Monday, February 28, 2011

Monday Night Tease! presents The QUEEN Show - A Fundraiser

Monday, February, 28th, 2011

Monday Night Tease! and our fantastic bartender Chris Corbin, are proud to be raising funds for the Sunshine Kids with an all star tribute to Queen.

Hosted by: Patrick The Bank Robber

burlesque performances by:

Vixen Magdalene
Red Snapper with Jessabelle Thunder
Dizzy Von Damn!
Jewel Of Denial
Red Sonja
Ali Oops
Shyloh DeMille
Rex The Impossible w/special guests.
Anastasia Von Teaserhausen, Dia Blow, Isabella Star

Bar Opens: 6pm
Seating Starts: 9:30pm
Show Starts: 10pm

Cover charge for February 28th, 2011
$20 advance tickets available online at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/154558


3 Clubs
1123 Vine St.
(Vine at Santa Monica)
Los Angeles, CA 90038

No photography. Performers subject to change without notice.

21+, full bar.

Need help?
Email Lili with any questions: lili@burlesque411.com

Follow us on twitter: @MNTease
You'll get updates and flyers for discounts.
http://twitter.com/MNTease

Sunday, February 27, 2011

SWBS: Wrap-Up

Buster & the Doodlebug
I've been home from the Southwest Burlesque Showcase for nearly two weeks, and I'm finally getting around to sharing my experience.  (In my defense, I got off the plane from Albuquerque and directly picked up Buster, our new puppy.  We've been integrating Buster and the Doodlebug ever since.)

Albuquerque was a bit cold and dry for my Los Angeles-adapted body.  It was lovely and fairly quiet downtown.  Panama Red and I roomed together at Hotel Blue.  It was nice spending more time with her and seeing the Saturday night show together.

Photo by Alex Rimorin
Kimo Theater is gorgeous!  I loved dancing on the capacious stage that was once graced by Sally Rand.  The crowd was so warm and loving.  The theater has a haunted history, so I left one of my Burlesqueland buttons as an offering.  Both nights had so many talented performers.  It really was incredible.

I took two classes and taught one.  We had some scheduling issues, but I managed to teach some wonderful people before I left for the airport.  I love the educational element of many of these festivals.

I would gladly return for the festival and another sixer of Marble Brewing's Wildflower Wheat!  I hope that next time I can plan a little more time to explore downtown.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Creating a Simple Burlesque Costume - Part Three: Making Fabulous

I wrote this for a workshop I taught at Theatre Unleashed in 2008 and revised parts of it to post here.  Please do not republish without permission, but feel free to link back to this blog entry.  I'm sharing this information because I know I have readers who are burlesque pioneers who need a little guidance.   These are instructions for making a very simple burlesque costume, and are a good guideline for beginners.  :)
 
This is the really fun part of the process.  I've been told by several instructors and performers that if you think you've done too much embellishing, keep going.  Look at sample costumes to find ideas of what might work best for you.

Tools for making fabulous:
  • Fabric glue that dries clear and is somewhat flexible (like Fabri-Tac)
  • Trim glue that dries clear and is somewhat flexible (like Gem-Tac or E6000)
  • Scissors
  • Needle and thread
  • Tweezers, a toothpick or a matchstick with tape on the end for placing rhinestones
Take the time to try different looks with your embellishments before gluing anything down.  (In the beginning, I glued trim on my costumes.  As I continued in burlesque, I started hand sewing embellishments so that I could easily remove them and adjust the look of the costume or transfer the trim to another foundation.  It's a lot harder to reuse trim when it's covered in glue.)  Make sure you like the placement of each aspect before you break out your glue.  Buy enough trim to do what you want plus some -- in case of emergency.  Try layering different trims and try different rhinestone and sequin placements to see what looks best on you and accomplishes the most flattering look for your body.

Fabulous potentials:
  • Apply beaded trim in layers to the lower half of your bra cups to make your boobs look full and for nice movement when you shake.
  • Apply beaded trim in layers to the entirety of your bra cups to make your boobs look very full and give even more m,ovement when you shake.  Be sure the cups are strong enough to handle the weight.
  • Make designs on your bra cups with rhinestones, sequins or fabric paint.
  • Add fringe to the band of your bra.  be sure to stretch out the bra when you sew the fringe around the back band.
  • Put rhinestones or trim on the straps.
  • Put rhinestones on the closure to make it easy to find.Remove the closure of your bra and add ribbon ties for ease in removal.
  • Layer the trim on the bra and shimmy belt and accent with rhinestones.
  • Drape trim off your panties - either across the leg holes or from center front to center back.  He sure to cut each side individually since our bodies are a little uneven.
  • Sew trim to the waist or leg holes of your panties.  Be sure to stretch them out as you sew.
Please feel free to email me photos of your projects (msredsnapper gmail).  I hope this serves you well.

