Welcome, welcome one and all! In this blog you'll find accounts of my thrilling and mysterious life as a burlesque dancer, storyteller and all-round interesting gal.

But shhh! Don't tell that uptight bitch, spookyhandle that you've been talking to me. She thinks associating with the likes of me might hurt her career as a legitimate actress and children's storyteller.

Possibly she's right. But probably, I have a lot more fun.

Title quote by Angela Carter.
Photos by Twilight Images, Baron Mind and George Blair IV.

Well, there was a bit of a miscommunication regarding the venue's availability and the show has been moved from Sunday the 20th to Wednesday the 16th. Not a huge change, but it does mean it's just that much closer and that much more real.

I'm confirming door/show times and ticket prices with the venue right now, but the line-up is basically there. I would have liked one more variety act, but the only other variety performer to respond was the contortionist I was talking to a few months back. And she only wrote to explain she'd be unavailable until the summer, but that she'd still like to perform with us in the future.

In the meantime I'm fighting with Gimp to get a flier made. Or mostly made. I'll have to plug in the afore mentioned information once I hear back from the venue.

My own numbers are not yet fully choreographed, but both have very strong concepts, and with any luck the details will go smoothly.

I've been nagging one of my venue contacts for about a month and a half now, trying to get the aforementioned Carnal Carnival December show off the ground. I emailed him about a week ago (a little less, maybe) letting him know that if he didn't agree to one of my proposed dates soon we'd have to scrap the show entirely.

Then, just yesterday, misseeriesays contacted me, asking if I wanted to produce a show at Xscape this December. Not knowing when I might ever hear back from my other venue, I of course jumped on this opportunity... only to get a return email from my first venue later that day.

As I told my venue contact, producing two shows in one month is a little beyond me at the moment (especially when we throw in personal holiday preparations). I'm hoping to still work with the first venue--perhaps in January--but I must admit to being a bit flabbergasted.

In any case, Carnal Carnival will be performing at the Xscape Lounge (814 W. Grace Street) on Sunday, December 20th. I'll have more details (ticket prices, door times, etc.) in the next week or two, but mark your calenders! It should be an evening of burlesque and variety acts to remember!

Spooky, although starting and running late, was a great success. I'm quite pleased with how my witchy version of Manson's I Put A Spell On You turned out, although I really Do need to get a cork for that one bottle (I managed to accidently knock over exactly one bottle, and naturally it was the only one without a cork). My Bride of Frankenstein Frankenstein Twist went a bit more smoothly but was somewhat lacking in premise. It started out fairly strong, but after the first piece comes off, it's all just a big (lack of) excuse for taking my clothes off. I prefer burlesque with more story and character than that.

I couldn't see all the numbers very clearly from backstage, but what I could see was all very sexy. I do wish I'd been able to see Kiki von Kitsch's premier number better. baronmind can't stop talking about it--he can be a bit hard to please when it comes to burlesque, so I know it must've been amazing if he's this worked up about it.

Now that this show is over I've suddenly realized I have 3 Halloween parties coming up, and no idea what I'm wearing to any of them--I'm guessing a witch or the Bride of Frankenstein will be making an appearance at at least one of them!

Looking forward, past Halloween, I've told Dolli Holiday I'm interested in Go-Go-ing at this year's Hamaganza (a holiday rock show that raises ham and money for the Central Virginia Food Bank), and am trying to get a December show off the ground for Carnal Carnival. It'll be our first full-length show and feature lots of variety acts, as well as dancing girls. It's gonna be the best Christmas ever. ;)

First and foremost, come see Spooky this Sunday at Xscape Lounge! Not only will I be debuting 2 brand new, Halloween-themed numbers, but there will be tricks and treats a-plenty!

( Complete info & flier behind the cut )

Now that I've got that out of the way...

Carnal Carnival is seeking Variety Acts!

We're gearing up for our first full-length show, and therefore our first to include variety acts. It is extremely important to us that our shows are true to burlesque's vaudevillian roots, and include entertainments besides dancing girls. If you juggle, eat fire, perform illusions, spin poi, sing, hammer nails into your own head, or have any other unique talent you would like to share with us, please contact me immediately!

The crowd at Fielden's was a little thin last night, but at about 2:30 Carnal Carnival took the stage and had a fabulous show. I wasn't entirely happy with how my number went, but the only major mess-up went apparently unnoticed, so I can't complain too much.

