Dollar Dazzlers Picks of the year 2013!

Evening Dazzlers and Dazzler-ettes!

Its been a busy year setting myself up as a performer this year, I've done more this year than I ever thought I would which is amazing and am completely grateful for! Jan 1st there will be some updates here and on my Facebook page, I'm turning over my Swarovski encrusted leaf as this year really has been where I plan to define myself as a performer and next year I plan to own that choice of who Dollar Dazzler is, its exciting as all get out!

Now, as I salivate over the idea of the Turkey and pudding bonanza that is Christmas in a few days, In the spirit of "best of 2013" lists, here are my picks for acts that were performed in 2013 and blew me away!

First off the rank, March to May was the most glamourous time of the year for Aussie Burlesquers as the Miss Burlesque comp was on, and this years winner, The Strawberry Siren, oozed it out of all pores, her classic was stunning and after 4 long years of competing finally got the win she deserved. Here's her classic act in all its glory

Next up it was time for BHoF, for those who don't know that's for the Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend, it's their main fundraiser to keep the museum going, and at the end they crown a new queen for the year, this year was LouLou D'Vil and as usual kept the standard high, however there were two that for me, have really stuck with me, the first is Laurie Hagen, the winner of "Most Innovative" this year, you'll see why below:

The other one that really blew my mind was the duo act that while didn't win, made an impact, and that was Villany Loveless and Ruth Ordare, the work put into this is evident and they should be praised for how visually stunning it was:

Now this one is for certain my act of the year (woo!), shown recently at "Long Form Burlesque" an experiment undertaken by one of my personal faves/heros April O'Peel to get performers to make long entertaining acts like they did in the 40's and 50's. How long? 10 mins long! for some performers thats at least 3 acts right there. I've seen a couple of acts, and they have been amazing, but none as amazing at this as Voracious V and her Queen of Tea(bagging). Perfect use of clever costuming and was seriously stunning. Enjoy!

Unfortunately blogger wont embed it so go here!

I'm leaving it there now, for now, You'll have to wait until next year, I have Burly madness for Fringe and Burly Unplugged in January, and then....who knows what will happen after then? :)

Keep on Dazzling!

DDxxx

Photoshoot Shenanigans with Rosie Button!

Evening Dazzlers and Dazzlerettes!

So while the rain comes down, I thought I would share about my most recent adventure which was a photoshoot with Rosie Button Photography!

I won the photo-shoot which I had actually forgotten I'd entered, so I was really surprised and delighted, especially after seeing the work she had done for a couple of friends of mine, she has a beautiful vintage pin-up style which is quite gorgeous to look at. Rosie's ethos is this:

"Rosie Button is an international vintage, fashion and wedding photographer based in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Rosie's vintage makeovers give everybody the opportunity to be pampered in style, as they travel back in time to another era. Rosie will help bring to life your retro fantasy, be photographed as your favourite vintage movie star, sassy pin-up model or sexy nerd!

Rosie's creative work has been exhibited at the Western Australian Museum, The Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery in Fremantle and the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane."

The  one this I was really impressed with was the studio she uses to take her photos, it felt warm and welcoming and cosy but not cramped, her hair and make-up aficionado Bianca was really nice an charming, and made me look like I had more hair than what I had to spare which is no mean feat!

My original idea was to do something with lingerie and keep it pin-up cute, but I knew that I had to keep it true to me, so it was "nerded up" pinup! I will admit, I was so nervous with how it would go, the idea is not your usual pin up look, but when I showed where I wanted to go with this (and the costume pieces!) Rosie was just as excited about it as I was and it just was absolute magic! Rosie made me feel so relaxed and really helped me with working those "pin-up" poses that I'd had trouble with in the past. I think it's safe to say we were both in fits of giggling after the shoot and that was what was just so great about the whole thing, how fun Rosie made it!

Afterwards, the great part of it was the viewing room where you got to look at your photos up close to some very enjoyable music during a slideshow of the shots! I was very happy with the shots that came out of this, it was really really hard to narrow it down!

Rosie was really nice and has let me tease one photo before I grab the lot which is awesome, its probably one of my most clothed photos too! Haha!  

Please visit her website www.rosiebutton.com to see how much fun you can have!

