Diary of a Burlesque Beginner - Week Four

Well dolls, this post will be rather short one as my cold is still lingering and I didn’t make it to last nights class. I had hoped to go and even carted my change of clothes and heels into work so I could head there afterward but after a horrible nights sleep and breathing in the fresh winter air I really didn’t feel up to it. I figured rather then go and simply not enjoy myself (or even possibly make the others girls sick) I was better to give it a miss and renew my enthusiasm next week.

Send in the nurse...

Image from: DiamondsAndDolls.com

I believe we would have been continuing the chair routine and practicing… Lord knows I really could’ve done with the practice but with a fuzzy cold ridden head I would have more likely become frustrated and gotten over it rather quickly. I am going to have to try and get some practice in before next week; but as all the chairs at my house are either antique or just plain old (I mean, squeaky old) my last attempt ended promptly as I would prefer to keep the chair and my skull in tact should the old chair decide to give out.

If any of you are interested in the music we use at the classes though (besides Fever and Big Spender) you can download it from iTunes for I think $16.99. It’s called “How to Strip (Out of Print, Digital Only)”. It has 21 tracks by the Sonny Lester Orchestra that are a great listen even if you aren’t getting your burlesque on. I listened to it while I was getting ready to go out the other week and it was great. It really makes you feel sexy and puts a swing in your step. You can find details here, or just search on iTunes.

Image from iTunes

Fingers crossed I’m feeling better for next week…

Bryan Fuller is a God

As I mentioned in my previous post “My first blog award” , I own a lot of TV shows on DVD. I love being able to come home from work and watch an episode of a show I love and just be totally sucked into that world – commercial free. As I have gotten older and my DVD collection has grown I have noticed just how much I appreciate the amazingly talented writers who have me seriously addicted to their shows. So I would just like to give an honorable mention to two of my favourite writers… what I wouldn’t give to meet these guys…

If you are looking for a new series to get into, or have forgotten about some of these beauties I highly suggest you give them a watch.

Joss Whedon is a legend.

First with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then the spin-off Angel. I have watched every episode of both of these shows numerous times… which at a total of 254 episodes (144 Buffy and 110 Angel) running at about roughly 45 minutes each episode (minus commercials) is roughly about 190 hours (feel free to correct my probably horribly math) which is over 7 days straight just watching these shows! And that’s not including any extras/bonus material. I am a sucker for the good (and I mean, good… dodgy, unrealistic doesn’t cut it) supernatural theme as it is, but the character depth and story lines in these shows just drew me in. I love the way each episode tells a story but its part of a bigger story that takes the whole show or season to pan out. I love the seriousness and then humor, and the ability to relate to it in one way or another… basically, every aspect of these shows wooed me.

With such a healthy respect for Whedon and being a bit of fan of Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy) I was naturally very intrigued when I heard that Joss had been working on a new show “Dollhouse” with Eliza as the star. I immediately jumped on eBay and purchased the first season. When it arrived I was far from disappointed. It was amazing! I watched the whole season within a week (ie after work, EVERY night) and am currently waiting for season two so I can get another fix. Unfortunately, unlike Buffy’s seven season run (and continuation in comic books) Dollhouse was dropped after the second season.

I have noticed that Whedon did another show, called "Firefly", which I am yet to watch… Have any of you seen this? Does it live up to standards?

Buffy

Angel

Dollhouse

Bryan Fuller is a God

I only discovered Dead Like Me last year after a recommendation from a friend but from the very first episode I was so hypnotized. I had never watched anything like it. Modern day reapers who specialize in tragic/accidental deaths and frequent a local coffee shop to get there “jobs” for the day… what’s not to love? Although I suppose it has some similar supernatural themes to Whedons epic shows; the dialogue and story lines were so creative and jovial, especially for a rather morbid theme. Rules were well thought out for the supernatural side of things, much like in the Buffyverse and I think that sticking to these rules and not changing them really keeps the faith of the viewers. Doing my usual IMDB search, I quickly realized that the marvelous brain behind Dead Like Me had worked on writing for two other shows. Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies.