Zorya Tangier made her burlesque premier with us last night, and was amazing as the circus Strong Woman. And Greta Von Tapp made a very sexy appearance as a big cat tamer/big cat. It was, as mentioned, a fabulous show.

Keep your eyes here, here and here--I have the feeling I'll have another show or two to announce in the very near future.

I can't tell you all how excited I am for Carnal Carnival's very first circus-themed show! We're doing a short set at Fielden's Magnifique--their annual circus-themed event. It's one of a few they do each year which is open to the public. If you've ever been inside Fielden's, you know what an amazing space they have, and I'm sure you fully understand how deeply I'm hoping to parlay this into some full-length shows for Carnal Carnival.

To help me do that, please come out to support us and the event! Doors are at midnight, September 19th, and Fieldens is located at 2033 West Broad St Richmond, VA. For more details, see the flier.

I dragged classytart and baronmind to go see this with me. Since I don't imagine many of you are going to fly to Edinburgh to catch this--or any other--show, I'm going to spoil the hell out of it. You've been warned.

The play begins with Wilhelm getting his panties in a twist because everyone's ruining their fairy tales and giving them happy endings. Jacob tries to calm him down, and Wilhelm storms out to change the face of modern storytelling. And... then he comes back to watch some tele with Jacob. It's not entirely clear why.

Using this as a framework, the bulk of the play is short skits in the form of adverts for imaginary products: a perfume called Greed (the Three Bears lounge about the stage whispering things like, "Greed," and "She's so greedy," while Goldilocks pouts and poses and tells how wonderful Greed is), a shampoo called Love (endorsed by Rapunzel), and most notably Altogether Insurance, the sponsor of the show the Grimms are watching (I'll get to that in a moment).

Altogether Insurance pops up a bit too much, for my tastes. Each commercial is different, but they all play on the same basic premise: The Big Bad Wolf enters, sets a scene of some sort (banana peal on the floor, sign pointing to a false short-cut, etc). Humpty Dumpty enters and gets badly injured. The Wolf re-enters (if he's left) and says, "Are you the victim of an accident that was not your fault? Altogether Insurance. You're in good hooves." It's a funny bit, but there were simply far too many of them.

Occasionally the play would return to Jacob and Wilhelm, bickering about fairy tales, and, in one case having a bit of a scuffle over the remote, that resulted in a few minutes of a Britain's Got Talent parody. The Hansel & Gretel bit was fantastic, but the rest of the parody I could have done without.

The show they were really watching was Oscar Wilde's The Nightingale and the Rose. If you've never read any of Wilde's fairy tales, for shame. This one, for you heathens who haven't read it, is an absolutely beautiful and tragic story about a student in love, who has been promised a dance with the object of his affections, if only he brings her a red rose. The Nightingale overhears him lamenting the lack of red roses in his garden and sets out to find him one. She eventually finds a bush that produces red roses, but the bush has been badly hurt by a storm and will not bloom that year. BUT, if she sings the sweetest, most beautiful song she has ever sung he can grow a rose. BUT it will only be red if, while singing this song, she stains it with her heart's blood.

To stage this, the actress playing the Nightingale and the actor playing the Rose Bush tangoed. And as the tango ramped up in intensity, the Rose Bush delivered bits of narration, largely having to do with the Nightingale pressing herself harder against the thorn and the thorn pushing deeper into her chest. I'm not going to lie. It was sexy. And I was vaguely uncomfortable about the children in the front row.

Overall, the show was really excellent, although, as mentioned above, flawed. I think there's a solid show in there, and with a little bit of tweaking, this could be a really stand-out play.

x-posted to spookyhandle and told_tales

I had an excellent time at MMRF this weekend, getting to know my new friends from first weekend, and making a few brand new ones as well.

Crash and I pulled onto the grounds around 3:00am Saturday morning and promptly decided that attempting to pitch our tent was a terrible, and stupid idea. Instead, we sprawled out as best we could in the car, and got a somewhat fitful four hours of sleep.

I woke up a bit earlier than Crash, so I wandered the site for a short while, before returning to the camping area to find that Crash and a helpful stranger--Stephen, I soon found out--had all but finished pitching the giant tent we were borrowing from friends. I helped with the final stakes and the rain fly, before Crash and I left the site to find some breakfast and caffeine.

