Fall Flirtations
Coming Up Next…
That’s right! We’re back at Guilt & Co NEXT TUESDAY, September 27th!
We’re returning to the venue that started it all, that sexy basement bar in Gastown, Guilt & Co! Join us for the launch of our new monthly production, jam packed with live music, burlesque, and scintillating fun. On stage you’ll see:
RUTHE ORDARE
NICKY NINEDOORS
MISS FITT
CAROLE BRUNETTE
ARIEL HELVETICA
MISS SYDNEY CLAIRE
and
THE LOCKSMITHS
hosted by
AVA LURE
Doors at 8, Show at 9
Two extra sets of big vocal tunes with the band to follow!
$15 advance/$20 at the door subject to availability. You can purchase tickets in advance here.
So grab a drink, order that cheese plate (you know you want it), sit back, and enjoy the show!!
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Here are some photos of this month’s cast, on and off the Guilt & Co stage. See you next week.
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- Ruthe Ordare Off Stage
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- Ruthe On Stage!
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- Miss Sydney Claire Off Stage
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- Miss Sydney Claire On Stage! Ok, this isn’t the Guilt & Co stage, but that’s because it’s her very first show with us there as a vocalist!
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- Miss Fitt Off Stage
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- Miss Fitt On Stage!
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- Nicky Ninedoors Off Stage
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- Nicky On Stage!
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- Carole Brunette Off Stage
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- Carole On Stage!
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- Ariel Helvetica Off Stage
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- Ariel On Stage!
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- Ava Lure Off Stage
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- Ava On Stage!
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- The Locksmiths On Stage!
Late Night (trick or) Treat…
Because I couldn’t reaaaally post this one to facebook.
And also because Spooksy Delune is our guest balloon popper and stage manager for our next monthly show on October 8th at Guilt & Co!
Click here for more details…
xo
Nicky
Photo by John Bews and myself
You look chilly, darling!
We know you’ve missed us..
We’ve been oh so busy spreading sparkly bits throughout the city! We’ll get to that soon, but we know why you’re really here. The temperatures have dropped and Fall is upon us, but remember, not too long ago, when the air was warm, skin was exposed, and the evenings were long? In August we took our audience on a wild ride to Funkytown, and we’ve got the photos to prove it.
We were lucky to have Fubarfoto at the show, so hold onto your bell-bottoms and allow us to heat you back up a bit!
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- Pop!
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- Sometimes, even the Purrrfessor is a tease
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- She’s ready to get it on
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- Lacing up
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- Lucky Lipstick!
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- Come on home, girl
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- Pure magic
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- Smooth moves
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- Welcome to Brixx house
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- Funky
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- Foxy lady
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- Spin!
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- She’s going to grab that money no matter what
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- For your love
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- Oops, did she drop something?
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- No peeking yet
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- Drive a young man insane
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- She’s on fire!
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- Sweet, sweet harmony
Soul, Funk, Fringe Fest and more!
Up next, we’re taking you to….
Pandora and The Locksmiths are taking you on a 60’s and 70’s FLASH-back (pun intended!) on tuesday August 13th as we dive into a cool pool of retro-sexy goodness we like to call FUNKY TOWN!
With performances in the 60’s and 70’s groove by:
CAROLE BRUNETTE
RUTHE ORDARE
BURGUNDY BRIXX
and
NICKY NINEDOORS
plus DOUBLE TROUBLE stage management and siren skills by
MISS KISS
and
AUGUST WILED!
With classic funk and soul to spice up your hot August night by our 5 piece band, THE LOCKSMITHS!
And hosted by the the rip roaring vocal talents of
DOUG THOMS!
The show starts at 9 pm with the band while our balloon babe gets all her prize filled balloons popped! We highly recommend arriving early so you may enjoy the amazing cocktails and tapas at Guilt & Co.
Admission is a suggested $10 donation*
Join us for an evening of delightfully indulgent entertainment!
*Here at the Risque Cabaret, all donations go directly to funding the performers you see on the stage! Thank you so much for your continued support in making Tuesday night the hottest night in town!
* * *
Super Awesome Reminder: We’re in The Vancouver Fringe Festival!
This is the show you’ve been hearing about and your chance to see it fully staged at the beautiful historic theatre at The Cultch is just around the corner!
Join us on a racy romp through the golden age of burlesque and experience Minsky’s famous Burlesque Follies as remembered by the one and only Gypsy Rose Lee!
Starring BURGUNDY BRIXX as burlesque legend GYPSY ROSE LEE!
The PURRRFESSOR as comedian RAGS RAGLAND!
And in tribute performances to these other legendary burlesque queens:
NICKY NINEDOORS as extreme edyciast MARGIE HART!
APRIL O’PEEL as the tassel twirling CARRIE FINNEL!l
AUGUST WILED as the ever-elegant SHERRY BRITTON!
and MISS FITT as the feisty fireball GEORGIA SOTHERN!
Plus
SOCRATEASE
And RUTHE ORDARE, VORACIOUS V, and AVA LURE as The Famous Minsky Rosebuds!
And live music and fun with our HOT jazz band, THE LOCKSMITHS!
Sean Bayntun on Keys
John Bews on Bass
Alison Gorman on Trumpet
Dominic Conway on Sax
and Liam MacDonald on Drums
A production of Livestage Performance in association with Kitty Nights Burlesque and Pandora and the Locksmiths as part of the Vancouver Fringe Festival. Inspired by “Gypsy Rose Lee and the Minsky Follies” as produced by Albert Garzon and Ixion Burlesque
Here is the full schedule of when you can find us!
Sept 6 @ 8:55pm
Sept 7 @ 10pm
Sept 8 @ 1:45pm
Sept 11 @ 9:45pm
Sept 13 @ 5pm
Weekend Fringe Festival show tickets are just $12 each, and weekday shows are only $10!
