The week that was.

So you know how I said in my last blog how much I love alcohol. The next day, I just gave up drinking it. And I managed to go for 8 days without it - the longest I've been without a drink for over a year. I'd heard people say how much better they felt not drinking - how much more energy they had, how much more sleep they were getting. What a crock of shite (in my case at least). I have never been so sleepy in my life! I have found it so hard to get on with my daily to do list over the past week. I keep wanting to have a Nana nap.

So this evening, I cracked open a bottle of white and am feeling back to my normal self. Woohoo!  So what else has this last week produced? Well, I have another fab sponsor for my burlesque raffle to be drawn next Friday at La Vida in Las Vegas. It's a vintage hair and makeup makeover by Debonaire Doos (run by my good friend Michelle Parish, aka Ms Tittle Tattle who will be performing on the 29th).

I've also been donated a mask by Masque La Fey worth $100. This means the raffle prize is valued at over $700 and pretty much contains enough costume and props to make a couple of burlesque acts. I'd be seriously happy if I won it. There's only 1 week left to buy raffle tickets, so email me on misschiefevents@googlemail.com - you have to be in it to win it.

One of my regular audience members recommended to me an Ebay site where I could buy the black sequins I've been after. I'm still waiting for them to arrive from Australia, so fingers crossed they are the right ones and I can get on with blinging my costume.  Thanks to all those who've kept an eye out for the illusive sequins. Who'd have thought it'd be so hard to find something so simple and fundamental.

All the table seats for La Vida in Las Vegas sold out on Tuesday of this week. So there are now only 64 GA tickets left. If you are planning on coming to the show and haven't bought tickets, don't leave it til the night to get them as you'll probably miss out.

I also started to consider what I'll be doing after Vegas. The problem with fulfilling dreams is finding the next dream to pursue. And no, going for the Queen title is not on my radar. Absolutely not. I want to be doing something that pays the bills and that I enjoy. I love burlesque but it doesn't provide any sort of security and I'm tired of living hand to mouth. I also see a lot of burlesque producers popping up all over the place and I do not desire to be operating in a saturated market, even if I have the advantage of an excellent reputation as a producer.

Hopefully something will open up in another form of theatre production. But, perhaps I should return to focusing on Vegas and worry about that other life stuff til afterwards.  Happy Easter everyone (meaning have a good long weekend - I'm not religious). I'm about to crack open another bag of Mini Eggs, helping to contribute to my bigg butt.

x

Black Sequins Continued

Hey Guys

Thanks for responding to my query about black sequins. I've found some photos to better describe what I'm after and what I keep coming across.

The above are what I'm after.

But these are the ones I keep coming across. They got that iridescent almost purple/green quality which will look incongruous with the rest of my costume.

It's this brand that seems to be everywhere in Auckland - but you see they got that purple tinge going on:

Has anybody seen the ones in the first photo anywhere???

Thank you Sequin Freaks.

xxx

Sequins & The Media

So I'm slowly working my way through my "To Do List" for Vegas and have left my three most hated tasks til last. But I must get the ball rolling on them, so yesterday, I started my first most hated job - adding sequins to my costume.

I love having sparkly costumes. I just hate the sore back you get from being hunched over adding the sparkly bits, the headache from inhaling glue fumes and/or the sore thumb from sewing tough fabric.  I just find it all a bit tedious. I'm hoping the bling fairy will come save me coz I've still got so much to do!!!

My second most hated thing is getting fit/toned. What can I say - I hate the gym. And I love alcohol. So the chances of my wobbly bottom firming up in 7 weeks are pretty slim. Maybe I should write that one off. I am, afterall, doing an act called Big Butts.

