he a badass with a serious demeanor that I identify with, but he also had narrow eyes (that don't look closed like Brock from Pokemon).  Cosplaying him made me appreciate the eyes I have, and I'm excited about another future cosplay for the same reason.  This is partly why my aesthetic has shifted toward the masculine since big eyes and long lashes are often associated with femininity.

My droopy eyes have also forced me to master the cat eye.  It's the one aspect of make-up that I can do well, and obviously it has been very useful in burlesque.

On a final note, you can come see my cat eye (and my "Black Glasses" act) tonight in Denton for Glitterbomb:

Lab teching my way through striptease school: Don't Quit Your Day Job, But Plan to Lose Some Sleep

"No man can taste the fruits of autumn while he is delighting his scent with the flowers of spring: no man can, at the same time, fill his cup from the source and from the mouth of the Nile." - Nekayah, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia by Samuel Johnson

I recently found my quote binder, and I've decided that I could put it to more use by having a quote here so that's going to be a new thing.  I've also decided that rather than update you on random happenings in the past month or two, I would tackle another subject: juggling burlesque with a full-time day job and a second hobby-job (more on what that is later).  Although it is completely possible to do burlesque full-time (i.e. perform, teach, costume, and all things related), that is not an easy path and not one of my choosing.  Even if sometimes I do want to drop everything else for burlesque.

Somehow I manage to throw cosplay and cons in mix too.
I'm a little beat here because this was panel #5
Sunday morning at All-con.

As the title of this blog indicates, I work in a research lab.  Part of why I elected to not get a Ph.D. is because I want to have the time to have my two hobby-jobs: burlesque and blogging for a couple of sites.  Not saying that you can't do burlesque and grad school, but that's beyond my personal capabilities.  Due to professional concerns, I don't want to reveal too much about the blogging.  Let's just say get to write about things I like and cover fun events.  I call blogging and burlesque "hobby-jobs" because while I am doing them for fun and not income, I still have responsibilities that I can't ignore (see Dangrrr Doll's latest Burlesque Beat article, "8 Tips for Fostering Professionalism in Our Scene").

I don't mind being busy.  When experiments stressing me out, I can go home and work on a blog post or go to dance class and let the endorphins take over.  Recently I experienced a lot of frustrations with an event I had to cover.  There was a burlesque show after it, and I decided to go and be Hana Li for an hour.  I needed that break and seeing inspiring performances re-energized me.

I also got to meet Dangrrr Doll and Stella Chuu
at the aforementioned event and see Tifa Tittlywinks again.

On the flipside, trying to coordinate different deadlines is tough, and when something goes awry, everything can come crashing down.  Sometimes I'm not as focused during rehearsals because I have lab meeting or I have 100 photos to edit.  Other times, I'm rushing to get a costume finished that I end up late for work.  An extreme example would be my finger injury from two months back.  While carrying boxes in lab, I shut the door all the way on my hand.  No fingers were broken, but there was a lot of internal bleeding.  As a result I had trouble typing out a post and almost couldn't stage kitten for the Rocky show.  It's actually caused me to change a glove peel in a routine I've been working on because even now, my middle finger is still bruised and a little swollen.

Further complicating time management is the troupe factor.  I wasn't sure about being two troupes because of my schedule and dependence on public transport (which is yet another factor).  However, I'm trying my best and am grateful for understanding instructors and helpful troupemates. 

Life would be so much easier if I had a Time Turner, but I imagine that wouldn't get rid of the physical toll.  I have had to say "no" a lot during the past couple of months for both troupe and solo gigs.  It always pains me to do so because I never want to let people down.  However, as annoying as it is, the day job takes precedent, and before that comes my physical and mental health.  That's why I have to constantly remind myself to slow down and enjoy something completely unrelated like watching action sports or reading.  I should probably add "sleep" to the list of break activities, but hey, I'm still figuring this time management thing out.

Lab teching my way through striptease school: Making a Man Out of Myself

I have a lot of catching up to do.  Since the beginning of March, I've been preoccupied with shows, conventions, lab teching, and a nasty injury.   I'm mostly healed, but I still can't type with two fingers so blogging has been very low on my list priorities.  However, now that I have some down time, I decided that it was time to start catching up here.