I first found Pushing Daises at JB Hifi and finished two seasons over a week (I didn’t even go anywhere on the weekend, I was glued to screen). It was just as magnificent, if not better then Dead Like Me… The whole show was a like a colour soaked fairy tale for adults, with (again) a supernatural theme, and some sarcastic humor for good measure. This only cemented my new found love of Bryan Fullers stories, and after a lovely blogger comment from Amber of Nostomanic reminded me, I began the hunt for Wonderfalls. It didn’t take me long to realize that this, like Pushing Daises and Dead Like Me; it too had been short lived. Wonderfalls only had a few episode actually go to air and was never released in Australia. My good friend eBay however, does not discriminate and I found a US copy of Wonderfalls on my door step within a week (last Friday to be exact). And can I just say… Wonderfalls = Wonderfull. It is such a pity when such an amazing show is cut down in its prime, it didn’t even have a chance… From what I have heard was planned for future season, it would have only continued to amaze further.

Dead Like Me

Pushing Daisies

Wonderfalls

These shows are just mind blowing, and if you have never seen them I suggest you do. Even if you are not a supernatural fan you will still enjoy these… My Mum is currently being forced to watch Pushing Daisies so she knows what I have been banging on about lol and she isn’t a huge supernatural fan but she is really enjoying it.

What is your favourite television series? Are you a Fuller/Whedon worshipper like me? Is there a show I should watch? I’d love to know :)

* For all images sources please click on image.

Diary of a Burlesque Beginner - Week Three

WARNING: I have a cold and am not in the best spirits.

Ok, now that the warning is out of the way I am hoping that will help you understand why I didn’t particularly enjoy last nights session as much as I did the others. As I mentioned in the first post, I have NEVER done any time of dance in my life and as such have NO experience with counts and don’t have the best memory when it comes to routines. This was definitely a draw back for last night as we learnt the majority of our chair routine.

With a “fuzzy” head from my cold, even the most important of information just won’t stick let alone a sequence of dance steps timed to music. By the end of the lesson I literally just wanted to leave. At this very moment in time I feel I am destined to be a spectator; and after the course is over I should just stick to non-performance arts. However… as much as I just wanted to leave I am chalking that up to my fuzzy head and hoping that next week will renew my enthusiasm.

Very poor quality photo of the room we use

I am not nor have I ever been one of those girls who gets right into dancing. I never leant/copied any moves from a film or a video clip, even when I was like 10 and liked the spice girls. When I go out I need have had several drinks before I will even step foot on the dance floor and even then I will only dance if there is decent music playing (which lets face it, is a rarity in today’s “doof doof” music age). Basically, I have never been much of a performer. I used to dread any oral presentations at school and any excuse would do to get out of it rather then stand up in front of everyone. Basically, any situation where someone/a group of people are watching me, I would turn fire engine red and forget how to talk. It wasn’t until 2006 when I did a modeling course (completely dodgy, buts that another story) that I actually gained some more confidence and am now much more comfortable in those types of settings.

That said, I would still rather not do any type of performance or speech in front of a large group but I am ok with small groups of people and bigger groups if I feel like what I am doing is good enough. My philosophy is, I don’t care what people I don’t know think of me because they don’t know me and I am not worried about what people I know will think because if they are a friend they will simply support me and they are not there to judge.

Sarah and I before the lesson

But… this brings me to my breaking point in last nights session. After learning the routine for what would have been half an hour the lovely Kitty Kemble (the instructor) suggested that we split into two groups and perform for the other group so that we can see what it looks like. Good idea, I would love to see what it looks like even if I immediately felt a little anxious. I decided to give it a shot anyway… All was going OK until I missed one step and realized that someone was filming. That was it. Cold = fuzzy head. Fuzzy head = short fuse. Short fuse = easily defeated/easily frustrated. Easily defeated/easily frustrated = Count me out.