My third hated job is dealing with the media. I thought I'd get a bit of attention for the fundraiser on April 29 through the press (nice bit of free advertising). Plus the fact that my news is big of course. But after the  little f***up in the Sunday Star Times last Sunday (not Miss V's fault, just the incompetency + laziness of modern day journalists), I just can't be bothered. Plus, I'm tired of the NZ media reporting about burlesque as if no one has ever heard of it before. Every time they feature it, it's the same story - goes like this:

Burlesque is an art form with its roots in Vaudeville - often involving satire, until in America it became more risque when they incorporated stripping in the 1920s. 

YAWN FEST PEOPLE! I got a crazy idea - stop patronising the public and report on the actual NZ burlesque scene and add the details of the show you're meant to be featuring and which the producer has sought the press exposure for. You know - ticket details, venue, date. How hard is that???

So lets just say, I can't be bothered with weak ass press or getting fit. So that just leaves me with these damn sequins. If you haven't got anything better to do and love sewing and gluing, please come round my house and rescue me. I got beers in the fridge!

I have been hunting round town for some black cup sequins size 6 and 8, but can only find ones with that iridescent finish which I don't want. I just want the flat black colour. Anyone out in Blog land know where I can get some? Costumers? Sequin freaks?

I got Busty La Belle's contribution to my raffle prize today. She's donated a great selection of stockings and pinup hair accessories. Don't forget, you can buy raffle tickets now by emailing me. It's an awesome prize which I'm very tempted to just keep for myself. Busty's quote on TV tonight that burlesque is - "feminism via showgirl tactics" was bloody gold and about the only informative and interesting thing about that interview.

On that note - good luck to Miss V, Misschiff Minx and Bettsy Rose Lee for Saturday (and to all the other competitors I don't know personally). I got some really good advice about how to deal with competition nerves - visualise yourself winning and tell yourself you're the best. Hope that helps.

xxx

Burlesque Goody Prize Raffle - IT'S HOT!

As promised, here are the details of my awesome burlesque raffle prize to help raise funds to get me to the Burlesque Hall of Fame competition in June.

There's some mouth-watering contents in the prize pack. I'd be one very happy bunny if I won it. Check out what's in it:

- a double pass and t-shirt from Wellington's Carousel Cabaret courtesy of producer, Venus Star.
- a fan dance class with Miss La Vida on Sunday 01 May.
- a 80x160cm ostrich fan, courtesy of Flo Foxworthy costumer.
- several pairs of stockings & some hair accessories courtesy of Miss La Belle
- a pair of pasties, courtesy of Brigette Boop Couture 

Raffle tickets are available now from misschiefevents@googlemail.com, costing $20 each. Or increase your chances of winning by buying 5 tickets for $65. What a bargain! Especially considering its contents are valued over $500.

Whilst the raffle will be drawn on April 29 at La Vida in Las Vegas, you can still enter it even if you can't make it to the show.

Have to say a huge thank you to the sponsors of the raffle for donating the prizes - Flo, Venus, Busty and Brigette - you're the best. Just wish you could all come to Vegas with me! xxx

Money, money, money.

So, in my first post I mentioned that since I received the news that I'd been chosen for BHOF, I've been frantically working on my finances.  Some of you may be asking - why enter a competition that you don't have funds to get to? Well, I have a few answers for that.

Firstly, I am a great believer in carpe diem. I may get run over by a bus tomorrow, so I don't let 'small' things like lack of finances stop me from living life.

Secondly, I have been trying for nearly a year now to get a 'real' job. I figured with my production experience, I'd be good at - corporate events management, ticketing, theatre production, theatre marketing etc. I must have applied for over 50 jobs, all of which I was rejected for.

And thirdly, in all honesty, I didn't expect to be chosen for BHOF. Call me an application addict. I apply for burlesque events around the world every year, pretty much just to see if I'm accepted. I use it as a litmus test of my performance abilities. In 2009 I applied for the London Burlesque Festival, got accepted but didn't have the money to go. In 2010, I applied for the New York Burlesque Festival, got accepted, didn't have the money to go but refused to give up as it was too good an opportunity to turn down.