For now! I'm going to go get ready for tomorrows Burly Unplugged! Come support Dixie Evans week at Lazy Susan's comedy den!

Keep on dazzling!

DD xxx

PIBF: Saturday Shenanigans! Classes Shows and my festival debut!

Happy Sunday Dazzlers and Dazzler-ettes!

I'm back to the blogging world after a busy couple of days and I'm blogging about the busiest day of the festival today for me!

The day started with two amazing classes, firstly with Banbury Cross and her fan dancing class. While a lot of this was the basics, for me it was about learning a new way to use fans and really practicing/experoimenting how I want to play with my fans, it was a real eye-opener for me and it's raised my confidence with the fans now as well. This bodes well for the fans I'm about to start making for myself as well!

Next Session was Perle Noir's dance class and it was quite fantastic! All booty shaking and thrusting (I now feel the need to hip thrust whenever I can into my routines!) and just hitting those "pow!" points that send a crowd wild, I really enjoyed that! I even got to say hi to Lucy Sky Diamond who I met last year during that class!

Then, it was off to tech at the Defector's bar, I hadn't visited the defectors bar before, but it's a gorgeous venue and larger than what I thought it would be, I got a chance to see some of the performers do their tech and it was time to get ready!

Glitters, Garters and Tease was in The Astor Theatre, and while I've seen live bands and the like there, seeing a full show like this, it really is like it was made for it!!! Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the full show as I had to go perform at my part of the festival, but I absolutely was in awe of everyone that I saw!

Favourites for me:

The Showgirls: How could you not love this group of Follies glamour? It was perfect, graceful, glamourous and stunningly beautiful to watch. It was the perfect show opener! Well done you gorgeous things!

MC Dave Callan: One of the best things about Burlesque in my opinion is the comedy, whether on stage or in your act. It's part of what it was all about in it's golden ages, even to it's early Victorian days. Dave brought some amazing quick, witty deliveries and it was awesome, it kept everyone amped for the next act and was a true act in himself as well. Amazing!

Indigo Blue: I love this woman, and I loved this act so so much, it was clever, and turned on it's head just when you thought it was over! Her tassel twirling skills were on full display and it was fantastic! I'm making it my mission to go over to Burlycon to see her next year now!

Dolores Daiquiri: One part of the producers for the Australian Burlesque Festival, Dolores really does know how to put on a classic show, I was enraptured by her grace with a big side of slow, sexy tease dolloped on for good measure! Wonderful!

Sarah Ritchie from Kinetica: I feel so bad that I forgot both names of the Kinetica performers because they really were so amazing to watch! Sarah's fan dance with (quite literally) a twist was seriously a joy to watch. Just when you thought you were going to be safe watching a nice graceful fan dance, out comes the surprise contortion which just made you go "wow! That just happened!".

Now at this point off I trotted to get ready to do my "That Magnificent girl in her Burlesque machine" Steampunk Balloon Pop Tease. I love this act, and I have updated one or two small parts to the costume which for me, made it more relaxing and comfy to perform in! Bonus! Some of my balloons had a small case of stage fright, but I still made them work for their popping! This was my first experience in the festival atmosphere and it was new, exciting, nerve-racking, and at the end of the day, the crowd still loved it as much as I love performing it!


For me, Saturday night ended there, I finally had a wave of exhaustion head on ever and say hi, so it was sleep time until the markets and peep show (amazing by the way!) on Sunday!

So there you have it! The festival was an absolute joy to be a part of again, I can't wait to come back, and I have some great memories and some great stuff to work on for next year!

A special thanks to the organisers, the amazing Mels and their team who took such great care of everyone and really made sure this city shined!

Keep on Dazzling,

DD xxx

PIBF: Dark of the Cabaret show: The theme of the night is Glitter!

Evening Dazzlers and Dazzler-ettes!

Next on my PIBF blog posts, its Friday night, the neo show called "Dark of the Cabaret" Although i think it should have been re-named "glitterbombings for everyone!!!!"

I think there managed to be 2 acts in a row with glitter finales, one including a set of glitter cannons, one with a sand circle, a tequila drenching, lemon squeezings. It was the most amazingly messy night I've ever seen and props to those stage kittens for their hard work!

