Thread: Your Tip Top Tips!

Oh! I just remembered this!

A while ago I stumbled across this... I think it might have been on Tribe.net.

I think it's pretty fantastic:


"Dr. Lucky's Top 10 Tips for Budding Burlesque Babes

1. Respect Your Predecessors
Always acknowledge those that have helped pave the path that you now
find yourself on. You haven't invented anything. Everything has been done
before. Which is both liberating and challenging. The history of
burlesque spans over 150 years while the circus arts go back, well,
let's just say WAY before that. Which leads me to 2…

2. Do Your Research
See shows, read books, watch movies, watch YouTube. Subscribe to
listserves dedicated to the scene. Surf the net, watch videos on
YouTube, and be a myspace whore. Know the major players in the scene. Your
humility will enable you to learn an amazing wealth of knowledge from
experienced performers. Which will help you avoid 3…

3. Don't Copy Others
Inspiration is one thing. Stealing (or borrowing heavily which is
basically stealing) a signature move or concept is another. No one owns
the fan dance at this point but you should avoid copying something
you've seen before (which, if you haven't seen anything, see point 2). And if
you are recreating a classic, simply attribute the original as
inspiration. Dirty Martini makes it very clear that certain numbers are
inspired by her predecessors (see point 1). She acknowledges these as
"tributes" (and the person who originated the idea) and always inserts
her own "original idea." Make sure you are making an original contribution
and not simply copying. Which leads me to 4…

4. Don't Use the Stripper CD ("Striptease Classics")
Many pick this CD up to start and everyone is tired of hearing the same
f*cking songs over and over again. One suggestion, borrowed from Julie
Atlas Muz' advice to my students at NYU in the past (see point 3), is
to pick a song you love. A song that you can listen to over and over (and
over) again. Simple as that. Of course, you may use the stripper CD if
you are making fun of it. In which case, if you are making fun of it,
anything goes! Burlesque is, after all, largely (though not wholly)
about parody. Which segues, quite nicely, I do say so myself, into 5…

5. Avoid Cliché Archetypes
There's a fine line between cliché and clever. As a general rule, if
you can buy the concept of your act from a plastic bag at Target during
Halloween (i.e. kitty cat, naughty nurse, dirty school girl/teacher,
angel, devil, housewife) you may either want to consider: 1) coming up
with another archetype or 2) work the hell out of it in an unexpected
way or make fun of it (see tip 4). Most burlesque numbers use archetypes
of some type but after seeing 6 housewife numbers in a night, the audience
may grow tired. Even if you do 2 (i.e., work the fuck out of it/make
fun of it [in which case anything goes]), you will still want to avoid, at
all costs, 6…

6. Your Underwear is Not A Costume
I cannot stress this enough. This is not a Victoria Secret runway or a
Pussycat Dolls Show. If you want to do a sexy strip down to your
panties, stay at home. Clothes in your closet, no matter how fabulous, are not
enough for the stage and require bejeweling, bedazzling, and general
whoring out. Which as a concept and a lifestyle cannot be separated
from 7…

7. Do Not be Pedestrian
People are paying to see you perform. Entertain them at all times and
at all costs. From the moment you walk into a space until the moment you
leave, you are performing a personae. No one wants to hear about your
shitty day job or how early you have to get up in the morning (unless,
of course, you're going on tour or flying to Paris). Which, once you've
mastered, is inextricably linked to 8…

8. Build Your Character
You does not equal Your Stage Personae. Make up stories. Invent
origins, biographies, performance history. Pretend you are way more fabulous
than you are. Eventually, you'll start to believe it and so will others.
But be aware that you do not forget rule 9…

9. Being Fabulous Does Not Mean Being a Diva: Make It Work
Turn mistakes into new choreography; no one will know something wasn't
planned unless you tell them. Throwing tantrums backstage, complaining
about the sound or space or [fill in the blank] is annoying. Fellow
performers are your allies. Save the catty crap for close friends. Do
not talk shit or complain. Commiserating is one thing; making an entire
show about you, you, you! is another. Which leads me to the 10th but
not final tip…

10. Practice. Practice. Practice.
You will probably suck for awhile and until you become a veteran
performer, you may be able to pull it off despite your greenness by
practicing. Maybe sometimes you will get lucky but practicing is an
even better strategy. That means practicing with music, full costume, and
choreography from beginning to end until you are ready to puke or are
really, really bored. Control props and costumes; don't let them
control you. Which leads me to the three final basics of all performance which,
though they may be dreadfully obvious, are worth restating: 1) have
fun; 2) be in the moment; and 3) smile!


