8. Diversify your Portfolio
For each gig, get all the information you can about your audience and choose the right act for that event (avoid choosing your favourite act just because you like it!) . Ask questions like, will the audience be seated? What kind of music is playing before and after? Is there a theme? Do they know they will be seeing burlesque?
I had the privilege of taking Dirty Martini ‘s workshop hosted by Arabesque Burlesque here in Montréal. She offered a piece of advice about choreography in burlesque... movements that tell the SAME story as the lyrics in your music (ie acting out the words in some way) are LESS interesting. You want to ADD to the narrative already being told by your music. Also less interesting - choosing music that tells your story for you. She used the song “Feeling Good” as an example. I think she is absolutely right and I often tell my students to go beyond pantomiming their song.
Choosing the right act is half the battle
Ever since the workshop I’ve wondered if I should change the music for a Can-Can themed classic burlesque act I do. I don’t perform it often since I made it specifically for a regular gig at a cocktail bar. I chose “Feeling Good” because I knew it would strike a familiar emotional chord with the public in that bar. Mostly people who had never seen burlesque before and about %50 unaware that they would be seeing a fancy stripper that night. Our shows always made the room excited but also very nervous. I gave them the familiarity of “Feeling Good” to lubricate their experience.
I found this act always had a great effect in any mainstream bar or party. But, it wouldn’t work at all for a “burlesque crowd”. Because people who know burlesque are looking for storytelling beyond the obvious choices. So.... I answered my own question. I won’t change the song for Carnivalesque. But, I also won’t perform it for a burlesque audience. I’ll keep learning the art of choosing a show that serves each particular public. As burlesque artists this arguably our most important responsibility. So… diversity in your portfolio ;) Get yourself a fetish act, halloween act, glamour act, comedy act and neo-burlesque act. Put your own signature twist on each of these beautiful genres.
9. Process over product will save your sanity
It’s your responsibility to show up and do the work, not to judge the work.
Ideas are the easy part. Success is in the hard work that brings the execution. For example, many burlesque artists I know have brilliant ideas for big and fancy show props. We can all dream of what our unique and beautiful big objects would look like. The idea is not the hard part. It’s not even that hard to get the money to finance it (that’s what credit cards and canned soup for dinner are for). What’s hard is making it happen... finding the team of crafts people who will do the best job at building it, making the right decisions in the design process, going to meetings, testing materials, transportation and rehearsal. Following through. And then making it all over again because the 1st build is always a prototype 😂
When we see beautifully crafted images onstage we are often applauding the artist’s hard work... not their talent. And I think that’s okay! In fact, that’s great. So before you say “oh but, but they just have an expensive prop”, consider that the hard work that went into that prop may bring them more success than mountains of talent ever could. And that rewarding hard work over talent isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Because that means we all have a more equal chance at success, right? We don’t need to fret about being talented. Instead we can focus on the next thing to sew, the next step to take. It’s an encouraging thought.
10. You will do terrible shows and that’s OK
You need to have terrible shows in order to have the good ones. It’s hard to accept in the moment but beating yourself up won’t change the laws of mathematics. It’s statistically impossible for all of your shows to go well. If you catch yourself feeling like the world is ending and you’re a terrible person because your show didn’t go as you wanted, call me up and I’ll serve you a health dose of perspective. Our universe is 13.8 billion years old. Humans came on the scene about 2.3 million years ago. We survived an ice age that lasted 100,000 years. Your audience (and you!) will survive a 4 minute burlesque act even if… you fell on your ass, your g-string slipped sideways, you couldn’t get your pants off and the music stopped playing. Say it with me now, “I WILL DO TERRIBLE SHOWS AND THAT’S OKAY! Also, I’m still a cool a person because I tried”.