Saturday, January 26, 2013

Live Burlesque in Las Vegas Presents Las Vegas Peek-A-Boo

Live Burlesque in Las Vegas showcases local Las Vegas Burlesque performers as well as Burlesque performers from out of town. Live Burlesque in Las Vegas brings the best of Neo and Classic Burlesque to its stage just for you! It is Las Vegas' BEST Neo Burlesque Show.

$12 at the door
830p go-go dancing
9p show starts

starring:
Moana Marie
La Rosa Muerta
Aya Fontaine
a duet by Shimmy G'alore and Daisy Danger
Bobbie Baltimore
a group chair dancing act from Las Vegas Burlesque Classes (featuring Buttercup Delight and Haute Couture)
special guests...
Red Snapper and Mr. Snapper from LA

Hosted by Blanche DeBris

Lisa Luxe will be our Sexy Stage Kitten

Besides our stage show we will be having a dance contest for 3 lucky audience members!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Happy Birthday, Mr. Snapper!

Photo by Andrija Bloom.
Happy Birthday to my co-conspirator, prop builder, travel assistant, dance partner, rhinestone pinch-hitter, merkin adjuster, body makeup artist, last-minute shopper, show night chef, chauffeur, whipstitcher, puppeteer, bodyguard, reluctant draper, dog wrangler, groupie, sound designer, and BFF.  You make every day better.

Running Wild Industries Presents A Night in New Orleans

21+ Show Begins at 9pm

Live Band "Fortunate Few"

Burlesque Performers - Madeline Sinclaire, Ms Red Snapper, Scarlet O'Keljus

Vaudeville Performers: Mr. Snapper & Mr. Buddy

Dinner 7-10pm
Grilled Chicken
Penne Pasta all Meals will include a Salad
Jambalaya
Fried Chicken

DJ's
Flatstars
Whiteboy
Doc Vibes

Entrance: $10 advance: $15 Door
Dinner: $15 or Dinner & Entrance $20 advance
January Birthdays good for 2 Free Admission
For group Specials (5 or more) contact number below
Valet is $5


Any questions 323-353-2626
or Will@runningwildindustries.com

Monday, January 14, 2013

Monday Night Tease! Presents Lili's Dirty Birthday Party

LA's longest running weekly burlesque show, Monday Night Tease

Jan 14th, 2013
$15 tickets:

Emcee Buster Balloon

featuring burlesque performances by:
Bella Luna
Iza La Vamp
Nikita Bitch Project
Dizzy Von Damn!
Daftney Punk
Sheila Starr & Caramel Knowledge
April Showers
Red Snapper & Mr. Snapper

Magic by:
Hannibal

Live Music by:
Mr. Moonshine


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

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.

Martini Mondays! $10 Martinis all night long.
21+, full bar, no food.

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

Follow us on twitter: @MNTease
http://MondayNightTease.com

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Body Modification: Ultrasonic Cavitation

I'm going to tell you a secret.  It might be shocking, but here goes.  Most people aren't 100% happy with their bodies.  I'm one of them.  If I can "modify" my body to make it look better, to give myself greater confidence and marketability as an entertainer, I'll do it.  I'm not going to do something that could potentially bring greater harm than benefit, but I'm open to tidying up the body.  Diet and exercise don't always work as quickly as I might like.

Saturday I tried ultrasonic cavitation.  I bought a discount deal for around $100 to get an hour of work done.  There were many appeals for me with the ultrasonic cavitation.  I wouldn't have any down time as I would if I had fat surgery.  I also wouldn't have to worry about fat cells returning to more obvious areas as I would if I got actual liposuction.  My hope was that it would smooth out some areas, and that it would kickstart my body's fat loss.  (I have worked out every day so far this year.  I'm not rushing around to prepare for a tour so I'm eating less convenience foods.)  The only condition was that I was supposed to drink a liter of water before treatment.  I drink a lot of water so that part wasn't a problem.

They take measurements of the treatment areas before the procedure.  The treatment itself feels like a warm personal massage device being smoothed along the trouble area.  The machine makes a sound that made my ears ring a bit.  The procedure isn't painful at all.  I was able to work out that afternoon with no problems.

After 30 minutes on my low abs, my measurement actually increased.  After 30 minutes on each thigh, the measurement of each decreased by 1/4".  There is no guarantee that you'll see results after the first session, but I didn't expect the numbers to go the wrong way for the area that took the most time for treatment.  The online claim is that you may see results of up to 1/2" decrease in the first session, and the recommendation is that you get at least six sessions.  Under my rump looks a bit smoother, but not so smooth that the husband even noticed a difference.  (Okay, so he doesn't look at that area the same way I do.  He doesn't pay much attention to my thighs but more what he can find above them.)

It wasn't an unpleasant experience, but I don't think I'd spend full price to do the procedure again.  I'm not trying to move a lot of fat out of my body, so my expectations were much higher for the result.  Maybe I'll try one of those metabolism booster injections next to see if that does anything.

How to Rhinestone an Emblem

This is for those of you who haven't developed a reliable rhinestone technique, particularly those of you who are new to rhinestoning.