By Robert Hold
www.roberthold.com

Remember when I said that I was going to focus on refining old routines rather than work on new ones?  Well, that plan went out the door pretty quickly.  Sometimes inspiration and opportunity come together in a perfect storm that you can't escape.  It's what ­­­happened with my "I'll Make a Man Out of You" act for Panty Raid's Bare Necessities show.

I had gotten the idea­ a few months ago for another show.  Although I'd never really wanted to do Disney burlesque, the song was too catchy to resist.  However, the popularity meant that I really had to think this routine out.  It sat in the back of my mind until I saw that Panty Raid was looking for Disney acts.  I'd been wanting to return to Sue Ellen's so the timing was perfect.

Sort of.  Because I wanted to pay tribute to the training scene, I needed to brush up on both my drag and martial arts skills.  Although I had done drag only once, I wasn't too unfamiliar with adopting a masculine persona due to my crossplay background.  However, this time I wasn't portraying a youthful pretty boy—I needed to be a man.  Thank goodness for on-line tutorials. 

By Robert Hold
www.roberthold.com

As for the martial arts, my younger brother was a black belt in taekwondo so I used to watch and mimic his practicing.  I joined him for camp one summer and took a semester of it in college.  Once you learn those moves, they don't go away.  Unfortunately, taekwondo didn't meld with dance so I studied kung-fu and tai chi videos.  Now I wouldn't recommend doing this to seriously learn martial arts, but it worked well for creating the illusion of a martial artist.  While I was practicing, I couldn't help but feel a desire to take classes.  It was interesting to see how my attitudes has changed since as a kid, I was "too busy" to join my brother in classes and thought my grandpa's tai chi was weird and boring.  I definitely have a new-found appreciation. 

The show changed my mind about Disney burlesque.  I'd always had an irrational fear of corrupting childhood memories, but now I know that burlesque just created new ones.  I gained a new fan with my martial skills so I was happy that the training paid off. 

Doing this act gave me insight on who Hana Li was as a performer.  It felt so natural to be in drag at first, and I enjoyed presenting dichotomies of masculine and feminine, serious and silly.  Panty Raid was the perfect place for me to explore this, and I'm thankful for that opportunity.

I also acquired a new sense of creativity from combining the two different forms of movement.  While I might not have been able to do a flying front kick stocking peel (things in your head don't always translate into real life once you consider skill level and physics), I came up with some new tricks that I hope to bring into other acts.  And I did learn a flying front kick, which is a great way to keep the audience members alert.

Check out some highlights by Kevin Huckabee:

Lab teching my way through striptease school: Dallas Burlesque Festival '15

Things have gotten busy again.  Even though I swore off new routines, inspiration and opportunity came together to create a perfect storm.  I couldn't pass off the opportunity to perform in Panty Raid's Disney-themed show this Friday, Bare Necessities.  Please come out if you're in the neighborhood.

Now, let's travel back to a couple weeks ago when I was just coming off a pulled back muscle and eager to help out at the Dallas Burlesque Festival.  Since lab work has gotten hectic as of late, I decided not to take Friday off and instead enjoyed the second show as an audience member.  I was sad to have missed the first one, but the day job comes first.

Even though Dallas Burlesque Alliance Showcase contained a lot of familiar faces, there were several acts I had never seen before.  I felt really lucky to be in a city full of talented performers, and it made me want to work harder so that I could represent Dallas well too.  I was stoked for my fellow Dallas School of Burlesque CATS for not only opening the show, but also going home with the Class Act award.  Unfortunately I couldn't stay long to party since The Companion had come after work to pick me up.

Saturday morning, I got up early to go to the Ruby Room for Ginger Valentine's workshop.  It was fun to learn a new routine for Valentine's Day even if I couldn't show it off until a later date.  I still had some time to chill at home so I watched a film about freeskiiers Sarah Burke and Rory Bush.  As with all things action sports, it inspired me to take on any challenges thrown at me.  It was probably a good thing that I had some adrenaline pumping since we pick-ups artists had some heavy lifting to do. 

