A Look Back At 2012 And A Look Forward To The Future

Yes, I know, 2012 isn't over yet, but I've recently discovered I have an awful memory for my achievements, so this entry is as much for me, as it is for you reading it. But I also want to use my retrospective on 2012 to comment on the state of burlesque in Auckland.

This year has seen me perform in Australia more than in New Zealand. In February I went to Melbourne to perform at Red Bennies and The Burlesque Bar (wasn't able to do my shows at the latter unfortunately, due to some dodgy take-away the day before).  I was then back in Australia in May as one of the international headliners for the Perth Burlesque Festival, and performing in Melbourne and Adelaide for the Australian Burlesque Festival in June.  I wrote a diary for 21st Century Burlesque Magazine about both festivals, so won't talk about them here. But if you haven't already, go have a read here:PBF Diary and here:ABF Diary

Venus Starr invited me to Wellington in September to headline Carousel Cabaret and in two weeks time, I'll be back down in the capital to perform at The Burlesque Masquerade Ball on November 3rd. My next show after that will be for a private birthday party in Auckland in December. 

I have only performed for the public in Auckland ONCE this year.  This was for Polly Rae & The Hurly Burly Girlys Show at SKYCITY Theatre on January 21st.  And let's just say, I did that as a favour. So that means, I've done no paid public performances in Auckland in 2012! I have also only performed for ONE private party in Auckland this year!

A huge first did happen in Auckland this year - I got paid to perform in a music video! Music video budgets are always on a shoestring so dancers rarely get paid because the budget is ploughed into production values. So it was nice to be hand picked for the role and to for my time and professionalism to be rewarded. The video was for the very talented Dear Time's Waste and was shot in my favourite Auckland venue, The Las Vegas Strip Club. You can view it here: www.vimeo.com

So why the lack of Auckland performances? Well, there are few producers creating shows in Auckland and I blame this partly on lack of suitable venues.  I am also at the point after 4 years of performing, and being chosen for The Burlesque Hall of Fame, where I won't perform unless I get at least x amount of dollars and, lets just say that a few Auckland producers are paying less than 1/4 of the x amount I expect. Again, I feel this is in part to do with lack of suitable venues, so producers are doing shows in small venues that don't have enough audience members to bring enough money in.  But it's not like my x amount of dollars is that high. In fact, I've reduced it by $100 since last year to reduce the financial pressure for producers. But I'm not reducing it to less than 1/4.

In contrast, the burlesque scene in Wellington is very much alive and kicking, which is no surprise really seeing as Wellington is an arty city and has more venues with stages and a more 'educated' audience who know what burlesque is and want to watch it. I think it also helps that they have a proper community down there who support each other. Auckland isn't as homogeneous. Producers tend to use the same performers and aren't open to giving 'unknowns' a go. This creates shows that are all the same for the audience and thus audience numbers drop off, and it doesn't inspire performers to better their craft or support each other by going to and promoting shows. All these factors lead to stagnation, resentment and the general feeling that it's all a bit too difficult and not worth it. 

With the decline of shows in Auckland has also been a decline in classes and hen parties. Not as many performers are coming to me to do classes because they have no shows to perform in. So I've only taught 1 course this year.  As for hen parties, once I was the only person in the city doing them and was therefore booking 3 per weekend. I'm certainly not alone anymore and have lost a lot of bookings to organisers who are undercutting me by more than half and providing an inferior experience. Unfortunately, the state of people's finances mean that, no matter the quality, they will go for what is cheaper. But again, I refuse to lower my prices, especially because they aren't expensive in the first place. Flo Foxworthy posted something very salient about pricing in her blog recently along the lines of, it's not that I'm expensive, it's just that the others are incredibly cheap. And with these undercutters teaching burlesque when they aren't even burlesque performers and charging so little, it cheapens burlesque and damages its reputation.
 
I feel like I have given up on the Auckland burlesque scene, but this is a result of lack of work as opposed to the catalyst for that lack.  Performing in Melbourne in February was glorious. I was given the opportunity to perform in 4 shows in 48 hours and earn at least $200 (AUS) per act. So why not live there you ask? Well, I've been trying to for the past 6 months but it's not quite as easy as buying a one-way ticket. I'd need at least $5000 to move properly and have some security behind me.  But I'm finding saving that amount of money without a steady income very difficult.