1 I do not think I know this well enough to be performing it for any number of people
2 Even if I learnt this routine and knew it well I really don’t feel confident enough to be performing it to people who weren’t in the class and who attend the class afterward (the more advanced class)
3 I don’t do well under pressure so after learning something for half an hour I would prefer not to be filmed as this is more likely to put me off.

Writing this now does make me realize though that I was enjoying myself until that point, even in my dazed state. It was more relaxed and my stuff ups weren’t a big deal. I could stop and watch to pick up the next step rather then relying on my unreliable memory. (It can be hard to see what you are meant to be doing next when you still have you head between your legs from the step before lol). I guess this just goes to prove that the reason I wanted to do this was to HAVE FUN, socialize, learn something new, and get some exercise. Not particularly to perform. I don’t expect to be the next burlesque queen. I also realized that there may be reason that the chair routine isn’t the natural progression to start learning in week two… its pretty intimidating. Anyway, enough whining...

The routine that we were learning is a chair routine to “big spender”. From what I watched the instructor do it looks really good all put together and performed properly in correct timing… so here’s hoping that I will get it down pat next week (or eventually). I tried to remember everything that we learnt in the right order but short of writing it all down as we went I don’t know how I can check if I have it correct. Here is my uncomplicated notes I am hoping will refresh my memory…

The chairs we use. (and the infamous hard tiled floor I mentioned in week two)

Facing right behind chair
Left hand on chair grind from bust to hips
Slap back of chair with both hands
Holding the back of the chair - Hip wiggle, right, left, right, left out and around to right
Head forward - Hair flip with hips going opposite direction (figure eight)
Walk around chair from left
When back behind chair hold head shake around *whats going on in my mind*
Lift chair with both hands (hold under back rest)
Walk forward
*pop my cork* drop chair to one hand
Slide backwards (facing left)
Drop chair (gracefully – if that’s possible!)
Step to the right walking around chair starting with right leg
2 steps – on 3rd step >
Lift right leg onto chair
Lean in toward chair bring right knee in toward body (bottom pointing out) and rub down right leg
Drop right leg onto knee on chair (steady yourself with left arm on chair back)
Step over chair with left leg
Left leg on ground, right leg (from knee to foot on chair)
Legs together (right knee tucked toward left leg)
Left leg on ground, right leg (foot on chair) right hand on right leg – push leg out so legs are open
Right leg over to right side of chair bottom on chair (close to front) legs apart at front
*fun fun fun* legs together, slap on right leg slap on left leg
Split leg to the right (stretch right leg out, bend left leg and slightly tuck under)
Split leg to the left (stretch left leg out, bend right leg and slightly tuck under)
Split leg to the right (stretch right leg out, bend left leg and slightly tuck under)
Shake front – shoulder towards front (double)
Both legs to the right – crouch down to the ground facing right
# I have a feeling something is missing here #
Stand back up – showgirl pose (rub from legs up body, cupping at breast, lift arms above head – stretched, face palms toward roof with hands pointing out)
Windmill (to standing in front of the chair)
Sit - Legs together
Legs up (kind of like a tuck)
Spin on bottom to facing left
Onto back, legs up (straight)
Right/front leg bend, left leg bend, right leg bend – straight up
Legs going down twist toward front
Facing forward legs tucked slightly under to the right

Keep your fingers crossed for me that I have most of this correct because if I do commit this to memory and it sticks its going to be mighty hard to change something that is already programmed into my brain. I do find it easier to do things having seen them and then reading them through so who knows maybe (if its correct) this will be just the thing to help me. I know that all these steps are in there, I just dont know if they are in that order and/or if some are missing...

I did manage to snap about four photos of the place and the chairs we use and one of me and one of the girls (above and below). Will try and get some better pics next time (hopefully when feeling cheerier) and maybe an outfit pic?