Texas, I Still Love You


It's been a month since this show. I put together a special fan dance to the opera song "Flower Duet" for this show. It's such a beautiful song. I found this on YouTube and had to share it with you.

The Joy of Cinching

I'm always bragging about the corset work of Anastasia von Teaserhausen, and with good reason.  Anastasia taught a class on corsets through All-Star Burlesque last Saturday.  She really knows her stuff when it comes to corset construction.  She discussed the differences between fashion corsets and costume corsets, what classifies as a corset and what doesn't, what one should expect from a corset, and how to upgrade fashion corsets so they last longer.  It was a wonderful class.  When I get a moment, I'm going to upgrade a beautiful corset I purchased from Frederick's of Hollywood that fell apart the first time it was worn.

(If you'd like to contact Anastasia, shoot me a comment.  Her website is being revised so I'll help you get in touch with her.)

SWBS Video

Monday, February 21, 2011

Tassel Twirling Geniuses

Last night I had the pleasure of teaching around 35 geniuses a brief history of burlesque and some burlesque technique at the Greater Los Angeles Area Mensa Regional Gathering. I taught boa technique, glove peeling and tassel twirling. It was a great deal of fun, and several members left my presentation with pasties for personal use.

In fact, it was so much fun for them that I've been asked back for next year.
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Friday, February 18, 2011

Happy Birthday Suit!

"You Make Me Feel Like Dancin'" shot by Dan Hendricks.

We make awesome faces when we Charleston. Photo by Dan Hendricks.

I'm doing the hustle.  He's ... nevermind. Photo by Dan Hendricks.

My birthday show at Monday Night Tease! on February 7th was nothing short of amazing.  I'm so grateful to the performers and Lili for joining me on my 1970s induced madness.  It was magical.

Here are a few photos of my disco number to "You Make Me Feel Like Dancin'" by Leo Sayer with my disco partner and mate, Mr. Snapper.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

SWBS: Self Promotion/Online Marketing with Red Hot Annie

Red Hot Annie is incredible with promotion.  Not a week goes by that I don't see something about her online.  I do some promotion, but I'm all about strengthening areas where I'm not terribly strong.  Annie's class reinforced some things I'm doing right and gave me areas to improve.  Fantastic!

I don't want to give away everything from her class (because you should take it for yourself), but I will tell you a couple things I'm going to do after taking the class.  First, I'm going to have my website redesigned so it's easier for me to update.  I'm also having my dear friend and professional layout master, Chris Beyond, give the entire thing a facelift.  Second, I'm working on some sort of swag to give out at shows and festivals so more people can take a little Snapper home with them.  Keep your eyes peeled for awesomeness. :)

Monday, February 14, 2011

Creating a Simple Burlesque Costume - Part Two: Selecting Embellishments

I wrote this for a workshop I taught at Theatre Unleashed in 2008 and revised parts of it to post here.  Please do not republish without permission, but feel free to link back to this blog entry.  I'm sharing this information because I know I have readers who are burlesque pioneers who need a little guidance.   These are instructions for making a very simple burlesque costume, and are a good guideline for beginners.  :)



The embellishments on your costume are as personal as your color and style choices for your understructure.  You can use as much or as little embellishment as you like, knowing that it's only too much if the weight of the embellishments cause the garments to fall off on their own.  You can use any combination of fringe, beaded trim, sequins, feathers, fur and tassels.  You can also go back later and add more to your costume as time and money allow.  (I've been working on the bra for my mega costume for close to a year and have almost finished the last of the hand beading.)

Rhinestones:  Rhinestones will probably be the most expensive things on your costume.  You can use inexpensive, plastic rhinestones.  You can use glass stones that have many facets like Preciosa.  You can also opt for Swarovski crystals -- very flashy with more facets than Preciosa at greater expense.  There are different sizes and colors of stones.  Some dancers choose to purchase a handful of Swarovski crystals and use those on the parts of the costume that catch the most light, filling in with Preciosa and/or plastic stones.  It's cheaper to buy any stones by the gross (144 pieces) or 10 gross.

Fringe:  Fringe comes in a variety of colors, lengths and styles.  A good rule of thumb is the longer the fringe, the more it costs per yard.  You'll want fringe on your shimmy belt to emphasize your hip movements. You may decide to put fringe on your panties and bra.  You'll need at least one yard of fringe for your shimmy belt, more if you want to put it anywhere else on your costume.