More info on the Fringe Festival here:
http://www.vancouverfringe.com/
* * *
So awesome. Reminder, if you want to follow us on twitter we’re @livejazzburlesk
on instagram we were allowed more characters in our name (yay!) so we’re @pandoraandthelocksmiths
Tweet at us and let us know what you think of our shows! We love interacting with our guests all over the place!
* * *
Hmmmm…. I wonder if we have any other news.
Well, it is a month and a half until our third anniversary! That’s pretty spectacular. We have a lineup featuring almost every single one of our members, a show full of duets, plus two gorgeous group numbers, a new solo from one of our founding members (she is very excited about it, so you should be too!)
AND
We have a burlesque debut. (!!!!)
I’m getting choked up just typing this sh*t, I’m so excited.
You’ve seen her in the incredibly talented fusion bellydance group, Luciterra.
*deep breath*
LAURA!
Here’s a cute picture of her on the right (from my wedding after party, actually!) with one of her Luciterra sisters and one of our Pandora sisters, Delilah Dare! Delilah will be our stage manager in the show. I can’t wait to watch her face watching Laura! Oh, sister love. ❤
This is so damn exciting. I love our extended collective family!
I might add that you can find Luciterra performing at Guilt & Co on the last Tuesday of every month. They also teach classes- many of our members have been in their workshops getting our shimmy on. Check out their website if you want to learn more!
Photo by Amanda Flagg
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Okay, I think that’s it for announcements. I can breathe now. My heartbeat can return to a slightly less elevated rate!
Except now it’s time for gorgeous photos taken at our most recent Guilt & Co production, by Jess Desaulniers-Lea.
Heart races. Swoon.
The Heat of the Night
Summer is here! And it’s glorious! We’ll be celebrating by disrobing… tell all your friends 😉
As warm breezes sweep through the city,
And the sweltering sun starts to set,
We’d like to invite you to join us inside,
Where we’ll tease ’til you work up a sweat.
Pandora and The Locksmiths are happy to present you with with a sizzling show that’s sure to raise your temperature!
Featuring:
CAROLE BRUNETTE
AVA LURE
AUGUST WILED
MISS KISS
VORACIOUS V
We are also incredibly pleased to have the stunningly sultry NICKY NINEDOORS singing steamy tunes, and keeping our ladies in line.
Not only will we satisfy your eyes, but you’re ears will be delighted with smoking hot music by the fabulous five piece jazz band THE LOCKSMITHS! If you thought it couldn’t possibly get better, the always scorching MAMA KAY will guide you through the evening and keep the mercury rising.
The show starts with the band at 9pm while Nicky NineDoors gets all her prize filled balloons popped; a rare treat indeed! We highly recommend arriving early so you may enjoy the amazing cocktails and tapas at Guilt & Co.
Admission is a suggested $10 donation*
*Here at the Risque Cabaret, all donations go directly to funding the performers you see on the stage! Thank you so much for your continued support in making Tuesday night the hottest night in town!
Whew! That show is sure to be a hot one. Don’t worry, Guilt & Co has air conditioning, so all that heat is going to be strictly internal, and our fault. Oopsies.
Before we get to some jaw dropping photos, we have a couple other things we would love to promote, because they are awesome.
Avenue Q!
Go see the incredible hit production that is getting rave reviews across the city! It’s innapropriate, it’s definitely not PC, and it’s fabulous! We were going to link to all the reviews to prove how awesome it is, but there are SO many. We’re not just saying that. Google is your friend. Avenue Q was over 80% sold out of the ENTIRE RUN until August 3rd, and then they extended it until August 17th due to demand. It’s amazing. It’s totally side splitting. Do yourself a favour and go.
Also, our own Brother Keys aka Sean Bayntun is the music director! And Mr Ninedoors is playing bass in the band with Sean!
Find out more and get tickets here!
and…
The Burlesque Assassins!
Reasons why we love this film:
1) “Rather than a film about burlesque, it is a burlesque film”- This is Cabaret
The BA features hugely inspirational performers such as Roxi D’Lite as the leading lady, plus our good friend Amber Ray as one of the dancers in the club! (There are so many inspiring performers in this film it’s kinda hard to list them all.) It’s a salacious romp of espionage in the land of absurdity. Love. which leads us to our next reason we love it…
2) Hello, cult hit!!
3) It’s Canadian made!
4) And bonus, they launched the film in Vancouver because they love Vancouver. Awesome. Nice work, guys!
If you’d like to buy this movie or rent it, please click here! They are doing an affiliate program with lots of burlesque community members, so a portion of the sales go back to to the community! We think that’s super awesome.
Know what else is awesome? If they do well selling this film, they plan to make another movie!! AWESOME!
Follow this link! Watch the preview! Purchase the movie! Support the little guys- they do big things!
Okay. Now that you’re done with our opinions, you may have some eye candy. Please enjoy a single serving of each of our performers featured in our upcoming show at Guilt & Co!
xo
Hello, gorgeous!
up next….
The joyfully brazen, delightfully lavish expression of sensuality. The whetting of curiosity, the glimmer of hope, and the arousal of desire, wrapped up in a package of indulgent extravagance.
Pandora and The Locksmiths are an extravagant collective of professional musicians and multi-disciplined burlesque artists, known for their prowess in weaving smokin’ live music and scintillating strip-tease into a sonically and visually lush spectacle. With a wink and a smile, they invite their audiences on a compelling journey into both the past and future of the burlesque art form.
On Friday, June 7th, these talented cats and kittens bring their saucy touch to the stage of Vancouver Fanclub for three sets of entertainment.
Featuring the talents of:
Burgundy Brixx!
August Wiled!
Ruthe Ordare!
Voracious V!
Nicky Ninedoors!
All set to the gorgeous tones of the FIVE PIECE BAND, The Locksmiths.
Doors: 7:30pm
Music begins at 8 pm, and the burlesque artists join in the saucy spectacle at 9 pm. Admission $15
ADVANCE TICKETS HERE!
Join us for a glamorous evening of unforgettable live entertainment!
and…..
Pandora and The Locksmiths are proud to present a collection of delectably sweet and devious acts to titillate every palette. This is one treat that even your dentist will approve!