Oh, and one more bonus tip for those ready to take on the word of our
savior, our Lady Luck, the Patron Saint of Glamour, MORE = MORE and LESS
=LESS. Once you recognize the power of those simple but provocative
equations, excess and glamour will rule your life. Amen. www.lukki.com"

^^^^

Ooooh, how fab. Well found!

I was just going to say - get to as many shows as you can. See how other people use the space. Some people will make you whoop and cheer, some people will make you just stare in awe. (There are at least a couple of performers who don't make me whoop and cheer, because I just can't help but look at them, and I simply forget to whoop and cheer until the end!)

See what works. See how the audience reacts to particular types of acts. See whether placement on the stage means everyone can see. See which props may or may not prove to be difficult, see how experienced performers deal with any potential difficulties. I'm certainly not advocating cribbing ideas, but there's no substitute to being there and observing, and from that forming your own ideas about what might work for you, or not.

In short, go and see. Don't just watch, but look at the event as a whole.

Originally Posted by lepetitemoll

I've only been performing for a few months, so I'm a total novice, too, but here's a few things I've learned so far:

- Invest the time and creativity into making your own costumes. Even the best performer will look less professional/impressive if they're just wearing something they dug out of their closet. Especially when it comes to lingerie! Even if you can't sew, find some way to jazz up your costume. If you can't sew, there's always hot glue and glitter and rhinestone bedazzlers!

- Find your own style, and peform in a way that works for your body. I recently saw a performer who was pulling out all the "sexy" dance moves that you see in music videos. But it just didn't work for her. It looked stiff and awkward. And because it looked so force, it ended up looking skankier and more strippery than she intended.
Not everyone moves the same way. Find moves that work for you. Better to look amazing in your own unique way than to look like a cheap imitation of someone else.

Originally Posted by lepetitemoll

Oh! I just remembered this!

A while ago I stumbled across this... I think it might have been on Tribe.net.

I think it's pretty fantastic:


"Dr. Lucky's Top 10 Tips for Budding Burlesque Babes

1. Respect Your Predecessors
Always acknowledge those that have helped pave the path that you now
find yourself on. You haven't invented anything. Everything has been done
before. Which is both liberating and challenging. The history of
burlesque spans over 150 years while the circus arts go back, well,
let's just say WAY before that. Which leads me to 2…

2. Do Your Research
See shows, read books, watch movies, watch YouTube. Subscribe to
listserves dedicated to the scene. Surf the net, watch videos on
YouTube, and be a myspace whore. Know the major players in the scene. Your
humility will enable you to learn an amazing wealth of knowledge from
experienced performers. Which will help you avoid 3…

3. Don't Copy Others
Inspiration is one thing. Stealing (or borrowing heavily which is
basically stealing) a signature move or concept is another. No one owns
the fan dance at this point but you should avoid copying something
you've seen before (which, if you haven't seen anything, see point 2). And if
you are recreating a classic, simply attribute the original as
inspiration. Dirty Martini makes it very clear that certain numbers are
inspired by her predecessors (see point 1). She acknowledges these as
"tributes" (and the person who originated the idea) and always inserts
her own "original idea." Make sure you are making an original contribution
and not simply copying. Which leads me to 4…

4. Don't Use the Stripper CD ("Striptease Classics")
Many pick this CD up to start and everyone is tired of hearing the same
f*cking songs over and over again. One suggestion, borrowed from Julie
Atlas Muz' advice to my students at NYU in the past (see point 3), is
to pick a song you love. A song that you can listen to over and over (and
over) again. Simple as that. Of course, you may use the stripper CD if
you are making fun of it. In which case, if you are making fun of it,
anything goes! Burlesque is, after all, largely (though not wholly)
about parody. Which segues, quite nicely, I do say so myself, into 5…