However, not performing or teaching as much burlesque has given me time to focus on something I decided last year I could be quite good at - stand-up comedy. It's been a really interesting experience and one which I thought I'd be nervous about doing, but I really enjoy it. I've done 4 amateur shows so far and have made people laugh at all of them and most importantly, haven't died out there. So I'm confident of doing well in stand-up and I already have an idea for a one person show. I just need to get it out of my head and onto paper. I've also taken up the ukelele properly, setting up The Nudey Ukes, a group of 5 girls performing songs rolled together into medleys that tell little comedic stories. I hope to get us onto the stage early next year. And I've started teaching 60s Go-Go after discovering I have a knack for it whilst in Australia. It's a great way to keep fit and something that has the potential to take-off here seeing as no one else is doing it...yet...

I've figured that stand-up and ukelele are things I can still be doing in my 40s and 50s (I'm not planning on living past 60). Burlesque, however, even if it does keep going around the world, is not something I want to be doing when my face and boobs go southwards. But I do hope I can move to Melbourne soon so I can at least wear out the lovely and expensive props and costumes I've got gathering dust in my wardrobe.

Attitudes Towards Burlesque & Stripping in New Zealand.

For the past year I have been asked a number of times to perform burlesque at private parties or corporate events. It's a request which I completely dread and I groan loudly whenever one lands in my inbox, which may sound strange coming from someone who loves burlesque and needs the money. But basically, I hate that the person making the request doesn't know that burlesque involves stripping, is usually performed solo and an act doesn't usually last more than 6 minutes. I'd forgive their ignorance if it wasn't for the fact that I have photos and footage of my acts on my website from which they have got my contact details.

So once we've got over the fact that it's not a group performance lasting 15 minutes involving costuming and dance “like the Moulin Rouge” or what they do in the movie “Burlesque”, there comes the sticky conversation about how much I am to reveal. From here the micro-managing begins where they decide what they deem to be 'decent' and thus me having to change my act to suit their 'requests'.

Now, I do charge more for these 'requests', and so I should because I have to re-choreograph and play around with costuming, but why I should have to begs the question, why request a burlesque performance at your event? Is it because it's 'cool', the latest buzz word? 'Cool' it may be but if a semi-naked performer is not appropriate for your event, don't book one!

These types of bookings have got me thinking a lot about attitudes towards stripping, specifically in New Zealand. I do find it laughable that revealing pasties and g-string is considered too risque or too sexual. There's more flesh and sex on the television from 8pm than you'll find in most burlesque acts here. And in my opinion, there are examples out there of women dancing suggestively and wearing revealing costumes that have simply been accepted. Most music videos, cheerleaders for rugby games, promo girls at car shows. So I remain puzzled as to why burlesque is deemed too risque.

Upon reflection, all the people who have booked me for events have been women, except one, and guess what, he was more than happy for me to do my thing and not tell me what I could and couldn't take off. Now, I moved to New Zealand in 2004 and I remember my first trip to the beach like it was yesterday. I took my bikini top off, like many women do in Europe when sunbathing at the beach, and I could sense eyes were upon me, and I don't mean they were admiring my chest, they were eyes of condemnation and disbelief. I learned pretty quickly that day that Kiwi women are a bit prudish.

Not only that, but being sexy and feminine isn't as prevalent in Kiwi culture as it is in Europe. It didn't take long to figure that out either. I just looked at what women were wearing when they went out on the weekend or to restaurants or the theatre. I think Kiwi women feel that their male counterparts won't take them seriously or respect them for being 'girly.' Not that it matters why Kiwi women present themselves the way they do. My point is that being sexy and feminine in New Zealand's culture is deemed to be wrong almost or a bad thing or simply, not the thing to do.

I see the effects of this thinking in the burlesque acts by Kiwi performers. In my first couple of shows in Auckland back in 2007, I was the only performer stripping down to pasties. It wasn't until I got Eva Strangelove up from Wellington that I was no longer alone in revealing pasties. And that was one of the primary reasons I got her up to Auckland, because she did go all the way, so to speak, pasties and g-string.

But even after 5 years of the scene growing, the majority of burlesque acts are 'cutesy' and performers have hang ups about revealing their bodies. I'd say the majority of performers don't strip down to g-strings, they end up in frilly pants or granny nickers. I only know of 1 performer in this country who has stripped down to a c-string. Now, I'm not saying that in burlesque you have to strip down to pasties and g-strings, I'm saying that performers here don't seem to be as comfortable about their bodies and displaying them in public as performers do abroad because, undoubtedly, performers abroad reveal more.