The faire itself went reasonably well that day. They had both my shows scheduled immediately following Daniel Greenwolf on the main stage (alternately called the Maine stage, due to its distance from the rest of the faire, located in CT). Crowds were thin up there, due both to the stage's location and the fact that virtually all of the other attractions in that area had been relocated due to weather/flooding/mud concerns. Daniel's a big enough name in the faire circuit that he managed to pull a crowd, so between stragglers from his show and more hawking help from the Penny Dreadfuls, I had a respectably sized (if stingy) audience for my first show.

Crash and I wandered the site for a while with my favorite Steampirates, and eventually I dragged Cap' out to the car so I could give him the cds I'd made. We unfortunately didn't have a lot of time to chat, but did catch The Gypsy Nomads early show together--which only served to deepen my rock love for this man. Okay, maybe not "only" served... It also meant that I found a fantastic new band to listen to.

My afternoon show was somewhat better-received and, in my opinion, better performed. Cap, Whisper, Rapture, and Magda had all bailed for another engagement in Hartford, but Crash and I caught the Gypsy Nomad's later, longer show before seeking out some off-site food (and a real bathroom). Another new friend, Lloyd, had suggested a nearby Italian place, which we hit up and gorged ourselves at, before returning to site for a quick dip in the stream.

I sat up by the fire until about 11:30, talking with Lloyd, Andrew, and a rotating assortment of other fine folks before I had to admit to myself that I was just too sleep deprived, and really needed to get back to the tent and get some rest. Once I got settled in, under my blankets, I was out cold, and never heard Crash come in.

I woke up bright and early the next morning, and spent some time chatting with Lloyd before we--along with Crash and Valerie, headed out to Dunkin' Donuts for a traditional Faire breakfast.

It was a rainy morning, and after breakfast, I sat up at the Main Stage with Daniel and a few other folks discussing the likelihood of getting crowds at the faire, let alone up the muddy road to the where Daniel and I were both set to perform in just a short while. Miraculously, Daniel did have an audience, just a few minutes late for his show. The rain picked up a little, and I suspect that's at least part of the reason I managed to hold onto as large a crowd as I did.

Either way, it was a pretty good show, all things considered. Afterward I hid under my over-sized tophat, and headed back down to hang out with Andrew & Tisha, and take shelter in their vendor tent. While I was there, an official faire spokesperson came by to inform us that the event would be closing early, due to the approaching thunder & lightening.

My final show of the day officially canceled, Crash and I set about loading up the car and breaking down the tent. Naturally, the storm let up, just as we were finishing up with the tent, and long after we had given up on any chance of staying dry. We said our very damp good byes, dried off a bit, changed into dry clothing, and then headed south, toward Stamford and Crash's brother-in-law-to-be's apartment.

Our "quick stop" to dry off and get Crash some dry shoes to drive in, ended up stretching into several hours, and it was nearly 10 by the time we hit the road again. I dozed for a couple of hours, but managed to stay (more or less) awake for the exceptionally late part of the drive, and help Crash stay awake to drive.

We got back to RVA around 5:00 am, and here I am, exhausted (although better rested than poor Crash, who had to make it to her 9-5 today), and already plotting plots so I can hopefully see some of these lovely people again before we all converge in NJ for Wicked Faire.

Last Tuesday night, Dr. Crash and I took a ride down to VA Beach. She'd been there on Sunday with her fiance, and texted me that night that we absolutely had to make it back down there before this weekend.

We wandered the main street for a few minutes before we found the act she'd dragged me out to see: Dextre Tripp and his amazing, gymnast wife. At a distance, Dextre reminded me a bit of Brian Viglione--the same strong, lean build. But up close, when I got a better look at his face, I was instead put in mind of Voltaire--especially when he smiled. Okay, I'll let it sink in for a moment that I've just compared this man to two of the sexiest men making music today... Add to that his absolutely amazing performance featuring ladder balancing, juggling, unicycling, and rope walking. Now tell me that you wouldn't have a bit of a school girl crush!

