Upcoming shows: Tuesday Tease and Nerds in Technicolor

I was planning on making an actual blog post today, but I became preoccupied with the next show I'm producing, Tuesday Tease: Dungeons and Drag.  I got a little over enthusiastic and wanted tell a story with the line-up.  (This is what happens when you give me control over a show.)  You can see the final result tomorrow, and we've added a special guest, Roxxy Reckless.

I also want to give you a sneak preview of what's going down in 2017.  One of the shows I'll be doing is Nerds in Technical, a POC nerdlesque show, on February 18.  There are a lot of out-of-town guests so there's a fundraiser to help out with funds and to ensure that there will be more like it in the future.  Check out the link below to donate!

Fo-Hawk Rising: From Beach Bum to Headliner

"I've always had a mental wish list of tricks, such as the 900, varial 720, kickflip 540, ollie 540, and slowly over the years I checked them off one by one until the 9 was the only one left.  Everything else now is purely for fun." - Tony Hawk, Hawk: Occupation: Skateboarder

I'm finally getting back to my recap of various shows and experiences.  Tony Fo-Hawk is on break to enjoy some snowboarding so this is a good time to discuss the hell of a summer he had (fall was good as well, but I'll cover that later).  I had already talked about the creation of his Airship Pirate number.  Before that, he was working on another new act for the Wet 'n' Wild Tuesday Tease.

Photo by KWN Design

The arrival of summer meant surfing for Tony.  I had planned a surfer act of my own, but this seemed more like his thing (although I reserve the right to return to the idea).  The Companion's favorite song is "Surf Wax America" by Weezer so I really wanted to use it.  However, the song is actually sarcastic, which made me take pause.  Could Tony lip synch these words when they're supposed to mock? The tune was catchy though; I couldn't get it out of my head.  Thankfully there was a solution: Jack Johnson.

Before he became known as a musician, Jack Johnson was a pro surfer—the youngest to make finals at Pipeline Masters.  His songs are a bit too mellow to do an act to on their own, but I found a song he wrote about the waves and mashed it up with "Surf Wax America".

My breasts are too sensitive and large for me to be comfortable with duct tape binding.  Therefore, I knew the illusion was going to be compromised because who surfs with their shirt on?  I thought about buying a wetsuit, but they weren't in my budget and my binder would still show through.  I decided that the audience could suspend their disbelief, especially if I went even sillier with the "nudity" down below.

See what I mean?
Photo by KWN Design

"Going Surfing" provided a much needed lightness since I had been working on two ambitious numbers for the SteamTease.  In August, Tony and I teamed up to do our "Jesus of Suburbia" act for a Broadway-themed Tuesday Tease.  I'll never get tired performing because it's so cathartic.  That same week, Tony continued with the musical-inspired acts and did Hamilton for Mustache Envy.

Not throwing away his shot
Photo by Cher Musico

Since seeing them at my bust-out, I've admired Mustache Envy.  I've performed in their Panty Raid shows a couple of times, but I didn't think Tony would be in a Mustache show.  Nevertheless, I submitted his two most ambitious—and uncharacteristic—acts: the Airship Pirate and Hamilton.  I was so honored to find that not only was Tony hired on to do Hamilton, but was named a headliner alongside the amazing Patrick Mikyles!

Because it was my most PG of acts, I took the opportunity to invite my co-workers along to experience a drag show.  Some of them may have been in for a culture shock, but I think—I hope—they had a good time.  I sure did.  It's always great to see fans of the musical rap along.  There were these two girls who knew every lyric, and they approached me with excitement afterwards, telling me that they were blasting the soundtrack earlier in the day. 

One of the reasons I love doing nerdlesque so much is because I can reach those people who may have obscure interests.  Tony isn't really a nerd (unless you count his action sports obsession), but I'm glad he can reach out to people too.  I’ll cover some of his more recent shows, but I’m really proud of how far he has come in less than a year.

As I said, he's currently on a break, but you can catch me in a brand-new nerdy act tomorrow at Tuesday Tease!

The Show Must Rage On

I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or to someone else's ignorance. - bell hooks

I have a lot of nightmare burlesque scenarios, being the anxious person that I am.  However, none of my worrying could prepare me to last Tuesday night.  I had joked that the second worst thing about the end of election season was that I could no longer enjoy my current favorite podcast, Politically Reactive—the worst being that we'd have to deal with the reality of Donald Trump being elected President.

