Thread: Modern Classics, Innovation & Invention

Originally Posted by RedSarah

can i hijack with another question??

does art imitate life ?

i am inspired by Doris Latrine and her Toilet act ...
it came out at the burlesque symposium last year that this act was her way of dealing with issues with bulemia she had earlier in her life...

the way she worships the toilet in her act is hysterical and i never would have guesssed that there was a such a personal/ social reason for the act had she not told us...

does anyone else have an act where you are playing out something you have difficult feelings about but have made it manageable by taking it to the stage to play out your ridiculous fear over and over again . . . and made it funny, got over the issue ... etc

i have often wondered how to do this ...

it would make acts so much more original / political / socialy engaging if more people did this

This is a really interesting point! A lot of the artwork I do is inspired by issues from the past and making them surreal through art.

I am planning an act that is somewhat like this. It's more subtle in context (in that the scenario in the act isn't related to the experience I had) but the overall message "look at me now- you thought you would destroy me but you didn't" is aimed at someone in particular who had a huge negative impact on my life. Now that I've recovered from that, it is an act to show just how far I have come, and how, if anything, I am a better person for it now than before. In a strange way I'm glad it happened- something I never thought I would say!

Originally Posted by RedSarah

does anyone else have an act where you are playing out something you have difficult feelings about but have made it manageable by taking it to the stage to play out your ridiculous fear over and over again . . . and made it funny, got over the issue ... etc

i have often wondered how to do this ...

it would make acts so much more original / political / socialy engaging if more people did this

x x x
red

It's not being debuted until September but my Wilgefortis the bearded lady routine is all about my self-esteem problems (past and occasionally present) and whether to conform to society's norms or be yourself. Basically there's a scenario where Wilgefortis has to decide whether change herself to fit society's norms/expectations or celebrate her differences.

Because I've had to take more time than most people to bring my routines to a stage it's meant that this routine has evolved more than I expected and become very personal, massively empowering and therapeutic for me.

It now not only deals with my self-esteem (and the whole "what is beautiful?"/media images of beauty) but for me it mirrors a lot of the stuff I dealt with last year when I came out completely as a lesbian and a person living with bipolar. It also gave me the opportunity to do a lot of research into the history of many famous bearded ladies and the story of St. Wilgefortis herself.

I sure 99% of this will be lost on the audience and hopefully they'll enjoy it anyway because it's hopefully quite entertaining and quite funny, but it's important to me to be a vehicle to deal with lots of issues I've struggled with in the past and show the world I am proud to be who I am.

(My psychoterroist is also very interested in the thinking behind my russian dolls routine too.....she reckons there's quite a lot behind that even if its mostly subconscious I think she's possibly right about putting on multiple 'personalities' to cope with the outside world...although she might be reading slightly too much into it)

I think if you talk to Diva Hollywood about the full story behind the creation of her Black Swan routine this fits your criteria even better.

Originally Posted by RedSarah

does anyone else have an act where you are playing out something you have difficult feelings about but have made it manageable by taking it to the stage to play out your ridiculous fear over and over again . . . and made it funny, got over the issue ... etc

i have often wondered how to do this ...

it would make acts so much more original / political / socialy engaging if more people did this

I'm working on it ...

I've had a massive identity crisis recently - no doubt I'll blog about it when I can get my words together - but it's made me realise that there's no meaning behind my acts, and none of me in them. And I don't like that. So in trying to work out my mini crisis I've had a couple of ideas for routines which would have meaning, be personal, and relevant socially - if I manage to work out how to do them! It's very difficult trying to work out a way in which I can express what I'm trying to say, which will be 'got' by the audience, and still be entertaining ...

Originally Posted by Fleur du Mal

I'm working on it ...

I can't wait to see this, from what you said about your ponderings on your myspace blog it looks like it's going to be really interesting

Originally Posted by tempest devyne

I can't wait to see this, from what you said about your ponderings on your myspace blog it looks like it's going to be really interesting

Oh ... that was a different idea that I've abandoned in favour of these two. The first idea interested me for an evening, then left. These ideas have been knocking around for a few days now ...

I just hope I learn the art of translating what I see in my head to real life. That's my current downfall, I think - I see beautiful images in my head, but I just can't create a reality that lives up to them >_<

Originally Posted by Fleur du Mal

I just hope I learn the art of translating what I see in my head to real life. That's my current downfall, I think - I see beautiful images in my head, but I just can't create a reality that lives up to them >_<

That's me EXACTLY! I have all sorts of visions in my head for things but actually executing them is a whole different story. It's like having a brain-hand disconnect or something. I figure I'd make a great Artistic Director - I come up with all the crazy ideas, then let the Production Manager worry about making it happen

I don't think there's ever going to be a way to separate life from art. Even if, like Fleur de Mal, you feel there's nothing about yourself in your arts, the fact that you created those acts says something about you and your aesthetic & artistic choices. Maybe if you don't tend to express your life in them, it could mean you're a private person that chooses to keep a distance between your work and your life.

I have thought of a few routines that would involve my personal life in some manner. Right now they seem to be going along the theme of "sorry mum and dad, I know you don't like me doing this and you want me home, but it's my life and it's mine to lead". That, or visa woes. I also have a vast multicultural background to draw on; however, I'm wary of being typecast as The Ethnic One! I do find it hard to pull off the more personal ones (which are still in my head atm) - it can be very personal and very raw and painful.

About transformation...last night I was thinking about the definition of ugly (link leads to my blog post about the subject) and I came up with a possible burlesque routine about it:

I come out heavily made up, fair foundation all over, clear perfect faces and hairless bodies. Corsets and binding keeping all my body in shape. A wig with dark, long, straight, hair. Towering heels. Glamourous clothing and accessories. The perfect woman.

Superimposed on me are images and videos of the Fair & Lovely ads, or every product advertising its whitening properties. The Dove Real Women campaign videos. Ad shots everywhere. Light-skinned South Asian women prominent in the media. People being photoshopped. Other perfect women.

The music is soft at first, then gets harder and harder. Likely a track shouting out my worth as an object, my worth in my appearance. Perfect woman.

I strip off every glove, every bracelet, every fascinator. I reveal the boning marks left on my waist and belly by my corset. My fat and breasts and hips roll out of the girdles and bodyshapers. The hose rolls down to reveal hair, hair everywhere. The wig comes off to show spiky short dishevelled hair.

Each item has a caption, momentarily displayed. Who Is The Perfect Woman. Tuck Your Woman In. Fair Is Lovely, Lovely Is Not Fair.

I dip into a bowl of water and wipe the makeup off my face and body. I revel in ecstasy as the water drips down my naked body, over my rolls and flabs. Makeup stains down my face.

I am the Imperfect Woman, nude and bare to the world, dancing luxuriously with all her pimple scars and dry skin and bitten-off nail and hair on her face.