Dance Class Challenge: 56/100 - Yoga for Health: Headaches

I had a wicked headache on Tuesday after a wisdom tooth splinter worked its way from my gums.  (The surgery was two months ago so this was a bit crazy to me, but I read that it does happen.)  I needed some exercise and I have a limited number of Netflix instant options left so I did this video.  She's still my least favorite instructor of the yoga videos, but I'm understanding her videos more.

This video had a few inversions to get the blood flowing to the head, neck and thyroid gland.  I just want to take a moment to tell you ladies who aren't yoga regulars something that videos and teachers tend to mention well after they direct you into inversions.  Ladies, don't do inversions on the first day of your menses.  I'm sure there's some brilliant biological reason for it.  You'd think they'd make a point to mention it before instructing the inversions, but you'd be surprised.  Don't do this video if it's not the right time of the month.

I was surprised to find my headache was gone at the end of the video.  I guess breathing and blood flow did the trick.

If everything goes as planned (and it rarely seems to), I'll be in tango, hula and ballroom classes in a few weeks to boost my class numbers.  I'm also hoping to hit Slimmons tomorrow if I can swing it.  I've got a lot to do over the next three months!

The Mr. Snapper & Mr. Buddy Rumpus Review in "A Pocket Full of Mischief"

"The Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy Rumpus Revue in A Pocket Full of Mischief", is an evening of song, variety and frivolity! Mr. Snapper, a ukulele playing songster, and his silent foil, Mr. Buddy are your hosts, making a barely capable attempt at maintaining order as the libidinous human passions of a group of ragtag performers rage wildly out of control.

"The Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy Rumpus Revue in A Pocket Full of Mischief" is an hour long variety show built around a simple through-line. A procession of special guest performers -- jugglers, contortionists, performance artists, burlesque dancers, etc. -- are broken up by comic intermezzi that
involve a reoccurring cast of characters: Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy; Todd Ah!, a magician more full of himself than of tricks up his sleeve; Billy Kiddo, a screwball redhead who has an extreme infatuation with Mr. Buddy; and a mime that can’t stop talking.

These intermezzi peel back the curtain and show us a glimpse of life backstage, while our hosts challenge the fourth wall. "The Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy Rumpus Revue in A Pocket Full of Mischief" breaks the boundaries of the traditional variety show format with pathos, slapstick and everything in between, obscene and unheard of.


A Pocket Full of Mischief Performers!

Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy, your Hosts
Chase McKenna is Billy Kiddo, the Juggler
Micah Cover is Todd Ah!, the Magician
Jacob Smith is Pistachio, the Mime

Burlesque by
Red Snapper
and
Vanity Flair

Special Guest
Music and Magic by
Phil Van Tee

And the
CRAIGSLIST WILDCARD!

$12.00 at the door!

Doors open at 8:30
Enjoy a cup of coffee at Paper or Plastik before coming in.
Show starts promptly at 9:30!

Easy street parking.

www.snapperbuddy.com

Sequence of Actions

I'm still reading Magic and Showmanship - A Handbook for Conjurers by Henning Nelms.  Here's a rich tidbit from today's reading:

A well-planned routine induces interest in each point in turn because each point leads to the next.  As the routine proceeds, interest induced by the action increases and requires less and less control from the performer.

Nelms recommends a few chapters prior to make a list of actions and find where a routine digresses or diverts from the ideal.  With my newest act, I know my choreography and what comes off and when.  What I haven't yet explored is a list of consequential actions for this number, seeing where I may unintentionally lose the audience's attention.  Always striving to be a better performer, I made that list.  I expect my audience to fall in love with me at the beginning of the number and stick with me all the way through.  Of course, I have to control their attention and make sure I tell a captivating story (even if that story is just that I'm getting more and more nekkid).

More from Nelms:

When you stick to your theme, you have little difficulty in making the center of interest coincide with the source of information at every point.  However, you can never afford to take this for granted.  You must have a clear idea of the sequence of points and make each source of information interesting in turn.