A few guidelines:
  • Use varying quality of stones on larger projects. Your largest stones should be the highest quality because they'll catch the most light.  Scrimp on the spending with the smaller stones.  It's okay to use cheap glass or plastic stones as filler when you're covering a large area.
  • Use the least toxic glue you can.  Highly toxic cements like E-6000 and Bond 527 might dry quickly, but you need to open a window when working with these cements and watch for potential allergic reaction. Glue like Gem-Tac and Jewel-It aren't as toxic but require a longer drying time.  There is a special hot glue for embellishments, but you'll probably want a hot glue gun dedicated to that glue to maintain its integrity.
  • Toothpicks or stir sticks are great embellishment tools.  You can also use wax sticks from jewelry stores.  I've had to rhinestone with my fingers alone, but that doesn't work so well on small stones.
This is my project.  I embellished this Batman patch for Mr. Snapper's underpants for a show.  I used 10ss citrine and jet Preciosa rhinestones because: 1) they were small enough to fit in the corners of the symbol and help it maintain its lines when fully rhinestoned; and 2) they're cheaper than larger stones and other brands.  These are just below Swarovskis in quality and above Clarus and plastic stones.  I have my Gem-Tac and my toothpick for gluing.

To apply each stone, put a tiny pool of glue on a scrap of paper.  Pour a small amount of stones onto your worktable or into a dish, flipping the foil side up to make the process easier.  Dab a tiny bit of glue onto the tip of the toothpick.  Use that dab of glue to lift a single rhinestone.  Slide that rhinestone gently onto the surface of your project.

For symbols and pasties, I recommend you do all outlines first and fill in the rest later.  You can see with the Bat symbol that I started lining the edges of the yellow section before filling them in.  It's much easier to leave tiny gaps in the middle and have them go unnoticed than to cram in so many stones that your edges are janky.

If you get wet glue on the top (exposed glass edge) of the rhinestone, try scraping off the excess with the clean edge of your toothpick or stir stick.  If that doesn't work, dampen the end of a cotton swap with a very tiny amount of rubbing alcohol.  Gently buff the top of the rhinestone with the swap until the glue is gone.

Here's the completed version:

If you have rhinestoning questions or concerns, let me know.  I'm happy to share what I've learned.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

From 2012 to 2013

Five years as a professional burlesque performer.  Wow.  Every day is a learning experience in this world.  Here's 2012 in review:

Nearly Naked Nutcracker (c) Daniel Work
  • 51 performances in 40 shows.  Slightly less performances and shows than 2011.  This was a bit of a team-building year.  To date, that's 322 performances.
  • Taught a slew of privates.  I also taught some basic burlesque classes in Los Angeles, Hot Springs and Little Rock.  I taught my costume class in Los Angeles and Fresno.  I'm focusing on the private students because I love helping them accomplish their individual visions.
  • Created four major acts. I debuted Butterflies in May after documenting my costume journey.  I put together "One Night With Snapper" after months of sewing swimwear and lingerie, debuting the act in my hometown of Hot Springs.  I debuted a new fan dance and our naughty duet in Dallas a couple weeks ago.  Our "So Wrong It's Right" (Rogers & Lewis) number was supposed to be a minor act, but there was a nice chunk of construction in the costume and prop department.  I whipped out a Laura Ingalls trubute in July.  I largely relied on my established repertoire for this year's shows.
  • Performed at two festivals - Southwest Burlesque Showcase and Dallas Burlesque Festival.  Looking at my personal finances and commitments led me to turning down one festival after I was accepted, and prevented me from applying to any other festivals in 2012.  I figured out my conflicts as early as I could so I wouldn't leave anyone in the lurch.
  • Short touring hops.  I danced in Dallas at the beginning of the year, filling the rest of my festival weekend with photo shoots. I visited Hot Springs once on my own, and hit Hot Springs and Little Rock once with Andrew.  We also toured to Fresno together, and we danced in Albuquerque together.  I love spending time with that man.
  • Always learning.  I got back into a ballet class that was absolutely amazing.  I took a couple ballroom classes.  I also learned how to make lingerie, swimwear, corsets, and draft a few patterns.  I started working with a choreographer for some of my numbers so I could strengthen some of my weaker dance areas.
  • New tools of the trade.  I made new feather fans at the end of the year.  I bought supplies to make corsets and lingerie over the summer so I can make things as needed and can do commissioned pieces on demand.  Andrew got a Dremel to make even cooler props, and we put it to use sanding down a pair of my shoes so I could embellish them.  I bought a second sewing machine, super handy for Andrew to make his nutcracker jacket at home while I made my own costume on my other machine.  (I bought the second machine for downtime at the day job, but it may get more use at home.)
  • Started the Topless Vlog.
  • Featured in Liz Goldwyn's Painted Lady event in Los Angeles.  It was an incredible and unique experience, and I'm glad I was able to do it.
  • Feature in Bachelor Pad Magazine.  I'm delighted that my collaboration with Modern Noir and Vivienne Vermuth made issue 21.
Onto 2013.  What I'd love to have happen:
  • A festival or two, preferably close to home so Andrew and I can both attend.
  • More private students.  I do love working one-on-one.
  • Weekend mini-tours.  I want to visit Arkansas twice this year, hoping for two trips to Dallas, a weekend in Vegas, and who knows what else.
  • Two more event costumes.  I'm starting the build of a technically complicated number that might not be ready until late this year.  I'm also building a wedding dress for my 20th anniversary & rewedding to Andrew.
  • New camera for the Topless Vlog!  My new camera will arrive this week.  Hoping to get new lights for next week.  (I can use the camera to shoot my numbers as well.)
  • Be the best Red Snapper.  Work on myself and creating the best stuff I can.
I love all of the support, all of the kind words, all of you who have followed me on my path.  I hope I continue to keep you entertained for many more years.