Thread: I'm looking for performance art/live art venues for non striptease act

I'm looking for venues to perform a new act I'm working on and not really sure where or if it would be suited. I don't strip or wear pasties and have big messy hair with dead leaves in it and dance with mini watersleeves to a really beautiful but strange piece of music by Yann Tiersen and not sure where it would fit in at a burlesque night.

The thing is (winces) I don't really want to strip. I love doing it in my 'Girl Anachronism' routine because it's about being as bad and disastrous as the girl in the song but I keep think does anyone want to watch a whole routine of me just flapping pretty things around in weird costumes when everyone else is doing really fantastic and clever burlesque acts?

I wondered if there were any live art/experimental performance nights for beginners in London.

x

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Hey, I know exactly what you're going through with this, as a lot of my performances are more sort of performancey arty than burlesque, or a weird mix of the two...

Every now and again there are 'scratch' nights in various places around London and try having a look at opportunities at Live Art Development Agency

Keep checking Arts Jobs, as people will often advertise for scratch/newcomers type evenings for short pieces of performance etc.

I hope that sort of helps, I'm sorry I don't know of any specific stuff going on right now. I always think Duckie and Bethnal Green Working's Men Club are fairly open to the weird crossover bit between performance art and burlesque, so if you have any contacts there or with other performers there maybe go down that route?

Pretty useless but I hope I've given you a little bit of help!

Hi Sweet Scarlet

Firstly I must appologise because I don't have any particularly useful contacts or suggestions but I just wanted to say that I think this sounds like a fantastic act and I would be far more interested in seeing something like this than a typical American Striptease, which for me, unless it's a breathtaking strip with a massive costume budget then quite frankly when you've seen one, you've seen em all!
I think there's a need for something fresh and original and I don't think I'm the only one who thinks so. I really hope you do find somewhere to debut it and keep us posted cos I reckon that'd be worth a trip to the big smoke!

Originally Posted by Sweet Scarlet

I'm looking for venues to perform a new act I'm working on and not really sure where or if it would be suited. I don't strip or wear pasties and have big messy hair with dead leaves in it and dance with mini watersleeves to a really beautiful but strange piece of music by Yann Tiersen and not sure where it would fit in at a burlesque night.

The thing is (winces) I don't really want to strip. I love doing it in my 'Girl Anachronism' routine because it's about being as bad and disastrous as the girl in the song but I keep think does anyone want to watch a whole routine of me just flapping pretty things around in weird costumes when everyone else is doing really fantastic and clever burlesque acts?

I wondered if there were any live art/experimental performance nights for beginners in London.

x

I really like the sound of this, I have already seen your skills with the veil fans and though you didn't need to strip in that act as well. I would be very interested in having this new act on a show. If think there is very much a market for these kind of performances and I have been actively seeking alternative quality acts to compliment my Cabaret and Burlesque show, they add much needed variety.

I'll be in touch xx

Hi thanks for you replies I'm so new and a bit bewildered by everything I'm not sure if the ideas I have are burlesque. It needs a lot more development (and loads of sewing ) at the moment.

Pete I got your message, thank you for all the feedback its much appreciated it's given me more confidence to work at it hopefully i can get a video up soon.

x

The first draft of something my oddness, basically I finished the costume and thought hmm what to do in it? I kinda of work backwards like that.

Untitled on Vimeo

I am starting to wonder why so far I've been a victorian spinster, a terrible stripper, and am now working on a fandance to 1920s depression blues music with fans made from old sacks and fabric patches all a bit 'o brother where art thou' because i started pondering too much how what life was really like in the time of the speakeasys. Maybe I need a burlesque happy pill but I kind of like the beauty in tarnished things too much.

x

burlesque isnt about striptease. striptease is just an element some people put into their routines. im sure there are hundreds of places that would be up for booking you, especially the ones that are sick of seeing the same old striptease acts (and i know im one of the same-olds!!) i hope you perform up north sometime, would love to see your act(s) x

Originally Posted by Sweet Scarlet

Maybe I need a burlesque happy pill but I kind of like the beauty in tarnished things too much.

x

Poetically tragic - it speaks to me! It's very beautiful; I like your vision.

I totally agree with Susie. When we put on a burlesque show at uni we wanted it to be a 'taster' of all things burlesque. Out of 8 acts only 4 were striptease. The others were comedy, belly dance, Charleston and ribbon dances. I think your piece fits perfectly and I think the fact that your acts run on a sort of theme just helps establish your 'character' more. Melancholy is often so much more beautiful than anything happy, strangely.

Having watched your video I was amazed at the clever shapes you created with the sleeves, it was beautiful. I think stripping would detract from this performance. You should check out Finger in the Pie, they have variety acts.

Vx

Originally Posted by Sweet Scarlet

I'm looking for venues to perform a new act I'm working on and not really sure where or if it would be suited. I don't strip or wear pasties and have big messy hair with dead leaves in it and dance with mini watersleeves to a really beautiful but strange piece of music by Yann Tiersen and not sure where it would fit in at a burlesque night.

The thing is (winces) I don't really want to strip. I love doing it in my 'Girl Anachronism' routine because it's about being as bad and disastrous as the girl in the song but I keep think does anyone want to watch a whole routine of me just flapping pretty things around in weird costumes when everyone else is doing really fantastic and clever burlesque acts?

I wondered if there were any live art/experimental performance nights for beginners in London.

x

Of course you don't NEED to strip, and all cabaret nights will take non-striptease acts!

For last year's Erotica exhibition stage show I also did a chinese watersleeve-dance without any nudity at all, and no-one said anything about it (apart from the man with the sex toy stall by the main stage - he told me and Dusty that he was disappointed by the lack of opportinities for placement (!) of his products while attempting to unload his unsold bondage tape onto us). In fact that was the one that was specifically requested.

Just make sure the act is how you want it and the best you can make it, and you won't need to worry about fitting it in... sometimes it's better to be different!


Vicky Bx