As far-fetched as the idea seemed to me and many others, the possibility lingered in the backs of our minds.  That was how my cast, my crew, and I came to Sue Ellen's for the PokGAYmon show.  We wanted to provide a temporary escape, as well as an opportunity for celebration.  We teased the idea of drinking our sorrows away in case Hillary Clinton lost.  The atmosphere was somber upon arrival, and the Tease Team quickly formed a game plan for various scenarios.

In the end, we could not have the show.  Too many people in the crowd were on edge from the news.  This impacted all of us, as members of the queer community.  There were a lot of tears, a lot of questions, a lot of rage.  Although I knew canceling the show was the only option, I was upset at not being able to provide people hope and solace.  I had already gone home by the time Hillary officially conceded, and I could hardly sleep with the gears that were turning in my head.  Anger has always been a source of motivation.

It was hard to focus on my upcoming performances at Steampunk November and the next Tuesday Tease.  I went to a protest (not my first) to show that I am more than just angry social media posts and to show those of my friends who are too scared by the hate that has been riled up.  It required a lot of physical and mental strength, especially since we had eggs, barbecue sauce, and wine thrown at us (not me but I heard the aftermath).  As a result, I haven't been as on top of things as I should be.  It's been hard to just go on, but sometimes that is the best way to take a stand.

On the train ride to the protest, I realized that the act Tony Fo-Hawk had booked would not be suitable for the current mood.  Immediately, Tony came up with a new number, inspired by American Idiot.  It encompasses all the rage at the bigotry that we have let slide through the years and is now in the open, the problems of the electoral college system, the attempts at politicians for trying to control the bodies and lives of marginalized individuals, and the idea that I, a queer Asian burlesque dancer, ought to shut my mouth and look pretty.

Tomorrow (or technically today), you can join Tony in expressing your anger at Tuesday Tease.  I will still be doing the same act I had planned, which I think is pretty relevant to.  It was inspired by a personal battle against misogynistic views about feminine beauty.  I still need to write about when I debuted it at Glitterbomb, and I'm excited for Tease to experience it to.  People might think that I'm out of fucks to give, but I have all the fucks to give.  Because I will not let my friends' struggles be ignored and I will not be silenced.

Upcoming shows: Tuesday Tease and Steampunk November

If you're looking for a election night party, whether to get away or to have a safe space to follow the news, Tuesday Tease has the event for you.  We're doing a Pokemon-themed, but the TVs will be airing the results and there are plans to celebrate (or drink our sorrows).

I'm super excited to be producing this show.  All the performers have inspired me to put together a "professor" cosplay since they're all Pokemon, trainers, and team leaders while Kylee, our host, is calling herself a "gym leader".  If my plan doesn't work, I'll have my Flannery cosplay to fall back on.

 All-con 2016
Flareon: The Companion
photography: Neither Noir

As for performing, I will be joining Broads and Panties at Steampunk November in Venus.  We will be hitting the stage Saturday, November 5 at 10:30 PM.  Expect a mix of classic and nerdlesque.

Interview with Burlesque Stripped Down

It's just what the image says: I revealed some facts and stories you may not have known on the podcast, Burlesque Stripped Down.  I want to thank Velvet O'Claire for the opportunity and for taking an interest in asexual awareness.  You can check out my interview here: http://www.burlesquestrippeddown.com/hana/

I also highly encourage you to peruse the site since it has many interviews with fabulous dancers and segments featuring helpful tips for performers of all types and levels.

Finally one of the subjects that I mentioned is my upcoming show at Oni-con at the Galveston Island Convention Center.  I'll be doing two super nerdy routines with Kiki Maroon's Comic Strip.  The show is on October 29 at 9 PM in Grand Ballroom C.

A Loss in the Community

I hate that I have to write a completely different post than the one planned with the news that the Dallas burlesque community received yesterday.  2016 has already seen us lose legends, and I've had to deal with some other deaths that affected me personally.  However, one of our own has departed much too soon.

Dr. Q was a long-time performer in Denton and Dallas, having been with the Vixens of Vaudeville and more recently the Lowbrow Lullabies.  I got to work with him and his dance partner Femme Vivre LaRouge when they were in the latter in one of my first stage kittening gigs with Clever Girl Cabaret.  They had such two delightful acts that brought the whimsy of Tex Avery to life.  They had such a great partnership and brought smiles to everyone who saw them.

