Our Pineapple Princess Gone Too Soon

As you might have noticed, I got into a funk with my writing.  A couple weeks ago, I was ready to return with a post, ironically, about timing, and then I got the news.  2017 was already filled with tragedy for both me personally and the queerlesque community, and it had to deliver one last blow on the final day.  The beautiful, sparkling Pineapple of Burlesque, Jette Blaque, had died that morning.

Jette was a frequent performer on the Dallas and Denton queerlesque stages.  Her mentor was my teacher for when I got started at the Academy of Queerlesque, and we first crossed paths at during my second solo performance.  We'd see more of each other as the Sue Ellen's stage became a home for us, and I became familiar her shining presence.  She was full of laughter and joy backstage, and on-stage she could deliver so much attitude.

Panty Raid: Bare Necessities - our 2nd show together
Photo by Kevin Huckabee

We also had the pleasure of working for each other.  I loved having Jette for Tuesday Tease—she was a consummate professional yet a total goofball.  During one of the POC Teases, she became instant friends with the queens I had booked, as they went ga-ga over handsome men and quoted Empire.  It was a riot!  She had also booked me for her POC show at Glitterbomb, and I was so honored to be a part of that experience. 

The last time I saw her was when we were performing for our friend Mina Panamour's surprise birthday party.  Jette was not only going to do a cake sit, but she also planned to stick googly eyes on her butt and twerk during intermission.  Since I was going from Hana to Tony, I had to miss that, but the cake sit was epic!

Dirty 30: Mina's birthday show
Contagious Fantasies Photography

In addition to being a lot of fun, Jette was so kind and generous.  She had organized a surprise Christmas gift basket for the Glitterbomb producers and our dear friends, Lillith Grey and Milo Cox.  It was a great idea, and all of us queerlesquers worked hard to find the perfect items to contribute.  Since I had a Shutterfly account, I made a calendar, and Jette's excitement upon receiving it seemed as though she were the intended recipient.  She and I had also made plans for her to come to my place to give me and The Companion haircuts for a great price.  Previously she had talked about trying to provide cuts for queer clientele who may have faced discrimination or not gotten the cut they had wanted.  Having dealt with microaggressions relating to my hair, I thought the idea was wonderful.

Pineapples were her favorite thing.
Artwork by Jo Moulton

Jette didn't let her health slow her down, and even though she had her struggles, she always had a smile when I saw her.  I didn't know her as well as some other performers, but she still invited me to her and Nate Jones' wedding, which was so sweet and beautiful, and I was planning to get to know her better when she made her house call.  She has taught me to not let misfortunes bring me down, to take more selfies, and to be more like the regal pineapple she was.  Jette Blaque, we miss you so much, but your sparkle will remain with us forever.

(The title of this post was partly inspired by a poem by her maternal grandmother Daisy Kincheloe, "Gone Too Soon".)

Making a Man Out of Myself

I have a lot of catching up to do.  Since the beginning of March, I've been preoccupied with shows, conventions, lab teching, and a nasty injury.   I'm mostly healed, but I still can't type with two fingers so blogging has been very low on my list priorities.  However, now that I have some down time, I decided that it was time to start catching up here.

By Robert Hold
www.roberthold.com

Remember when I said that I was going to focus on refining old routines rather than work on new ones?  Well, that plan went out the door pretty quickly.  Sometimes inspiration and opportunity come together in a perfect storm that you can't escape.  It's what ­­­happened with my "I'll Make a Man Out of You" act for Panty Raid's Bare Necessities show.

I had gotten the idea­ a few months ago for another show.  Although I'd never really wanted to do Disney burlesque, the song was too catchy to resist.  However, the popularity meant that I really had to think this routine out.  It sat in the back of my mind until I saw that Panty Raid was looking for Disney acts.  I'd been wanting to return to Sue Ellen's so the timing was perfect.

Sort of.  Because I wanted to pay tribute to the training scene, I needed to brush up on both my drag and martial arts skills.  Although I had done drag only once, I wasn't too unfamiliar with adopting a masculine persona due to my crossplay background.  However, this time I wasn't portraying a youthful pretty boy—I needed to be a man.  Thank goodness for on-line tutorials. 

By Robert Hold
www.roberthold.com

As for the martial arts, my younger brother was a black belt in taekwondo so I used to watch and mimic his practicing.  I joined him for camp one summer and took a semester of it in college.  Once you learn those moves, they don't go away.  Unfortunately, taekwondo didn't meld with dance so I studied kung-fu and tai chi videos.  Now I wouldn't recommend doing this to seriously learn martial arts, but it worked well for creating the illusion of a martial artist.  While I was practicing, I couldn't help but feel a desire to take classes.  It was interesting to see how my attitudes has changed since as a kid, I was "too busy" to join my brother in classes and thought my grandpa's tai chi was weird and boring.  I definitely have a new-found appreciation. 