Beaded fringe:  This is like fringe with benefits.  It's a bit heavier than regular fringe and tends to cost a tad more.  Beaded fringe is sold by the yard.  It can be used on the shimmy belt, bra and panties.  It catches stage light nicely and accentuates your shimmies and shakes.  You can find it for as little as $3 a yard.  You'll probably want at least one yard of beaded fringe for your shimmy belt because layered fringe looks awesome.  You may decide to get two more yards if you want to decorate the leg openings of your panties, and maybe a yard or two for your bra.

Sequins:  Sequins have worked best for me when they were in strands and I used them to cover up edges.  I've stopped using sequins for the most part since I focus on event costumes and use more rhinestones.  It's too easy to lose a sequin from a strand and too difficult to replace that single sequin.  Strands have been easier for me to manipulate than single sequins.

Other embellishments:  You can use any other embellishments you want on your costume.  I used multicolor ric-rac on top of the ribbon top of some beaded fringe and it looked amazing.  I used sequined fur trim on another costume and it looked quite fabulous.  You might use complementary colors of cheaper trim to make your costume look even more smashing.  One of the great things about a one-stop craft and fabric store is taking several trims and layering them on the counter before making your final selections for cutting and purchasing.

If you're playing along at home as I post, you have a few days to start collecting embellishments for your costume.  In the last part of the series, I'll give you some hints on how to put everything together.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

SWBS: Vintage Hairstyling & Burlesque Makeup Basics with Red Hot Annie


I've always done a workman-like job on my own hair and makeup. I spent a semester in college studying stage makeup and picked up other bits and pieces along the way. I was spoiled in Texas with someone else doing my hair and makeup for most of my appearances.

I used to purchase expensive makeup but my application wasn't nearly as good as that of a MUA. I learned why in Red Hot Annie's class yesterday. The basics she covered will revolutionize how I do my makeup. I know what products I need in my makeup kit, what brushes are best for which application, what my face needs to look ideally roportioned, and how and where to explore color.

The class was packed with information so we didn't spend as much time on hair as we did makeup. I did learn the right way to curl hair and how to use pin curls as a basis for other styles. Annie used me as the demo student, and my hair and makeup both lasted from the morning class through the evening show.
Annie is very knowledgeable and very chill. I highly recommend this class.
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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Southwest Burlesque Showcase

I'm dancing on Friday night, teaching on Saturday and vending my pasties all weekend.

A New Beginning

Photo by Dan Hendricks
My first professional burlesque performance was to "Monkey Wrench" by Foo Fighters in January 2008.  A significant amount of thought, care and money went into the costume and routine.  I haven't performed the number in over a year, but I've always enjoyed doing the number.  I'm on a new path with my burlesque, and this beloved number no longer fits that path.  I considered selling all the props and costume pieces; I'm just afraid no one who bought it would love it as much as me.

So I'm not selling it.  Instead, I'm giving the props and costume to my younger sister.  (She's still working on a burlesque name.)  I know she'll do well with the number, improving on the choreography and the costume.  I would've just passed everything to her quietly, but the burlesque community is small and protective.  I don't want anyone to give my sister a hard time for stealing a routine or copying my costume. :)  I'm sure the entire thing will become uniquely her own.  Small Sister, here's to you making the family proud!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Creating a Simple Burlesque Costume - Part One: Selecting Your Understructure

I wrote this for a workshop I taught at Theatre Unleashed in 2008 and revised parts of it to post here.  Please do not republish without permission, but feel free to link back to this blog entry.  I'm sharing this information because I know I have readers who are burlesque pioneers who need a little guidance.   These are instructions for making a very simple burlesque costume, and are a good guideline for beginners.  :)

The simplest burlesque costume consists of a decorated bra, panties and shimmy belt.  You don't have to spend a ton on your understructure, but you want to be sure you have good support.  You'll be decorating your understructure with some heavy items.

What to look for in a bra:
  • Padded cups to support the weight of fringe and rhinestones and to hide the shape of your pasties.  Some dancers like their pasties to peep out of their bras.  If you go for this look, make sure the bottom of your pasties fit under the bra so your bra doesn't push the pasties off your nipples.
  • Comfortable size so your boobs don't fall out the sides -- underwire should rest on your ribcage and not be suspended off your boobs.  If you want larger breasts for the silhouette of your costume, you can always sew pads into your bra.
  • Appropriate style that you don't need a rocket scientist to remove.
I recommend getting a cheap bra and panty set in your regular size.  You may select a standard bra with shoulder straps and a rear closure.  You might want a bustier with or without straps.  You might go with a halter, but be sure your halter has neck ties or alter your halter and add neck ties so you can easily get out of your bra.  You may go with a front closure so you can pop open the bra and let it fall off your arms and to the floor.