The show went really smoothly, much of that thanks to great camaraderie with my fellow kittens and the stage manager Jess for being on top of everything.  She was amazing.  I also have to give a shout-out to May May and Mr. Mariah for providing some extra muscle for Elle Dorado's "ice".  Never did I think I would be putting together a synthetic figure skating rink.  Having been a fan of figure skating since I was a little girl, I was stoked to see her live.

There were so many amazing acts.  I liked seeing the different dance and performance styles, ranging from Shelbelle Shamrock's breakdancing to Grace Gotham's samba to Angi B. Lovely and Stormy Gayle's circus arts.  Kitten N' Lou had me silently cracking up.  I also had the honor of helping escort the legendary Tammi True on-stage for her to wow the crowd. My favorite moment was not a performance, however, was Penny Ruffles' surprise proposal.  Those of us backstage didn't get to see it, but we all got excited when El Vez said, "Little black box".  Backstage was overflowing with happy emotions.  Many congratulations to Penny and her man!

Saturday Showcase Pick-Up Artists:
Helena Isis, me, Classi Chassi, and Penny Ruffles

The after-party featured a lot of cool tunes from Trigger Mortis, and I couldn't help but join in on the dancing for a bit.  I was getting tired though so after chatting for a bit, I headed home.  I was still worn out on Sunday, and due to having lots of errands, I wound up missing the guest workshops.  Hopefully there will be another chance to take them.  Another excellent Dallas Burlesque Festival was in the bag, and I felt reinvigorated by all the inspiring performances.

Lab teching my way through striptease school: Dusting Myself Off

Things that suck: rejection, injury, failed experiments, freezing your butt off, wasting money, personal drama.  I've had to deal with all of these in the past month, and it got me really down.  Now I'm not going into details about every little thing, but I did want to write about the epiphanies that came from this low point.  First, I'm going to recommend Trixie Little's blog post about rejection and the artistic process.  Really you could just read her post, but I want to bring in my newbie perspective.

I was particularly bummed by a recent double whammy of rejection.  The Companion and I had spent our Christmas Eve putting the final touches on the costumes, and I really wanted to perform more.  You see, the anniversary of my solo debut fast approaching.  Its success had one downside: the resulting high expectations.  I developed an anxiety over losing momentum and started to question my ability to put together a successful burlesque routine on my own.

I thought this photo from Dallas Comic Con:
Fan Days with the Mandalorian Mercs
fit the mood of this post pretty well. 

Once I got over my disappointment and fears, I thought about what could be improved.  Just as the time an unpleasant costuming experience made me realize that I should put less emphasis on cosplay, the obstacles would give way to an epiphany.  I knew that both routines needed more work, but more than that, I realized that I needed to slow the heck down.

"Quantity over quality" seems like an easy-to-follow adage for burlesque.  However, when ideas and themed shows pop up all of the place, the temptation to create a new act before finishing the one you're working on can be difficult to resist.  Some performers can churn out routines quickly, but I'm not one.  Moreover, as a mostly nerdlesque dancer, I can easily fall into the trap of creating an act that lacks versatility (and that is unacceptable for my budget).  My epiphany taught me that in order to slow down, I had to stop myself from chasing the new ideas and focus on improving what I have.  The right show will come; I just need to be ready and the best that I can be.

There was one exception I was willing to make.  There was an upcoming audition that I could not resist, and I promised myself that I would keep it light and fun (okay there was some social commentary, but that's my version of fun).  Then I hurt my back.  After further aggravating my injury at work, I decided to halt all dancing, be it class, rehearsal, or choreographing.  Perhaps this was a sign that I shouldn't try to cheat on my new resolution.

Both the rejections and the injury revealed something else: burlesque is not my life.  What helped me get over the sting of rejection and all the other bad things going on was watching the Winter X Games.  I had been focusing a lot on burlesque the past year, and while it's been fun, I realized that I neglected two of my greatest passions—writing and action sports— and friends who are not connected to the scene.  Taking a break meant that I could devote time to other things and not be burned out from burlesque.

Now I'm recharged and ready to work my butt off in improving the acts I started last year.  I've just returned to dancing and will stage kittening at the Dallas Burlesque Festival on Saturday (and showing my support Friday night).

