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Tuesday Tease: The Burly Beat!

Music and burlesque are natural bedfellows. I mean, it’s pretty hard to shimmy without some sort of a backbeat right? The neo-burlesque scene has made a concerted effort to take burlesque sounds away from the bump & grind/jazz/r&b/rockabilly soundtrack we tend to associate with classic burlesque, incorporating almost every genre of music imaginable. Now you can see a burlesque show that incorporates hip hop, classic rock, electronica, hell, I’ve even seen burlesque dancers perform to classical music! The sky’s the limit when it comes to a performers chosen soundtrack.

While music is omnipresent at burlesque shows, it’s not always the focus. So, this week, I’ve decided to feature burlesque events where the music is the star. It could be a tribute to a well-known artist or a show built around an original soundtrack, we got it all and these events span many musical genres: classic burlesque striptease tunes, the music of Meat Loaf, the cartoon music of the Animaniacs, hip hop and Celtic punk among others.

Doesn’t matter if you’re on the West Coast, East Coast, the sultry South or the UK, the burly beat goes on. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 15

Hot Patooties: A Burlesque Tribute to Meat Loaf!Brooklyn, New York   Whatever happened to Saturday night? In 1975, with these immortal words, Meat Loaf (née Marvin Lee Aday) made like a bat out of Hell, bursting out of Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s freezer and into the American consciousness. In the almost 4 decades since he has not only sold more than 80 million albums worldwide – he has also collaborated with Cher, been called Robert Paulson, had Michael Bay direct 3 of his music videos, and, in the ultimate sign of a life of sex, drugs and rock & roll, been the subject of both a Behind the Music AND a VH1 biopic. In honor of this, some of New York’s finest burlesque and variety performers have come together to celebrate the man whose voice is synonymous with both losing your virginity and losing the person you lost your virginity to. Victoria Privates and Creamed Stu are thrilled to present Hot Patooties: A Burlesque Tribute to Meat Loaf! Starring Jo Boobs, Darlinda Just Darlinda, Evelyn Vinyl, Apathy Angel, Victoria Privates, Creamed Stu, Scary Ben, Loose Wayne, and Dick Jones. MC’d by the golden throat of burlesque, Broadway Brassy! Stage kitten and go-go by Gemini Blitz.


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Tuesday Tease: This Week in Burlesque!

6646One thing that I love about the modern burlesque scene is that it’s constantly looking for things in popular culture to parody or pay tribute to. I mean, technically, this is what the original definition of burlesque was: “a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.” This week, we have some great events that do just that. We got  a tribute to Saturday morning cartoons happening in Seattle, a Wizard of Oz-themed show set to the music of Pink Floyd in New York and a tribute to Joss Whedon in Baltimore.

Ironically, what we think of as “classic” burlesque, isn’t as much about parody as it is about sensuality and grace. We got tons of shows that feature burlesque of the early to mid 20th century variety as well. There are burlesque classes and festivals happening and even a 6th annversary party for Atlanta’s Syrens of the South! Also, Gotham Burlesque in New York is offering a special discount for this week’s show for our readers.

Basically, this week’s Tuesday Tease is just an opportunity for us to brag about the amazing producer that work with us and highlight some of the amazing burlesque events happening this weekend. I guarantee you’ll find something to get you off the couch and out supporting your local burlesque scene.

Looks like this is going to be one HOT August!
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Tuesday Tease: Cirque-Lesque!

 Poster with Trapeze ArtistOn this date in 1956, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed its very last “Big Tent” show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, signalling the end of an era; all subsequent circus shows would be held in sports arenas. This is significant because it was the end of the golden era of the circus. Once they entered sporting arenas a lot of the magic of the circus disappeared. For those of us that grew up in the 70s and 80s, arenas are we went to see the circus but somehow, sitting on grand stands in a cement box with sticky floors was not the circus that I imagined in my boyhood fantasies and it wasn’t until I was introduced to the cirque-noir movement in the late 90s via Circus Contraption and Bindlestiff Family Cirkus did I start to experience some of the “magic” of the old circus of my boyhood dreams.

