You spin me right round baby right round...

Lately I've been feeling a bout of serious 80's inspiration. Watching Ghostbusters last night was the catalyst. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's start at the beginning.

I have been rather quiet on the blog front for a few weeks as I've been enjoying some down time. Fitting in so much can be very exhausting and it's great to have a rest.

Even so, there's much more to burlesque than gigging. I've had a choice opportunity to re-evaluate a few of my routines, consider a few very exciting new possibilities, rehearse, perfect, meet with the dress maker, contact the prop makers and generally plot and plan like an evil nemesis out of a Bond film.

For the next month and a half my red angel routine is temporarily out of commission while it is revamped. Fear not, with it's sparkly relaunch it will be a knock-out headliner.

Additionally Living Doll and Na Touche Pas! are experiencing a fixer-upper however will still be available for bookings while work is being done.

I've also had time to sketch out some potential new costume designs. As is the case with many performers I have pages and pages of ideas for acts and shows. However I subscribe to the school of thought (and this is a personal preference, not a dig at anyone else) that it's better to invest in props, costumes and time for rehearsals for a few great acts, than to have lists of acts that are thrown together in a minute.

For my own comfort I feel better onstage knowing I've put everything I possibly could into making this one act as great as it could possibly be. Unfortunately this does mean that I end up with many potentially fabulous acts locked away in my head clambering for attention and I wish I could realise them all. So it's very exciting when I'm finally in a position to start looking at plucking one of the wriggly little ideas out of my head and fleshing out the fantasy!

Unfortunately as my circus skills are still limited my fabulous trapeze ideas will have to wait, but I am looking at three different idea from very different era's. I'll keep you posted.

So this weekend....Yesterday morning I went on a photo shoot at two contrasting locations and was very lucky to encounter a genuine 1930's motorcycle called a Red Indian. Photo's should be with me in about a week so keep your eyes on the gallery.

Photo shoots are amazing fun and absolutely exhausting, although I am certainly not complaining. Anyone who needs a vintage model please free to get in touch!

I got back home in time for a quick rehearsal of a Boston version of my Psycho GoGo Wipeout act, and a bit of last minute tassel stitching. A Boston or Sunday School version is a toned down version of an act to make it appropriate for a more 'family' audience or back in the day was what the girls did when they knew the police were in the house.

I was rehearsing my Boston version for a private gig at a partnership wedding that night and simply involved not taking my bra off. However in such a fast paced act a fair bit of extra choreography was required to fill the time, hence the rehearsal.

Ultimately I like this version so much that I'm going to extend Psycho GoGo Wipeout to fit the new choreography in. More bang for your buck!

The wedding gig went brilliantly, the guests were lovely and the grooms looked absolutely radiant with happiness. Anyone who opposes gay marriage must have flies in their brain. Something that can create so much joy should be celebrated, and celebrate they did!

My taxi arrived as I heard the first bars of 'I heard it through the grapevine' and with my pay in my purse I was itching to hit the town. I did of course resist. My night's earnings are my deposit for the dressmaker. Besides which it was unlikely I would find a club playing the kind of music I wanted to hear. If anyone knows of regular club nights in Brighton playing 60's music please tell me! Born Bad and Da Doo Ron Ron are only once a month.

Well that's my weekend. I arrived home to watch Ghostbusters where I triggered on some fabulous 80's inspiration and went to bed far too late after sketching away at some costume designs. The lack of sleep caught up with me this morning when I woke up (with difficulty) at midday. Hmm, half the day gone, but then what are Sundays for if not recovery.

Till next time, keep it glamorous. I for one am going to get out of my dressing gown and into my warm-up gear, work on some choreography then bake a chocolate and beetroot cake. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Ivy Paige and the Chaps

Just a quick little update for you on a very wonderful weekend.

Friday night was the first time I ever went to see Ivy Paige's Scandalous. I tell you that girl is inspirational. It was the first time I'd seen the show advertised down in Brighton so I jumped at the chance to get in an infamous show without the trek up to London. It certainly didn't disappoint.

In fact at one point I think I may have picked my jaw off the floor and was so astonished by the sheer talent and spectacle that I forgot to keep taking pictures (I was trying to get a couple of good pics for the promoter).

I shared my table with Therese la Tease, Baby Bones (when she wasn't busy organising as the promoter of the night), and Emma of Peep toe Magazine, along with a few lovely ladies I was introduced to that night. However as they don't have performance names and I'm not sure if they'd want their names in my blog I'm sure you understand I can't share them. We were even lucky enough to chat with Ivy after the show when she could impart a little performer wisdom.

Ultimately, as I have already come to understand, it comes down to plain, damn hard work and a whole lot of creativity.

Moving swiftly on, my plans to finish making my polka dot dress were foiled as it was already very late by the time I got home and I had a very big day ahead. The Chap Olympics!

I met Infinity Favour on the train up to London on Saturday with one of the lovely ladies who I met at Ivy Paige. Let's call her Princess Shoes for now...she'll know what I mean!

We must have looked a very interesting sight indeed. Three ladies who looked like something out of a period 1940's film complete with picnic basket. I managed to finish my hair on the train, rather impressive considering the lack of mirrors. Although I must say, a train window in a tunnel does make a pretty good substitute.