Oh and I can happily report, no sore legs after last weeks lesson AND this week the part of the routine with my back on the seat of the chair and my legs in the air felt much less terryfying :)

Sarah - Doing some sort of show star pose

Diary of a Burlesque Beginner - Week Two

Well, last nights chair routine was actually kind of terrifying. The studio we practice in is a small old place with black and white hard tile floors. I did find this a benefit last week when trying to master the burlesque walk however when your laying on a chair with your legs in the air that hard surface is not so beneficial… especially if you say over estimate your skills and land face first on the ground. Don’t worry I am not typing this with a broken nose, I didn’t fall of my chair hehe. (* please note this was not due to my amazing skills, it was simply because I clung on for dear life lol).

The class started with the usual warm up a quick run through of the poses and basics we went through last week. The showgirl, pin up and glove pose and the burlesque walk had stuck quite firmly in my memory which is bonus. Oh, and we did some “wiggling” and some “grinding”. Our lovely instructor Kitty Kemble unfortunately had an accident during the week and burnt her arm severely. This limited her a bit with some of the poses and the chair routine, but one of friends or students (I’m not sure which) was kind enough to help out and demonstrate with her.

With some of the warm up and run throughs there are points where you are stood on one leg with the other stretched out in the front you, last week I had no problems with this but this week I seem to have left my balance at the door. I didn’t fall over or anything to exciting, but I did have that wobble you get, from well, standing on one leg in heels. All limber and ready we then grabbed a chair and “went to town”. The chair routine is apparently not the usual progression for the second lesson but as we all showed much interest in it our instructor shuffled things around a bit for a treat. Now, from my first paragraph you may think I am being a little dramatic about the tile floor but as I am not the most coordinated person, things that wouldn’t be hard for some can sometimes be quite an effort for me. I don’t have the best balance in general even when wearing flats, so whack some heels on me and ask me to stand one leg and look out! Let alone putting me on a chair on my back with my legs in the air… lol.

Dita doing a chair routine
Image from BurlesqueDaily

The chair routine is actually lots of fun and isn’t particularly hard (if you can balance) so far. You start sitting normally with you legs together, then spread them, put your head down between your legs in front of you and touch the ground, lift you bottom into the air, sit back down, lift your legs up and hold them (kind of like a tuck), spin your bottom on the chair so your facing the other way, drop your legs to the ground, stand on the edge of your heel and lift you body up arching your back (apparently think flashdance, but I haven’t seen it), lower your body back down to a seated position and spin on your bottom again until your facing the opposite direction, lower your body so you back in flat on the seat of the chair making sure to have enough support to lift you legs, lift both legs up stretched out completely and bend one at a time, slowly lift your self back up (gracefully) on the chair, leave your legs to the side but flat on the ground and point your toes with your legs bent slightly. Now, please keep in mind this is just a general gist of what we got up to and please do not attempt this from my simple interpretation of an attempt of explaining. We did also do a few variations were you lift your legs after tucking them up and holding them, then spread them apart in the air... which does sounds simple enough also but it certainly gets the thigh muscles pulsing.

The majority of this was painless enough (well, it was at the time but I give it until tomorrow to kick in) and easy to follow but the part where you are flat on your back with your legs straight out in front of you is kind of daunting when the only place you have to fall if you mess up is the tile floor. I believe I made a few comments along the lines of “shouldn’t we have safety mats or something” during this part but I was concentrating so hard on trying take in all the info. Apparently it’s better if you can find your centre, but after my extraordinary lack of balance in the whole class last night I am beginning to believe I don’t even have one… lol.

Overall the lesson was great but I am going to definitely going to need some practice though. The instructor was kind enough to tell me the name of the iTunes download of the majority of the music use at the lessons which I am going to download tonight. The music is great in general so it will make a nice addition to my iPod playlist. The album is called “how to strip” and costs $16.95, unfortunately though it is only available in digital form via iTunes so the only way to get it is to download, so you can’t get a hard copy (ie disc).