I'm a fan of neo acts, so I knew I was always going to like tonight, but I was just blown away at just everything the performers put out, it was a level that made me want to be such a better performer, it was inspiring for me and made e want to challenge myself so I can be on that stage next year.

Even though everyone was amazing, I'm making a top 5 of the best performances of the night. Photos

* Clara Cupcakes: Clara took it to a whole new level with a vaudeville-esque act, which used willing men from the audience in a "yard". Clara really has taken spoken word burlesque in her stride after seeing her perform a Barriston sisters act during Perth fringe festival, and it suits her so well, I look forward to seeing her do more like this. Special mention to her cupcake shaped ukelele: it was so cute!

* Sam Williams - Kinetica: He called himself something else on the night, but he really is a showman that guy, he had the crowd going crazy with his antics on stage. Even though the acts were going fantastic, he just amped everyone up even more than what they were, it was a frenzy of excitement! Amazing to watch.

*Ginger Leah Rye: This act I had seen on youtube, but in person and on stage, it was absolutely stellar! Burlesque to a woman reciting Mills and Boons styled Victorian Era love story is completely different to anything I'd seen and the end gag is just an amazing, she came last year as well, and she is so enjoyable to watch!

* Johnny Domino: A main offender in the glitter bombing, but his act was completely perfect in every sense, his work to classic 80's songs manages to amp everyone into nostalgia, to just the amount of glitter he shared with the audience just made it a joy to watch and a bitch to clean out later. Top props to this act.

* TASIA: Holy shit this girl is gorgeous, and her Geisha Assassin is as beautiful and as deadly to watch as her performance itself. She was a favourite from last year as well for me and she is like burlesque salted caramel for me, not your usual sweet and always enjoyable to indulge on.

Coming up! My time in workshops part two and my OWN performance at the after party of glitters, garters and tease!

DD xxx

PIBF: Workshops set 1 and Opening night shennanigans!

Evening Dazzlers and Dazzler-ettes!

Wow! So this weekend has been AMAZING! I have been in awe of the talent and everything I have learnt about me and my performance style and from other people and how awesome other dancers in this industry are. This year surpassed last year on so so many levels for me!

First off: Workshops set number 1. I did Imogen Kelly's and Indigo Blue's classes. Imogen's class was great for a performer, because it just taught you some of those building blocks that make a really good routine no matter what you do, it's those little things that make a routine and help make it more. I really was so happy after that class.

And then it was time for Indigo's class. Indigo is someone who I admire and aspire to be even a little bit like and also want to tassel twirl as good as! That class was an eye opener for me, I learnt so many things and rule number one: Persistence is key when it comes to physics! I am so happy I got to do that class, before dashing off to perform.

I will say now that I actually got to do a private class with Indigo later in the weekend, but I'm keeping that to myself because it was such a special moment for me that is just part of those collection of memories for me *grin*.

 Perle Noir

Now! Opening night! Holy my god amazing! At the Brown Fox in West Perth which is a venue I hadn't been before and I was pleasantly surprised about how gorgeous it is! Perfect for an opening night! Cider also is a specialty for them, which is a love for me, so it was happy times! Those performing in the opening night got to perform with the Oz Big Band and let me tell you, performing with a big band lifts any performance in my mind :)

 Sugar Du Joure

Performers were group performances by the Sugar Blue troupe, Miss Burlesque Australia The Strawberry Siren, Sugar Du Joure, Jacqueline Furey, Simon Coronel, Perle Noir and Banbury Cross.

Performances of the night: All of them, it set the standard for the festival and it was amazing!

 Simon Coronel

 This last one is my absolute fave of Banbury Cross, I am definitely a fan of her style because she's just so much a minxy minx onstage! 

 

Photos are by John Leonard (who is amazing!) and the rest of the album is on the PIBF's facebook page.

Tomorrow, we look at the Dark of the Cabaret show, and that was my fave show out of the lot!

Keep on Dazzling!

DD xxx

Dollar Dazzler's Adventures coming soon!

Happy Sunday Dazzlers and Dazzler-ettes!

I've been checking out the ABF facebok page and I'm getting quietly excited about whats going on this month now! I can't wait to take those classes now, just saying!