Crash had spoken with him and his wife (who, I should not let it pass unsaid, is also an amazing and talented performer) on Sunday, and when we approached them after the show, they both greeted her by name. They had another show scheduled to start in just ten minutes, so we spoke only briefly, but exchanged some contact information. To be honest, I suspect they're both a bit out of my league, at the present time, but I'm always a bit giddy to meet such talented variety performers.

____________________________________________________

In unrelated news, Carnal Carnival has a show booked for mid-September. It's another trial-run with yet another club. We're doing a short, circus-themed (glee!) set at their annual circus night. Unlike the Fallout show, this one is strictly members only. If all goes well with this place, we'll be talking about doing a full-length show or 12 with them, and those will be open to the public.

I've already got a bit of a pipe dream about cross-promoting their Circus Night with an annual circus-themed Carnal Carnival show.

____________________________________________________

In yet another piece of entirely unrelated news, early this evening, Dr. Crash and I will begin our trek to Connecticut for the Midsummer Magick Renaissance Faire. I'll be performing Poison Apples & Pretty Witches four times this weekend, each show following a popular magician/comedian. No pressure or anything. Of course, the upside is that, with any luck, I'll be able to hold on to enough of his crowd to make some decent money.

In any case, I've spent the last few days listening to my home-recorded readings of all my stories. It really is the most efficient way for me to prep a show, but I really am sick of the sound of my own voice.

I was very pleased to get out there and support (and shake and shimmy for) Grindhouse Burlesque's premier show at Xscape Lounge. The crowd was smaller than I think, misseeriesays was hoping for, but for a Wednesday night in the middle of summer (when VCU students are sparse), I think we had a pretty good turn out.

There were a few technical issues, which I think probably effected myself and our producer the worst. However, we both did the best we could with what we had. Afterward, Run Around Sue made a point of telling me that I'd handled myself/the situation really well. As she said, when your music fails, your options are to walk off stage or to just keep trucking. The latter is a much stronger choice, and the audience loves you all the more for it. I've been performing in one way or another long enough to know that she's absolutely right about this, but it was still really nice to hear it from someone who's been doing burlesque so much longer than I have.

Despite the technical issues, everyone put on a great show.

Afterward I went out for a drink and quick bite to eat with Sue, Kitty, Skye & Skye's husband. We sat around talking and munching for an hour or two, and generally enjoying one another's company. When Sue mentioned that she wanted to do more writing, and half-joking, I asked if she wanted to write a fairy tale for me--and she said yes! I'm very excited that Miss Run Around Sue might be contributing to my collection.

...

In unrelated news, I'm booked for the closing weekend of Midsummer Magick Faire! I think!

This morning I got an email from the SM/Lady-In-Charge-Of-Variety-Acts saying that she's put me on the schedule for a couple of afternoon shows and of the options I'd suggested for handling my stipend/making me more affordable, they'd prefer option B.

I gave her a quick call to confirm that I was booked. I told her that the last I'd heard from Jeff he was still trying to convince his backers it was worth paying me. Apparently the last she had heard from Jeff was that they'd prefer option B. She'd assumed this meant I was booked. I think she's probably right, but all things considered, she's going to confirm with Jeff and then myself before I spend money on bus tickets or anything similar.

Still, it's very exciting. I wish I had time to concoct a new story for Poison Apples & Pretty Witches, but I'll have to stick with what I already know.

I'd like to have some merchandise available by the time Wicked Faire 5 rolls around, and while I could always get t-shirts or similar printed up, considering the nature of my solo act, what I'd really like to offer is a collection of fairy tales for adults. I'll, of course, be writing a few stories myself, but I don't know how many I have in me that I'd rather write down than tell aloud, and I don't want the book to be simply a text version of my show. So I'm asking you, gentle readers, to contribute to my collection.

This could be anything from a classic tale retold without holding back details on the gore, to full-blown fairy tale erotica. Okay, maybe not the erotica. Maybe. I'd like to keep the book, like my show, closer to an R rating than an X... but I'll read and consider anything I get sent.

If you have a fairy tale/short story that you think might be a good fit, I'd love to see it and hopefully include it in my collection. Unfortunately, I can't afford to pay my contributors in more than credit, adulation, and a copy of the full collection once I get it printed.

Email me at LilithLore at gmail dot com if you have a story for consideration or if you want more information.