If you'd like another piece to strip off your midsection, or if you want something to cover what some dancers refer to as "the boyfriend area" (meaning they'll show their boobs but the midsection is too private for public viewing), you may decide to wear an underbust corset or waist cincher with plastic boning.  You might also consider a cupless bustier.  I had one of these that zipped down the front, making removal very easy.  I got mine on eBay for $12.  Walmart has something similar for around $13.  Check local lingerie stores and department stores for the best option.  Underbust corsets and waist cinchers are considerably more expensive, especially if you want something good.  You can find off-the-rack corsets and cinchers for under $100, but it costs to get something custom made for your body.  (Anastasia von Teaserhausen made the corset I wear with my mega costume.  It moves well with me, is durable and unique.  I highly recommend her stuff if you really want to invest in something that will last.)

What to look for in a panty:
  • Comfortable fit, meaning they don't cut into your body and you'd be willing to wear them in front of others.
  • Ability to accommodate a "safety panty" (a nude panty or g-string to keep your lady bits from saying hello to the audience).
  • Appropriate style for your body type.
Again, I recommend you get a cheap panty.  The safety panty protects your costume from getting messy, particularly since it's hard to wash costume panties when they're decorated.  You can select your safety panty later, but keep in mind that there should be room under your costume panty for a safety panty.

The panty style is up to you.  Some dancers wear thongs, others wear boy shorts.  Figure out what panties are most flattering for your butt.  Don't get a g-string for your costume panty of your first costume unless you know the venues where you'll be performing will allow it.  (Many places have a rule that the panty must be at least 1" wide and cover the buttcrack.)  If you do purchase boy shorts, know that the center seam can and will creepy crawl its way into your most sacred of crevices.  To hide the creepy crawl, you can get a cuchini or have longer fringe on your shimmy belt.

What to look for in a simple shimmy belt base:
  • 3" to 4" wide ribbon that is 3 to 4 yards long so you have enough to wrap around your lower abs and tie in back.
I usually buy double-sided satin ribbon.  It's thick enough to support glue, rhinestones and beaded trim.  It costs around $3 a yard.

If you want to play along and work on your costume as I post, you have this weekend to go find your understructure garments.  Next week I'll get into selecting embellishments.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Monday Night Tease! presents That 70's Ho

Red Snapper is guest producing a birthday show!

That 70's Ho celebrates not only the heart of the 70s but Miss Red Snapper herself.


Monday, February 7th, 2011

Monday Night Tease! presents: That 70's Ho

Featuring performances by:

Legs Malone (NYC)
Glama Sutra
Panama Red
Red Snapper & Mr. Snapper
Dizzy Von Damn!
Anastasia von Teaserhausen
Mr. Buddy
Rex the Impossible
Lord Londonbridge
Dick Envy
Rob The Balloon Guy

Bar Opens: 6pm
Seating Starts: 9:30pm
Show Starts: 10pm

Cover charge for February 7th, 2011
$12 (tickets available at the door)

Ask about our Sino Tequila drink specials!
Sino Tequila

3 Clubs
1123 Vine St.
(Vine at Santa Monica)
Los Angeles, CA 90038

No photography. Performers subject to change without notice.

21+, full bar.

Need help?
Email Lili with any questions: lili@burlesque411.com

Follow us on twitter: @MNTease
You'll get updates and flyers for discounts.
http://twitter.com/MNTease

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Dance Class Challenge: 8/10 - Kundalini Yoga

Both Catherine d'Lish and Evie Lovelle have bragged to me about the wonders of Kundalini yoga.  In fact, Evie and I tried on a few occasions to go to Kundalini yoga at another location but life happened and we never made it.  I was delighted that Kundalini yoga followed the other class I took at Dance Garden today.  I could squeeze in one more dance class without losing my motivation in LA traffic.  (I'm counting yoga and Pilates in my count since they focus on core strength and work the muscles engaged in dancing.)

Kundalini yoga has plenty of singing, which is a little strange but the sounds are intended to work areas of the body that don't usually get worked in classes.  I liked that the goal wasn't technical perfection of the poses but working within one's current ability to attempt that perfection.  The instructor, Jessica, said at the beginning of class that the exercises would create energy.  I was amazed that at the end of three dance classes, I was more energetic than when I started my day.  I feel very awake and alert a solid four hours after class.  It was fantastic.  I'm sure I'll hit Kundalini again this year.

