Oh my. It seems like the times when I have the most to write about are always the times when I don’t write anything at all. So this is going to be a big update. Here’s a recap of highlights from the last several weeks:
Pinup Workshop in a Book, RELEASED!
Presales for my book, “Plain Jane to Pinup Queen: Pinup Modeling Workshop in a Book,” were shipped out a day ahead of schedule, and the book is now available for immediate shipment. Jam packed with information about how to create a flattering silhouette, this book will help you look better at photo shoots, for candid shots, and even on stage!
Tease-o-Rama Burlesque Convention
This was a truly magical event. I was euphoric for weeks after the Tease-o-Rama weekend. Everyone was so supportive: performers were friendly and non-competitive, audience members were responsive and super friendly, and the staff! The people helping out behind the scenes were some of my favorite people in San Francisco. Mynx d’Meanor, Reverend Dick, Lady Borgia and Candy came up from San Diego for the weekend, and it was so wonderful to hang out with those folks. They are really transforming the burlesque scene in San Diego, too. They are bringing individual troupes together for collaboration on shows, which no one in SD did before. It is great to see a trend toward more inclusiveness and cooperation in a regional burlesque scene. (Click here to see a great photo of me, Reverend Dick and Lady Borgia backstage after my act!)
My student group, the Burlesqueteers, performed at the opening night meet-and-mingle, and they did a fabulous job. We did our bunny version of “Take Back Your Mink” from Guys and Dolls followed by Josie Starr’s Bunny Assassin act. There was a malfunction during the first number when the power to the sound booth got unplugged, but the girls kept their heads and played it cool like true professionals, and we really pulled it off.
I also performed a solo act during the Saturday night show, and it was so much fun. I really adore performing for a big room, and the Tease-o-Rama crowd is such an appreciative audience too. What a rush! I performed my Tassel Tricks act, which starts out super glam and then gets really silly, sort of a burlesque version of the bait and switch, and the crowd went right along with me. So much fun!
“Fromagique”
On Monday, November 17, my new Dixieland/traditional jazz band, “Fromagique,” debuted at the Uptown Hubba Hubba Revue show in Oakland. I am singing, dancing, and playing the hoochicoo in this project, and I can’t wait for our next gigs! The performance was really well received, and it was so much fun. The band was amazing. Randy Johnson put together all the arrangements and organized the band, and I have to say he did a terrific job. We still need to get a web page up and running for the band, so I will post links here once we have that together.
Monday night was the first time I sang on stage in almost 2 years, and probably the 5th or 6th time singing in front of a crowd EVER. Talk about stage fright! You know, I really don’t think it’s fair that every new kind of thing I do on stage has it’s own stage fright about it. I mean, I’ve been taking it off on stage for over a decade, so nothing about that scares me any more, but whenever I add a new aspect to it (talking on the mic or any speaking role, over the top comedy, and now singing…) I get stage fright as if I’d never been on stage before. I’m complaining, but I have to be perfectly honest and say that the stage fright is one of the reasons I keep performing. It shows that I am stretching, growing, trying new things. The day I stop getting stage fright is the day I give up the stage altogether.