Performers abroad are also far more confident, direct and unapologetic about being hot. Acts are less cutesy and more raunchy, sexy, suggestive and, well, HOT. And yes, you can still tease the audience by being direct and sexy. It seems that tease here in New Zealand means being cute and coquettish. And to be clear, I know not all burlesque acts require you to be a sexy siren, but even if you're doing comedy or playing a character, exuding sexiness and confidence is required. Venus Starr is a perfect example of this. Her character is cute when she's hooping but, at the same time, she gives off that vibe of sexiness and just generally being shit hot.

I remember seeing a show in Auckland in January this year where the acts were quite tame and on the cute theme, until a performer took it up a level by pouring chocolate sauce and whip cream over herself and having a good roll around. And I thought – good for you for being unashamedly sexy and suggestive. I also remember when her music started, an audience member blurting out, “Isn't this a stripper's song?”, which I thought was an interesting comment, especially since that person does burlesque too.

Now, I've been hearing a few derogatory comments lately coming from burlesque performers about strippers. I assume performers who say such things are in fact intelligent enough to understand the irony and hypocrisy in dissing stripping and strippers. Although, I have heard from a number of self-professed Dita lovers that they didn't know she was a stripper until I told them, right after their diatribe on strippers and how Dita is the perfect example of class and elegance.

So I can only assume that burlesque performers are negative about strippers because they've been to strip clubs and had a bad experience. And fair enough, I've been to my fair share of clubs in this country and some of the strippers were terrible. But others were very good – skillful pole dancers who looked after themselves so had great bodies, had put thought into what they were wearing and their appearance, and knew how to be entertaining in order to'work' their customers. I've also been to burlesque shows with terrible performers, just saying.

I think criticism of strippers comes from people's perception of the 'sleaze' of strip clubs. And again, fair enough because some clubs are pretty sleazy. But the sleaze element isn't actually in the stripper's control. And I think this is best illustrated by the White House's “No Pussy Touching” policy. It's the men introducing the sleaze by their behaviour. Most strip clubs have a policy of girls not bending over when they're naked, so it's not like the strippers are legs akimbo, inviting their customers to give their pink bits a finger poke.

I remember taking Angie Pontani to the White House and she was horrified about the No Pussy Touching policy because in America, nobody dares touch strippers without permission or they'll get pummeled by the door men, so the idea that Kiwi punters would even think to do it shocked her. So yes, Kiwi strip clubs can be pretty sleazy.

Also I believe the succession of strippers doing and wearing the 'same thing', adds to the sleaze element in people's minds. Unlike in America where there are featured dancers in the club who can perform acts that are more burlesque in style, strippers in Kiwi clubs are restricted to what they can do. Crucially, they aren't in control of their music, they just have to dance to whatever is on. One stripper who also does burlesque told me she did wear her burlesque costumes on stage at work once and noticed that she couldn't land any lap dances. She guessed this was because she looked too 'expensive'. They have to dress a certain way in order to get the customer to spend. So again, the strippers aren't really in control of what goes on in the club. That's all dictated by what the punter wants. Now, if burlesque performers who bitch about strippers could think about these points before opening their mouths, they'll sound less ignorant, bigoted and hypocritical.

I think the fact that burlesque performers feel they have to distance themselves from the 'sleaze' by being negative towards strippers, shows how worried they are of public perception. One thing I did note when asking for burlesque performers who work as strippers to get in contact with their stories, were the amount of people who had stripped once upon a time on the other side of the world, asking me not to tell anybody in fear of people's reactions here. And fair enough, as I described at the beginning of this piece, there are quite a few hurdles in the Kiwi public's attitude towards sex, femininity and body image that burlesque performers have to get over. But there's no need to pass the judgement baton on (hurdles, batons – must be the Olympic Games soon).

And no, I don't have an answer to changing public attitudes so that, for instance, corporate bookers don't micro-manage out the stripping in your burlesque routine. But perhaps recognising and then trying to challenge these perceptions will help. So next time you're at the beach and don't want to have bikini top tan lines, take your top off! If enough people do it, it'll just become accepted.

Thank you to those who shared their stories and ideas with me. Names of people who said or did certain things have been omitted deliberately. Only I know who you are and it shall stay that way.

So don't go asking who said this and who did that.