When you go big, you fall hard.  But just like my favorite athletes, I learned to get up, dust myself off, and give it another go.

Lab teching my way through striptease school: Firsts and Last at the Lakewood

Phew, it's been a hectic couple of months.  I spent much of November and December working on improving one routine and creating another for two auditions.  On top of that, I was cast in Viva Dallas Burlesque's DC vs. Marvel show.

It was the last live performance (that we know of) at the Lakewood Theater, which had changed owners.  I had attempted to put together a new routine for that show in the fall, but I didn't have much of a costume at all.  Maybe next time…  The producers, however, loved "Black Glasses", and thus I got the opportunity to step foot on the Lakewood stage.

Allan Hayslip Photography
www.alanhayslipphoto.com

The first time I was in the theater was in February 2012.  Back then, I had not even started burlesque classes and was just nurturing a love for watching it.  I went to that Viva show, Gadgets and Gobstoppers, because my friend's band, Marquis of Vaudeville, was performing.  Despite being a newbie, I was inspired by all the performers I saw, but I never expected to be on the same stage.

A year of doing "Black Glasses" had cemented the routine in my mind so I focused on the auditions until they were filmed.  I am thankful to have opted out of some holiday festivities so that I could improve on the routine (which will always be a work on progress).  However, even if my mind was sharp from repetition, the time gap and holiday stress left me a little out of shape.  Lesson learned: don't let school breaks and costuming projects keep me from working on my strength and flexibility.  I also discovered that I probably shouldn't go to the chiropractor the same day of a performance, particularly when I'm still new to the procedure.

I tried to stretch as much as I could backstage—in between chatting with the dancers.  I enjoyed working with Janie Slash again, meeting Shan de Leers, and having all sorts of great conversations with the entire cast.  It alternated between silly nerding out and discussing serious issues like body positivity and the need for more diversity.  I really admired Shan de Leers for challenging the norm when it comes to body hair.  You know what though?  She was so awesome on-stage that most people probably did not notice.  She made me want to work harder on my dancing and my confidence.

All of my castmates made me want to improve on my fitness and skills.  I enjoyed seeing everyone's unique take on a superhero, and the crowd did too.  I couldn't have asked for more enthusiasm.  

By Ben Britt

Later in the evening, I talked to two ladies from Women Who Write Comics about my inspiration.  I was stoked that they recognized that it was a challenge to the concept of the "fake geek girl" (who can't be both nerdy and sexy), as well as a parody of some sexist tropes.  Yay for all the feminism!

For curtain call, I decided to wear my Death cosplay.  It was my personal compromise with the DC vs. Marvel showdown since I read Amazing Spiderman on-stage.  All the past Viva Dallas Burlesque performers in crowd joined us for a toast.  Even though this was my first time performing, I felt the same pride and joy at them moving on and sadness at the end of an era.  I wish Shoshana the best on working towards a new chapter, and I hope I can be a part of it.

By The Naked Lens
nakedlens.org

Lab teching my way through striptease school: The Politics of My Body and My Art

As I worked on creating new routines and improving old ones, I had planned to write about some things I had learned on this burlesque journey.  They mostly centered on self-esteem and accepting one's body even if one doesn't always like certain aspects.  However, recent events have pushed those posts aside.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to skip dance class to go downtown and join a protest hosted by Mothers Against Police Brutality in response to the Ferguson grand jury's decision.  I've been keeping my burlesque Facebook page free from most political statements.  It's something beginners are advised to do, particularly when opinions are polarizing.  Not that I haven't touched upon politics— just looks at a couple of my posts in the past.

As I had gotten tired of just sitting around when I saw the invite to the protest, I have decided that I cannot stay silent any longer.  After all, a burlesque classmate was the one who invited me to the protests, and dancers like our illustrious Queen has made a post about Ferguson and the bigger problem at hand.  It made me realize that the burlesque dancer known as Hana Li is part of the same identity that includes the social justice warrior (I wear that label proudly although I consider myself more of a rogue).