The show changed my mind about Disney burlesque.  I'd always had an irrational fear of corrupting childhood memories, but now I know that burlesque just created new ones.  I gained a new fan with my martial skills so I was happy that the training paid off. 

Doing this act gave me insight on who Hana Li was as a performer.  It felt so natural to be in drag at first, and I enjoyed presenting dichotomies of masculine and feminine, serious and silly.  Panty Raid was the perfect place for me to explore this, and I'm thankful for that opportunity.

I also acquired a new sense of creativity from combining the two different forms of movement.  While I might not have been able to do a flying front kick stocking peel (things in your head don't always translate into real life once you consider skill level and physics), I came up with some new tricks that I hope to bring into other acts.  And I did learn a flying front kick, which is a great way to keep the audience members alert.

Check out some highlights by Kevin Huckabee:

A Clotheless Homecoming

Panty Raid will always hold a special place in my heart, and not just because it was the setting for my bust-out.  The producers/Academy of Queerlesque teachers created an atmosphere that made me feel as though burlesque really did have a place for me as a performer.  Therefore, when Lily Lovely offered the opportunity to perform my comic book girl number in their "Crimson and Clothesless" show, my answer was a resounding "Hell yes!".  Actually I had a more subdued response, but I was stoked at another chance to do my routine.

Johnny Genevive and Ashley Boucher

However, since I had taken a big break after the Dallas Burlesque Festival to recover and focus on my upcoming lab meeting presentation and All-con, I didn't have much time to rehearse.  There were definitely a few points that could use some more refining.  Even though Panty Raid is a more laid-back show, I felt more nervous than I did at DBF.  I really hoped that night wasn't a fluke.

On the bright side, The Companion and two of our friends were going to be there.  Going out to dinner helped to clear my mind a bit.  Unfortunately that also led to me being late due to underestimating driving time.  I got to Sue Ellen's with enough time to get ready and check in on my friends.  Despite the welcoming environment, I still worried that they, three straight guys (two of whom aren't involved with burlesque in any way), would feel out of place.  It turned out that my worries were all for naught because Johnny Genevieve, who was also performing in the show, took the time to chat with them.

I didn't want to spoil the key part of my costume, but I also wanted to see the other acts, particularly Jerry Fedora's infamous Darth Gaga number so I wound up hiding in the corner by Luscious Peach Boutique's stall.  I enjoyed being among familiar faces and seeing performers—some burlesque, some not— I didn't know.  Pretty soon, it was my turn.

Minxie Molotov

Whenever I get in my zone, I tune out everything.  It kind of bums me out of bit because I'm curious about what the emcees have to say whenever I don't have a set intro (and it gives me a better idea of what to write when asked for one).  I was not prepared for the smooth wood floor and wound up slipping a bit in the beginning.  Despite the shaky start, the performance went spectacularly well again.  Later in the evening, I would analyze little details and tried to figure out what needed adjustment, but in the meantime I wanted to quickly get dressed and see the rest of the show.

"Crimson and Clothesless" was a super fun show.  I really appreciate the fact that Lily wanted me to be a part of it and that my friends came out of their element to show their support.  Doing Panty Raid again felt like a homecoming.  Even though I didn't know many fellow performers this time and the first time, I always got the sense that anybody who is part of the queer community or an ally can belong (which is ironic considering that I used to fear not being queer enough to participate in such events).  Upon leaving Sue Ellen's, I reminded myself that I needed to visit more because it's a great place and I want to be part of the support network that helped me get off my feet.

post-show selfie

Upcoming shows: Crimson and Clothesless and All-Con

I know I need to make my DBF posts, but I've got some other things on my plate. First is Mustache and Panty Productions Presents: Crimson and Clothesless this Friday.

Next is All-Con. I'll be presenting panels with the lovely Black Mariah, as well as some cosplay buddies: Ashley Easter, Callie Calypso, Frank Hui, and Helena Isis. I am also a last minute addition into their burlesque show.

Black Mariah and me at All-con 2013

All-con Schedule
Friday:
- Ignorance and Fandom: Cons and Cosplay @ 3:00 PM
- Nerdlesque @ 7:00 PM

Saturday:
- History of Burlesque @ 6:00 PM
- Burlesque show @ 9:00 PM

Sunday:
- Ignorance and Fandom: Media Representation @ 12:00 PM
- Nerdlesque @ 1:00 PM

Student Stage Debut at Panty Raid

Never did I expect to be performing burlesque this past May, just a little over a year after I started taking classes.  Then again, I hadn’t expected to stage kitten at the Dallas Burlesque Festival a month after I decided to get more involved with the scene.  However, I couldn’t pass up the Academy of Queerlesque’s Burlesque Group class– not after Lillith Grey included asexuality in her definition of queer (something that doesn’t always happen).  Although performing at Panty Raid was optional, the instructor, Lily Lovely, was so encouraging that I couldn’t pass this chance up. The show, which was less than two weeks after class, coincided with Butchfest.  If that wasn’t a sign that this was my golden opportunity, I didn’t know when I would be ready.

