Tuesday Tease: Giving Back

June 11, 2013
By James Ulness

Burlesque performers are a generous lot. In fact, they’ve been known to give others the shirts right off their backs. Ha, ha…drummer, rimshot please!

No, but seriously, they are generous and this is why this week we are highlighting a few of the charity-minded burlesque shows that are out there. This is your chance to go out, see an amazing show, have a good time and contribute to a good cause like cancer research, domestic violence and homeless youth.

Seattle, Washington

Thursday, June 13 | Catch a Falling Star Organizer Morgue Anne had this to say about this upcoming fundraiser: “Around 2am on the morning of April 13th, local burlesque star and songbird extraordinaire Nitara Ashling was hit head on by a drunk driver. In anticipation of her already-piling bills for medical care and legal assistance, some of the best burlesque performers from around Seattle have banded together to throw her the most sparkly fundraiser we possibly can. Yes, the driver will have to pay for his actions, but in the mean time this star needs all the help she can get to shine as bright as we all know she can.”

Saturday, June 15 | Divas Take the Hill Join Team Diva for the third annual Divas Take the Hill Pride Kickoff event and benefit for Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets PSKS. Sip on local libations, savor tasty treats, and enjoy some divalicious performances, all supporting local homeless youth. With prizes, performances, snacks, and sips, be sure to get your tickets to what is bound to be the best Diva event yet.
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Tuesday Tease: We’re Gonna Have a TV Party Tonight!

May 21, 2013
By James Ulness

Since the dawn of time, one question has plagued all of humanity, “Should I go out tonight or just stay home and watch TV?” And finally, after years of study, a solution has been found! Why not do both? And while you’re at it, you can make both going out and staying in unimaginably better by adding burlesque into the mix.

New York, New York

TONIGHT! Tuesday, May 21 | Hotsy Totsy Burlesque STAR TREK tribute Boldly go into the final frontier tonight with Hotsy Totsy Burlesque! Here’s what they got to say about their tribute to the original 1960s series:

“Following on the footsteps of Hotsy Totsy Burlesque’s successful Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Big Lebowski and Star Wars 1978 Holiday Special tribute, Cherry Pitz and Joe the Shark proudly present a burlesque tribute to Star Trek – The Original Series! We are New York’s only episodic, monthly burlesque show featuring a different script each month and a rotating cast. Hotsy Totsy is a high camp soap opera featuring some of the best burlesque talent New York has to offer. Long before nerdy burlesque shows became trendy there was Hotsy Totsy Burlesque!”

Lord knows Captain Kirk was never one to shy away from a pretty face. Here are some of his more memorable moments with some of the universe’s sexiest ladies:

Tonight’s show will feature performances by Apathy Angel, Cherry Pitz, Delirium Tremens, Hazel Honeysuckle, Melody Jane, Ruby Solitaire, Handsome Brad, with go-go dancing by Webster Hall’s Anna Kickarse and kittening by Izébel Vivant!
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Tuesday Tease: Back to School

April 30, 2013
By James Ulness

Summer’s quickly approaching and school will be getting out soon but that doesn’t mean you should stop studying. This is the perfect time to get out and learn something new! Burlesque classes are available all over, year round, for a variety of skill levels and interests.

I recently took a little time to track down and question two graduates of Seattle’s Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque about their experiences and where their burlesque education has taken them.

Carlotta Shakin completed The Art of the Tease, How to Strip for your Lover, and Burlesque 101 just a few weeks ago and had some useful advise for anyone thinking about getting involved with burlesque. “I think everyone should take at least a class or two.” She says, “The burlesque community is so welcoming and accepting and the classes are so empowering.” Although Carlotta doesn’t have any shows scheduled for the near future she is “currently brainstorming ideas for new acts and looking to become more involved in the burlesque world.”

Angelina Allure, who completed Burlesque 101 course in 2011 and will be attending the Academy’s Fan Dancing course next month has a similar recommendation. “DO IT! There are classes that do not require a performance at the end of it, and those are a great way to get your feet wet and start the glitter obsession.” Outside of class, Angelina can be found in the upcoming show Minxes of Middle Earth, presented by Midnight Menagerie Productions, on Thursday, May 9th and Friday, May 10th.

If you would like to jump into the world of glitter and pasties yourself We’ve compiled a list of classes and schools across the country where you can develop and hone your bumping and grinding skills.
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Tuesday Tease: Story Time!

April 9, 2013
By James Ulness

Grab a drink and some snacks, then sit yourself down because it’s time for a story. We have a wide variety of stories for you to choose from today. We’ve got classics, history, mythology and science fiction! And all of it comes with a healthy amount of glitter and sex appeal!