In making my list, I could see that I have to focus the audience's attention on what I want them to see.  I noticed the strong points and weak points in my act.  I was working on addressing the weaknesses last night, but I know there's more to do.  I think I may just take this act to Satan's Angel's class to get feedback and pointers to make it stronger.

The Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy Rumpus Revue in "A Pocket Full of Mischief"

"The Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy Rumpus Revue in A Pocket Full of Mischief", is an evening of song, variety and frivolity! Mr. Snapper, a ukulele playing songster, and his silent foil, Mr. Buddy are your hosts, making a barely capable attempt at maintaining order as the libidinous human passions of a group of ragtag performers rage wildly out of control.

"The Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy Rumpus Revue in A Pocket Full of Mischief" is an hour long variety show built around a simple through-line. A procession of special guest performers -- jugglers, contortionists, performance artists, burlesque dancers, etc. -- are broken up by comic intermezzi that
involve a reoccurring cast of characters: Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy; Todd Ah!, a magician more full of himself than of tricks up his sleeve; Billy Kiddo, a screwball redhead who has an extreme infatuation with Mr. Buddy; and a mime that can’t stop talking.

These intermezzi peel back the curtain and show us a glimpse of life backstage, while our hosts challenge the fourth wall. "The Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy Rumpus Revue in A Pocket Full of Mischief" breaks the boundaries of the traditional variety show format with pathos, slapstick and everything in between, obscene and unheard of.


A Pocket Full of Mischief Performers!

Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy, your Hosts
Chase McKenna is Billy Kiddo, the Juggler
Micah Cover is Todd Ah!, the Magician
Jacob Smith is Pistachio, the Mime

Burlesque by
Red Snapper
and
Vanity Flair

Special Guest
Music and Magic by
Phil Van Tee

And the
CRAIGSLIST WILDCARD!

$12.00 at the door!

Doors open at 8:30
Enjoy a cup of coffee at Paper or Plastik before coming in.
Show starts promptly at 9:30!

Easy street parking.

www.snapperbuddy.com

Get It, Girl

Here's a photo from last week's Monday Night Tease.

I love the visceral look Tom Yi captured.  Awesome.

Pretty Petals

I've worn nipple petals in the past as an understructure, but I was reintroduced to them as a pastie replacement earlier this year. It was time for the Laugh-In Show and I forgot my pasties. Lili keeps a spare pair of pasties or petals in the show kit, so I grabbed the nude petals. Isabella Starr painted a design on them and they looked fabulous.

Tonight I'm doing a number where I need unfettered boobs to get that two-kittens-wrestling-under-a-sweater look. I don't need the pointy silhouette of a pair of pasties. The mister took some colored markers to these petals so they'd match the colors of my costume. They'll work perfectly. Sure, I can't wear the same pair more than once (they're disposable), but I have the perfect thing to wear!

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Monday Night Tease!

Monday, Sept 26th, 2011

Monday Night Tease!

Hosted by Wolfgang Wolfwhistle

Burlesque by:

Red Snapper

Glama Sutra

Dizzy Von Damn!

Jessabelle Thunder

Scarlet O'Keljus

Isabella Star

Anastasia Vonteaserhausen

Mercedes Laveaux

Bar Opens: 6pm 

Seating Starts: 9:30pm 

Show Starts: 10pm 

Cover charge for Sept 26th, 2011

$15 advance limited VIP seating through Meet up

http://www.meetup.com/MondayNightTease/events/pkvpsypmbjc

$15 (tickets available at the door - seating is not guaranteed)

3 Clubs 

1123 Vine St. 

(Vine at Santa Monica) 

Los Angeles, CA 90038

No photography. Performers subject to change without notice. Plenty of free street parking.

21+, full bar, no food.

Need help?