I didn’t mention this in my first post about this but last week I wore my work clothes to the lesson as I wasn’t sure what we were meant to wear. I had on my sailor pants I bought from Betty Jane Boutique at the Rock n Roll Rendezous and a red and white striped long sleve skivvy with mary jane wedges as I wasn’t sure if I should wear stilettos or kitten or heels or what not. I ended up cooking in that as I was dressed for the weather outside and when doing the class you certainly work up some heat. So, this week I wore some high waisted black capris, my bettie page t-shirt and red bandana rosie style with a brogue/gangstar style stack heel. This was much more comfortable to move in and much cooler when things heated up. However, now I am pretty much stumped for ideas of what to wear… I am thinking high waisted shorts and tights/fishnets and a loose-ish but nice top. Any suggestions?

I’m not sure what we will be up to for next weeks lesson so it will be as much as a surprise to me as it is when you read about it. I do know that we will be doing a “knicker routine” and I believe a “glove peel” in the coming weeks though, which sounds very interesting.

Opera gloves
Image from CompareStorePrices

Diary of a Burlesque Beginner - Week One

As I mentioned earlier, I started burlesque classes this week. I had no idea what to expect but can now say I am so pleased that I decided to go. So far my lack of coordination and dancing skills hasn’t affected me much at all and everything has been really well explained.

The lovely lady who teaches the classes has been doing burlesque for 11 years and her one of her great-great-great (lots of greats) relatives was a ziegfeld girl. The classes run for an hour and the course goes for 6-7 weeks. I am hoping to jot a little note about what we learnt each lesson on here for you as a bit of a diary.

The week we learnt:
~ Showgirl pose
~ Pin up pose
~ Glove pose
~ Burlesque walk
~ Body Rolls

Example of a Glove pose
Image from DailyMail.co.uk

Unfortunately, though my lack of coordination hasn’t effected me (yet!) my lack of fitness has certainly been a shock to the system. The lesson was on Tuesday night, and today… well, just picture a little old lady struggling to get out of a chair… that’s me. My legs are so tight at the moment I am almost walking funny. At the time I didn’t even feel like it was doing anything but two days later and voila… pain.

I haven’t played a sport or attended a dance class ever, in fact the last recreational thing I did was girl guides when I was under 10! So although I walk everywhere, and quite often in high heels it seems that my body isn’t used to much physical activity. (I do have a treadmill at home which I did previously use, until one particular “incident” which I may or may not fill you in about eventually lol *its embarrassing*)

Another great thing about the class is seeing two of my girl friends during the week. As I said, not since my pre-tween or pre-teen days have I attended anything regularly outside or school/work commitments (except shopping) so catching up with people on a regular basis will be a real highlight of my week.

Anyhoo, stay tuned for next week… we’re learning a chair routine.

Image from iamagreedygirl.com

Outfit - Friends 21st

I went to a friends 21st the other week and finally got to wear my "glamour dress" from my Rock n Roll Rendezvous post. As I mentioned in my first outfit post, I am yet to master the art of self-timer photographs of myself so the quality isn’t great but I am hoping that doesn’t take away from the dress. No-one was home when I left so I had to attempt to take it myself… I think there are a few shots from the party on facebook so I will try and add some of them soon. (UPDATE: more pics added)

Dress - Glamour Dress from Betty Jane Boutique
Stocking - Myer (no photos of the back, but they are seamed)
Shoes - Shoobiz (again, not photographed particularly well, but they are leopard print kitten heels)

It’s a reproduction vintage style and is not actual vintage but I am a real sucker for red, and leopard print so any dress with both is usually good in my book. Although I bought it at the Rock n Roll Rendezvous it is available online at the beautiful Betty Jane Boutique. Please excuse my room, and my posture… the camera was on a shelf that was rather low.