5. Avoid Cliché Archetypes
There's a fine line between cliché and clever. As a general rule, if
you can buy the concept of your act from a plastic bag at Target during
Halloween (i.e. kitty cat, naughty nurse, dirty school girl/teacher,
angel, devil, housewife) you may either want to consider: 1) coming up
with another archetype or 2) work the hell out of it in an unexpected
way or make fun of it (see tip 4). Most burlesque numbers use archetypes
of some type but after seeing 6 housewife numbers in a night, the audience
may grow tired. Even if you do 2 (i.e., work the fuck out of it/make
fun of it [in which case anything goes]), you will still want to avoid, at
all costs, 6…

6. Your Underwear is Not A Costume
I cannot stress this enough. This is not a Victoria Secret runway or a
Pussycat Dolls Show. If you want to do a sexy strip down to your
panties, stay at home. Clothes in your closet, no matter how fabulous, are not
enough for the stage and require bejeweling, bedazzling, and general
whoring out. Which as a concept and a lifestyle cannot be separated
from 7…

7. Do Not be Pedestrian
People are paying to see you perform. Entertain them at all times and
at all costs. From the moment you walk into a space until the moment you
leave, you are performing a personae. No one wants to hear about your
shitty day job or how early you have to get up in the morning (unless,
of course, you're going on tour or flying to Paris). Which, once you've
mastered, is inextricably linked to 8…

8. Build Your Character
You does not equal Your Stage Personae. Make up stories. Invent
origins, biographies, performance history. Pretend you are way more fabulous
than you are. Eventually, you'll start to believe it and so will others.
But be aware that you do not forget rule 9…

9. Being Fabulous Does Not Mean Being a Diva: Make It Work
Turn mistakes into new choreography; no one will know something wasn't
planned unless you tell them. Throwing tantrums backstage, complaining
about the sound or space or [fill in the blank] is annoying. Fellow
performers are your allies. Save the catty crap for close friends. Do
not talk shit or complain. Commiserating is one thing; making an entire
show about you, you, you! is another. Which leads me to the 10th but
not final tip…

10. Practice. Practice. Practice.
You will probably suck for awhile and until you become a veteran
performer, you may be able to pull it off despite your greenness by
practicing. Maybe sometimes you will get lucky but practicing is an
even better strategy. That means practicing with music, full costume, and
choreography from beginning to end until you are ready to puke or are
really, really bored. Control props and costumes; don't let them
control you. Which leads me to the three final basics of all performance which,
though they may be dreadfully obvious, are worth restating: 1) have
fun; 2) be in the moment; and 3) smile!


Oh, and one more bonus tip for those ready to take on the word of our
savior, our Lady Luck, the Patron Saint of Glamour, MORE = MORE and LESS
=LESS. Once you recognize the power of those simple but provocative
equations, excess and glamour will rule your life. Amen. www.lukki.com"

*golf claps* :twothumbs:

Wow, that list pretty much covers it!

One point I would add, is to accept that you'll definatly mess up more than a few times when you're first starting out! There are so many acts that at the time, I thought were really original and awesome and I look back now and think, "WTF!?". * Remembers pouring a jar of honey over herself at a venue with no shower, then having to travel to an audition the next day smelling like an accident in the preserve isle *

Some things, you can only get away with while you're learning, experimenting and developing your character, so don't be too hard on yourself and don't let others discourage you. Just do it and regret it later, you can't and won't learn from others mistakes but you'll definatly laugh at the silly ideas you had!

My golden rule is to always remember that less is more when it comes to nudity - its so much sexier and more elegant just to have a final reveal than to jiggle everything you've got for half the routine. Its what you don't see, rather than what you do!

And of course, smile! The acts who are most fun to watch are the ones who seem to be enjoying themselves and a good relationship with the audience is worth any number of gimmicks.

That list is pretty much got it covered but the one i would throw in would be.... don't be afraid to do something personal. Quite often the ideas you think that only you will 'get' will be really well recieved. Being accessible is good but putting your own stamp on things, however different, will mean the people who like your acts will really remember them.