So! What have I got happening for the rest of the 6 months? Well, June is probably my most exciting month and I'm entirely looking forward to it!

I already did one photoshoot with Carnies with Candy, and here's just one of the amazing shots with their photographer Candy Goldsmith! The theme was candy, and I chose some strategically placed fairyfloss! I also made me some Zombie fairyfloss, I need to think of a name for my friend though, Bob Flossy maybe? 

June 26th: Classes with Imogen Kelly and Indigo Blue, totally will be blogging about that.
June 27th: Opening night of Perth International Burlesque Festival and My Birthday! Best Birthday Ever!!!
June 28th: 2nd big show of the Festival, will be there with bells on!
June 29th: Worskshop with Perle Noir and possibly Bunbury Cross, The last show of the festival, and I'm performing at the After Party!
June 30th: I will be shopping at the Retro Markets and peeking into the "Peep Shows" they're having!
Expect a massive Blogging spree to celebrate all of this amazing-ness!

July is my quietest month by far, I have no shows, but I'll be helping out in my "civvies" at Burly Unplugged on July 31st.
I am going to try and give a couple of Burlesque history lessons, one on how European Burlesque influenced entertainment in the Wild West (this is a topic I've recently discovered and it's blowing my mind how feisty these women were!) and I really want to put my investigation pasties on and find out what I can about Burlesque in Early Australia and entertainment in the Goldfields era.

August: I have a photoshoot early on in the month which is a work in progress, so it's very hush hush at the moment, however!
August 25th: I'm shooting a pin-up shoot with Rosie Button after winning a competition to do a shoot with her! Expect much nerdiness and blog about the shoot too!
Needless to say, I'll be sewing up a storm as a result!

September, October and November: I'm going to be performing a new routine every single month at Burly Unplugged! Stay tuned! There's 2 Steampunk routines and one very sexy Nerdlesque routine coming your way!

December: Nothing as yet, but stay tuned!

So for now, get excited about this month and all future events coming up!

Keep on Dazzling!

DD xxx

Dazzling Girls never stay still!

Evening Dazzlers and Dazzler-ettes!

Can I just say I love June this year? I am not a winter person at all, but this month like a month long Christmas for all things Burlesque here is Australia this month!

After watching with eyes keen on who won BHoF this year, I was so excited to see LouLou D'Vil won this year! That girl is a stunner, all hail your queen for this year! I was particularly excited to see my big Boylesque crush Ray Gunn winner of the King of Boylesque award this year, he truly is dreamy and very much deserving of the award! Excuse me while I stop drooling for a moment....
ok.....
Done!!!

Now! Tonight starts the Australian Burlesque Festival, with the Baby Bombshells competition! I've gotta say, good luck to all those performers, the rules are you have to have been performing burlesque for less than 2 years, so these really are the future headliners of this business, and its great to give them this kind of platform!

After all the hooting and hollering of ABF, the next anagram of the month is PIBF, which is Perth Burlesque Festival! yay! I'm so excited about this, I am doing Perle Noir, Indigo Blue and Imogen Kelly's workshops which I am stupidly excited about, especially Indigo Blue because my dream is to go to Burlycon in Seattle one year which she created/runs, its one of the most amazing ideas I've ever seen and I just want to be a part of it and contribute! I'm still considering going to Banbury Cross' fan dancing class, if anyone can tell me what its like I'd love to know!

Now don't forget I'm performing at the official After Party on Saturday night after Glitters, Garters and Tease! $5 to see me shake it!!!!

Also!!! The night before PIBF starts, 26th June, if you want a lead up to some of Perth's new talent, Burly Unplugged is going to be on the night before, now I probably won't be there unless it's right at the end, but seriously, if you're visiting from out of town, go to the show, see those treading the stage for the first time and hoop and holler for them!

You can find details and (whatever remaining) tickets for the Australia Burlesque Festival here.
Check out and buy tickets for Perth Burlesque Fest here and the details for the After Party here.
Burly Unplugged's page is here, check out the event for June here.

Keep on Dazzling! I've gotta re-shine my sequins now!

DD xxx

Exciting news!

Evening Dazzlers and Dazzler-ettes!

So! Best exciting news! I'm going to be performing as part of this years Perth International Burlesque Festival! Hooray!

