As with any endeavor, networking is a key to success and the way to open doors to new opportunities. Savvy burlesque performers, troupes, entertainers, photographers, and sponsors are constantly looking for new ways to meet people and get the word out about what they’re doing. You should, too! Here are a few tips from some of our burlesque friends, and also from personal experience. See if they work for you.

Facebook
Let’s start with the obvious. The center of the online world for anything burlesque is usually Facebook, since it is by definition social. Facebook is great for building a fanbase and keeping them informed. Getting people to “Like” you is fairly passive, but be careful with how you go about “Friending” artists, performers and such. You don’t want to be a friend collector where you don’t even know the hundreds of people you add. Be selective; don’t spam Facebook; and get to know the people you’re friending. You’re looking to network with real people, so you’ve gotta be real, too!

Sometimes Facebook feels like such a vast sea of people and interest groups. People are often too busy to interact, and it can be a bit impersonal. So what else can you do?

 

Go to Burlesque Events
This is a simple enough thing to do. Seek out your local burlesque community, the performers, the shows, the shops and start meeting people, IN PERSON. :) Become a real burlesque fan and go to shows to support the performers. If you do go, you’ll likely meet other performers and photographers who are in the scene. You never know who you might meet and how you can help become a part of the next event. That’s what we do as Kuhmillion Lingerie. Often times we become burlesque show sponsors and set up a burlesque lingerie booth at the venue. If you’re an aspiring burlesque photographer, you can ask to take photos at a show and, if you’re good, the performers will want to work with you pretty darn quickly.

Local Shops and Hangouts
Let me be clear: I’m not talking about creepy stalking. :) What I mean is that you can go to events or find out where the “cool kids” hang out and go yourself. The burlesque community is usually pretty small and has its favorite places and bartenders. If you’re into burlesque lingerie, visit shops that sell costumes and burlesque style clothing and see if you make a connection with the people who work there. Recently my wife & business partner, Beth, and our friend Rouge Dubonnet were in New Orleans and discovered a very cool shop called Trashy Diva. They left with a new burlesque performer contact, simply because they dropped in to check out the shop, loved it, and chatted with the sales gal. Other things you might try: Find crossover events that have a burlesque aspect to them, like band showcases or street fairs. Also, many burlesque and pinup photographers have gallery openings or other public showings of their work where you can meet the artist and make a connection.

 

Go Beyond Local
Using Facebook and other types of social media is an excellent way to meet burlesque enthusiasts from all over the world, but you can also reach out when you travel, and the connections you make may be richer than those made online. Once people know your face, doors and opportunities can really open up. Visit burlesque shops in other towns; tell them where you’re from and what you’re doing. Go see shows in other cities; write about them and share it with others. People will love you for it!

The main thing to remember when you’re networking in the burlesque community, is to step away from the computer every now and then, and get out there and meet some people. You’ll be amazed at all of the unique, cool and friendly people that you meet out in the world. Making real connections with people, and finding new ways in which you can collaborate and help each other out is the key!

-Patrick 

The Style and Outfits
We use this term a lot to describe burlesque performances and burlesque events that we review. Neo-burlesque refers to the revival of traditional burlesque performance with a newer, more expansive collection of styles and performances. More specifically, the term is an attempt to convey a more modern approach to burlesque with a wider variety of performances extending beyond the classic fan dance, can-can and striptease. The costumes are more contemporary but often mixed with classic burlesque outfit elements such as corsets, garters and ruffle panties, and the performances may range from the classics, to modern ballet and jazz, circus, comedy and even boylesque. More about boylesque in a future post.

 

The Music
Music is another big part of burlesque and the musical selection sets the tone of the whole piece. Classical burlesque from the 19th century was pretty much limited to symphonic music. The neo-burlesque style is so much more eclectic than traditional burlesque and reflects the incredible diversity of musical genres that simply didn’t exist during the original era of burlesque. For a brief history of burlesque, read The Story of Burlesque. The music that performers use for neo-burlesque is drawn from every genre and era. Jazz, show tunes, funk, rock and roll, electronica and yes, even country, are used in neo-burlesque shows all the time.

Burlesque Shows Today
We go to many burlesque shows here in Austin, and inevitably talk about the style of the troupe, individual performers and their performances. Every show has some sort of theme to tie it together, but I would say that they all fall loosely under the banner of neo-burlesque. An entire classic burlesque show is a very rare thing. We might say, for example, that Pearl Lux (The Jigglewatts Burlesque) performed a classic burlesque can-can dance to a symphonic brass piece. Then Ruby Lamb was “so neo-burlesque” when she performed a punk-circus electronica act. Both were in the same neo-burlesque show, but each performance was from different types of burlesque. Even Dita von Tease is considered a neo-burlesque performer, even though she may perform classic burlesque dances.