The class consisted of five individuals with different experience levels and performance backgrounds.  We began with talking about stage names and personas, which helped me finally settle on a name (I'll elaborate more in future post).  Lily then had us channel our personalities through our walks.  Although burlesque walks were nothing new for me, I’d been focusing so much technique that I wasn’t sure what to do at first.  When it was my turn, I reminded myself of the dancer I wanted to be–someone tough and punk rock yet still graceful and flirty– and I let that be my guide. 

pre-show shot

Choreography came easily for me; the improvised moments required more thought and practice.  I had to figure out how to convey my personality in a way that would fit the song, “‘Cause I’m a Blond”.  How could I keep the rocker persona in my head while conveying the dumb blond stereotype depicted through the lyrics?  Eventually I decided that I wanted to be the tomboyish surfer chick version of Regina George from Mean Girls.  I tape myself so that I could work on facial expressions.

My other challenge came in costuming.  The outfit was pretty basic: bikini top, skateboard shorts, and heels.  I lucked into being given a swimsuit with ties (something I’d never buy for myself).  I would've liked it to be less frilly, but it matched my shorts really well.  The one thing I had to make was the wig from the yarn that Lily gave us.  Despite being a cosplayer, I'm not really crafty.  Fortunately my partner had some suggestions, and I had planned on wearing a bandana.

There wasn’t any requirements on how much we had to take off.  I wasn't sure I wanted to go down to pasties and panties (my substitute bikini bottoms since the ones that came in the top were too big).  Burlesque has helped me combat years of self-image issues resulting from bullying and two cultures’ standards of beauty, but I still had the irrational fear that people would be disgusted by my naked body.  I kept wavering on my decision until I came home from rehearsal and watched the X Games.  The “go big or go home” spirit of the athletes inspired me to take it all off.  I had to commit 100%.

Photo from Panty Raid's facebook page

Once I had that mentality, all reservations went away.  I even had a last minute idea of using a beach ball to tease the audience.  I arrived at Sue Ellen’s with a lot of confidence though I still felt awkward in the dressing room full of people I didn’t know.  There was a slight freak-out moment when I discovered that fabric tape doesn’t adhere to my skin as well as the glitter on the pasties to my bikini.  Thankfully, one of my classmates, Coraline Mae, let me use her Top Stick.  We ran through our routine one last time, and after enjoying the other performances, we were up next.  The crowd’s energy was infectious, and while I didn’t get the chance to grab a beach ball to hide behind, I was still enough of a tease for someone to shout, “We want to see your boobs!”  Little did they know that it would only make me wait a little more before the final reveal.  Lillith, who was emceeing, gave each of us a smack on the butt as we exited the stage.  She and Lily were beaming with pride, and I felt like I had done something great.  It was just over so soon that I wanted more.

I am so thankful for the opportunity I was given and for the kind individuals who were with me on this journey: Lillith; Lily; Effy; my classmates Cheyenne, Coraline, Nella, and Vita; and my friends who came out to support me.  The Panty Raid crowd was so welcoming and enthusiastic; it would be awesome to perform in another one.  I know I have a ways to go before I can do my first solo or be more than a student performer, but I took a giant leap with my debut, conquering a long-time phobia and learning to seize the day.  Life’s too short not to give things like this a shot.

Welcome to my world of science and striptease

Greetings!  My name is Hana Li (rhymes with "wanna be").  I'm a newcomer in the Dallas burlesque scene, but some of you might have seen me around at shows with my D-SLR or selling merchandise or picking up panties at the Dallas Burlesque Festival.  I was also one of the presenters at All-con's History of Burlesque panel.  For the past year, I've been taking classes at the Ruby Room, and I recently joined the Academy of Queerlesque's burlesque performance group.  I'll be making my stage debut on May 3 at the Panty Raid show, Beauty and the Butch.

The title of this blog comes from a joke a friend made in college about how instead of stripping his way through medical/graduate school, he was going to lab tech his way through stripper school.  One day, it occurred to me that his statement has become the truth for me (I do neuroscience research on fruit flies in the daytime).  Funny how life works sometimes.

Most of the entries here are cross-posted on Dieselpunks After Dark, which is where I began documenting my journey to becoming more than just a student.  Since I've only gotten started (and will be busy with non-burlesque things the next few months), I'll be reposting my old entries from Dieselpunks After Dark and share a few more photos from past shoots until I'm all caught up.

I won't be sharing much about my day job, but I'll find a way to work science in.  I always do.