The fact that I am a woman is political.  The fact that I'm a woman of color makes it more so.  Being a burlesque dancer means that I take my politics to the stage, and it's something that I have tried to include in all my routines.  Even something seemingly innocent "Black Glasses" has hidden messages addressing certain social issues (in that case, the politics of being a female geek).  I am constantly inspired by dancers who do tackle issues head on in their routines or are willing to openly speak about it, like Tangerine Jones, The Shanghai Pearl, and the ladies of Brown Girls Burlesque.  They push me to try harder to start a dialogue, and as happy as I have been with the local community, I think we should continue to keep the conversation going and let our audiences know that they are part of it.

I know that I have a good deal of privileges too.  It's become particularly evident in the past weeks.  Therefore, while many of my politically-inclined statements involve the racism I've faced as an Asian, I cannot let my darker-skinned sisters and brothers be overshadowed.  Their voices should be heard; their lives matter.

I'm linking "Race and Burlesque" again because if you want to know where to begin as a member of community, this is a start.  Learn the history, read the interviews, and know that we still have a lot of work to do.

Lab teching my way through striptease school: The Road to Queen

A little over two years ago, a burlesque fan boarded the light rail in her cosplay, prop meteor hammer and camera in tow.  I was determined to check out the Quentin Tarantino-themed burlesque show in my Gogo Yubari costume.  Little did I know that it would play a huge part in getting me into the Dallas burlesque scene and set me on the road to competing for a crown.

Villains and Villainesses
By Mr. Photopix
(www.mrphotopix.com)

When Appaloosa Red announced that there would be a sequel to the Tarantino tribute, Pulp Friction, I knew I had to submit an act.  I chose O-Ren Ishii instead of Gogo because I'm not a fan of the Asian school girl stereotype (even if Gogo is a subversion) and I wanted a challenge.  I decided to play upon her mixed heritage since I could relate.  As an American-born Taiwanese with Chinese ancestry and a love of Japanese culture that people mistake for being my ethnicity, I wanted explore the layers of identity and show that there's more than what meets the eye.  To make the concept more O-Ren, I decided to represent the cultural identities as personas she adopted for assassinations.  It helped tie all the looks together because regardless of what she's wearing, she's still a badass.

Of course, this complex idea meant another complicated costume—or rather, three costumes.  To my great fortune, Black Mariah had an old kimono and I was able to use the ties from my yukata.  I decided to get a real obi, which led to me having to learn how to tie it and figure out of it without being a tangled mess.  Equally questionable was my choice to use a G-string that I happened to have (yay lingerie sets).  It saved me from buying another costume piece, but I had my apprehensions about baring that much.  I reminded myself of the insecurities I had already overcome and went into Pulp Friction with the "Go big or go home" mindset that had gotten me this far.

Pulp Friction
By DV8Photo
(dv8photo.com)

I really have to thank Appaloosa Red for having this high maintenance routine in her show and the stage kittens for lending a hand.  Despite a little mishap, I had a successful performance and probably the best obi removal I could ever wish for.  I was happy to have been able to show a different side to Hana Li, and I was inspired by all these different interpretations of Tarantino films and characters.

The PistolettesA Go-Go were in Pulp Fiction as the Crazy 88s, and they wound up talking me into auditioning for the Texas Burlesque Peepshow's Villains and Villainesses show, which was also a competition for Evil Queen of Burlesque.  They had the idea of having me enter with them like in the movie and then do my solo after their routine.  I hadn't planned to audition due to a friend's wedding being the same day.  It was an afternoon wedding so with some help, I worked out a schedule that allowed me to do both if I was cast.  It sounded good in theory and The Pistolettes and I were selected.  Then I had a week of the worst luck ever— which included my bus to the Texas Theatre not showing up.

Villains and Villainesses,
with the Pistolettes A Go-Go
By Samuel Hsu

The Companion, who already skipped some of the reception by waiting out in the cold with me, came to the rescue.  The Pistolettes were also extremely helpful in getting me ready to go, especially Coco Dependent who worked magic on my wig.  Things seemed to be looking up, but the bad luck reared its ugly head again.  There was a technical error (it's theatre; it happens), but we made it work.  And I really do mean we since the stage kittens and The Pistolettes played big roles.  This was a test of my capabilities as a dancer, which could use some improvement yet I should not doubt.