Featuring:
BURGUNDY BRIXX!
RUTHE ORDARE!
AUGUST WILED!
plus two duets from
NICKY NINEDOORS and VORACIOUS V!
All to that smokin 5 piece jazz band, THE LOCKSMITHS!
And hosted by the the rip roaring vocal talents of
DOUG THOMS!
And our professional showgirl herder and sensational singer,
MISS KISS!
The show starts at 9 pm with the band while Miss Kiss gets all her prize filled balloons popped! We highly recommend arriving early so you may enjoy the amazing cocktails and tapas at Guilt & Co.
Admission is a suggested $10 donation*
Join us for an evening of deliciously glamorous entertainment!
*Here at the Risque Cabaret, all donations go directly to funding the performers you see on the stage! Thank you so much for your continued support in making Tuesday night the hottest night in town!
Well, that’s exciting! Our first ever show at FanClub! Wheee!! We do hope to see you there, it’s a BEAUTIFUL space with amazing sight lines and lights and sound, and we’re very thrilled to be performing on Granville Street again. Any time we can insert the burlesque counter culture into the pop culture is a good time by us! 😀
Speaking of which, some of our group members just got back from the Burlesque Hall of Fame! Brother Keys and I (Nicky) performed in the Movers, Shakers, and Innovators Showcase, Ruthe Ordare (with one of our fav performers Villainy Loveless) competed for Best Duo during the Tournament of Tease- and got a FULL standing ovation and brought many, many people to tears. And Burgundy Brixx was as dazzling as the sun in the Queen of Burlesque Category during the Tournament of Tease!
Special mention to Sweet Soul Burlesque led by sass queen Crystal Precious who also performed in the Movers, Shakers, and Innovators Showcase, as well as Lola Frost and Melody Mangler who seduced us in the Best Duo category, and Lola Frost in the Queen of Burlesque category winning 2nd Runner Up! Congratulations, girl! She was FIERCE!
We did NOT envy the decision making process the judges had to go through. Every single performer that was up on that stage was deserving of a prize. Quite literally the best of the best were showcased. I gave so many yelling, screaming, standing ovations I actually gave myself a headache. And I wasn’t the only one in that position! Damn! Amaaaazing.
So, on the tail end of the glittery performance wonder of BHoF, we come back super thrilled and inspired to up our game. We always want to up our game, but now it’s ON! We can’t wait to take this inspiration and the creativity that we’ve been offered, digest and absorb it, and put our all into our next creations! So, we really hope to see you at our next shows. We’re feeling fierce! *** Now for the eye candy…. 🙂
Here are a few photos that Jess Desaulniers-Lea took at the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival! Check out the festival’s FB page and Tumblr account for more! Enjoy!
The Heart Of Glamour
Alas, the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival has come to a sweet and glittery end for this year, and all the hard work of the board, performers, and volunteers has been celebrated appropriately (wink…ahem). For those of you who attended, we thank you and hope that you had the most wonderful time! For those of you who did not, we offer our sympathies; not only did you miss out on three incredible nights of burlesque entertainment and artistry, but our members were spreading the sass full force over those stages every night, and we have allllllll the photos to prove it. Hint: don’t go too far, there’s plenty to come, and you won’t want to miss it. I assure you!
Tomorrow, May 14th at Guilt and Co: Classic Tease
We’re not ready to get off our cloud of sparkles and feathers just yet though (or ever), so tomorrow, we’d like to take you on a journey to the heart of glamour. We’re celebrating the art of burlesque with an evening of tantalizing glitz, smooth moves, and good old bump and grind. Not only do we have Nicky Ninedoors, Burgundy Brixx, Voracious V, Carole Brunette, and August Wiled on the lineup to titillate your senses, but we are featuring the fabulous Lady Josephine! If you think it couldn’t possibly get better than that, you’re wrong; the statuesque Ava Lure will be stage managing, and the witty bombshell Mama Kay will host you through the dream.
Doors at 7pm, show at 9pm, suggested donation is $10. A cast of 13 for only $10?! Don’t let this one get away from you.
Oh yes, we know why you’re here, we didn’t forget, so here is a collection of gorgeous photos from our last show at Guilt and Co! Fringe was flying, tassels were twirling, and the incredibly talented Cameron Brown was there to capture it. While you’re at it, you should definitely check out his blog too! He may have some incredible shots from the festival on there.. 😉
Enjoy!!
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- Good morning
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- A lesson on getting dressed
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- Smooth
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- Ready for work
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- It’s always the glasses
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- Hold onto your socks
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- Slowly
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- Like magic
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- Come closer
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- Nope, not yet
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- When seeing double is a good thing…
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- Singing so smoothly
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- … a very good thing
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- In the groove
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- Yes, that’s a leopard jumpsuit
She’s As Modest As Can Be….
up next…
We are very excited about the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival! The board has been hard at work all year, but things are getting pretty intense now! Intense in the good kinda way, you know? Like when you feel you’re getting kinda werked and are like yeaaaaah… harder.
Anyhoo! The festival runs from May 2nd to May 4th, plus there is a wicked after party on the 5th at The Cellar. For reals, I’m going to be laughing my ass off all night. Or swooning 😉 -You should come too!
after the festival…
Tuesday May 14th at Guilt & Co
This coming month we are featuring the spectacular Lady Josephine! Burgundy Brixx, August Wiled, Nicky Ninedoors, Voracious V, and Carole Brunette round out the line up (uhhyeah they do), Ava Lure is our leggy stage manager for the evening and the night is hosted by the bombshell Mama Kay! Of course you’ll be treated to the musical stylings of The Locksmiths all night, so don’t miss out!
Doors 7 pm, show 9 pm, suggested donation is $10. Pretty good for a 13 person cast, right?
So mark it in your calendars, cuz sh*ts about to get real sparkly.
***
Now, where were we? Oh yes, dessert. Who says dessert can’t be good for you?
