Friday, July 28, 2017

Upcoming show: Texas Queerlesque Festival 2017

Hey, I'm back!  I didn't mean to disappear, but I went on vacation and had the time to rethink how I wanted to do this blog.  Rather than recapping events, I want to write about different subjects and how they affect my art.  Naturally you'll still hear about my experiences with various shows, and I will return to look back at some of the more unique ones from back in the fall.  However, I want to get to the good stuff about my struggles with body image, the importance of queer and POC representation, and the intersection of fandom with burlesque... just to name a few.

I already have a lot to say not just from previous ideas, but also a recent series of Tweets by #NotMyPresident .  I'm going to wait because I sliced my thumb in lab a couple of days ago, which put a roadblock in preparations for the Texas Queerlesque Festival, and because my TXQF act has become a statement about gender norms through a military video game character.

In the meantime, please check out this article which features Mad Max Morrison, whom I met at the festival last year: "Transgender service members in Texas react to Trump's military ban".  He's performing this Saturday while I'll be in the Friday show.  I hope y'all can join us!  Click here for tickets to the shows and unicorn school.


Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Upcoming shows: Tuesday Tease and Dallas Burlesque Festival

I promise I'll make a real post eventually.  It's been just super hectic with an event every weekend this month, and I wasn't even at All-con that long.  Thank you to everyone who came out to my panels!  Now it's back to performing.

Tonight Tony Fo-Hawk and I will be at Tuesday Tease.  Show starts at 10 PM.



Then I'm back at the Dallas Burlesque Festival after making my debut 3 years ago!  I'll be in the Friday early show which starts at 8 PM (doors at 7 PM).  Click here for tickets.


Friday, March 17, 2017

All-con 2017 panel schedule

Extra extra!  I'll be appearing at All-con this weekend.  Due to work and DBF approaching, I won't have too much downtime, but you can catch me at my panels.

By Neither Noir
Friday
- 6 PM: Nerdlesque

Saturday
- 1 PM: Ignorance in Fandom: Dangerous Situations
- 6 PM: History of Burlesque

 Sunday
- 2 PM: Nerdlesque
- 3 PM: Ignorance in Fandom: Media Representation

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Upcoming shows and film debut

My hectic month for lab work, burlesque, and conventions has started.  As a result, I've pushed back posts again, but Bazuka Joe is starting his #NoseToTheRhinestone challenge this Monday and hopefully that I will make me rearrange my schedule better so that I'm not falling further behind.

If you get a chance, please come to Viva Dallas Burlesque tonight.  I know Dita is also in town, but I bet her show doesn't have so much fabulous nerdlesque.  Not that there's anything wrong with classic but we like to have an alternative for people who want more geekiness in their burlesque.



Then on Friday, I make my return to Denton AND my short film debut with Tim Stevens Films.  I will performing with some musicians and a belly dance before the premiere of his short film, The House Beyond the Hill.  Catch my little role.  Performances start at 9:30 PM.


Thursday, February 23, 2017

Upcoming shows: Glitterbomb and Tuesday Tease

I'm getting ready to kick off a very busy month (plus a week).  I'm working on a new post too.  It's a very personal one, another Body Acceptance entry, so instead of rushing, I'm giving it some more time.  In the meantime, catch me at these two very exciting shows.



Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Show news

Bad news first: unfortunately Nerds in Technicolor has been cancelled.  There are tentative plans to reschedule for the fall.  In the meantime, Fort Worth will have to wait before it gets to see Hana Li.

Good news: you can catch me behind the scenes tonight as I bring you a queer love-themed Tuesday Tease!  We're exploring love in all its form, and we have a little game too.  So come be my Valentine at this show!


As a special treat today, check out some photos from my shoot with Madison Hurley Photography.  I'll be uploading more on my Facebook so be sure to follow my page.  Make-up by Violet D'Vine, hair by Rosa Lee Bloom.



Sunday, February 5, 2017

Tribute to a fallen queen


Glitterbomb: It's Called Pride Motherfuckers
Photo by Maddy Waltz

We only got to share the stage once.  Tragedy brought us together.  The show was Glitterbomb's response to the Pulse shooting.  She was assisting one of her drag sisters, Christina DeLeon, in a touching tribute to the victims.  The circumstances surrounding that night led to more performers than usual backstage and a greater storm of emotions than usual nerves and frantic excitement.  As a result, I never got to talk to her.

However, I noticed her prominence in the Denton drag and burlesque scenes.  It made me think about reaching out to see if she wanted to come over to Dallas for a performance.  I was still planning to ask about her when the Tuesday Tease Team got the news.  Because I didn't know her, I wasn't as hard hit.  Nevertheless I felt great sadness because it hurts to see one's friends in so much pain.  Pulse brought all of us in the LGBTQIAP community together such that a loss in one community is a loss for all of us.

I've been thinking about the missed opportunity, the subsequent what-ifs, and fears of what-next?  I'm still reeling from past tragedies, yet death stops for no one. Let this be a lesson to always embrace your castmates, to get to know performers beyond the stage, and to take a chance on that newbie.  Life is too short for anything else.