Villains and Villainesses
By Mr. Photopix
www.mrphotopix.com

I hadn't really thought much about the competition aspect until I saw photos of the crown.  Then the reality of being a contender for Queen sunk in.  In a way, all the unrelated stresses I had to deal with kept me from becoming too competitive.  Being among such talented dancers was enough of an honor for me—a big congratulations to Blaze for becoming our first-ever Evil Queen of Burlesque.  I did my best with what is only my second solo act, and even if I'm not Evil Queen, I still got to be the Queen of the Crime Council.

More photos can be found in my "Performances" album.

Lab teching my way through striptease school: Finding My Fire at the Latin Burlesque Festival

Joining Fuego de Samba was a happy accident.  One day I decided to try samba class at the Dallas School of Burlesque.  It was fun, but due to scheduling conflicts, I couldn't return for a while.  A month later I found myself with some free time and dropped in again, right in the middle of rehearsals for the Latin Burlesque Festival.  Suddenly I was a part of the troupe.  I felt like an interloper at first.  There was a lot of catching up to do, and I wasn't sure I could embody the fiery spirit of the dance.  However, Lily LeCroix put her faith in me and I pushed myself to master the fast footwork and convey more confidence.

After weeks of rehearsal and hours of costuming, we made our unofficial debut in the 2014 Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade.  I say unofficial because not all of the troupe was present and we didn't perform.  We were in full costume though.  It was good practice for getting used to the headdress and the feathery bustle.  I had a lot of fun in the parade, but I still had apprehensions about doing the troupe justice.  And the Latin Burlesque Festival was only five days away…

Fuego de Samba
By Samuel Hsu

To make things worse, a sore throat threatened to take hold of me that week.  I couldn't figure out if it was allergies, an on-coming cold, or too much exposure to E6000 (it's not fun being a perfectionist sometimes).  Thus performance day got off to a rough start, and work kept me later than intended.  As if that wasn't enough stress, I had a freak-out moment with my contacts that wound up being a lens needing more rinsing and my eyes more moisture.  On the plus side, I got some last minute make-up inspiration from a Sephora e-mail.

Thankfully everything came together for the performance.  Fuego de Samba was the surprise opener for the Latin Burlesque Festival, and everybody loved it!  The routine never felt exhausting until we were finished, and with adrenaline rushing, I was a bit winded.  Ali and I didn't have much time to chill or celebrate since we were the stage kittens for the night.

By Mr. Photopix
(https://www.facebook.com/mrphotopix)

Unfortunately, that was when my bad luck caught up to me again.  I got a bit of glitter in one eye just as we were going to pick up for the following act.  As much as I tried to ignore the pain, it was too intense (any discomfort you get from having something in your eye is magnified 100-fold with rigid gas permeable lenses).  I rushed to the dressing rooms while Black Mariah stepped in.  The timing could have been worse, and I'm thankful I was able to fix everything without missing too much.  The rest of the night went smoothly, and it was such a pleasure to help out all these amazing dancers, including the legendary Kitten Natividad.  She was so sweet and humble. 

By Musico Roots
(https://www.facebook.com/MusicoRoots)

After the show, several of my troupemates were hungry for pizza so The Companion and I drove MayMay and Jay Scarlet to meet with everyone.  This little pizza join wound up getting a late night invasion of burlesquers.  Even though most of us changed into casual clothes, we still had our stage make-up so it must have looked odd.  After lots of laughter and nerdy discussions, we called in a night and prepared for Night Two.

I had wanted to take a couple of the workshops on Saturday, but that specter of a sore throat reared its head again and I opted to stay in.  Since The Companion had gone to a video game tournament, Jay was my seat buddy for the show.  It was competition night, and the judges had their work cut out.  I predicted that Eva Strangelove and Justin Credible's bullwhip paso doble and Fat Bottom Cabaret's energetic group number would get recognized because they're impressive no matter how many times you've seen them.  Then there was our dear MayMay who took drag to another level in an Addams Family duet with Buck Wylde (I look forward to more duets from them) and her Pan's Labyrinth solo routine.  That Faun costume blew everybody's minds.  I had no idea who was going to be Queen because everybody was on point.  It was cool seeing different forms of Latin dance be reinterpreted for burlesque from both competitors and the headliners.  In the end, Tiny D was Queen of the Latin Burlesque Festival with Bianca Dagga as Princess—double win for NYC!