 

So there you have it. Classic burlesque consists of a much narrower selection of music, choreography and burlesque outfits. Those were simpler times. Neo-burlesque reflects the extreme diversity of modern popular culture, all mixed in with this definitive form of sexy entertainment. It’s exciting to watch the mix up, and some ideas work better than others. But lucky for us, it keeps the artform of burlesque from becoming stale, and allows the artists to continuously explore new ideas.

Enjoy the show!

-Patrick 

Burlesque is not an artform that can survive without an audience. All the work and dedication put into choreography, set design, and burlesque costume design means very little if no one comes to see a show, or interacts with the community. So how can an upcoming troupe market their shows effectively? While the details may vary from area to area, there are some basic marketing techniques that new, or even established burlesque troupes can try:

 

Find a venue with a vested interest in promoting your show: A venue needs marketing just as much as a burlesque troupe does, and not every room with a stage can fill it with exciting events every week. When looking for a venue, don’t just go for the biggest and the best, or even venues with a proven crowd. Look for a venue that needs people in the seats as much as you do, and make sure they’re committed to promoting your show. Two teams working promotion are always better than one. Look for a place that will let you hang posters before the event, hand out flyers outside the door, or sell merch. Also, ask them what their plan is for marketing you. 

Will they list you in an event calendar in local newspapers, or on a website? Will they let patrons know your show is coming up?

Look for the influencers in your community, and work with them: Every target audience has influencers. These are the people who spread the word, and get others enthusiastic about something. You’ll know who your influencers are. They’re the ones who go to every show, and take tons of pictures. They may write a blog, with burlesque reviews, or they might just be very active on Facebook. These are the people who keep a community engaged and interested, so it’s always a good idea to let them know what you’ve got going on. They’ll talk about it, and people will listen.

 

Find out where your audience hangs out, and spread the word: Every culture has a little overlap. For example, it’s not uncommon for the fans of roller derby to be excited about burlesque, even if from an outside glance, booty shorts and fishnets have little to do with burlesque lingerie. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of overlap. There are plenty of subcultures who will respect and appreciate the artistry of burlesque, or even the pinup style of the burlesque look. Make time to find and engage them, and make sure they’re aware of what you’re doing.

Get Social: We could, (and probably will) write a whole article just on how to leverage social media to bring a crowd to your show. It’s hard to overstate the value of being able to reach out directly to fans and interact with them safely. Social media is a huge resource that should be tapped, but at the most basic level, just make sure that you keep the fans updated. Create a calendar of events, and invite people who are interested. Let fans know where you’ll be, when, and where to park. Give them teasers for the show to keep excitement levels high. Most of all, have a base of operations online, where people can find pictures, get in touch with you, learn about your upcoming shows, and book you!

-Rouge Dubonnet
 

An amazing discovery in the world of fashion, garment and lingerie history. Lingerie from the 15th century was recently uncovered under the floorboards of an Austrian castle during renovation. Hundreds of scraps of fabric, including 4 bras and 2 pairs of linen knickers were found. Until now, it was believed that women's knickers came to be in the late 18th century, and the bra was an even more modern garment from the turn of the 20th century.

 

It's not the sexiest stuff around, but it's still amazing! Now where did we leave the Woolite?

We had a great night at The Jigglewatts’ Technicolor Tease show on Friday. The show was at the Beauty Ballroom and brought in a great crowd. M.C. Nicole Lucas was hilarious as usual. She’s a stand up comedienne who really knows how to keep the momentum going and the show running smoothly, even when little unplanned hiccups happen between acts. She’s a very funny gal and worth checking out if you get the chance.

Lots of feathers, tassels and glitter lips, with 17, count ‘em, 17, numbers that made for a memorable three hour show split into three parts. Ruby Joule, Coco Lectric, Goldie Candela and Pearl Lux each had two solo numbers, and Jolie Ampere Goodnight and Ruby Lamb each got to perform three. There were also a few group numbers, with the whole troupe coming together for a crowd-pleasing finale. Here are some highlights from each performer.

