I'm me. First, last and always. - Loki, Loki: Agent of Asgard by Al Ewing
Weeknight
shows have been difficult for me not just because my lab keeps early hours, but
public transport likes to shut down around midnight. Then I finally got a smart phone and Lyft. Although I try not to make this a habit since
I already need more sleep than what I get, this has opened up a few doors the past couple of months.
If it
weren't for
Lillith Grey, I probably wouldn't have made my bust-out when I
did.
Therefore, I couldn't say no when
she asked me to perform at
Glitterbomb in Denton.
I'd been reluctant to go to that side of the
Metroplex because it's far away and my lungs don't like the smoke.
However, Glitterbomb is a queerlesque show,
and that week's theme happened to be nerdlesque.
On top of that, Lillith really went out of
her way to create a safe space by adding trigger warnings to acts and having a
rule against cultural appropriation.
It
was so refreshing.
 |
Helena Isis, me, and Vylette Pairadox
at Glitterbomb Denton
By Kristoph Kale |
I pitched
my Tuxedo Mask routine to Lillith, and she wound up adding it to the set with
my "Black Glasses" act.
Little
did I know that there was a guy with a Tuxedo Mask shirt right in the front
row.
I actually didn't notice the shirt
until Helena Isis mentioned it to me, but he was very eager to tip me and
cheered the loudest.
Since my hair is short and I wanted to distinguish between the masculine Tuxedo Mask act and the more feminine "Black Glasses", I opted to wear a wig for the latter. The Companion bought a wig for his Hange cosplay that he later decided to not use. It was the perfect length and in a messy but cute style that fit the routine very well.
I didn't
realize how famous "Black Glasses" had gotten.
It's always an honor to meet a performer and
have them connect you with a routine that they enjoyed.
I have to give a huge shout-out to my friend
and newcomer to the scene Vylette Pairadox for being my ride even though she
also had work the next day.
 |
Tuesday Tease
By Arctic Fox Photography
(arcticfoxphotography.com) |
Then it
was Dallas' queerlesque scene's to have a nerdy show.
Sue Ellen's is always a lovely place to
perform at, and I had been wanting to just go to
Tuesday Tease.
I wound up reprising my "Black
Glasses" routine, and the crowd loved it.
I tried to loosen up the choreography so that I could interact with the
audience more and take tips.
Since I did
not want to wear my onesie in the middle of summer, I decided to don a cosplay
for curtain call, and who better else to do than Agent Victoria Hand, the first
lesbian character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (at least in my eyes—they
neither confirmed nor denied it).
Like
Glitterbomb, I had a lovely time celebrating fandom with my fellow LGBTQIA
geeks.
Representation
in assorted media has gotten better, but more can be done.
I'm happy to see the burlesque scene doing
its part.
Queerlesque gave the space for
me to take the leap, and I'm happy to see it get a lot of love and hope to be
more involved.
In turn, it's helping me find
my identity performer by bringing in parts of me that were always present—the
parts that straddle the the gender binary, which have always been the position
where I feel sexiest.
Now they get to be
a bit more glittery.
If you want to see more nerdlesque from yours truly, check out my next show—
A Plumb Askew Revue's Popcorn and Pasties: a Film Strip.
Click here for tickets. You'll want to purchase ahead of time unless you have cash with you the day of the show.