New York, New York

Friday, April 12 | William Shakespeare’s Bardlesque For the first chapter of this saga we present to you Shakespeare in the tune of burlesque. This production was put together as a combination of Miss Mary Cyn’s joint loves of Shakespeare and burlesque. “I just ****ing LOVE Shakespeare” she tells me. “I think it’s really emotionally rich and fun and visceral and sexy, much like burlesque.” And this love has put together a heck of a show. Miss Mary Cyn will share the stage for the evening with Nasty Canasta (2nd Runner Up at the 2010 Miss Exotic World Pageant), Schaffer the Darklord, Rita Menweep, Iris Explosion, Scot Ferra and Michael Villiastrigo, as well as the host for the evening, Peter Aguero.

“Soliloquies will be stripped to, familiar scenes will escalate to new, naked, heights and the bard’s most beloved characters will strut and fret their way into your heart, mind, and chief reproductive organ.”

Seattle, Washington

Wednesday, May 1 and Thursday, May 2 | Indiana Bones and the Lips of Destiny: A Burlesque Adventure! Chapter Two brings us to a story that is a little more contemporary but just as classic. Inspired by a dream and brewed up be the same minds that brought you “The Last Burlesque Show You’ll Ever See,” Indiana Bones is narrative driven show featuring Kutie La Bootie, Lady Drew Blood, Flirty Sanchez, Nikola Tease-la, Blithe Nite, Eva Fairwood and Alexa Perplexa.

“When a fortune teller, with unusual methods, played by Stripped Screw Burlesque‘s Kutie La Bootie, sends Dr. Bones (Kesan Holt) and his sidekick (Sara Dipity) on an adventure to find the Lips of Destiny he encounters such mystical marvels as the Fountain of Youth and the Lost Tomb of Aphrodite. Will Dr. Bones uncover the clues necessary to find the Lips of Destiny? Or will villainess Lady Drew Blood (Stripped Screw Burlesque) succeed in her plan to take down our rugged hero and claim the Lips as her own?”
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Tuesday Tease: Manimals invade Austin!

March 19, 2013
By James Ulness

SXSW is now over and you would think that after the crazieness that is “South By,” the Bat City would be relatively quiet, recovering from the drunken throngs that flood their city every year.

Well, if you thought that, you’d be wrong. Now that the tourists are gone, it’s time for Austinites to settle back into their special brand of weirdness and there’s no better example than a boylesque show happening this Friday at The North Door: Burly Burly 2: MANIMALESQUE – a benefit for Austin Pets Alive!

This evening promises to be that special mixture of strange and amazing that you will not forget any time soon. Presented by Sky Candy Aerial & Circus Arts and hosted by Ralph Hardesty & Mike Graupmann this show will feature aerial burlesque by Sky Candy teachers, as well as numerous amateur and professional burlesque performers, including Ginger Snaps of Black Widow Burlesque.

The producer tells me that she likes to push the envelope when it comes to putting a show together and it would appear the the envelope has been pushed clean off the table with this show. The animal-themed show will present you with much more that the usual bump and grind of a burlesque show. It may even break your brain. I’m very tempted to spill the beans about the details of this show and give you the details that have been passed onto me, but I don’t want to spoil any of what you will feel when you see it with your own eyes.
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Tuesday Tease: Here Comes Festival Season!

March 5, 2013
By James Ulness

Winter is coming to an end and spring is springing up all over the place! The snow is beginning to melt away and be replaced by flowers, which can only mean one thing: festival season is here!

Burlesque conventions are a great way to not only network with fellow performers but also to see some great up-and-coming talent, perhaps see a living legend of burlesque and to witness the top burlesque performers that are touring the convention circuit. You can get a few tips, perhaps pick up some stage gear, and hob-nob with your burlesque idols.

This year, Brown Paper Tickets is ticketing more burlesque conventions and festivals than ever before and the first batch are going on sale already with the PA Burlesque Festival coming up this weekend, quickly followed by BPT newcomers, the Southern Fried Burlesque Fest and The Great Burlesque Exposition in Boston, where Brown Paper Tickets will have a table set up and where we’ll be teaching a class on the Sunday of the conference. If you’re planning on attending the Expo, be sure and come up and say hi!

As we get closer to summer, we’ll feature more festivals but be sure and get your travel plans in order for these incredible festivals and conventions. Just judging by this list, it’s going to be HOT this Spring!
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Tuesday Tease: …And Then Things Got Weird.

February 19, 2013
By James Ulness

Sometimes you want vanilla ice cream, but other times you want chocolate mint with sprinkles, gummy bears and herring ice cream! The same goes for burlesque. Sometimes you want to see a regular, classic strip tease with glitter, feathers and tassels. But then there are the times when you need something more. Sometimes you need Mickey Mouse and accordions along with your strip tease. And today, that’s what you are going to get!