Email Lili with any questions: lili@burlesque411.com

Reservations available for parties of six or more, 818-378-8866 or lili@burlesque411.com

Follow us on twitter: @MNTease

You'll get updates and flyers for discounts.

http://twitter.com/MNTease

My Final Reveal: Bodice Beginnings

I managed to nab twenty more minutes at my day job on Friday to finish cutting my bodice pieces. I had some down time this evening while my Rosetta Stone software updated, so I used that time to pack up the excess gown fabric (not counting it in my total). I did some gathering, plenty of pinning and stitching the bodice facing to the lining. There are more finishing touches before the bodice is ready for the skirt, but it's taking shape.

Total so far: 4 hours 30 minutes and $49.

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Dance Class Challenge: 55/100 - Yoga for Health: Depression

I'm now scraping the bottom of the Netflix instant barrel for videos to do at home. You see, my Saturday was spent with the ever fabulous and soon traveling Evie Lovelle, and neither of us physically felt like going to dance class. I enrolled online for a ballroom class that was supposed to start today, then got a call from LACC that the class was cancelled due to low enrollment. I'm teaching today, and I woke up incredibly sore. Yoga seemed to be the right thing to do.

This instructor is my least favorite from the yoga videos I've done. On the bright side, this video was easier to follow than the first one. I selected the episode for depression because it promised a good stretch. It deals with depression from the standpoint of stimulating the glands, not giving a pep talk about how you shouldn't be depressed while you hold poses. I did get a good stretch and I'm hoping my leg stops its cramping from earlier this morning.

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My Final Reveal: Cut Cut Cut

Today I spent two hours of quiet time at work cutting the skirt for my new costume gown. I had to adjust the width of the skirt at the hem so it was a bit fuller. I still need to cut the four bodice pieces; I figured I should do a little regularly scheduled office work for now. Total so far: 2 hours 30 minutes and $49.

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Monday Night Tease!

Monday, Sept 19th, 2011

Monday Night Tease!

Host and magic : Shawn McMaster

Ali Oops

Patty Cupcake

Iza La Vamp

Panama Red

Caramel Knowledge

Red Snapper

The Lady Mz Vagina Jenkins

with musical guests

Heather Henderson & Elizabeth Luttenger

Bar Opens: 6pm 

Seating Starts: 9:30pm 

Show Starts: 10pm 

Cover charge for Sept 19th, 2011

$15 advance limited VIP seating through Meet up

http://www.meetup.com/MondayNightTease/events/pkvpsypmbzb

$15 (tickets available at the door - seating is not guaranteed)

3 Clubs 

1123 Vine St. 

(Vine at Santa Monica) 

Los Angeles, CA 90038

No photography. Performers subject to change without notice. Plenty of free street parking.

21+, full bar, no food.

Need help?

Email Lili with any questions: lili@burlesque411.com

Reservations available for parties of six or more, 818-378-8866 or lili@burlesque411.com

Follow us on twitter: @MNTease

You'll get updates and flyers for discounts.

http://twitter.com/MNTease

Dance Class Challenge: 54/100 - The Situation Workout

I've never seen "Jersey Shore"; I've seen the South Park episode about it. My poor husband had a surprise fever, squelching our evening plans, landing him in bed, and me looking for some way to entertain myself at home. After some Rosetta Stone French, I popped on Netflix and "The Situation Workout" was one of three fitness videos I hadn't done yet that popped up on my home page. I've taken a crazy ass class with a guy that insisted on tickling me and Evie (and who seemed to be running a cult). This wouldn't nearly be as painful.

I spent a nice chunk of time laughing my ass off. The workout is good and involves light handweights. The Situation personality reminds me of my younger brother if he'd been given lead paint instead of breast milk as a baby. It gets easier to watch him, his friend The Unit, and whatever fit girl he calls "sweetheart" through the course of the video. (He goes through two or three chicks.) I don't know that Sitch realizes what he's saying, like the stuff about being hard with Unit. Ol' Unit implied a three-way with Sitch and ab girl.