This is my friend Hayley and I before we left. I don't know what is going on with the arms, but that is not mine in the centre... :S

Hayley and I again, you can see the leopard print detail better in this shot.

Oh, also... I am starting my burlesque classes tonight so stay tuned for a post about that shortly :) fingers crossed my lack of coordination doesn't hinder me too much.

My first blog award!

The lovely Nifty*Thrifty*Retro*Mama was kind enough to honor myself and 9 other lovely bloggers with the Beautiful Blogger award! So, a big thanks to Nifty*Thrifty*Retro*Mama! If you haven’t checked out her blog click on the link and have a peek. She’s a self described “stay at home mama, army wife & all round thrifty dame”.

The rules of the award are as follows:

1. Thank & link to the person that gave you the award.
2. Pass this award onto 10 bloggers.
3. Contact Blogs to let them know they’ve won.
4. Tell seven things about yourself.

Since I had created the “Inspirational Blogger Award” I have already awarded some of my favourite dolls… that in mind that there are so many amazing, or in the case beautiful blogs that deserve it so I will try not to repeat.

Here goes nothing, in no particular order:

Kafferepet
This Swedish dame is only 19 years old and has already perfected the art of amazing hair! I was literally addicted to her blog last week reading her posts all the way back to 2008. I am so glad that she posts small English translations at the bottom of her posts, but even if she didn’t all the pictures are amazing.

Children of the 90’s
Although this isn’t vintage (or is 90s vintage now? lol) I am a 90’s child and every single post on this blog has brought a smile to my face. From cartoons to floppy discs this is bound to inspire nostalgia in anyone who grew up in the 90s.

Celia Rose
This lovely lass is fresh to the blogging scene but has most definitely hit the ground running. From the posts she has already done and some comments I can tell that this stylish girl is one to keep you eye on.

Retrophile Diaries
This rockabilly guy not only digs She & Him but is the founder of Tropical Tuesday and Western Wednesday, need I say more? :)

Tales of a Retro Modern Housewife
I just love this glamorous housewife’s Picture And A Quote, and if you are throwing a dinner party be sure to check out her How To Throw A Dinner Party for all the etiquette, flower arrangements and inspiration you could wish for.

Vixen Vintage
This girl would look good in anything she puts on, and sure enough she does. With almost daily outfit posts of great vintage finds or clothes she made her self (her Kitty dress is adorable)… Not only does she ooze style but she is also kind enough to write some How To’s for filling a vintage compact, tie a 1940s headscarf and creating rag curls.

Tuppence Ha’Penny
This is another blog that I was addicted to for a while. I devoured every page soaking up the fantastic vintage magazine posts to her beautifully presented outfit posts that look like they have been taken right out of a scrap book.

Well, I used to be a lady..
This New Zealand based vintage girl has motivated me to tackle my new project… sewing. She took night classes and has now been sewing for 2 months. It’s good to know that I am not the only vintage loving girl who hasn’t mastered the art of sewing.. yet :)

Gatsby and Me
Although I have only recently started following this blog I truly think that anyone who can make an amazing dress out of bed sheet found in an op-shop deserves and award. This lass is another kind enough to share her knowledge with tutorials for hair-do’s and sewing.

Vivian Von Dimples
Another blog I am new to following but already have great appreciation for. This Western Australian beauty has her own label and has graciously written and photographed tutorials for how to make your own seamed stockings and sailor hat.

Now, I will pretense this next bit with a warning that I am not very good at talking about myself (which has been a real downer when writing resumes) but here are seven things about me.

> I do not have any tattoos.

> I have Aqua on my iPod.

> I own lots of TV shows on DVD. Buffy, Angel, Scrubs, Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, Dollhouse, Invader Zim, Veronica Mars, That 70s Show etc.

> I don’t like pizza.

> I didn’t realize how bad my sight had become until I got my glasses and realized how things should actually look.

> I drink at least one XL red bull a day.

> I was born in Chicago.