(x-posted everywhere)

__________________________________________________________________________

I'm working hard to get myself booked at the closing weekend of the Midsummer Magick Faire. Jeff Mach has expressed an interest in having me perform Poison Apples & Pretty Witches that weekend, but it's a question of finances now. You should all email him and tell him you're only coming if I'm there. It doesn't have to be true, of course, his backers just have to think it is. ;)

Last night I went out with a few of my favorite ladies to see Sweet Tease's new show, Poison Ivy.

Sweet Tease is unique, not just here in Richmond, but in the larger burlesque community as well: they're actually dancers. And I don't say that to belittle myself or any other burlesque dancers out there, but most of us have little-to-no formal dance training. The ladies of Sweet Tease, on the other hand, are each and all trained in modern dance. This is both their gift and their curse.

I say their curse because there were a couple of numbers that were very interesting modern dance pieces, but left me wondering why they had been included in a burlesque show. The strip felt uninspired and out-of-place, and the tease was lacking entirely. Again, judged strictly as dance numbers, very interesting and technically well over my head... it just didn't feel like burlesque. Alternately, there was one piece which I felt could have been done (maybe not the exact choreography, but the song and general concept) at least as well by any number of other burlesque dancers. While that's not normally something that turns me off of a number, when I know the girl on stage is a highly trained dancer, it's something of a let-down.

Those complaints out of the way, most of their numbers made excellent use of burlesque concepts (ie, an excuse/reason for taking off your clothes) and were beautifully executed using their unique skill set. The title piece, Poison Ivy, particularly stands out for me as the perfect blend of these two worlds. The choreography relied heavily on their ability to move and control their bodies in ways most burlesque dancers simply can't, but managed--not only to provide good reasons/opportunities for removing their clothes--but to tell a clear and interesting story. Hell, this piece even managed to be alternately sexy (a must in burlesque) and funny (which I feel is all too often lacking in burlesque).

All in all I had an excellent evening, and would recommend a Sweet Tease show, with that caveat that you should expect something a little different than what you'd find at most burlesque offerings.

I had a fantastic meeting today with Raven Twist, a local contortionist. There was, as expected, much of the standard awkwardness when two strangers meet for the first time, but that passed reasonably quickly, and we had a great talk about her act and the art of contortion, my plans/hopes for Carnal Carnival, and more generally about what Neo-Burlesque is versus what we both feel it should and could be. (She's not a burlesque dancer, but as someone who works along side them, she obviously has thoughts about what works, what doesn't, etc)

The up shot of all this is that we seem to have very similar and complimentary ideas about what kind of show we want to put on/perform in, and pending an audition of some sort (a formality more than anything--I can't honestly imagine turning her away) I think we're going to work very well together.

Bonus: When I left our meeting, I had a voice mail from that venue contact I mentioned earlier. I called him back and got his voice mail, but it looks like I'll be meeting with him sometime Friday morning.

Post this everywhere: ( It's a bit big, so I'll be nice )

From a strictly selfish and vain perspective, I'm not sure if this is the shot I would have chosen. I mean, altogether, it's a great shot, I'm just not in love with the me in it. In fairness this is at least in part because I rock short, spiky hair and I rock super long tresses, but this in between shit is, well... shit. Also, more dramatic eye make-up is clearly in order here.

Honestly, Inspector Gadget has nothing to do with this update, but even in the context of dancing, my mind always fills in "Gadget" after the phrase, "Go Go." This is because I am, and ever shall be, a ridiculous dork.

In any case, I went Go-Go dancing last Saturday night with Damsels in Burlesque. The venue was not quite what I had expected, and the crowd didn't really start showing up until after midnight. This was so much the case, that around 11 or 11:30 they paid us and told us we could go home if we wanted. There was some other event going on that night that had pulled a lot of the bar's regulars away, so it sounds like Kitty's going to try again the next time this DJ is there.

Nonetheless, Kitty, Skye, Dolli and I all stuck it out until 1:00 and had a lot of fun dancing, even if everyone there thought we were wackos. The DJ was playing a lot of great 1960s era music, so when I say Go-Go I mean it in the 1960s, Goldie-Hawn-on-Laugh-In sense, not the un-choreographed-but-in-costume-freestyle sense that it's so often used in the burlesque community.

I got to wear a cute outfit, plaster my face in glitter and dance. That's a good day. Add a little bit of payment on top of that and I've got no complaints.