If you have an hour and want a decent workout while you laugh, try it.

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Fawning Over Jo at Camp in 2007

I do hope you're enjoying my little trip down memory lane as a pre-burlesque dancer. :)



More About Camp

(I've been working days and rehearsing late nights so I've barely been able to get out of bed to go to work in the morning, much less blog. I promise I'll be back up to snuff after this show opens on the 20th.)

In the afternoon of the second day, we had a lesson in stocking and glove removal from the lovely and talented Jo Boobs. I really wanted to study with Jo. She had become a bit of a celebrity in my household since I got her e-book and Andrew started reading her blog.

Jo is as amazing as I hoped she would be. She's a very skilled and patient teacher. She showed us how to slowly peel a glove or stocking and really tease the audience with it. I learned to slow down the difficult things (like crouching, removing tough shoes or sitting down on stage to get comfortable). I also learned that everything in garment removal must be deliberate. It looks better that way. Jo showed us how interesting tension looks in clothing removal, so I now spread my fingers as I peel gloves so it looks cool.

My Final Reveal: Supplies

I'm starting a new costume in the next few weeks, and I'm breaking the rules. To give you a better understanding on what goes into one of my costumes, I'm going to share how much time and money I spend on this new one. Every project costs time and money, and I choose to save money by investing a lot of my own time.

I don't have a song selected or specific choregraphy in mind. I'm starting with the outer costume because I had a vision of how I wanted it to look and open. I'll have to work out the understructure based on the dress.

I spent 30 minutes today purchasing fabrics and thread for the dress and its lining. I bought the pattern online for $8 last month. I spent $35 on fabric and $6 on thread this morning. Total so far: 30 minutes and $49 before the dress is cut.

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Dance Class Challenge: 53/100 - Slimmons with *OMG* Richard Simmons!

I think the name of the class is actually power burn or cardio fest or something. Whatever. Slimmons is the important part.

I remember Richard Simmons from when I was wee. He was charismatic and dedicated to helping people back then, and he still is. His class was jam packed and people love him. It's almost a religious experience. Yesterday he was made up in gold face paint and wore a pharaoh hood, so I guess it was religious.

There are people of all shapes and sizes and all fitness levels in his class. We did a half hour of cardio dance extravaganza, fifteen minutes of weight training (which I forgot how much I enjoyed weight training outside of a gym setting), and fifteen minutes of crunches and push-ups. Sphinx Simmons ended class with a brief word of encouragement to see the best in yourself and others. He finishes every class by staying for photos with anyone who took the class. Be patient as you wait because he will spend the same quality time posing cleverly with you, briefly chatting and kissing you on the cheek that he does with everyone else.

This class was absolutely magical for two reasons (besides his icon status):
1) This was the most fun I've had in an aerobics and/or dance class in a really long time. I focus on learning and perfecting my technique in most classes, and I know I make concentration face. Even as I reached for my inhaler in this class, I had a huge smile on my face.
2) Richard's mother was a showgirl. I told him I was a burlesque dancer as I failed to sneak to the restroom during his earlier class and he caught me. After class he told me and Evie how his mother was a showgirl in New Orleans back in the day, four foot six and managing five foot feather fans. Wow. I'm going to have to research this woman!

If you ever have the opportunity, please take a class with Richard Simmons. You will absolutely not regret it. He is a delightful man and his class is tons of fun.

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Dance Class Challenge: 52/100 - 10 Minute Solution: Yoga

While I didn't like this workout as much as I liked the Pilates one, it was still a good workout. The ten minutes workouts covered basic Vinyasa flow, abs, legs, power yoga and flexibility/relaxation. I'm getting better at the flow of yoga but I understand Pilates much better. At least Buster licked the soles of my feet to encourage my yoga work.