Seattle, Washington

Thursday, February 21 | Al-Stravaganza! If you love accordions, pop culture parodies, burlesque and Weird Al, then we expect to see you at the Rendezvous for a star-studded Al-Stravaganza! San Francisco producer Pickles Kintaro originally staged this show at the Hubba Hubba Revue in 2012, and it delighted audiences so much that she’s taking it on the road to certified geektopias like our own Seattle. Starring Iva Handfull, Scandal from Bohemia, Scarlett O’Hairdye, Bolt Action, Lady Satan, Pickles Kintaro, Odessa Lil, Pearl E. Gates, Lola Martinet and Mistress Marla Spanx.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss_BmTGv43M]

Friday, February 15 to Saturday, February 23 | That’s F*cked Up! It’s time to relieve yourself of the sickly pink residue of Hallmark holidays and drag 2013 into the gutter! Now in its fourth year, That’s F*cked Up! bubbles back to the surface like that stain you just can’t clean. The cast froths with Seattle’s most talented and deranged performance artists to bring you prompt, dependable relief from hackneyed burlesque, drag, and cirque. See things you can’t unsee and won’t see anywhere else! Undo years of therapy in a single evening! Slap yourself and say it with us now, “That’s F*cked Up!”

Tuesday Tease: 3 Hidden Gems for Producers and Ticket Buyers

February 5, 2013
By James Ulness

I’d like to take a few moments to pull back the curtain and expose some of the inner workings of Brown Paper Tickets in order to help ticket buyers and event producers meet up more easily. I spend a lot of time reviewing burlesque shows and there are a ton of great overlooked tools on the site that producers and ticket buyers can use to find shows and sell tickets.

After consulting with several producers about what features of Brown Paper Tickets they use most, I have compiled a list of the top 3 “hidden gems” on Brown Paper Tickets’ site that producer’s and customers can use to sell tickets and find shows. This being Tuesday Tease, I am going to be highlighting features used by burlesque producers but everything listed here will apply to almost every kind of event.
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Tuesday Tease: The New Kids on the Block

January 22, 2013
By James Ulness

Everything at Brown Paper Tickets starts with the Event Producers. Without them there would be no events to ticket so it shouldn’t be any surprise that new producers hold a special place in our hearts. This is why I’d like to take a few moments to recognize the new people who are with us today. These producer’s may not be new to burlesque but they are producing their first (or second) events through Brown Paper Tickets. And we hope to be seeing much more of all of them in the months and years to come.

Norwalk, Connecticut

Wednesday, January 23 | A Beautiful Spectacle 2 Hosted by The FC Beat magazine and The Factory Underground Studios, this annual winter event brings together a Spectacle of arts in a state-of-the-art, 7,000 square-foot,underground studio, sound stage, and exhibition space in Norwalk, Connecticut. UPDATE! This event is now sold out. There may be tickets available at the door.

Seattle, Washington

Friday, January 25 | An Evening at Merlotte’s: Burlesque Inspired by True Blood You are cordially invited to a special night of music, burlesque and vampires with the citizens of Bon Temps! Come to one of two shows, either at 7 pm or 10 pm this Friday at the Highway 99 Blues Club for a celebration of all things “True Blood.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK1D9vGJePc]

Baltimore, Maryland

Friday, January 25 | Twisted Knickers in “Calendar Girls” Be prepared for four seasons of sexiness with tributes to Halloween, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, 4th of July, Mother’s Day, Christmas, Groundhog Day, Dio de Los Muertos, Back to School, Football Season and much much more.
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Tuesday Tease: Time Travel!

January 8, 2013
By James Ulness

Burlesque has a long history and that history continues to unfold and evolve as time goes by. Every pastie and every speck of glitter adds to the rich and detailed story of the art. But we shouldn’t forget that burlesque does not exist in a vacuum. It is, by definition, a reflection of the society that creates it. Burlesque would not exist if it had nothing to satire.

Come with us and visit times long past. And places known only through song and story. Interpreted through the art of stripping.

Portland, Oregon

Friday, January 11 | Bergamot Burlesque featuring Toni Elling Bergamot Burlesque is proud to present an evening of opulent, classic burlesque bringing together a living legend from the golden era of burlesque, Toni Elling aka “The Duke’s Delight” alongside a world renowned cast of elegant performers. The good folks of Bergamot are bringing Portland an entrancing evening hosted by international emcee, Vincent Drambuie. A portion of this year’s profits will be donated to the Burlesque Hall of Fame.

Fresno, California

Friday, January 18 | Burlesque Through the Ages Maverick Burlesque Productions presents “Burlesque Through the Ages.” This show is guaranteed to please! Produced by Fleur Mystique and Bella Felina. Guest emcee Rex T. Impossible from L.A., featured boylesque performer Ron Dez Vous from Hollywood and Fresno’s own lovely ladies of burlesque as well as other variety entertainers.
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