--Gypsy Rose Lee

A friend of mine wrote of another performer, "[S]he came out completely nude, wearing glitter, stockings, and 2 gloves. She took off one glove with her butt, and the other with her vagoo."

Striptease, people. Strip. Tease. Don't get me wrong. Naked women are lovely. But this isn't a striptease, and it isn't what burlesque is about--or at least not what I feel it should be about. I'm a relative new-comer to the whole Neo-Burlesque scene, so I'm sure there are at least a few people out there who will disagree with me and call me a prude.

I just get frustrated when I hear accounts like this. I love dancing and I love my body and, okay, yeah, I love the attention. But what I really, really love is the theater. What makes a striptease fun to watch is the not-knowing. Not knowing what she'll take off next, whether she'll move that hat/fan/whatever and let you see, and above all not knowing how far she's going to go. I'm sure it sounds terribly cliche, but think about Gypsy Rose Lee, famous for never actually revealing a damn thing. It's the tease that scintillating and titillating.

If all you want is tits and ass, go to a strip club. If all you want to do is show your tits and ass--go to a strip club! Seriously, I'm sure the woman described above could make a bundle of tips with an act like that. But it's crass and it's vulgar and I sure as hell wouldn't put it in a Carnal Carnival show.

Maybe I'm just being a snob, but I feel too many performers/troupes have forgotten about burlesque's vaudevillian routes. It's not about shaking your ass, it's about making them want to see you shake your ass. That's a hugely different thing.

And don't even get me started about the general lack of non-stripping/variety acts in most* burlesque shows.

*Troupes like Richmond Varietease, White Elephant Burlesque Society and Carnal Carnival being what I consider the exceptions that prove the rule.

--Le Disko by Shiny Toy Guns

Burlesque Night at Fallout was a smashing success!

My first experience producing/directing was a little bit stressful, but entirely worth it. My emcee-ing absolutely needs some work, but primarily my issue there was nerves. Once I've done this a few more times I think that will get a lot smoother.

Deanna Danger, the performer who went on a bit before us was amazing, and hopefully will be contacting me soon. I'm told that she's a trained ballet dancer, and based on that number I absolutely believe it. Interestingly, she did Bjork's Oh So Quiet, which I will always associate with Femme Fea La Butche (sadly you can't see her awesome facial expressions very well in this video). Deanna's take on the number was very different and also very good, but it's always a little weird to see a song I so strongly associate with one performer danced by someone else entirely.

The crowd went absolutely bat shit over Eerie Twilight. Besides being a regular at Fallout, Miss Eerie's numbers were both absolutely fantastic, and I'm thrilled that Carnal Carnival can call her our own. She claims to have blanked out on her choreography, but you'd never have known it. Both numbers were sexy and lively and--I think I've said--absolutely fantastic.

Bambi Galore, of course, not only put on two stellar numbers, but, was an absolute professional all evening long and as a veteran producer herself really helped calm my nerves simply by being there. In addition to her really fun, clown number, this woman twirled fire tassels. Seriously. She's one of only 8 performers in the world certified to perform this act, and holy crow was it amazing. I can't tell you how sad to be losing her to NYC.

And before I get to my own numbers, let me sing the praises of Carnal Carnival's Head Rigger, Doktor Crash. There were a few communication issues due, no doubt, to trying to hear each other over the club's music, but everything was always where it needed to be when it needed to be there. And really? You can't ask for too much more.

My own numbers I will discuss at length because I am horribly self-absorbed:

This weekend was the third time I've performed Dance While the Sky Crashes Down by Jason Webley (both previous performances with WEBS). The piece was choreographed for Candyland Brothel and requires a "Boy" seated center stage. As it was originally written, the boy doesn't really need to do much but react and let me lead him. However, there's this one bit where I beckon him to stand up and he's supposed to stay seated until I come and get him a bit more forcefully. If you watch the video from that premier performance, you'll note that Brian Viglione does nothing of the sort. So whatever. What I learned there was that I can improv that bit and make it work. The upside of that being that I can do this number with a random volunteer from the audience.

Now I admit that my "random volunteer" was, in fact, my good friend AG. However, contrary to popular rumor she was not a plant and did not know the choreography. I'd been planning on choosing a stranger, but frankly no one else who grabbed my eye seemed very likely to a) be able to support me during that final move or b) be trusted not to grope me more than I was comfortable with. So AG it was, and the number went absurdly smoothly.