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Burlesque Starter Kit

Red Snapper's Burlesque Starter Kit

$60.00
Sundays, September 11th-25th 3-4:20pm

$60 for three week mini-series  - Perfect for satisfying your curiosity about burlesque. This mini-series will provide you with the basics of bumps, grinds, shimmies, shakes, glove peels and boa work. Choreography taught in class will put your new skills to immediate use. Bring your own gloves and boa or purchase them in class for $10.

Classes held at Studio A Dance
2306 Hyperion Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Sign up here!

Dance Class Challenge: 51/100 - Jazz Dance

Three things are significant about this post:

1. I'm over the hump. Only 49 more classes to tackle in the next 3.75 months.
2. I love Bill's jazz class at Studio A. I always feel challenged and I never feel like I can't eventually learn how to do things correctly (turns, pas de bourrées and such).
3. Saturday's class ran long (1:45) and it was 90 degrees outside by the time class ended, so I burned some awesome calories.

I do have a plan of attack for the rest of the year. I have to find a ballet class on Monday and Wednesday evenings so I can start leaving work early for classes, hopefully before the girl who is on leave returns. I've got my eyes open for a ballroom dance class with the mister (preferably six weeks on a night that works well for me). Then I have BurlyCon. I'm hitting a yoga video when it's a bit cooler in the world; LA's been in summer mode all week.

Excelsior!

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Prison Showers From Camp in 2007

I was a Girl Scout and we had showers at camp but I never took one.  I preferred being smelly to risking cold water and an abundance of spiders.  Here's a little more from my burlesque camp experience in 2007.  (I didn't post the naked photos of several of us in the shower at once out of respect for the other people in the photos.  Not all of them are used to being naked on the internet.)



Camp Showers

When I was a Girl Scout, we never used the showers at camp because they were just plain scary. When we'd walk past them, someone who had never been to camp before but knew someone who had would tell stories about the horrible poisonous spiders that infested the cold water only showers. I never verified any of this because it sounded too horrible. The showers may have been spider-free and had plenty of hot water.

At this camp, I had to shower. I spent my Thursday in airplanes and airports and I really needed to be clean. We were staying on someone's private property, so I had no idea what the showers would be like. For all I knew, they were sheets of plastic surrounding a suspended garden hose.

Alas, I was wrong. The showers were in an outdoor almost room on a hardwood deck. There was plenty of hot water because there was a small hot water heater nearby. There was a giant tub sink and two mirrors for grooming just outside of the shower. Plastic stair steps for sitting or leaning and shaving, metal soap holders and a detachable shower head made up these luxurious outdoor showers. What was really great was that there was so much shrubbery between this property and the next that there was no problem grooming on the deck and wandering back to one's accommodations in a state of partial (or complete) undress.

The Letter Follies- September Edition

Stargarden

6630 Lankershim Boulevard

North Hollywood, California

Cover - $5
Shows at 9:30 and 10:30

This month we feature the lovely performance arts of...

Red Snapper
Vestal Vixen
Dahlia De Lust
Miss Angie Cakes
Scarlett Letter

accompanied by the lovely dancers of Star Garden.

Dork Face From Camp in 2007

More of my camp experience.  I like to think that all of the education I did before my debut paid off, even if I sounded like a giddy school girl when I was studying.



Back to Day Two

The afternoon of the second day of camp was warm enough for me to take a shower. I still wasn't acclimated to Washington weather when I left. Mornings were too darn cold for anything less than long pants and a sweater, and our shower pavilion was outside.

After I was nice and clean, I put on my pasties and some frilly knickers. Other girls started putting on pasties, and then it was the perfect time for tassel twirling class. I'd learned a little about tassel twirling from Miss Indigo Blue's lesson on Princess Farhana's burlesque DVD. This was a thorough hatting on twirling. I learned how to make them go one direction, how to spin from inside to outside, from outside to inside, and even how to make one spin at a time. It was awesome!