Burlesque and circus have always operated in similar universes and many modern burlesque troupes incorporate circus arts into their shows and routines. This week on the Tuesday Tease, I want to highlight shows happening this week that incorporate a little bit of circus into their shows so I’m talking clowns, acrobats, magic and sideshow acts. While the big tents may be gone, we can still re-visit the magic of the magical circus days of yore.


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Tuesday Tease: Teaching the Tease

610-250It’s been a couple months since we featured some of the great burlesque schools we work with. Since many of our readers are burlesque dancers themselves or, at the very least, have an active interest in burlesque, we thought it’d be worthwhile to feature some of the great classes coming up in the next week or two. Even if you have no intention of ever hitting the stage, burlesque classes are a great way to get some exercise, to learn more about the business side of being a burlesque performer, learn some makeup tricks and/or potentially spice things up in the bedroom with your partner.

The three schools featured are amongst the top burlesque schools in the country so if you’re in Seattle, Phoenix, Austin or Minneapolis, why not learn the tease from the best in the business?

Sure it’s hot out, but why not get a little hotter?

Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of BurlesqueSeattle, Washington

Starting Thursday, July 11 I Bump & Grind Summer 8 week session with Ruby Mimosa Seattle’s Academy of Burlesque instructor Ruby Mimosa teaches this fun and foxy workout to learn the basics of the bump & grind, shimmy & shake! This class is designed for all levels and includes a warm-up, steps that are put together in a small combination, and lots of practice!  With fun vintage burlesque music and high-energy instructors!
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Tuesday Tease: Russell Bruner, The King of Burlesque

5388867_origWith so many people walking around with handlebar moustaches and tweed vests, one can easily get annoyed with the current wave of retro-enthusiasm. Bars calling themselves “speakeasies” are popping up everywhere and every 20-something seems to be learning to play the banjo, riding a penny-farthing or waxing poetic about rye whiskey. Surely, this trend will pass and the hipsters will find another by-gone era to emulate, but for hardcore retro-enthusiasts like Russell Bruner, this is more than a trend, it’s a lifestyle!

I first met Russell on a trip to Portland back in October, where I checked out one of his swing dance nights at Kelly’s Olympian. I’d been meeting with burlesque performers that whole weekend and all of them had nothing but great things to say about Russell. When I saw him in action that night at Kelly’s, I could see why. I was blown away by his pleasant demeanour, his style and, most of all, his dance moves.

Russell is the founder of the Portland, Oregon-based production company Swing Time PDX. He started Swing Time “as a project to provide and create more opportunities for swing bands and swing musicians to encourage and help them to provide dance events to the public.” Over the better part of the last decade, he has incorporated more than just swing bands and dancers into the mix. He now hosts circus events, vaudeville shows and, of course, burlesque. All with his decided old-time flair.


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Tuesday Tease: It’s Getting Hot in the Great White North!

mountie_pin_up_by_agatkaaltmodel-d5g98nxThere’s always been plenty of reasons to envy Canada: national health care, low crime rates, cheaper cost of living and a populous that is generally very friendly. But, did you know that Canada also has a thriving burlesque scene?

It makes sense. It gets cold up there in the winter and what better way to get the blood pumping than a hot and steamy burlesque performance? While the majority of our producers are in Seattle’s northern neighbour Vancouver, British Columbia, there are shows all across the great country of Canada.

We thought we’d take the opportunity this week to let you know about some of the great Canadian burlesque that we’re ticketing and encourage any of our Canadian customers to support their local burlesque scene. Doesn’t matter if you’re in BC or Ontario, we got some shimmy and shake for you! Thanks for keeping it sexy Canada.
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Tuesday Tease: Happy 2013 Everyone!

Well, we made it to 2013. The world didn’t end. We survived the holiday season in one piece and we’re looking ahead to a new year and all the possibilities that it holds for each of us. I hope all my friends in the burlesque world are taking some time to relax after all their holiday shows and making plans to make 2013 the best year in burlesque yet. This has been the Tuesday Tease’s inaugural year and it’s been going great. We’ve featured some great troupes, recognized a few legends, attended some amazing events and can’t wait for another glitter-tastic year of burlesque magic.

We’re taking the day off to recover from our own New Years’ festivities but will be back next week with a healthy serving of burly-action for 2013. In the meantime, we give you this. Happy New Year everyone!

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