I'm going to be part of the After Party show of the Saturday night show on the 29th of June! $5 entry! I'm going to be bringing out my Steampunk pop tease for you all to enjoy!

I'm also currently working on my next costume, involving some pretty spectacular modifying of a green zentai suit for a Star Wars routine in May! It's at Burly Unplugged at the Brisbane!

You can find info and buy tickets for The PIBF at: http://www.perthburlesquefestival.com/
Burly Unplugged is on the last Wednesday of every month, their Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/BurlyUnplugged?fref=ts

Keep on Dazzling!

DD xxx

Steampunk Reading: Etiquette & Espionage & The Steampunk's guide to Sex!

Evening Dazzlers & Dazzler-ettes!

So I managed to sit down and engorge myself on some light reading material. Both books were not huge, but one was Fiction and the other was Non-Fiction, one was for adults, and the other is one you can obsess over with your child.

I'm going to start with the Fiction one, it's a Young Adult novel, but don't be fooled by that. Etiquette & Espionage is By Gail Carriger, who also wrote my favourite novel series "The Parasol Protectorate" which is a very adult series compared to this. The wonderful thing about this series is that it is all set in the same universe as her first series, and if you haven't read The Parasol Protectorate series, you should after this just so you can have a giggle at how those characters show up in this series.

The series is set in the 1850's and Sophronia Temminnick is a 14 year old girl with no interest in being refined, girly or anything lady-like, and her curtsy is atrocious. With her mother desperate for her to be a lady at her older sister's coming out ball, she allows a strange visitor to the home take her to "Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality". What no one realizes is that this is a different type of "Finishing" school, where they are taught to infiltrate society and become the best spies for the greater good of England.

As someone who did go to boarding school, I sorely wished this could have been my boarding school somedays! Gail has brought an amazing group of sidekick characters that compliment the main action and Sophronia's espionage into why the "Picklemen" are coming after the school. Again, the plot works in canon with Gail's first series, and I had some very big "Penny drop" moments after reading this as to some things mentioned in that. I particularly love her best friend Dimity, and her brother who is sent to the boys school, an Evil Genius Prep school.

The world is fleshed out beautifully, and I am really looking forward to the next book coming out in November this year (I have already pre-ordered!) called "Curtsies & Conspiracies". This book is like a small sweet treat, satisfying, indulgent and doesn't feel like a guilty pleasure. It is for children aged 12 and onwards, so if you have younger family members inclined towards science fiction, this is perfect. 

Now! Onto more Adult pursuits in the non-fiction variety: The Steampunk's guide to Sex!

This was produced as part of a kickstarter, and I bought into (I am a big fan of the kickstarter/crowdfunding idea) so I could download a copy of it to read. I was definitely given an amazing education on Victorian smut peddling and smuggling which was definitely eye-opening in such a good way. There was a good mix of modern Steampunk discussion about sex including a guide on how to make your own Steampunk and Steampowered sex toys and an essay by a Steampunk porn star Lady Clankington which I really liked.     

The only things I will say kinda disappointed me was that the vignettes of information could have been longer, I could have read 1000 more pages on each of the subjects readily. I will also echo what another reviewer said and that the essay on Polygamy may have been misplaced in the book and was already information I had been educated on about the topic before and was not necessarily fitting into the main line of the book, but I can see why it was put into the book at the same time.

With that, its time for me to wind down the bunsen burner, and leave you to explore these books. Both of these books are available on Amazon.

DDxxx 

Miss Burlesque WA fortnight: So much Frisky-ness!

Evening Dazzlers and Dazzler-ettes! So the one thing that has been taking up nearly an entire year for me is over! And it has been the most amazing roller coaster ride most definitely!

My test for me was that I had to get through a heat of 7 amazing women performing two of my routines in order to get through to the finals. I had to do my Classic, but I got to choose to do either my neo or my unique. That was a no-brainer, I did my Steampunk showgirl. But first, we all got to look fab in the gown parade!

  

l-r: Vivian Marlowe, Rose Noir, Scarlet O'Harlot, Lulu Liquer, Lottie Last Chance, Me! and Petra Dish.