After another night of celebrating with all the dancers, I thought about how fortunate I was to have stumbled into samba, as well as burlesque.  I was honored to be a part of something really important for the burlesque world.  I'd been going through a rough month where my insecurities got the best of me.  I'm more awkward and serious than wild and sassy, but I've learned that I can make it work even in a flirty, energetic samba number.  Now I'm starting to think about how to add some Latin flavor to my brand of burlesque because I definitely want to submit something to next year's Latin Burlesque Festival.

For more photos, check out my facebook album.  Also, if you think that cupcake looks delicious, you can usually find them at the Texas Burlesque Peepshow performances.  All proceeds go to Rowdy Rory's surgery fund.

Lab teching my way through striptease school: The Third Annual San Antonio Burlesque Festival

The trip to San Antonio began with a rocky start.  Running short on sleep, the Companion and I were tired and cranky.  He was probably more so than I since I had been the one pushing to leave early, only to be the one to run late.  As he was doing last minute errands, I thought I could do some last minute rehearsing…and finish packing.  On top of that, I had one more costume repair left to do.  Thankfully I could do that in the car, but it was a stressful morning.

By Raven Red Photography
ravenredphotography.pixieset.com

Things didn't improve as we got closer because we hit rush-hour Austin traffic.  I messaged Pelvis Costello, one of the producers, about not being able to make tech, and he assured me that a lot of people were delayed.  When we finally reached San Antonio, I rushed to check in and get my contacts in.  At this point, I was glad I opted for a cheap motel that was on the way to the Josephine Theatre though later I would regret this decision.

I made it in time to tech but did only do a minute of my song to keep things moving along.  Suddenly I found myself with some extra time, not wanting to get into that fleece onesie just yet.  I felt a little out of place since I didn't know that many people.  However, everyone was nice, and I found out that there were a lot of geeks backstage.  Later in the evening, I completely flipped out when I realized that Caramel Knowledge was a Rule 63 Nick Fury.  Pelvis and I also had a conversation about how non-burlesquers should be known as Mundies after he spotted Fables as one of the comic books in my act.

There were a lot of geeks in the crowd too.  The audience response was amazing!  It's funny that while I was anxious in the days leading up to the festival, I acted like I did this on a daily basis once the show began.  I think reminding myself that I'm just going to have fun helped.  My routine went by in a blur, and the adrenaline was still pumping after I exited.  I had to sit in just my pasties and panties before putting on some clothes to settle down... although backstage shenanigans made that a little bit harder to do.

By JPL PRO

I got to enjoy a lot of stellar performances before curtain call and the award for Future Legend, presented by Shannon Doah.  Big congrats to Tifa Tittlywinks!  There wasn't an after-party or even a group outing for food, but The Companion and I did run into Pystol Whips at the taco stand.  She was the one who brought up tacos backstage, and it was nice to wind down the night with yummy food and talk of random things with a fellow performer.

After waking up much earlier than desired, the Companion and I began our Saturday with brunch at a diner.  Since I had two workshops, I opted for a salad, but that turned out to be chicken with cheese all over and some lettuce and tomatoes.  I was very worried that I would not survive Michelle L'amour's "Booty Lab".  It was intense, but according to Black Mariah (who had the best spot in the house being behind everyone), I fared pretty well.  I used muscles that I didn't know existed.  Next was "Dynamic Staging Techniques with Waxie Moon".  His enthusiasm made me forget about my shyness or my exhaustion.  I came away with a better idea of how to choreograph routines.

Showgirl pose in front of the Alamo

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to a bit of sightseeing.  Then it was dinner with a couple old friends I knew since college.  The heat must have gotten to me because I felt totally drained by the time Saturday's show began and actually took off my button-up shirt to cool off (thank you burlesque for making a vest and push-up bra totally appropriate to wear).  Nevertheless, the performances were great, and I was super stoked to see two friends take home sparkly taco awards, Blaze for Most Classic and Mary LynnMayhem for Best Solo.  The Companion decided that he owed the producers drinks for putting on two fantastic shows and just being awesome overall.  

