Nudity is Only Skin-Deep

Though past years have turned me more in the direction of athletics, I am still dancing. I've just been doing a lot more study and teaching than I have performances. Today, I received the most excellent news that I'm the recipient of a scholarship to continue my butoh training from September through to April. I'll be studying with Denise Fujiwara again. I hope to be able to put elements of these studies into performance, but venues for such stuff is pretty scarce, and paid venues even more scarce.

I started doing pole dance again as of about a year ago, and am currently in the advanced/masters-level class over at Aradia Fitness, where I also teach belly dance on Tuesday nights. If you would like to try out my class, sign up here ($15 + HST/class, Tuesdays from 6-7).

Tomorrow, I'll be taking a classic burlesque workshop with Sassy Ray. I miss doing burlesque, and hope to be performing at it again within the year.

Later this week, I'll be doing choreography and gymnastics workshops with Natalia Skomorowski.

Next month, I once again take up aerial silks with Stan Sokolenko over at In.Motion School of Performing Arts.

In between all that, I keep my strength and endurance up through regular training at CrossFit Kitchener.

I guess you could say I'm busy.

I want to form a small burlesque/dance troupe with one or two other people in Kitchener. I don't care if you're male or female. I just care that you're comfortable in front of an audience, and take your fun seriously. Please let me know if you're interested! I'm dying for a creative outlet and a creative team to work with.

It was hotter than the sun on that stage, and I was wearing velvet and plastic. But somehow, I don't look like I'm cooking to death.

This is my first attempt at a straight-up burlesque dance performance. It's a bit, ahem, cheeky.

So I performed tonight, and although my energy wasn't quite where it should have been, I kicked ass anyhow. Not bad, considering my lungs are utter shite today. I can fake looking healthy, sometimes. Today is one of those days.

Kink In Motion did an excellent set of photos of our opening night. Go take a look!

Friday the 13th is known by the superstitious as an inauspicious day. Macbeth is known as an inauspicious play. Opening night of The Art of Burlesque might not have been Macbeth, but it fell on Friday the 13th and was plagued by mishap after mishap, but somehow, the damned thing all came together.

This is despite a vast array of SNAFUs, including a CD player not working, all but two of the performers being sick with the flu, and having a necessary change in musical arrangement for one performer ten minutes before the show began. But it worked! And we rocked Kitchener.

Oh yes.

My favourite quotations of the night:

K-Starr, while Terre Delicieuse was messing around with clips and snaps under her big skirt: "I just need a quick release!"

Me taking the roses out of my hair: "I'm deflowering myself!"

Tonight's our last night. And now I am getting the burlesque plague. You can bet I'm hopping myself up on meds. The show must go on!

Some pictures are up here. More will be posted as we get 'em!

I look a bit crazed here, but this is from my first performance of the night:

Yesterday, I went to a Scientology exhibit on the evils of psychiatry. I learned that Hitler was evil because of psychiatrists, that racism was developed by psychiatrists, and the only thing that separates me from animals is that I can drive. Oh wait! I don't have my license. I guess I'm a critter, too.

I also got followed most of the way home by a would-be rapper who demanded I tell him the trickiest word I know. So I said, "Pentakosiomedimnoi."

He blinked a few times, said it incorrectly a few times, and asked what it meant.

"It means the social class which is rich enough to have 500 barrels of olive oil."

He then rapped me most of the way home, but didn't once mention the word.

My apartment building is falling apart. Kate came by, and the apartment building dial-up thingermabob with all the buzz codes didn't work. One of the washing machines died in mid-wash. My bathroom ceiling is falling in, and frequently rains. Our carpet looks filthy, now matter how often I vacuum it. One of the walls is heavily water damaged, presumably for the same reason that the ceiling is falling in. And maybe this isn't a sign of a falling-apart building, but the stairwell houses a lighter and a bong made from a plastic bottle. Whee.

I can't get over how incredibly talented/skilled the performers are for the upcoming show. I am just so amazed and impressed. I'm also hoping that no one else gets sick. A dreadful flu is going around, and both snowy_kathryn and f00dave fell to it today. I cannot get sick. I'm far too busy. I haven't even been able to get to the gym this week, except to use the studio space yesterday to practice my veil dance. I'm doing two acts, teaching a class tonight, 2 classes tomorrow, and another on Saturday. I will not get sick.