Photo by The Companion

Our paths would cross again, as I kittened for them a couple more times.  Dr. Q and Femme Vivre La Rouge would go out of our way to make my job a little easier, and they were so kind to newbie like me.  I saw Dr. Q at other shows throughout the years, and both The Companion and I enjoyed his company.  One thing you have to know about The Companion is that he doesn't really think of burlesque as his world so he generally stays quiet.  However, he got along so well with Dr. Q.

We didn't know Dr. Q very well and had not seen him lately.  In fact, a couple days ago, I was wondering when the Lowbrow Lullabies would be reappearing and whether I could cast them in a future show.  Now I think about Femme Vivre LaRouge, Divertida Devotchka, Honey Cocoa Bordeauxx, other dancers who were close to him, and the people in his Muggle life.  It'll be some time before I overcome the shock, but the show must go on.  Rest in peace, Dr. Q; we will miss you.

Photo by The Companion

Pride at the 2016 Texas Queerlesque Festival

"Moon Pride
I want to be your power

Tears flow down a cheek, eyes burn red
Someone cries of love violently, like a flash of lightning
Even if you're in pitch black darkness, you're not alone, you know?
The Moonlight illuminates us" - "Moon Pride" by Momoiro Clover Z

I meant to make this post a couple weeks earlier, but lab life got really hectic.  On top of that, I've been working on shows.  In fact, my next one is tonight!

I also got interviewed by Asexual Artists.  It fills me with pride to have been able to represent both the burlesque and ace communities.  Click here to read the interview.

Photo by The Naked Lens

The Asexual Artists feature provides a good segue into the topic of my next post, the inaugural Texas Queerlesque Festival.  It was place where I could show off my pride as a genderqueer, grey-asexual burlesque dancer (who also does drag but Tony was absent).  Being cognizant of my straight-passing, cisgender privilege, I initially hesitated.  I didn't want to take another, more deserving person's spot.  Then I remembered that I belonged as much as anyone else because my identity is my own and my art clearly reflects the queerness that makes up who I am.  I submitted "Moonlight Serenade" since it had queer inspirations and got in! 

"Moonlight Serenade" had been previously rejected from other festivals so I thought about what needed improvement: less focus on doing actual tango steps, more face, more sparkles!  This all sounded good, but then I changed my anxiety medication right around the festival.  I went from one set of side effects to another.  At the same time, I can't completely blame my meds for the lack of preparation.  Even with a day off from work, I was behind on costuming and incredibly scattered-brained.  You could probably tell at the shots taken during the performer portrait session.

What made me even more agitated was that I was the second performer in the line-up.  However, once The Companion delivered my forgotten items (to which I owe him greatly), I buckled down and got in the zone.  I steamed my cape, fixed my false eyelashes, put on Glam Jam (which feels good even on sunburned skin) and slipped on my ace pride socks (a special addition to my costume, inspired by the desire to show that asexuals do belong in the community) with enough down time to chat with fellow performers to wind down from all the anxiety.  Then it was showtime.

Photo by The Naked Lens

I don't know if it was the magic of my ace pride socks or the sound of fellow Sailor Moon fans screaming over the rest of the audience, but I felt a great adrenaline rush that matched my solo debut.  It was my best performance of "Moonlight Serenade" to date.  Even with a few rushed spots, I was very happy.  The cherry on top was Lady Lola LeStrange's utter excitement over the fact that I was portraying Tuxedo Mask.  Moonies unite!

The upside to being second on the first night of the festival was that I could now chill and enjoy everyone else's performances.  And boy were there a lot of awesome ones!  It made me proud to be a part of the queerlesque community and inspired to work even harder for next year.  On top of that, the people were so friendly that hands down, this is a festival I will recommend over and over again.

I was on such a high that I actually drove to Sue Ellen's by myself for Jeez Loueez's Twerk and Jerk workshop.  Driving is a great source of anxiety so this is a big deal.  It was a scary experience, but the workshop and wind-down party made me forget about it until I had to go home.  I have to mention how cool it is for Jeez to include the history of twerking in her class.  It's both necessary and fascinating.

Sunday Wind Down Party

The inaugural Texas Queerlesque Festival was amazing, and so many people worked hard to make that happen.  I thank each of them for their efforts, and I'm proud that despite its conservative image, Texas is able to have a space where queer performers from all around the country can show their art.  I came away knowing where I need to improve as both a performer and an individual, and hopefully I can come up with something worthy to be in the next show or at least find more ways to be involved‒ be it socializing, attending more workshops, or volunteering.