It was a great trip up as we debated the merit's of bullet bra's and non stretch versus stretch fully fashioned stockings. Lipstick on, hair done, gloves in place and skirts tugged and smoothed we arrived like a whirlwind into London Bridge station and began the underground battle to the gardens. After going the wrong way for a turn and discovering a 'voluptuous underground station' we made it!

What a day! It was the most fun I've had in such a long time. We laughed at the Bounders event where the gentlemen had to approach ladies on the track and say something so caddish as to receive a slap, stuffed ourselves with cupcakes and cherries, promenaded to check out the talent in the tweed jackets and bowler hats, and danced in the rain with cups of tea until it was dark. As far as 'the scene' goes, the Chap Olympics is really one of the events of the year and you can see why.

When we finally left in search of a pub before the journey home, walking out onto Tottenham Court Rd was like walking through a portal into another world. I love the city as much as the next girl but after a day of gentle manners and tea and cake in the gardens it felt overwhelming, loud and garish. The old-fashioned pub with it's stained glass windows and beautiful vintage looking bottles of tonic water was a blessed relief.

Alas, but all good things must come to an end. After such a busy weekend it was nice to spend Sunday drinking milo and planning out the rest of my year and looking over my acts to make improvements while BW worked on his scripts.

In addition to all of this I have come to understand that I don't seem physically capable of writing a little update. Isn't it wonderful to learn new things about oneself?

Finally, I have a few more bookings to update shortly for August and October so keep your eyes on the events page if you want to make any of the great new shows coming up.

Have a lovely week you lovely people.

Tassletastic!

Burlesk was absolutely wonderful! I've only been to Hastings once before and this time I saw a very different side of it. Venuu is tucked down the sweetest little lane of cute stores and relaxed drinking spots.

I arrived after making a mental note to take the train for a day trip along the coast one weekend. I didn't realise how easy it was to travel from Brighton to Hastings and beyond. It was my blessed luck to be doing a prop free act and one without a corset to boot, as it was ticking on past 7pm and the sweltering heat hadn't abated.

Domino and Severine run a burlesque taster class for beginners before the night begins so I tried to find the dressing room inconspicuously but it wasn't to be as a gent out the front had directed me to the first door on the left which led to the tiniest dressing room I've seen. Realising there was no way they could squeeze 10 girls in there I gave Honey Wilde a call. She laughed and explained they were up the back above the bar and gave me a little wave from the window.

This was more like it! Dumping my bag down on one of the chairs I proceeded to pull my costume out and make some last minute alterations of an extra clasp as it had been popping open during rehearsals.

While I stitched Honey and Khandie Kisses were getting made up as they were in the first act and before too long the two of them had me in stitches. Discussing false eyelashes, Khandie mentioned that she had so many in her bathroom cabinet she thought they might turn into one big eyelash and crawl around her apartment. Which wouldn't half make a bad short film!

Before we knew it the girls for the first act were hurried off to the backstage area and as the show rolled on I managed a peek at the acts while I attached pasties, covered myself in body shimmer, backcombed my hair and untangled my tassels (the ones on the dress not on my chest!).

Piratica did a brilliant debut performance to Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend from Moulin Rouge and I'd seen Honey's 'How to Burlesque the British Way' at LBF and it was as hilarious as I remembered. I hadn't seen Khandie's Blitz Belle act, man that girl has energy! I loved the fact that she got down into the audience and all the more incredible considering she wasn't feeling very well. The sign of a true showgirl.

Unfortunately I missed Domino's first act as I was hurrying to do my final touches before interval.

The girls of the second act were warned by the girls of the first act that it was VERY hot backstage, which wasn't what I wanted to hear but at least we were warned.

Waiting backstage I couldn't help but feel a dose of nerves. I had created the Psycho GoGo act for a pulp press launch and we didn't end up using it, going with Na Touche Pas instead. So this was actually to be the first real performance of this act and I felt like a new performer all over again. It's been a very long time since I debuted an act.

I needn't have worried, it all went brilliantly. One of the girls said afterwards that she wished it had gone on longer which is nice!

Throwing on my new 60s shift that I bought last week in London I dashed out to catch Domino's act which was just fantastic, and Sev's inspiring finale on the Burlesque ban in Camden. I'd love to see a licensing officer go a few rounds with her, she'd have them under the point of her stiletto before you can say Burlesk!

After the show I popped upstairs to sort my things out. Due to the heat no-one had opened any of the wine so I uncorked a red and poured myself and one of the girls who'd been helping out (and a budding burlesque contortionist!!) a glass and went down for a mingle and a nose through the Equilibrium stall onstage.

I contemplating spending my earnings from the night on a pair of sailor shorts and then thought better of it but did have a lovely chat with the owner who's other half was an absolute gentleman and helped me down the stairs with my bag and put me in a cab to the station.

I settled in for an uneventful journey back to Brighton but it wasn't to be as three lads jumped on the train about halfway along. You can always tell if people are safe or not and they were harmless enough, although one was exceedingly drunk and very amusing. In any case, listening to his drunken tangents passed the time until I arrived in Brighton and jumped in the first cab home. There is something to be said for performing mid week and that is that no-one is lining up for the taxi's at the station.

Oh the bliss of flopping into bed, exhausted after a long day! Now who says I'm not rock'n'roll...