Happy World Burlesque Day! I haven't retired yet, but I have cut back on doing burlesque and drag. This includes blogging about it although I will eventually write the posts that have been in the backburner for a couple of years. Right now there's just other projects that have my focus (on top of getting my mental health sorted out).
I do, however, have a show coming up. It's the only DFW performance in the near future, and it's a festival! I'll be a part of FemmeFest's Gayliens early Saturday showcase at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio in Denton on June 15. The early show starts at 7 PM, but your ticket gets you into both shows of the day. Or you can get a pass for all 4 shows of the weekend. Click here to take advantage of the early bird pricing!
Long time no see! I've been neglecting this blog because I find myself at a sort of crossroads with burlesque and drag. If you've noticed, I haven't had many gigs, in person or virtual. Although the opportunities have definitely decreased, I haven't tried very hard either. At the end of 2023, I was wondering if The Galactic Salon would be my swan song. I created a big number, and the show is the perfect blend of burlesque and poetry, which is something I've put more energy towards. However, I'm not completely ready to say goodbye. I have applied to a couple other shows, but this is my only in-person appearance for now. And it's sold out!
My other note is that as a citizen of the world, I must make clear my support for Palestine. Quite often I wonder what I am doing with working on a new act when genocide is happening and my country is letting it happen. I do try to call my reps whenever I can, and I've donated to charities and an eSIM. I'm not an important artist who would get the chance to go to Israel, but I still signed the Queer Artists for Palestine in show of solidarity (I've also signed a letter for skateboarders). Click here for more info and please keep calling your reps, protesting, donating, whatever you can to resist the normalization of this genocide.
Long time no see! I took some time off because I went to Taiwan and Japan, and both the preparations and the catch-up afterward took some time. I have also been focusing on non-burlesque/drag aspects of life. However, Halloween ushers in a new show!
I am bringing back my virtual vampire act to the Burlesque and Chill Screamtacular. The livestream takes place on October 22 at 9 PM CDT through Zoom. Some performances will happen right there on camera! (Not mine but you can bet I'm gonna be watching in cosplay.) Depending on the ticket you have, there are opportunities for a replay, plus other goodies. Click here to purchase your ticket. Prices start at $12.
I had the amazing opportunity to write for the video game website, Polygon, for their Video Game Fashion Week. My article is about how the outfits in Deus Ex: Human Revolution drew me to the game and how creating an act based on Eliza Cassan gave me great appreciation for the character and the overall themes of Deus Ex (I did play it predecessor in college but didn't consider myself a fan until after developing my act). Click here to read the article.
Thank you Polygon for allowing me to share both my writing and my burlesque and Allan Hayslip for providing performance photos like the one below.
I was incredibly shocked and saddened to hear about singer CoCo Lee's passing. You might know her for "A Love Before Time", the theme to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She became the first Chinese-American performer at the Oscars. She was also the first Chinese singer to have a Billboard hit in the U.S. although her success was mostly in dance music and not mainstream even though she sang in English (in addition to Mandarin and Cantonese). CoCo provided the Mandarin language voice for Mulan and sang Mandarin and English versions of "Reflection".
I used the latter for my "Original Kaylee" act because CoCo could have been the main singer of "Reflection", but Disney went instead with a non-Asian singer (I am glad Lea Salonga sang the movie version but she also was passed up for the single). If you haven't read my previous post about "Original Kaylee", I created the act for Evil League of Ecdysiast's Wronged by Whedon show. I wanted to address the fact that despite being set in a future where American and Chinese cultures are prevalent to where people speak Mandarin phrases, Firefly had zero Asian actors in the main cast. Even worse, Kaylee Frye was intended to be Asian before Joss Whedon decided to cast Jewel Staite. As someone who loved Firefly, I created the act to reclaim the role and address the issue of cultural appropriation that remains present in burlesque and other art forms.
CoCo Lee was the first Asian pop star I encountered. Before her, I knew Lea Salonga sang some Disney songs and James Iha was part of Smashing Pumpkins, which I wasn't a fan of until later in my teens. That was all the representation I saw as a pop-obsessed preteen so discovering not only CoCo but a whole industry of musical artists who looked like me was life-changing. I'm glad Asian pop music is finally getting recognized by mainstream American audiences and that we are seeing more Asian-American stars. CoCo helped break down some of those barriers, and I'm forever grateful.
I'm sharing a video of my performance in Spicy Hotpot Arts' all-AANHPI (Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander) showcase, Slaysian Fusion. There are actually many AANHPI burlesque and variety performers. My showcase, Forbidden City of the South, showed how many are in Texas, but we still get left out of the conversation on representation and diversity sometimes. I was super appreciative that Flux Inqueerior opened their production to performers from all over so I decided to apply and travel out to Georgia when I was cast. The show was an affirming experience, and I hope producers, publications (looking at you Retro Lovely), and fans continue to see the importance of representation.
Thanks to Di' Lovely's work in acknowledging AANHPI achievements in burlesque, I made it into the Burlesque Hall of Fame!
I just want to end by acknowledging CoCo's battle with mental health because it isn't something that gets talked a lot about in Chinese culture. Add to that the pressures of maintaining a positive image as a celebrity, and it can be overwhelming. It's something I've struggled with too. If you're having a hard time, know that there are places to find help. Reaching out is hard, but there are people who will listen and want you around.
Sadly the lab teching is currently taking precedence so I cannot make my in-person debut with Cosplay Burlesque. However, I am still joining their AnimeNEXT show this Friday with two virtual faves. If you're in the New Jersey area, check out the con at the NJ Convention and Exposition Center. The show will be at 11 PM in Hall D.
Since I don't have a flyer, here's a pic from the last con I did, All-con. I was super stoked to finally get photos of my Kyoya Hibari, ten years later version.
Happy Pride month! Even though Texas has passed some awful queerphobic laws (we see the language in SB12 even if it doesn't mention drag), Tony Fo-Hawk going to do his part to rebel with two upcoming appearances.
The first is drag storytime at Carrollton Pride this Saturday. Tony will be reading My First Skateboard by Karl Watson and another book. Security will be present for the whole day so fingers crossed that the kids don't have to be subjected to hateful people. My Mundie self will be participating in the open mic so stick around for the whole day; there will be lots to do without the giant crowds.
The other event is Tony Fo-Hawk's next performance on June 19. It is a fundraiser for the DFW chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and it takes place at Alexandre's in Dallas so it is 18+.
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