And yet again, I find myself in the same situation. Lucky I know some amazing people who've come to my aid. I've been overwhelmed by all the offers of help and support. I've got 12 performers and 4 helpers volunteering for my fundraiser, La Vida in Las Vegas on Friday April 29. And have been donated some awesome product from performers and costumers around the country for my grand Burlesque raffle.

More about the raffle later. The fundraiser on April 29 will be held at Las Vegas on K'Rd (apt name). I love this venue because it housed burlesque back in the day. It was established in the 1960s and it wasn't until the mid 70s that full nudity was allowed in clubs in NZ (so the current owner tells me - apparently it is was the Aussies performing the musical Hair in Auckland that paved the way for full nudity becoming law - go figure). 

There'll be over 12 performances for the fundraiser, which is so exciting for me as a producer. In the 3 and a bit years of me doing burlesque in Auckland, I've struggled to get more than 3 local performers for shows, simply because there just weren't more than 3. And now I have more than 12 performers available. I think we now officially have a thriving burlesque scene in New Zealand's largest city.

More info on the fundraiser can be found on www.misschiefevents.co.nz/burlesque-nights
I hope you will all come support if you can. And if not, wait for my next post about the burlesque goodie prize raffle that you can buy tickets for, even if you can't make it to the show. Again, I'm overwhelmed by the support my sponsors have given me, gifting some fabulous prizes that are to die for. But more details on that very soon.

In the meantime, I want to achnowledge the support of the performers giving their time for free on April 29, plus the backstage crew:

Ms Tittle Tattle, Bettsy Rose Lee, Miss V, Misschiff Minx, Ms Rosina Lee, Leggy Luna Lucy, Patti Cakes, Foxie French, Delisha Devine, Cherry Lashes, Sarah Milner, Jacinta Vaughn, Mike Clarkin.

Much Love
x

And So The Nightmares Begin

Yes, I've started to have funny dreams already and the competition is still 7 weeks away. Last night I dreamt I got on the wrong aeroplane, followed by a dream which is a recurring dream I've been having for 15 odd years, stemming from my childhood days of doing dance competitions. In this dream, I turn up to perform as my adult self, only I have to do a dance I did as a child and I have to fit into the costume I wore as a kid.

I don't need a dream analyst to tell me these are anxiety dreams. So I have been thinking about how best to deal with the nerves I'm obviously going to have the day of the competition.  I went to the BHOF (Burlesque Hall of Fame) last year as a spectator and was sitting right at the front. I could see the jelly legs that afflicted a lot of the performers and I saw a few girls who I know are great performers have a bit of a bad day because they were so nervous.

There's obviously a huge amount of pressure to perform well, not just because it's a competition, but because of the people you are performing in front of. I also got the feeling from being in the audience last year that the finalists are under particular scrutiny by those audience members who didn't make the cut for the competition. Nobody said out loud - why was she chosen and not me - but their faces said it all.

So I'm very aware that nerves will be my downfall and I won't perform well unless I keep cool and enjoy myself.  Now I've just got to find a way to not let the situation get the better of me and to just go out on that stage and do my thing.

Suggestions for nerve curtailment are appreciated - Rescue Remedy I've tried before and it didn't work. And alcohol is not an option - it makes me pee and once I've got my costume on, it's not coming off til I get on stage!

MLV x

Hello Blog Space!

It's not like Miss La Vida to talk about herself all that much but have decided I'd like to share with you my journey to the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas in June.

It has been 5 days since I was told I had been accepted to compete in the Best Debut Category at this year's event, and since then, I've been a very busy bunny.

The countdown is under 8 weeks and I've been working on getting the $4000 together I need to get me to Vegas. 

But more about that later. I just wanted to post a quick note to say, hello blogspace, I'm here, and I will be sharing with you all the ups and downs of getting myself to Vegas, and of course, all the inside info on the event itself.

More to come very soon. x