Please indulge in the photos that were taken by the talented Cameron Brown at our most recent show at Guilt. Isn’t his website just full of gorgeous, gorgeous photos? And his blog is pretty nifty, too! I get the feeling that you’ll be seeing lots more photos of his in the near future… 🙂
Enjoy!
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- Welcome to the show!
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- The traditional way we start the show- with prizes, balloons, and nudity, of course!
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- Check out that rear end suspension.
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- Let’s go!
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- Oh hi, Officer!
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- She’ll get your green
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- Hairography
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- She’s a blondshell
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- First she giveth…
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- Oh!
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- Ah!
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- Yay!
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- Oo!
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- The Fox
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- She’s bringing sexy back
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- Carole Brunette is this adorable pretty much all the time
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- Spin!
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- DING!
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- DINGDINGDING!
Oui, oui, oui!
up next…
Paris a Minuit!
On March 29 at The Rio Theater, join some of Vancouver’s finest burlesque performers with special guests for an evening of burlesque, dance, comedy, and circus with a French flare! Produced by Miss Fitt, the evening features the diverse burlesque talents of Melody Mangler, April O’Peel, Nicky Ninedoors, Voracious V, Ruthe Ordare, Connie Cahoots, Voodoo Pixie, and August Wiled, joined by superstar variety acts, including Luciterra, The Hot Pants, Ally ‘Oop, The Funky Yukinator, and accordionist Kathryn Peterson. Get dressed up in your most chic outfits, because there’s a Parisian Photo Booth at the event, too! Tickets in advance $15, door $20. Get advance tickets at Scout Boutique or through the title link.
60s Groove at Guilt & Company
on the 2nd Tuesday of every month, we put on a live music and burlesque extravaganza! This month, we’re groovin to the tune of the 60s. Featuring performances by Miss Fitt, Ruthe Ordare, Burgundy Brixx, Nicky Ninedoors, with help from August Wiled, and scintillating music by The Locksmiths.
Suggested donation $10. Show 9 pm. 1 Alexander St in Gastown.
Special announcements…
We’re very excited to announce that our very own Ruthe Ordare, Nicky Ninedoors, and Burgundy Brixx have been accepted into the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Las Vegas! Ruthe Ordare is competing in the Best Duo category with Villainy Loveless (You’ve seen her perform with us before, she’s rad, obvs), Nicky Ninedoors is performing with Brother Keys in the Movers, Shakers, and Innovators Showcase, and Burgundy Brixx is competing for the Queen of Burlesque Title! WOW! We are incredibly honoured. We were all planning on going anyways because BHoF is such an amazing pile of glittery inspiration and love, and now we get to be right up in that pile! Special shout out to Sweet Soul Burlesque who will also be performing in the Movers, Shakers, and Innovators Showcase, Melody Mangler and Lola Frost who are in the Duos competition, and Lola Frost who is also in the Queen competition! Go Vancouver!
And now… onto photos from our Get Away! production at Guilt & Co.
Photography for the evening by Rene Blais
Enjoy!
A Taste of Spring
catch the collective in…
Get Away with Pandora and The Lockmiths!
March 12th at Guilt & Co, 1 Alexander St in Gastown. Doors 7 pm, Show 9 pm. Suggested donation $10.
Retrospective
An ElectroSwing Club Canada spectacular at The Rickshaw, Friday March 22nd. Full show by Pandora and The Locksmiths, Dj’s, dancefloor, fashion show and more!
upcoming sister productions from P&L family members…
Guilt goes MOD with The Hot Pants!
Tomorrow! March 5th at Guilt & Co, 1 Alexander St in Gastown. Doors 7 pm, show 9 pm. Suggested donation $10. Wear your best 60s duds and get ready to be blown away by a whole troupe of dancers, plus guest hula hooper Nicky Ninedoors! Produced by Miss Fitt!
Paris A Minuit!
Friday, March 29th at The Rio Theatre. Doors 7 pm, Show 8 pm. Can’t be bothered to write the whole lineup, plus reading is good for you. World class promoter, that’s me! Just click the link and look at that amazing lineup!
and, of course, Kitty Nights every Sunday at The Biltmore!
***
Now, maybe you were stuck inside all day and maybe you need a bit of a pick me up. Or maybe you just need to look at pretty photos. We don’t judge.
Here’s a few morsels of gorgeous from Jess Desaulniers-Lea!
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In Like a (purrrring) Lioness
Next Up with Pandora and The Locksmiths:
Get Away With Us! March 12th at Guilt & Co
Electroswing: Retrospective on March 22nd at The Rickshaw
sister events
Kitty Nights at The Biltmore produced by Burgundy Brixx: every sunday!
The Hot Pants at Guilt & Co produced by Miss Fitt: Tues, March 5th
Paris a Minuit at The Rio, produced by Miss Fitt: Fri, March 29th
And check out every Tuesday at Guilt & Co for fabulous cabaret themed productions, featuring incredibly talented performers whom we love and work with as much as we can!
***
Well! now that we’ve scheduled your life for you… let’s get onto business!
As you can see, we’ve got some really amazing events coming up. Our next show at Guilt features a special guest who both plays an instrument and is an excellent burlesque dancer- Miss Via Rose! I’m personally excited to see her dance whenever I get the opportunity, but I’m also extra excited because she and I are creating our first duet together! Featuring the bassoon, my voice, some classic strip-tease, and gorgeous custom costumes by my sister in law, Jessica Bayntun.
We’re also very excited for our first ElectroSwing event as a whole group! The WHOLE SHEBANG! Wow!
And as you can see, Miss Fitt has been gettin busy! What? She’s a hard worker! She’s got her Hot Pants show on March 5th (I’ll be swinging hoops) as well as Paris a Minuit on the 29th. You should look at that lineup. Kinda insane!
And now, what you came for…
Last month we had the wonderful Jess Desaulniers-Lea be our sponsor photographer. While we love our men behind the camera, there’s a special sort of vibe when you know that it’s a woman who’s waiting for your sultriest moment to be captured at the flick of her finger…. shall we take a look at what she got?