Dance Class Challenge: 7/10 - Ballet for Bellydancers

This was the first class I'd taken at Dance Garden in Atwater Village in a couple years. I'm the first to admit I'm not a strong bellydancer. I don't spend a lot of time working on that skill set.

Kamala, the instructor, was very nice. However, this wasn't the class for me. I'm accustomed to a longer set of barre work. I'm very focused on the technical aspects and the musicality of ballet. This fusion class would be helpful to a bellydancer who has never studied ballet. I did learn a new term for a move I've been doing for years (soutenu en tournant - a full turn in 5th position in which the feet change position while turning). I also managed to butcher the arabesque-bellydance combination at the end of class.
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Dance Class Challenge: 6/100 - Hypnotic

I was off from dance classes for a couple weeks.  I got so busy preparing for my Texas tour, and I was concerned about hurting my right hand and being unable to fan dance.  It's happened before so I was very cautious.

Today was my triumphant return to Hypnotic.  I love this class.  Today we worked on a lap dance routine.  I consider myself proficient at lap dancing, but it's always wise to review basic technique.  I first started learning how to lap dance nearly five years ago, and now I have a professional sexual confidence when I perform one.  And I look pretty awesome when I do a head toss. :)

Friday, February 4, 2011

Biscuits & Gravy Tour: More From San Antonio

Photo by Troy Wise
Here are a couple more photos from San Antonio.  That show was so much fun.  I still have venue envy.

Here's a blurb from a review of the show:
Red Snapper was also impressive.  Her costumes were amazing.  They were obviously made to take off easily in her performances.  I know I should have been concentrating more on the boobies, but these costumes were engineering marvels.



Photo by Troy Wise
I had a great time in San Antonio.  I loved that we got to visit with the local performers over late-night grub at an outdoor diner with drag queen karaoke.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Biscuits & Gravy Tour: Mega Costume at Trees

Footage from Trees!

Biscuits & Gravy Tour: John Mayer Philosophy in Dallas

"Flower Duet" shot by Ben Britt
"Flower Duet" shot by Ben Britt
It's no big secret that I love John Mayer and think so highly of his live performance skills that I've seen him in concert ten times and am aching for him to go back on tour.  There's something wonderful that he's done in every one of those ten concerts; he's acknowledged his audience.  He always gives a shout-out to the people in the crappy seats, the cheapest seats available for people who want the experience but don't have the cash to get closer.  I remember him saying at one of the four shows I've seen at Verizon Amphitheater in Irvine, "I see you there on the lawn!"  It's absolutely beautiful to witness the connection between him and that crowd at that moment in every concert.

"Is You Is Or Is You Ain't, My Baby" shot by Ben Britt


I tested out my John Mayer philosophy, A.K.A. "I see you there on the lawn," at Trees in Dallas.  I try dancing as close to the front of the stage as possible anyway so I'm more connected to the audience.  At Trees I was able to see faces in the back of the venue and on the balcony.  It was wonderful.  I tried to acknowledge the people in the back as well as the people in the front during my numbers.  I think it paid off.  I felt so deeply connected to my audience.  I did the same thing at Star Garden last night for Letter Follies.  It feels amazing!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The Letter Follies: February Edition


A burlesque show at a topless club! $10 admission, shows at 10pm and 11:30pm. Dia Blow, Panama Red, Lucille Highball, Vixen Magdalene, Red Snapper and Scarlett Letter. Amazing house dancers, inexpensive pitchers, and a show where you can shower the dancers with cold, hard cash. ;)

Pin Curl Magazine Interview

Today's been a busy posting day for me!  I was interviewed by Pin Curl Magazine for the February issue.  You can read my interview here.

Biscuits & Gravy Tour: More Broads and Panties Fun!

Here are a few shots of Mega Costume by Nicolette Work of Pretty Cool Images.
"Is You Is or Is You Ain't, My Baby?"
You can see my corset lines in this photo.  Hot!

Biscuits & Gravy Tour: Happy Birthday, Broads and Panties!

There were so many photographers at the birthday show!  I'll do a full blog on the show once I've had a chance to recover.  (My flight arrived last night.  I unpacked and hit the hay shortly after.  Today I play catch-up before dancing tonight.)

Here are some wonderful shots from Dan Work of Pretty Cool Images.

"Flower Duet"
"Is You Is or Is You Ain't, My Baby?"
Happy Anniversary, Vivienne! What a great show!