A Mini-Tour of House of Blues

You probably get the impression that I had fun at House of Blues.  You are correct.  Let me give you a little tour of the place before the show started.  (I'm still hoping to find someone with photos of me from the show.)

This is the artist entrance.  This is where the rock stars arrive.  You can see how I classed up the place with my sweaty hair from the dance class I had with Kellita no more than an hour before.

This is the exterior of the building from the street.  I have another photo I'll share later demonstrating my keen promotion sense in this very location.  I was very impressed that the venue was so close to the hotel.

This is the sign that was overloaded with incredible shows for the month of September.  It was stashed in a window at House of Blues near the box office.  You can see on the right the listing for the Burlesque Bash with Catherine D'Lish.  I noticed this the day after the event when I bought a couple souvenirs from the venue.

This is the green room where I made new friends and got ready for the show.  They really took great care of us there.  Incredible hospitality.  Since I was one of the last acts of the night, I spent a considerable amount of time in that room.  I was able to slip out to watch a few of the acts early in the night.  I also hit my head at least three times when coming out of the nook where the makeup mirror was placed.

Lastly we have the main floor of the venue for the audience.  There's a makeshift thrust stage there in the photo (white) but it was gone for the show.  When I went on at 1:30 AM, the floor was still packed with people and the balconies were full.  The acoustics of the venue were awesome.  The cheers sounded so loud!  Not everyone gets this perspective so I hope you enjoyed my little tour.

Naked Snapper!

I found out that my performance as the dead Laura Palmer at Peepshow Menagerie's "Beneath the Surface" tribute to David Lynch made a fan message board.  The show was in August and I just found it today.  The writer just summed up the evening for those who didn't make it out, but here's the blurb about me:

Nude Laura Palmer is unwrapped from her plastic by two cops. Then she is rolled back up and they walk away backward. She comes to life, writes BOB in a diary, brushes her hair backward, and puts on lingerie. 

My number was also mentioned in a review by performance artist Chuckles.  This is my blurb from the Peepshow Menagerie blog site:

Laura Palmer came to life from her plastic wrapping and danced in her bedroom with hot teenage underwear and ‘secret red button touching’, and she showed us what was written in her diary.

It's a smidge of press but it tells you what I did.  Special thanks to my cops, Mr. Snapper and Sebastian Kadlecik.

Legends Class: Panel Skirts

About two weeks ago today, I took a panel skirt class from burlesque legend Tee Tee Red.  There were a few numbers at the festival that incorporated panel skirts.  I've been interested in learning how to perform with a panel skirt since I first saw one in a book.  Panel skirts also have that Princess Leia Return of the Jedi appeal.

There were so many things I didn't know about panel skirts before I took the class.  I learned how to properly wear them, how they should be constructed and how to use them for maximum effect.  It was an incredible class.  I learned a lot in the hour we had.  I've started working on a panel skirt number for my December burlesque show.

What I learned from Tee Tee Red were things I could probably never find in a book or video currently on the market.  There's an incredible oral history available only through burlesque legends that needs to be learned by the new generation so we can appreciate our artistic lineage and pass it down to the next generation.  I hope to become the kind of performer that is teaching people about the neo-burlesque movement when she's in her seventies.

New Show!

This is the promo for my new show in a theater!  October 4th.  I hope you can make it.  I'll be sure to remind you. :)

Kid in a Candy Store

As I mentioned in my last post, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to perform at House of Blues in New Orleans.  I grew up listening to live music and went to my first rock concert when I was four or five.  I love going to concerts so this was the perfect place for me.  I took a photo of one of the many walls of bands that sold out the venue before.  Foo Fighters sold out twice.  I love me some Foo Fighters.  (I dance to two Foo Fighters songs.)

Being in such a rock star environment, I felt a little like a rock star myself. I found myself in the bathroom before the show with a Sharpie in my hand. I don't know what happened next, but somehow my name appeared not far above my finger in this photo. You can see a little "Ms. Red Snapper" if you really look. I know rock stars do this sort of thing all the time. The walls and the ceiling of the bathroom were covered with signatures like some kind of crazy yearbook. I think this might be the House of Blues photo I share with my dad.

Lancaster Success

I performed in Victory Variety Hour's premier show in Lancaster, CA, on Friday night.  I helped host, ran an audience-participation game and danced two numbers.  It was a mini-tour with the other instructors of Striptease Symposium.  You can see me, Jewel of Denial, Penny Starr, Jr., Big Top (our pick up girl) and our lovely blue-haired hostess who shall remain nameless for the sake of intrigue. :)

Three people in the club had been to a burlesque show before that night.  The audience was so warm, appreciative and interactive.  We had a great time and are planning to return.

Exploring the House of Blues New Orleans

A little more than a week ago I had the extreme pleasure of performing at the House of Blues as part of the New Orleans Burlesque Festival.  One of the joys of performing was getting there early to explore the place before there was an audience.

Many amazing artists have performed at House of Blues.  I felt like I was on hallowed ground.  I have to confess that I was absolutely delighted just to be there.  I almost made snow angels on the floor but I fortunately realized that the floor maybe wasn't very clean.  I did, however, do what any Snapper would do when confronted with a vacant bar; I took off my shirt and posed for a photo.  I hope you enjoy my first trip to House of Blues as much as I did.