Enjoy!
Look At This!
Are you ready for some heart stopping femininity?
Femme and Fatale with Pandora and The Locksmiths, featuring special guest Lady Josephine!
Feb 12th, Guilt & Co at 1 Alexander Street in Gastown. Doors 7 pm, Show 9 pm.
Suggested donation $10, which directly funds all the heartbreaking cats and kittens you see on stage!
At our upcoming monthly show (monthly show #29! Holy crap!) we are presenting a saucy mix of femininity. We have gloriously soft and gorgeous contrasted with fiercely film noir, as well as deliciously complex combinations of those ideas. Much like a fine bottle of scotch. Okay, okay. Wine for all your wine ladies (and gents). I’ll keep the scotch to myself, thanks. Okay, fine, I’ll share it with Jody.
I could tell you all the reasons why you should come see the show, or you could just come, because you know why already. I wrote a testimonial on how awesome our show is, but frankly my craft desk is a mess and I can’t find it. Oh well.
Ramble ramble ramble…. heeeey, how about some pictures?
This blog entry, we’re featuring the work of Voodoo Bill (swoon). We were lucky to have two photographers at our Dream a Little Dream show (with Amber Ray!) in January, so next blog entry, you get an entirely different flavour! We’ve got your bases covered, Vancouver.
Alright, it’s time to indulge. (favourite word ever. I should just start saying “It’s Nicky O’Clock”!)
Enjoy!
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- A Praying Man
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- Bubbly queen
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- Singing your heart out
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- The Blues
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- Film Noir
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- She’s Come To Destroy You
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- And You Don’t Really Mind…
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- Soul Man
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- Classical
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- Man Eater
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- Beautiful Amber Ray
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- Glowing with love
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- Showgirl Sprites
Risque Resolutions
1) Umm…. less pants.
Pretty sure that’s our new years resolutions all taken care of! And we know it’s one that everyone can easily stick to… Moving right along!
This entry is going to be short and sweet and full of eye candy. I should really be rehearsing right now for upcoming shows, because boy do I like to bite off a lot to chew on.
Phrasing…?
On Sunday the 30th, it’s Kitty Nights New Years Eve’s Eve!
I’ll be performing with an incredible lineup, and I’m bringing out the hubby on the upright, and the brother on the keys. I will not be wearing pants. Resolution, check!
On Monday the 31st, Pandora and The Locksmiths have put together an incredible New Year’s Eve production for the
eatART Foundation’s Genesis party.
I am personally really stoked on this as it’s one of the biggest shows we’ve done. An hour and a half straight of live music, burlesque, five part vocal acts… ahh! Intense! You’ll have to ask us directly for links to get tickets as it’s a very intimate affair- just the way we like it. Please email us at livejazzburlesque@gmail.com for more details! I will be wearing one pair of pants. But they are made of sequinned fringe. So… pretty sure that our resolution isn’t being broken there. Also, they are sheer. Win!
***
Eye candy time! Last month we had photographer Craig Cochrane at our Winter Magic production in Guilt & Company. PS- next show at Guilt is January 8th. We have a special guest. She’s an international star. It’s top secret. You liked her a lot when she was with us in November.. hint hint… 🙂
Enjoy!
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Mama Kay and Ava Lure begin the balloon tradition!
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Is it any wonder those balloons disappear so fast?
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Yes. This happened. For real.
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Beautiful Burgundy in lilac feathers.
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Carole Brunette!
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Twirling!
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Miss Fitt says Merry Christmas
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Special Guest Travis Bernhardt brought winter into Guilt.
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Burgundy has tricks up her sleeve, while wearing no sleeves. Or anything else!
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I’m gonna give you candy..!
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Cast!
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- Mama Kay and Ava Lure begin the balloon tradition!
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- Is it any wonder those balloons disappear so fast?
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- Yes. This happened. For real.
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- Beautiful Burgundy in lilac feathers.
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- Carole Brunette!
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- Twirling!
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- Miss Fitt says Merry Christmas
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- Special Guest Travis Bernhardt brought winter into Guilt.
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- Burgundy has tricks up her sleeve, while wearing no sleeves. Or anything else!
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- I’m gonna give you candy..!
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- Cast!
Of Merkins and Magic
Winter Magic featuring Travis Bernhardt is almost upon us!
Come to Guilt & Co on Tuesday, December 11th to witness our winter spectacular! Doors open at 7, show begins with our balloon girl and the band at 9. Admission is by donation- suggested at $10. And hey, I’ll be selling two pretty hair pieces at the show (if they last!) and you can deduct your admission donation from the cost of the hairpiece! It’s my thank you for being supportive of us artists. We recommend getting there early as seating is first come, first serve.
Hmm, what else…
How about a photo blog? Last blog entry we featured the first act of November’s Un Cafe de Paris show with beautiful photos from Voodoo Bill Kustom Kulture Photography. We’re very happy to share the rest of the photos from that show. I’m very happy I get to drool over shots of Amber Ray, Lady Josephine, Burgundy Brixx, and Miss Fitt. Good morning to me! There’s a couple photos of me in there, too.
Enjoy!
Sugarplums and Showgirlbums
Happy Monday!
On December 11th we hope to see you at Guilt & Co for
Winter Magic! featuring the incredible Travis Bernhardt!
Last year we featured Travis in our show to rave reviews. He’s always such a treat to watch, let alone work with. We just couldn’t resist his charms. Har har! But seriously…. ladies in our audience…. we know you come to watch fierce women and be entertained and titillated and inspired… but this month you’ve got some eye and brain candy represented by this man. Who in the heck gets to be tall-dark-and-handsome-and-smart-and-f*cking-magical? Travis Bernhardt. That’s who. So, you’re welcome 😉
We’re also welcoming back to the stage one of our rare treat ladies- a founding member of P&L, Carole Brunette! Joining her are the likes of Burgundy Brixx, Miss Fitt, and myself. The long and leggy Ava Lure is our stage manager this month, and Mama Kay our MC. Doors 7 pm, show 9 pm. Suggested donation $10- which goes directly to paying the cast of 12 people on stage!