To those of you potential twirlers out there, this will build up your shoulder muscles. The trick is to not look down while you're twirling or you'll get a double chin, kind of like I did while I was trying to angle the camera for a photo. You can see my black tassel going in the photo.

"I'm taking a break."

There are two kinds of breaks:

1. The kind of break after a great deal of activity or stress, like being such an active participant in something that you feel like you're sacrificing quality for quantity.  There's also the break when life has other plans, someone gets sick, a loved one dies, you get an injury, you're busy with work or school.  There really is something that's requiring your time and attention more than the other activity in which you were participating.
2. The kind where you can't find a polite way to tell a group or activity that it's no longer supplying you with the kind of stimulation or attention you need.  The thing that drew you into the group or thing is no longer worth the hassle.

Of the two kinds of breaks, the second is the one where people try to talk you back into the group or activity if you tell them the real reason you're leaving.  "C'mon, it's just a transition time."  "We're working through a rough spot."  "It's a team building year."  It's easier to quietly "take a break," pack up your ball and go play elsewhere.  Seth Godin has a nice and short article about this kind of departure here.

How do you leave an area and tell them you're unfulfilled?  I don't have the answer.  I've pissed off plenty of people with my honesty in my day, and I'm sure I'll piss off plenty more.  I've tried the "taking a break" in the past and I always feel like I should've just been honest in those situations, even if I did piss someone off.

I may be a genius, but I sure as hell don't have all the answers on this topic.  Any suggestions?

Note: I'm not "taking a break" right now.

Dance Class Challenge: 50/100 - 10 Minute Solution: Pilates

Halfway there and only four months left this year. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiit! BurlyCon is going to be my chance to catch up.

With the split toenail, I'm treating my dancing feet gently. I needed a workout that was easy on the feet but engaged the rest of the body. This video (on Netflix Instant) has five parts: abs, arms, buns & thighs, power burn and flexibility. The workouts were so engaging I didn't realize ten minutes had passed with each one. The arm workout was particularly noteworthy; I did the video on Wednesday and I can still feel the work I did in my pecs. I highly recommend this one.

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Asstastic!

Give your rump a dedicated workout to strengthen and tone. Shake it, smack it and clap it with Snapper. Bring pasties if you have them for a little asseling at the end of class! (If you're paying cash in class, please send an RSVP email.)

Class held at Studio A Dance
2306 Hyperion Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027

More From Camp in 2007

Here's the next blog entry from my boring ol' regular person blog from this day in 2007, detailing more of my camp experience.  It reads a lot like a diary entry.

Lessons from My Second Day of Camp

I still don't have a lot of pictures I can share. I apologize for that. I can post photos of myself with wild abandon, but since I was holding my own camera most of the time I don't have many photos of just myself. I'm hoping (as is Andrew) that some of the other girls will send me photos soon.

As I mentioned before, the first day was a time of settling in. We did a meet and greet with each other, heard some selections from burlesque biographies, sat around and ate cheeseburgers and s'mores. It was a nice calm evening for me after the flurry of activity leading up to the trip. Of course, my first night of sleep was not as restful as I had hoped. All of the doors weren't closed completely on the cabinets in the airstream, so every time someone rolled over then doors would rattle. Ugh. At least I was warm.

The second day of camp started with a nice stretch and balance with Jo Boobs. I'd really like to get into the habit of stretching every morning so I don't still have things cracking in my body at noon. We did some good stretches before breakfast, being careful to really warm up our necks and backs since they're easily injured. We also learned how to test our balance so we can do it every day in life and before every performance in the shoes we'll wear in the show. I liked doing this, especially since there are days when I feel totally off balance.

After breakfast, we had a class on posing, posture and walking with Miss Indigo Blue. We started out by learning to walk in high heels. The technique we use in pole class is different. In this technique, the knees are kept bent so the weight of the body is still on the heels. We worked on poses for a bit, using each pose to show off our "costumes" or assets. Then we worked on different kinds of burlesque walks.

What came next? Stay tuned.