Tomorrow I am performing burlesque for the first time in nearly 4 years!
I have been a burlesque performer since 2014. I was going through a shitty break-up and a friend convinced me to sign up for a “burlesque boot-camp”. At the end of the 8 weeks of classes for hair, makeup, dance, choreography, etc. all the participants performed an act that they had prepared. The burlesque troupe who put on the boot-camp classes asked me to join their group, and the rest is history. A couple years later, I co-founded RagDoll Review with some of the most amazing folks in the burlesque biz. We did bi-monthly shows and grew as a group. We has some really wonderful talent and entertained the masses in our little town.
When Covid hit, the shows stopped. Everyone was quarantined and all venues closed. AND, of course, I suffered my bilateral VAD and strokes. I honestly never thought I would be able to turn my neck comfortably again, let alone perform.
A couple months ago, Rag Doll’s heart, soul and hostess-with-the-mostess, Gini, contacted the remnants of our troupe to see if we wanted to participate in one last Hoorah for Rag Doll Review before we retire the group. I was so apprehensive, but later accepted. My neck and my overall health have been so great…I mean, I ran 2 full marathons last year, for fuck’s sake! I agreed to one act…and later added another for my own sick inside joke….
The show tomorrow is called “Titties for Kitties”. It is a benefit for the Companion Animal Foundation and all the acts will be cat-themed. I’m performing 2 acts… First act I committed to was dancing to “Kitty” by the Presidents of the United Stated of America. Then, I was feeling so good that I decided to add that second, darkly hilarious act to “My Neck, My Back” by Khia. The latter is the inside joke. I think it’s funny, but also healing to do an act to something so blatantly pointing out the area of my body that tried to kill me almost 3 years ago. I am super anxious, excited and ready to be up on stage again with my glitter-family; shaking it all for an amazing cause, and healing my internal wounds with sex-appeal and comedy.
Don’t wish me luck, just that I pop some pasties!
Some of the dances I’ve performed to since 2014:
- Cocaine by Eric Clapton
- Fooled Around and Fell in Love by Elvin Bishop
- Flava by Tenelle
- Love and Happiness by Al Green
- Use Me by Bill Withers
- Tell me Something Good by Chaka Khan & Rufus
- Doses and Mimosas by Cherub
- Weapon of Choice remixed with Wiggle – FatBoy Slim & Jason Derulo
- Raspberry Beret by Prince
- Smiling Faces Sometimes by The Undisputed Truth
- New Ways to Fail by Sarah Shook & the Disarmers
- The Monkey Song by Firewater
- Tight Rope by Leon Russell
- Side to Side by Ariana Grande
- Wild Horses by Rolling Stones
- Shiny from Moana mixed with 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
- Crazy by Patsy Cline mixed with Pills I Took by Hank III
- St James Infirmary by Devil Makes Three