A big snuggly thank you to all who came to Cafe de Paris at Guilt & Co last month- wow was that place ever packed! It’s usually pretty cozy before, but on top of our regular crowd, there were faces we’d never seen before in the audience, and l’amour was in the air! Pretty sure the incredible Amber Ray and Lady Josephine had something to do that that, don’t you think? We were so thrilled to get to work with them- international guests are a little hard to come by in Vancouver, so we absolutely jumped at the chance to collaborate. Did they ever exceed every expectation, and you know we have high expectations! Speaking of expectations, we apologize for starting the show later than usual, we had some unexpected sound setup issues that pushed us a little late. We’ll be on time next time, promise!
Just a friendly reminder that we don’t allow any form of videotaping or photography during our show, unless you’re a designated photographer (if you’re a professional photographer and are interested in shooting, please contact us at livejazzburlesque@gmail.com)- this includes cameras as well as iPhones and all those fancy little devices. We know it’s oh-so-tempting to try to snag a picture of that amaaazing moment that is playing out on stage, but then you have to take your eyes away from the stage and look through a screen. And that is not nearly as awesome as absorbing and indulging in the performance real time. And that is what we live for- indulging you in real time, completely live. We spend so much time in front of computer screens for work and un fun purposes, it really tickles us to be able to connect with our audiences one hundred percent! Furthermore… if you are caught breaking the rules (naughty!) then you’ll have to deal with me. And I’m a very nice person, but my will is even firmer than my backside. I realize that’s hard to believe, but just ask around.
On the bright side! This little issue inspired something that I think is VERY cool. We’re going to have a polaroid camera (can those things be called retro yet? Or are they just outdated? whatevs) so that you can purchase autographed photos of you and your friends with our performers and musicians! I love sassy keepsakes. I was inspired by the gorgeous Voodoo Pixie at our wedding reception- she snapped a picture of John and I and it’s just so charming. What’s more, is it was signed by a number of the guests at our party. I love it so much, and after watching so many people struggle to get pictures with their camera phones (It’s out of focus! That one didn’t take! I blinked! Why is my camera frozen!) I thought it would be so nice if people could just sit back, relax, and have their photo taken and have a little autographed treasure handed to them to take home right away.
Wow, I’ve talked for two paragraphs about photos. They say a good act runs with three’s… so, here you go.
A photo blog! Featuring the stunning artistry of Voodoo Bill!
Just what you’re been waiting for! Unless you were clever and skipped over my blathering. In which case, good on you. You made it through 723 words.
Ta-da!
Devious Dames, Debussey, and Derrieres!
On November 13th at Guilt & Co in the heart of Gastown, join us on a flight of fancy to
Un Cafe de Paris!
We have two spectacular internationally renowned special guests contributing to Miss Fitt’s Parisian fantasy: The merveilleux Amber Ray (New York City) and the incroyable Lady Josephine! (Montreal)
Doors 7 pm, show 9 pm. Seating on a first come first serve basis. Suggested donation $10.
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Now, I know what you’re here for. A photo blog, perhaps? We’ve got one for you. But before we get to that, we have a couple important announcements to make!
Pandora and The Locksmiths are thrilled to be performing at the 12th Annual Clayoquot Sound Oyster Festival! On Saturday, November 17th, Burgundy Brixx, yours truly, August Wiled, Ruthe Ordare, and the wonderful Locksmiths invade Tofino with class, sensuality, and sweet music in honour of the sweet aphrodisiac the festival celebrates!
But wait, there’s more! You have a chance to win a prize package of
- Two nights at the iconic Wickaninnish Inn, in a deluxe guest room, two Oyster Trio dishes at SoBo Restaurant, and two admission tickets to all of these Clayoquot Oyster Festival events:
- Mermaid’s Ball on Friday, November 16, 2012 at 8:00pm
- Clayoquot Sound Oyster Farm Tour with Remote Passages Marine Excursions on Saturday, November 17, 2012, 9:30am departure
- Oyster Gala on Saturday, November 17 at 7:00pm
The total value of this prize package is over $1,000! The winner will be drawn on November 7, 2012.
Click here to enter this fabulous contest!
Holy smokes. Does that not just sound like the most indulgent getaway ever? We are so excited for this production- it’s our first out of town gig as a group! Oysters, jazz, showgirls, love… what better first time could there be? (Also, did you see that there will be the unveiling of the new oyster which has been named “The Clayoquot Climax”? Ahem. Looking forward….!)
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Ready for the photo blog? Well, here you go! We’re featuring the wonderful photography of Cameron Brown in this blog.
Enjoy!
xox
Nicky Ninedoors
L’amour! Je deteste wordpress!
Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen, we’re taking a ride on Miss Fitt’s French wings of fancy on November 13th and turning Guilt & Co into
We are thrilled to have two spectacular special guests for Un Cafe de Paris!
Pictured above, the shimmering sensationalist from New York, Amber Ray! www.amberray.net
And from Montreal, the marvelously musical Lady Josephine! www.facebook.com/TheLadyJosephine
Yeah, um, the only word I can think of right now is YOWZERS! Holy fierce, batman!
Miss Fitt, Burgundy Brixx, and yours truly will be adding new Parisian inspired solo acts to the show, and we’re creating a silky new trio! Voracious V will be on feather and balloon duty, and The Locksmiths will play beautiful music to serenade us all! We’re looking forward to a truly spectacular evening!
November 13th at Guilt & Co. Doors 7 show 9. Suggested donation $10. Get there early- with these guests we are going to fill up faster than ever!