 Ivory Dior, know that you are greatly missed and that your memory will be with us always.


Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Upcoming shows: Tuesday Tease and Nerds in Technicolor

I've been helping with the 2017 Texas Queerlesque Festival, and Tony Fo-Hawk wanted to get involved.  Tonight he'll be performing in the Tuesday Tease fundraiser.  All proceeds will be going to festival so please come and out support this show!


I've mentioned Nerds in Technicolor before, but tickets are live now.  Click here to purchase them and check out all the beautiful POC geeks taking over Fort Worth in February!


Tuesday, January 24, 2017

The Producer's Perspective

Max Bialystock: "The two cardinal rules of producing. One: Never put your own money in the show."
Leo Bloom
: "And two?"
Max Bialystock
: "Never put your own money in the show!"
- The Producers

Before I get started, I want to give mad props to my fellow performers who marched this weekend and stood up for rights of ALL women.  I wasn't able to attend the one in Dallas, but I'm fighting in my own ways, one of them being participating in the Legislate This! fundraiser.  As a reminder, it's this Friday and you can get tickets here.  Check out this teaser video of all the performers you'll see.

Now onto our regularly scheduled programming. As I've said before, I never wanted to be a producer.  I knew how much of it was like herding cats, and I've always been more of a loner than a leader.  The idea of curating a show to fit a theme of my choice did appeal to me, but I also knew my tastes differed from what was easily marketable.

Everything changed when I joined the Tuesday Tease Team.  I saw an opportunity to elevate the visibility of both queer and POC performers, especially those with out-of-the-box visions like my own.  It would also let me be more active in the queerlesque community .

Being roommates with college theatre producers helped prepare me of the job at hand.  Lillith Grey and Vivienne Vermuth were great mentors and co-producers to help me get started, and Friskey Business and Tasseled Squirrel offered invaluable support as stage managers.  It's so important to have a crew that you can rely on.

Tuesday Tease: Dawn of the Nerd cast and crew
Photo by Brandy Lynne Photography
Last September was the first show I produced solo, and it was a big one for me.  We had two out-of-town guests, Amber Ray and Rosa Lee Bloom, who were absolutely spectacular.  The theme of classic burlesque and drag allowed me to go back to my roots of learning classic while simultaneously teaching me more about drag.  I had some very new performers in the cast, who did extremely well.  I hoped they took something away from sharing space with veteran performers.

Although my burlesque aspirations are still centered on opportunities to tell a story with my body, I've developed a love of producing.  It's nice to hang back and appreciate the work (because when you're performing, you're focused on delivering for the audience).  We do have to keep both the audience and the cast in mind when developing so I can't have all of my wacky ideas come into fruition, but I've learned how to make it work—like turning an idea for a cultural showcase to a night dedicated to songs in languages other than English.

Tuesday Tease: Tease Around the World cast and crew
Photo by KWN Design
There's been some difficult moments, and I know I could be more assertive and proactive.  Those are opportunities for education and growth though.  Being a producer carries a lot of responsibilities beyond just getting an audience and making your show goes off without a hitch.  You have power away from the stage, and when you are part of a group like the Tuesday Tease Team, you have to remember that you are representing the values of an organization.  It's easier said than done.  Nevertheless, I've come away from all of this a better person in burlesque/drag, in my professional life, and in general.

I've also learned how to stage manage.  In our case, it's not too different from stage kittening; we just are in charge of organizing the set-up and herding the cats.  You can get me in that role at tonight's Tease show.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Upcoming shows: Tuesday Tease and Legislate This!

Tonight is the return of PokGAYmon!  This time, we don't have an election to ruin things.  I may have also persuaded Tony Fo-Hawk to make a guest appearance.  Hope to see you at Sue's!


I also have the pleasure of participating in Legislate This! A Planned Parenthood Fundraiser.  My fellow performers and I have been upset about the recent attacks against women's rights by the current state and new national legislatures.  Having donated before, I'm excited to find another way to raise money to Planned Parenthood.  Click here for tickets.


Monday, January 2, 2017

2016 in photos

Every year, I do recap of some great moments of the year on Tumblr with a picture representing each month.  It was hard hard to pick just one a month because I'm doing more and more.  Now that I've pushed myself to step outside my comfort zone, I think I can work on honing the new skills I learned and be a better performer and producer.  Check out my Tumblr post here: part 1 and part 2.

It's interesting comparing my selection of photos with my Instagram Best Nine of 2016.  It's a little bittersweet because none of my performance pictures made it and my #2 is a show that didn't get to happen.  However, my "Fuck Trump"/"Fuck Pence" selfie made up for the latter.  I do appreciate the variety as well.
Although I resolve to be better about updates, my Instagram (hanaliburlesque) is still the best place to get the latest pictures.

Finally, as I mentioned previously, Tony Fo-Hawk will help kick off a new year of Tuesday Tease tomorrow.  It's a very special show, our first one with an all-POC cast, so please try to come out!