The three of us on the right, we literally started together in our first beginners Burlesque dance class at Sugar Blue Burlesque together, we're all so grown up and sexy now! *nostalgia hit*

 

And of course, me strutting my stuff:

   

Johnny Domino got to do a farewell act as this years King of Boylesque for WA and then it was on like Donkey Kong in the classics!

Everyone was super sexy during their routines, lots of gowns being flung and lots of fringing being shimmyed! And that was just the first act!

I was really happy with how my classic act went, and it went down a treat with the crowd, which is always good! Here's just one pic before the final reveal:

Brief intermission and in we go to the next round! It really felt like the night flew by backstage!

I finally got to introduce The Steampunk Showgirl in all her glory! The routine went off really well, the tassels twirled perfectly, my costume didn't badly malfunction, but I did have problems with it unfortunately.

Here's a shot of the costume and me dancing it all away!

So unfortunately, as many would be aware now, I didn't get through to the final, but I am so grateful for everything that happened and I would do it all again in a heartbeat! I got so much support from the crowd and people who came up and said "you were awesome!" that really meant more to me than you'd think.

That being said, I won't compete next year, so I can keep on working on ideas, teachers and my dancing and be ready for the following year!

So Scarlet O'Harlot, Lulu Liquer, Petra Dish and Vivien Marlowe got through to the finals! Hooray!

Now onto the review of the finals!

There's no pics yet except of the winners, so I'll put that up at the end!

Everyone's classics I found amazing, so many of them were just glamourous on another level that was beautiful to watch!

Favourites were Ruby Slippers looking in the mirror routine, Lola Cherry Cola's and Agatha Frisky's glamourous striptease,  and Vivian Marlowe's Pearl dance.

Neo took it to a whole 'nother level with everyone having a really strong Neo routine and I enjoyed every single one in some way (but I just love Neo routines so I'm biased!) 

Favourites for me: Petra Dish's Evolution of the burlesque babe, Sugar DuJore's Dishwasher routine (and my act of the night for sure!), Vivian Marlowe's Tiki girl routine and Vivien Veil's Sexy Dinosaur!

Everyone was so good that they had 7 unique routines instead of five! I gotta say, all of them had such a difference from each other and I could have easily watched a show of all of those together again and again and again....you get the idea!

Favourites for me were: Petra Dish's Weird Science (Always been a fave since I first watched it!), Agatha Frisky's Blindfolded Fan dance (seriously, she takes fan dancing to a different place in such a good way), and Sugar DuJores Sexy Walrus!

In the end though, there was only a top three remaining, the best for the year and they were:

3rd: Vivian Marlowe

2nd: Petra Dish

and 1st: Agatha Frisky!!!

Left: Agatha Frisky, our winner this year of Miss Burlesque WA and right, Miss Burlesque Perth, Petra Dish!

Congratulations to all who competed in the  competition this year, I think we all did amazingly, and the West really knows how to show 'em how it's done! And thank you especially to Mel Bruyer for making this happen. She's going to be producing the Miss Burlesque UK competition too, so if you're reading this in the UK and looking at competing in the comp in the UK, or even going to go watch it over there, you are going to be WELL looked after!

Coming up soon: Work on my routine for May, I've read a few Steampunk books recently that I'm going to give you a review for, and I'm going to delve more into my research of Victorian and Edwardian Era dancing.

Keep on Dazzling!

DD xxx

What's Dollar Dazzler up to?

Hello Dazzlers and Dazzler-ettes!

The next few months are a busy one for me! I'm stripping anywhere and everywhere! Come see me dazzle the crowd on these dates!

March 6th: Burlesque @ the Brass Monkey

March 9th and 16th: Miss Burlesque heat and Miss Burlesque final (if I don't get into the final, I'll be there cheering on my girls!)

April 24th: Stage Kittening for Burly Unplugged.

May 29th: Debuting a Brand New Routine at Burly Unplugged!

June: Watch this space.....

Keep on Dazzling!

DD xxx

Miss Burlesque Mood Board and Inspirations!

Evening Dazzlers and Dazzler-ettes,

While being struck down with sickness and in between my rhinestoning I've managed to put together a mood board of my routines and gown, while there's still a lot of the element of surprise still don't worry, I still want to share my choices and give an education to those going to their first Miss Burlesque!