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Speaking of l’amour, we’d like to thank you for being a part of Fall (in love again) last month! Our most recent production truly lived up to its title, with the finale of our fabulous trumpeter Alison Gorman proposing to her long time girlfriend Soo on stage. It was magical. Burgundy Brixx created an act to Ravel’s Bolero and danced en pointe to an enraptured crowd, then sneakily got Soo up on stage at the end to “thank her” for helping in the act. Heh heh heh. At that moment, Alison came out from the back of the stage playing a beautiful melody (to the completely unsuspecting Soo, I might add) and then got down on bended knee and proposed! It was only at that moment that Soo had any idea what was going on. The crowd jumped to their feet and gave the loudest cheers I’ve ever heard there. There were many happy tears. (On a related note, I’m not sure how we all managed to keep a secret for like, two months, but no one brought kleenex. Come on. Troupe full of ladies. No kleenex. Really?)
Congratulations to the beautiful couple. We wish you many, many happy years together. Thank you for sharing your love with all of us. It’s beautiful and we love you.
On that wonderful note, onto the fabulous photos taken by Cameron Brown!
Enjoy!
Let’s Get Cozy
This morning there was a soft but present coolness in the air, and it’s as if suddenly it became Fall.
Sweet.
Now, I love summer. Absolutely adore it. I really do enjoy wearing next to nothing. But…. I can’t wear my totally cozy wool sweater in the summer. And my furs are definitely on holiday from June-August. And let’s face it- who the heck gets real close and cozy in the midnight hour for any length of time when it’s stifling hot and you don’t have air conditioning? Fall is a beautiful thing, my friends. Fall is the time to get cozy. It’s the time to snuggle up with good food, good drinks, and good people.
It’s time to
Fall in love again!
featuring special guest Via Rose, our long and leggy lady August Wiled, the firey innovation of Burgundy Brixx, the delectable charm of Voracious V, and yours truly, hosted by The Purrrfessor, all to glorious accompaniment by The Locksmiths!
Now, that show is just a little over a week away, and if you’re absolutely dying for a Tuesday to just come up and pounce on you, you should check out The Hot Pants at Guilt and Co tomorrow night. Seriously one of the most entertaining things you’ll ever see. A whole choreographed troupe of retro babes dancing to 1960s vinyl, produced by Vancouver’s resident go-go queen, Miss Fitt! Ohhhh yeah. It’s a seriously slick production, and I don’t throw that word around for fun!
Alright, onto the beautiful photos taken by Cameron Brown at our most recent show!
Enjoy!
Beautiful, Beautiful Autumn
Why hello!
This entry will be short and oh so sweet. My apartment is having its windows powerwashed, and I’m not allowed to have any open windows at all…. did I mention that my apartment is south facing? I rarely wear clothes in here as it is, but no open windows?! So I’m here to deliver you the saucey evidence of our Anniversary show on September 11th at Guilt, while simultaneously enticing you to
Fall In Love Again!
Our next show on October 9th at Guilt & Co is shaping up to be a real cozy affair!
Not only do we have the usual instigators Burgundy Brixx, Voracious V, and yours truly, but we also have the hottest new burlesque sensation in Vancouver, August Wiled!
But wait, there’s more!
We have a special guest with us this month that we’ve been trying to coordinate with since we began two years ago: the stunning
Via Rose!
photo credit to Chris Mitchell
This gorgeously auburn performer is not only a wonderful burlesque artist, but she also plays the bassoon and the contrabassoon, often with the VSO. She’s just dripping with class and it’s a joy that our schedules have finally coordinated!
See you at our next show!
Now, for the eye candy…
I have a bit of a confession to make. Our lighting wasn’t exactly excellent for photo purposes last time and so this photo blog will be smaller. It just goes to show you that if you really want to be a part of our shows and experience the full meal deal of singers, dancers, burlesque, and live music… you gotta be there 😉
I love how I manage to turn the issue of me not double checking the lighting into a “you need to come to our shows”. Ha!
Photos are by our resident live photo sponsor, Cameron Brown
Enjoy!
The Terrific Twos!
We can hardly believe it, but tomorrow is our
Two Year Anniversary Spectacular!
Time sure flies when you’re working hard and having fun, and we are so grateful to all of the people who have helped make our productions successful over the past two years. We’ve grown from a 9 person collective into a 17 person collective since we started and have maintained the objective of bringing Vancouver audiences (and hopefully beyond in the future!) consistent top notch burlesque and music entertainment as often as they can handle it!
So, thank you. So much. We hope to see you tomorrow night to celebrate with us!
Here’s a treat for you from myself and Voracious V. We performed recently at Kitty Nights West and brought our two duets to the show. And since we’re celebrating our two year anniversary tomorrow, it seems fitting to do a blog entry featuring the dynamic duo that is us. I’m a shameless self promoter, huzzah- oh yeah, our gowns are by Messica Demolition, and our hairpieces are by myself!
Enjoy!
XOX
The Summer of Love
Well, it’s certainly been a while since the last blog entry, but we’re back at it now, feeling refreshed and inspired and ready to dazzle- just in time for our
2nd Anniversary Spectacular!
We’ve gone through a few little growth spurts and changes over the past few months: the addition of Ruthe Ordare, August Wiled, Miss Kiss, and Ava Lure officially into our collective fold (naughty!), bidding farewell to our incredible drummer Trevor Grant, who is going to be living in Charlottetown with his amazing lady Samantha (so sad, but so happy!) and we’re currently wishing our keyboardist, my big brother Sean Bayntun, loads of luck and success as his project Facts participate in The Peak Performance Project this year, right before embarking on a cross country tour!
With all these shifts and positive changes happening, we’ve been getting together to figure out how to operate even better as a collective, and how to make even more solid productions. Ruthe Ordare is now our official Social Media Showgirl, handling our Twitter and Instagram accounts, Burgundy Brixx is our official poster designer for our events, I handle photo wrangling and blog action, and we all fill in the cracks when it comes to admin and all the non-showgirl tasks that are involved in being showgirls. Like printing set lists. Or sending reminder emails. You know, super sexy things like that. In addition to fun task assignment, yay, we’re also working on developing productions! In November, Miss Fitt puts on the artistic director panties for our show at Guilt & Co, and she has not one, but two incredible headliners lined up for the occasion. I’ll leave the reveal to her, so you’ll just have to wait.
