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Tuesday Tease: Coco Lectric and The Jigglewatts

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This week on the Tuesday Tease we feature Austin, Texas’ premier burlesque troupe The Jigglewatts Burlesque Revue.

Since 2006, the Jigglewatts have kept things hot and steamy in Texas and beyond. Members have headlined shows in New Orleans, Las Vegas, New York, Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Founder Coco Lectric also founded the Austin Academy of Burlesque, is a board member of Burlycon and started the Austin Burlesque Alliance, which gives Austin burlesque performers a forum in which to share ideas and collaborate.

I find producers like Coco so inspiring. Her lack of ego and undying support for her community and art form ensures the survival of burlesque as an art form for years to come. It’s producers like her that help burlesque continue to evolve and flourish.

I see this a lot in the burlesque world: performers attending fellow performers shows and cheering them on, producers staggering their shows so that they’re not competing for audiences and performers sharing their techniques with each other. It’s inspiring and I think other artistic communties should take note. Contrary to the notion that competition encourages quality, I’ve found that, in burlesque’s case anyway, collaboration has been the key to its survival, especially in close-knit communities like Austin, New Orleans or Seattle.

Coco’s been busy preparing for the Jigglewatts first full-troupe tour but she was kind enough to take time out to answer some of my questions and to offer her valuable advice to all you burlesque newbies out there.

Oh, and if you want to help the girls’ fund this tour, of course attend one of their shows but also visit their Kickstarter page. The campaign ends on Saturday, August 17 so you still got time to throw a little cash their way and get some great perks in return.

So, enough from me. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Coco Lectric!
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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: Back to School

indigo+blueSummer’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: Don’t just sit there, GET UP AND DANCE!

The more you know the more there is to learn. Knowledge and experience create a better understanding of the world and its complexities. As you learn, the world unfolds around you displaying infinite detail that you would have never thought possible. So, what better reason than to get up and dance? Sometimes sitting and watching isn’t enough. To really experience something you need to immerse yourself in it, you have to become it.

I think Bruce Lee said it best: “Don’t get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

If you want to appreciate something more you need to learn as much about it as you can. This goes for anything in life but, because this being Tuesday Tease, today we are talking about burlesque and how you can can not only watch but also experience it in a more fulfilling way than you can just sitting in a chair. The first and most important step in learning how to do something is finding someone to teach you. This can be a difficult task, especially with something as specialized as burlesque.

Luckily for you I’ve gone ahead and done all the hard work so you don’t have to. All you need to do now is find a class near you and dive into a world of sequins and glitter!
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A Smörgåsbord of Wintertime Burrr-lesque!

Word on the street here in Seattle is that snow is coming by the end of the weekend. That means it’s going to chilly here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Sounds like the real winter is on its way nationwide so why not get out and enjoy some live entertainment that’s sure to get you a little warm under the collar? I’m talking tassles, glitter, pasties and tasteful titillation. That’s burlesque people… or, keeping with the winter theme, burrrr-lesque!

Here’s a smörgåsbord of bump and grind for all our burlesque fans out there. Get out and get warmed up before the chill hits! You’ll be glad you did.
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