This is me going and popping more vitamin C and zinc. See that?

Link time.

Suspicious Occurrence: Watch out. A dreadful crime has taken place. A man walked up to a woman, then walked away without saying or doing anything. The horror!

Atheists bond during 'de-baptism': "Belief in God symbolically evaporated when more than a hundred atheists were 'de-baptized' with a blow dryer yesterday."

Robert Pattinson: 'I Was Asked to Bite a Baby': I don't know how anyone can honestly be a fan of this movie. And even if they are a fan, wtf, mate?

Ocean motion caught on camera: Whale sharks poo! Here's video proof!

Injured deer stumbles into Ohio vet clinic: No mention on whether or not the deer had insurance.

New Choreographers Contribute to 2009 Belly Dance Superstars Show: I'm glad to see this. Although I think Jillina is a good choreographer, it will be good to get some fresh blood in there. Jillina's choreographies all bear a certain similarity, to me. And Yasmina Ramzy is a phenomenal choreographer.

Ant jaws break speed record, propel insects into air, biologists find: My question is why would an ant choose to fly by flapping its jaws? Just because it can? I suppose I would, just for that reason, if I could.

Most Beautiful Tornado Video Ever: It really is special. A tornado spinning out at sunset, ending like Adam reaching out for the finger of God.

Cape-wearing man arrested after reportedly robbing adult store: I'm not sure what his superhero name is (thanks, Ted).

Monster Mondays - Dumbo Octopus: Cutest, funniest-looking octopus, ever.

Funny times captured on camera: A collection of amusing photos.

Badass of the Week: Hiroo Onoda: I quite like the write-up for the Japanese soldier who refused to back down.

From left to right: me, Kymberley Feltham, Larissa Koniuk, Kate Fraser, Heather Gartshore, Terre Mavix Chartrand, and D. Morton.

You can read the article on us here: Burlesque is Back.

Please let it be known that I do NOT dance in next to nothing (motherf*cking chicken dance notwithstanding. Heh...). And I did not say anything to intimate that belly dancers are strippers or dance nekkid. I think this was the author's attempt at humour, and although I think it's kinda funny, I'm hoping the other belly dancers in the area don't turn me into some sort of pariah because of this. Eep.

Still, it is a cute article.

And in a little while, I'm off to do some shopping for the show. Time to get some lights and such.

Yesterday I ate candy and had a burlesque troupe meeting.



Today I checked out a tattoo studio and came home to relax before another night of dance and burlesque.

I've been busy with burlesquerie. The other night, I hung out with Terre (the troupe director) until 2am hashing out details, and coming up with a map of the next year and a half. Revue Royale, Kitchener's burlesque troupe, has a tentative performance schedule.

The first two events (February and April) are set and booked. After that, the schedule is subject to change:

At the Rum Runner (1 King Street West, Kitchener, ON), 8 pm:

February 13/14: A History of Burlesque
April 24/25: Dancing Fool

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The following events are tentative and subject to change, but we thought you'd love a sneak preview of what may be in store:

May: Mother May I
June: Twins 2 for 1
July: Painted Ladies - Avant Garde Art
August: Unhinged? Circus burlesque shadowplay
September: Strange Brew
November 6/7: Sacrilicious
December: Christmahannukwanzaa Yulede: The Most Inclusive Event of All!
January: Year of the Pussy (Cat)
February: Lubricalia
March: Dungeons and Drag Shows
April: Algebra and Panties
May: Bits, Bytes, and Nibbles
June: Apocalypse Then
July: Fallout - The Bomb Show

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Revue Royale is still looking for talent. If you live in the area and are interested in helping out, let me know! In particular, we could really use comedians and ventriloquists. If you have trained poodles, that would be pretty keen, too! So would contortionists and acrobats. The August event is likely an outdoor one, so we can use more outdoorsy performers, such as fire dancers.

We're also looking for behind-the-scenes people: front of house, promotion, photographers, ticket sales, costume designers, sound and lighting, makeup artists, etc.

We are making this a cross-community endeavour. We work with other events and festivals (such as the recent Cliterature), and help promote other related groups (costume designers, bands, roller derbies, etc.). We scratch your back, you scratch ours. It feels sooo good!