The same cannot be said for my second number, Red & Black by Kagero. I don't think the audience knew how badly this piece went for me, and as long as I can say that, I think it's a win. But from my perspective, the number was one costume malfunction after another. I'd made... I don't know what they're called, actually. Basically it's a little belt with fringe or other dangley trim draped from it. The point is to accentuate hip movements, and since I do a lot of my dancing from my hips I've been wanting to incorporate pieces like this for some time. In any case, I made one for this number, out of an absolutely gorgeous beaded trim... and I couldn't get it to stay on; the snap just wouldn't hold. Bambi tied it on for me at one point, but the knot came undone before I was even out on stage, and I gave it up as a lost cause.

The snaps on my faux-bustier also decided not to hold. I'd realized during my run-throughs that this was going to be an issue, but during my rehearsals the snaps stayed together as long as I kept my back straight (or arched). This was not the case Saturday night. I ended up having to hook the bra-section of the bustier, which I can't undo one-handed (I needed my other hand for my fans). During the number I ultimately headed into the audience and got AG to do it for me. She's a fashion (and costume) designer and had hooked it together for me in the first place. I was relieved to see her standing near the front, since I knew she'd figure out what I needed pretty quickly.

The audience didn't know about the missing belt-thingy, and I managed to get the bustier off at the appropriate time anyway, so I think that mostly went unnoticed. Of course, the bit where I failed to entirely untie the bikini bra top I had on... I bet a few people noticed that. I think the number itself is still solid, but I'll definitely need to spend some time retooling the costume before I perform it again.

Despite my own frustrations with Red & Black, I think the evening as a whole was a huge success. We had a decent take in tips* and I think there's a good chance that we'll be invited back to perform again.

*Which is a damned good thing after Doktor Crash and I spent the three days prior creating carnival-themed tip buckets.

Okay. There's just so much going on with me right now, performance-wise (a statement I love being able to make, btw) that I do think some sort of organized system for contacting all my lovelies is called for. I'm sure I'll still blog about shows I'm working on, and whatnot because, frankly, that's a big part of my life right now. But those will be personal accounts, not ads. Okay, you might still get the odd flier as a show approaches, but nothing like the frequent flier-posting I've been doing.

To make a long story short, I've decided to start a mailing list. There would be no set mailing schedule, although I'll try to keep it between 1 and 4 emails a month--preferably closer to 1. Each email would include information about my alter ego, Lilith Lore's performances (both burlesque and storytelling), as well as information about local (RVA) events. If something particularly note-worthy is going on somewhere else, that might get a mention too, but mostly I'd be talking up local shows.

If you think that's a list you'd like to be on, do me a huge favor and either leave me a comment here with your email address (even if you think I already have it) or email me at LilithLore [at] gmail [dot] com.

I'm pleased to say that Carnal Carnival's show at Fallout this month is coming together neatly. The set list is, well, set. My own choreography is done but for a few finishing touches, and my costume is completely assembled.

Sugar Shack South has a show in DC on the evening of the 13th which I may or may not be performing in. It was originally meant to be a full day of Burlesque with an afternoon show as well as the evening show. However, the afternoon show has been cut and now Run Around Sue will be contacting people individually about performing that evening. So we'll see if I get an email or not.

If I can't make that, I may look into attending the American Burlesque and Sideshow Festival which my friend, Dvora kindly pointed me toward. It looks amazing and I almost hope I don't have a performance of my own to conflict with it. Seriously amazing. And a great networking opportunity if i go to the after party.

July is quiet for Carnal Carnival, but our own Miss Eerie Twilight has something in the works for the 22nd, and you can bet I'll be up on stage that night if at all possible. She only JUST sent out an audition announcement, so that's still somewhat tentative, but looks very hopeful.

There's also a chance that I'll be performing Poison Apples & Pretty Witches at a brand new Ren. Faire in CT this July, but I'm still negotiating with the owner.

August, again, is currently quiet for the Carnival, but the White Elephant Burlesque Society is performing at Floating World and I'll be there with them, along with Doktor Crash. if FW ever gets us some damned details I'm sure it'll be an amazing show.