We were sad we couldn't stick around for the Sunday brunch, but it was nice getting to chat with Jasper St. James and Shelby Mine (yay for Tumblr friends meeting in person!) and Eaton Johnson of Queertini Time.  I much prefer the chill atmosphere of a brunch versus an after-party, and Foxxy Blue Orchid was such lovely host.  I hope next time I can hang around San Antonio long; you can bet that I'll be applying for next year's festival.

More photos of my performance can be found on my facebook page.

Lab teching my way through striptease school: Letdowns and Ladies of Power

Upon returning from BHoF, I had zero time to recover.  As I mentioned in my previous post, an audition deadline wound up being a month earlier than expected, and while I didn't have to have a completed routine, I had to get my point across.  I could have waited for another audition, but video game-themed shows don't crop up very often and I had an idea for a Metal Gear Solid act brewing in my head for a year.

The other surprisingly difficult part was finding a box
that I could fit under. 
Sorry, you only get a peek of the costume.

Prior to leaving for Las Vegas, I ordered my main costume pieces.  When they arrived, I realized my error: I was thinking more like a cosplayer rather than a burlesquer.  Authentic BDUs make very awful tear-away pants due to all the layers and the cargo pockets.  Fortunately, my friends Radha and Ramon offered their sewing expertise and equipment to come up with something that could work.

I stressed like crazy for about two weeks, and when I filmed the routine, I felt like a badass.  Thus I couldn't help but be extremely bummed to find out that I didn't get in the show.  I tried to remind myself that competition was tough and that I still had made it into the San Antonio Burlesque Festival.  After a week of moping, I started to see where I could improve.  Just like the routine I submitted for the Moulin Rouge show, I rushed into this.  Even though the idea may have been in my head for a while, I needed to take time to let it develop.  Rejection is tough, but I have to move forward... and quit jeopardizing my day job to meet a deadline.

If the stress of putting together a new routine wasn't enough, I also signed onto do a photoshoot for Ladies of Power.  The wonderful Callie Calypso decided to create a cosplay calendar to benefit a local women's shelter while simultaneously promoting feminism in all its different forms.  To learn more about the project and help us meet printing costs, please visit our Indiegogo.  Fundraising ends in a couple of weeks!

If I hadn't made it clear in my previous posts, I hate sewing.  I wound up putting the task of finishing my Wonder Girl cosplay off until the night before, which led to panic and my poor partner having to save my butt.  The Companion had already spent his precious time working on my Snake costume for the aforementioned act, and now he was drawing out the "W" for me.  It hit me that I don't actually enjoy making costumes, making me question my involvement with cosplay.  That night, I decided that with the exception of a couple of dream costumes, I was going to stop all my future cosplay plans.  I'd still do cons in my complete outfits (because I do like wearing cosplay), but I was going to spend the time and money elsewhere (i.e. burlesque).

By HendrixHunter Photography
(www.hendrixhunter.com)
Make-up by Meghan Palla

In spite of that revelation and the additional horrible time I had trying to get a specific haircut for the shoot, I had a blast at the Ladies of Power shoot.  I had brought together different friends, and it felt good to be a part of something that was going to help others.  My fellow Ladies of Power started talking about group cosplays, and I desperately wanted to join.  However, I reminded myself about how unfairly I had been treating The Companion in making him be my tailor for both burlesque outfits and cosplays.  I needed to reprioritize and refrain from rushing into new cosplays (are you sensing a theme too?).

Ironically I've decided to work on one of the exceptions to my "No New Cosplays" rule because my hair is the perfect length after having had most of it chopped off to fix the botched cut.  I will also be performing in the Latin Burlesque Festival with Fuego de Samba (more on that in a future post) and at a Quentin Tarantino-themed show.  The later has me working on a new act.  You can bet that I'll be taking my time on this.

You can also catch me stage kittening at Nerdvana, a celebration of Taffeta Darling's birthday and the anniversary of Fangirls: Dames of the Round Table.

By the way, if you like my seeing my cosplays, check out my posts to Tumblr.  I've shared my favorite costumes of all time: #1-5 and #6-10.