First off:

So the first time everyone sees you on stage is in "The Gown" I think this shows off your personality as who you are as a performer for the first time on stage for those who haven't seen Burlesque before, and re-establishing how you want to be remembered as for your fans. Part of me wanted to go 1950's, but when that dress didn't quite work out as planned, I went for something a little closer to my idea of who I am as a performer.

From late Edwardian (1900's) to the 1930's the designs of dress really started to change into a more column-like form, and the beading designs and occasional pleating at the front reflected that look, while the dresses above are more your 1920's to 1930's, the Edwardians also had some very non-bustled looked coming through which helped along the column look we associate now with the 20's. I would have enjoyed going for the Victoriana kit-out, however for me I very much enjoy shaping dresses to my contours! The 5th picture of the form fitting 1940's dress, is definitely a testament to that "curvaceous" look I like and will be embracing in my gown style. The hint/inspiration for my gown?:

 

1900's dress from the met museum

Next, the first routine we perform, the "Classic":

 

The classic routine is based on the "Golden Era" of Burlesque, something I haven't yet touched on this blog as I'm still looking at Dance Styles of pre-1920's, but the Golden Era was considered 1920-1960 when the acts got raunchier and yet also more stylized than those put on by their Victorian Sisters!

In terms of this Era, I've definitely gone 1950's with my performance, and going with a "Hitchiker" theme thanks to the song from the "Las Vegas Grind" music Volumes "Exit 6" by the Jaguars. This was a song in the end of the 1950's (1959 in fact) that girls actually did strip to, so it makes perfect sense to do the right thing by this song and keep on stripping to it! The hitchiker theme came from the second photo, which is a favourite of mine by Laura Bynes of Mosh for Pinupgirlclothing.com. She looks so glamourous in the middle of the desert, this juxtaposition of remaining glam in a bad situation for me it works as an idea to build on! Of course the look for costuming is all vintage, making my costume using patterns from a vintage wiggle dress slightly modified for body type and lingerie.

Next is the "Neo" Routine:

I think this very much explains itself. This part of the competition is everything post 1960 onwards, especially geared towards the 1990's onward revivalist movement or "Neo-Burlesque" as the term was coined. If it wasn't for those wonderful ladies we wouldn't have Miss Burlesque at this time as it is, quite possibly not at all yet. A lot of the Neo Movement is also in the Parody and the story which adds to what the performer is trying to say, the art is there for a lot of Neo performers and I can say I'm more in the Neo camp than the Classic camp, despite using very classic dancing in a lot of my performances.

Carmen Sandiego is almost a parody in a computer game, especially of spies/jewel thieves and other than Commander Keen and Pinball, this was the computer game of my childhood, we even had "Where in SPACE is Carmen Sandiego?". I love facts and information collecting, and I loved spies thanks to watching dad's James Bond movies even as a child. While I'm not going into the routine, I can tell you now, I have the red trench and the red hat, you wont BELIEVE whats under it though!

Never seen it before? Well click on the youtube video to obtain an education!

 

And now, the Final Act, The "Unique":

  

The "Unique" act is a very important act and also one that if you make it to the finals, you have a 50/50 shot of performing, it shows probably the most of who you are as a performer and what makes you unique in a sea of beautiful women wearing even more beautiful pasties! 

"The Steampunk showgirl" is a routine that is very close to my heart, it's my biggest and most sparkliest, you all have seen some pictures of the outer costume but there's been some enhancements since my photo shoot in November! Steampunk is a genre that gets a lot of love like Burlesque, and is also one that is very free and open to interpretation within a certain boundry as well, similar to how Burlesque is sometimes too. Either way, the inspirations of the Victorian Burlesque beginnings are there in the routine, which I am passionate about, and that's the biggest thing really having that passion when you're out there dancing and it's the biggest thing for me as a performer. Of course, it also has a special homage to Millie De Leon, the first woman who raunched up the Burlesque stage!

I hope you all enjoy yourselves when you come along!
You can buy tickets to the March 9th heat (which I start in) and the March 16th final Here!
You can also find out more information about the competition and the competitors at:
http://missburlesqueinternational.com/
**Please note as of publishing the website is down until Monday 4th Feb**
And also the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/missburlesqueaus

Keep on Dazzling!

DD xxx