Now, you know I didn’t just come on here to write about “Oooo, we’re made of rainbows and love eachother and positive growth and sustainability and stuff”. You know I came on here to share some eye candy with you. Ohhhh yeah. In the midst of all the love and positivity and crap, John Bews and I got married! And since I didn’t organize photos from our last show, I’m going to tide you over with photos from our wedding ceremony. Just so you know, my parents haven’t even seen these yet. They’re having to read this blog in order to see the photos. I’m going to hear about this. The sacrifices I make for our readers is astounding. 🙂 FEEL SPECIAL.
All these photos were taken by Maria Koehn of Frozen Reflections Photography. She is a dream to work with! My gown and John’s suit were designed and made by Messica Demolition (with the lace appliques on the skirt cut out and sewn on by my mother and my aunt). Messica’s dress is a 20s flapper dress with beautiful daisy lace print, and she added a new silk slip underneath and a silk sash for shape. Catherine’s sequinned gown was originally this incredible find of an old lady’s dress, but with some simple modifications became an absolute stunner! The green gown on Voracious V is one of my costumes made by Messica, AND Messica also made my mother’s gown! She’s a machine! Highly, highly recommend…!
Enjoy!
Stolen by a Kiss
With Summer Groove just around the corner, we felt it was time to introduce you to another new member of our collective…
Miss Kiss!
But before we get to her interview (and gallery! Shazam!) let me tell you a little bit about our upcoming show. We have a craaaazy lineup in store for you, and this show is all about the groove. Burgundy Brixx and I will be performing, as per usual, and Miss Fitt will be lending her sweet voice for the show, but in addition to that we have fierce burlesque vocalist Miss Kiss, and Vancouver’s high energy sweet-heart from Sweet Soul Burlesque and the Vancouver Burlesque Centre, Cherry On Top! We’ve never performed with her before and we’ve been dying to for a long time! And with Cherry in the mix, you know there will be lots of booty groovin music abounding. Have I mentioned how hard we work our musicians? One month it’s all 1940s and classic jazz, the next month we make them do funk and soul. And they switch gears like nobodies business. NBD.
Alright. Let’s get to know Miss Kiss. And let me give you a disclaimer- this little kissing bandit is much more likely to throw you down and kiss you than wait for a knight in shining armour to come deliver one. She’s fierce. Read about her. The lady is gettin naked for you, so get to know her!
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What is your performance and training background?
After being out of school for a year, my Mom said I better get doing something, so I thought, okay, I like to sing and express myself and dress up in costumes – how bout musical theatre? So I auditioned for the Capilano Musical Threatre Diploma Program. So that is three years of training which includes, but was not limited to: singing, acting, jazz, tap, ballet, film, music theory, and a lot of masterclasses! This does not mean I am a pro at all these things, but I have lots to draw on for performances should I need them! I learned that you can really disguise how terrible you are at tap if you learn to smile…ha! I was the rocker girl dressing up as Alice Cooper for first year ice breakers and not having a clue who Sondheim was. I quickly learned though! I have performed with many local theatre companies since graduating, including Gateway Threatre, Theatre Under the Stars and the Arts Club Theatre.
I also started getting into Marilyn Monroe around Grade 9. My dad bought me a Monroe lunchbox as a gift for good grades and I started watching her films and wearing red lipstick everyday – with my doc martins and bondage pants. So I have always had this mix of rock n’ roll and glamour. I also found out I make a terrible blonde and could not be Monroe.
Enter Bettie Page and the burlesque world. “Oh my gawd! So amazing! Where can I find this world?!” I asked myself as a little girl from Surrey. Well thank goodness for The Purrrfessor!!! We were in a production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” with TUTS in 2008 and he told me about Kitty Nights, that I should come out, and maybe Go-Go sometime. Thank you Jesus! Ha! Here are all these amazing women who come in all shapes, sizes and colours just kicking ass on stage being sexy and fun and strong! Love love love at first sight! So needless to say, I did Go-Go, and went on to start doing my own numbers. Burgundy Brixx really showed me how it is done and has always been someone who inspires me as a performer, teacher and friend.
So more on the “why burlesque”: it is a medium where I feel I get to truly express myself and my vision how I choose. It gives me a chance to be my own character instead of one already created in a script. It also has helped me be more comfortable with myself. Miss Kiss does not have body issues or insecurities – she just wants to have a good time and entertain!
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We’re really stoked to work with Miss Kiss. She has a massive voice, as you may have seen during our “Night Owl Revue” production for the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival, or in Blue Morris’ Beatles Burlesque. With the amount of skill she has, it’s no wonder we’re all trying to get a piece!
Enjoy the photos!
The Fever Pitch
It’s been hot and glorious, and while our last Heat Wave production was sizzling (we’ve got the photos to prove it!), our next production is going to be nothing short of gloriously scandalous- we’re bringing the fire for…
Summer Groove!
Now, onto our traditional week starter of saucey photos captured at our most recent show at Guilt & Co by the talented Cameron Brown!
A Scorchingly Scandalous Night
Thank you to everyone who came out to our Heat Wave production at Guilt & Co! It was a delightful evening. And many thanks to all those who made that show happen.
Our next show is August 14th, and we’ll be featuring special guests Cherry On Top and Miss Kiss! Save the date! It’s going to be a very groovy show.
Alright, onto the saucey photo blog! Here are some photos to tide you over until our next blog entry. We’re been collaborating with Cameron Brown lately and we’re pretty much just thrilled about it. You know all those photos he’s done. They’re the ones you keep clicking on and looking at. Yes… I see your every move when you’re on here… (On a related note, who keeps searching for nude photos of a certain non burlesque dancer we know? You search for that a lot! I recommend going to Wreck Beach instead. More effective.)
Anyhoo. Onto the awesome Act I photos of Ruthe Ordare, Villainy Loveless, and yours truly…
enjoy!
Pandora and The Locksmiths 