Goldie Candela
The ever-so-leggy Goldie Candela opened the show with a really sexy number, wearing a long mermaid inspired green-blue dress. It was a sultry little number set to driving saxaphone music. Her other solo piece was a retro beach pinup style number in which she wore an adorable two-piece swimsuit and playfully threw a beach ball into the crowd. She also did a funny and sexy duet with Pearl Lux that was a nice point-counter point spoof on the conflict between two classic, yet very different, beauties: Marilyn Monroe and Jackie O.



Jolie Ampere Goodnight
Miss Goodnight wowed the crowd as she sang the songbook classic “Summertime” while performing a sexy striptease. She wore a beautiful floor length black dress with sparkly crystals and teal skirt fringe. It seems that song was made for burlesque, and she was made to sing that kind of sultry song. Her second number was also a slow jazz selection, but this time she put down the microphone and focused solely on the dance, getting a little dirtier with a classic bump n’ grind that the crowd loved. Lastly, she belted out "My Daddy Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll)" for her third number, pumping up her tantalizing charm for the suggestive 1920s song.

Coco Lectric
Then of course there is the amazing Coco Lectric. As we’ve mentioned before, she teaches dance classes and never misses a chance to show off her fabulous moves. Her first number seemed to come straight out of a Havana nightclub. Dressed in a gorgeous red dress and set to a Cuban number by Ricky Ricardo, she shimmied her way through the number, transitioned into another song, playfully let her hair down, then ended the number with a dramatic and impressive drop into a full split. This is why people go nuts for Coco Lectric! Her second number was one that I’d seen before, but would love to see again and again: a beautiful ballet fan dance (en pointe!) in which she channels Cleopatra. Coco has the dark, mysterious eyes and the superb skills for such a number. She’s phenomenal.

Ruby Lamb
Now I know that The Jigglewatts have a good amount of neo-burlesque in their repertoire, but I was really unprepared for Ruby Lamb’s first number, and it struck a chord with me. The best way I can describe it was as a futuristic, punk circus act. Half doll, half harlequin, she grooved to an unusual back beat song with an easy robotic motion. I simply love love loved this one and hope to catch it again at another show. Her second solo number was campy and cute, and involved her throwing candy to the audience. Beth described it as “Goldie Hawn meets Bjork,” intending that as a compliment. She also did a quirky little routine to “Hide Behind My Glasses” by Fishbone. Miss Lamb definitely has her own unique style of burlesque dress that we found intriguing.

Pearl Lux
Pearl Lux has got some legs! Actually she’s got everything, and performed two great pieces. One was a straight-up classic can-can dance that she performed dressed in an eye-catching red and black burlesque outfit, complete with magnificently ruffled petticoat, fancy striped stockings and tall feathers in her hair. Just like the classic can-can showgirls of a century ago, miss Lux wowed the crowd with some wonderful high kicks, showing off her amazing dexterity. Her second number opened with her strutting with a parasol to “I love him in the Springtime, And I love him in the Fall, But last night, on the back porch, I love him best of all!” What seemed like a very demure burlesque costume with full skirt and petticoat playfully revealed almost all when she turned around. This fun medley transitioned to a Sinatra tune from the 60s, “Summer Wind,” and was a great number with lovely choreography and costuming.

Ruby Joule
No Jigglewatts show would be complete without “The jewel you’d love to polish”: Ruby Joule. Her first number, a fun Rio de Janeiro-inspired piece, had a great thumping bassline and a disguises theme. She pulled a few funny props out of a suitcase and expertly hammed it up for the crowd with each one before getting serious and sexy in her hot little Carnival costume. The number ended with some serious tassel twirling that went a little further than (even she) anticipated :). But as is to be expected with Ruby, her classiness and effortless poise saved the day. 

Group numbers
Ruby Joule, Coco Lectric, Pearl Lux and Goldie Candela performed a tantalizing tease in which they partially concealed themselves behind a long silk scarf. The song by Gotan Project had a driving, pumping tango-inspired beat that was a perfect fit for this exotic and sexy number. For the finale, the whole troupe pulled together to dance a giggly, girly cabaret routine set to “Bring on the Men” from the musical Jekyll & Hyde. It was a joy to watch and also to listen to, with both Jolie Goodnight and Coco Lectric taking turns singing. It was a great high-energy number to end the show with.

It was a lovely show with all great talent up on stage, and a very good crowd. The Jigglewatts never disappoint and I have to recommend that you go see these gals. The crazy amount of work they must put into their shows remains cleverly hidden away, but I know it takes a lot to do a production like this. Hope to see you at the next Jigglewatts burlesque event.

-Patrick