We just wrapped up our show Unlucky in Love with the most awesome audiences to date.  We sold out multilple times in the last week of our run - and the audiences just kept being more awesome.  We had smart audiences, audiences that loved to laugh, and audiences that were willing to be enthralled - nothing makes for a wonderful performance like a wonderful audience... unless it's also having wonderful coworkers.  This year's group has also been a total treat.  Every night I looked forward to chatting with my fellow dancers, and every intermission I'd go running over to the other dressing room to chat with the singers who didn't fit into our packed dressing room.  We even added a new Babydoll - the lovely and talented lady who played the Innocent back in the Wrathskellar.  Burlesque Name TBD (no, her name is NOT Back Bay Bertha!)

If you didn't make it out, you missed a mighty fine production.  BUT - you have another opportunity - we're playing the Mardi Gras Ball in TT the Bear's in Cambridge this Saturday.  It's an annual awesome event run by the Wolf, who draws together an awesome jazz band in a New Orleans style to benefit the New Orleans Artists Fund - it's a wonderful coming together of friends and well worth the trip out.

Also - check out our classes coming in March - Devorah Darling our Intro Teacher Extraordinaire will be running a new Intro class really soon.  She's delightful - like a naked ray of sunshine.  And Miss Mina will be running Burlesque Your Way - our class that teaches folks how to build up a choreography using all the tips and tricks we've amassed over the years, but not necessarily tied to our glamorous retro style.  It's so much fun, and I'm always astounded at how awesome all Mina's students look when they are done!

Lastly, get your butt out to the Great Burlesque Exposition Easter Weekend, and if you want to teach GET US YOUR FORM!!  We're still accepting submissions, but not for much longer.  Scandal will be putting out the schedule shortly.

tags: classes, expo, shows

( Life in Bettty land.... )The Boston Academy of Burlesque has a slew of great classes this month.  We're celebrating Pride this month, and many of our classes are aimed at men who want to celebrate the spirit of Burlesque in male or female style.

Mina is doing her usual great job as a teacher with Burlesque for Beginners - with a class open to either gender.

I'm doing In These Shoes - a class for people born as men to learn the art of swaying, dancing and strutting like ladies.

And - for 4 weeks running, I'll be teaching Belly Dance with a Twist.  This class, too, is open to anyone.

I'm really excited about that last class.  A not particularly well kept secret is that my background in dance is both belly dance and Bharata Natyam (a Southern Indian classical style).  For years, I've informally blended the two at dance circles and gotten asked if I teach.  For years I've taught one or the other style.  This time is a madcap experiment in building and blending both.  It's done with a spirit for improvisation - many folks I know will be looking to dance at summer parties and fire circles, so I'm planning to throw more time and attention at improvisation concepts than at learning and excuting a choreography.

Classes start this week!  So get going!

Life in Betty land is fast and furious these days.  The Babydolls performance schedule may be on a break, but our classes are in full swing.  We're also doing some great inter-troupe work, with practices and sewing nights coming up and more Babydoll Bonding time (not Bondage time... get your mind out of the gutter!)

It's been a fun, frenzied weekend of being out and about - I hit Xmortis on Friday and saw way more people than I expected.  I hit Pride and flyered today and posed for lots of pictures, including pics with Miss Teen Massachuesetts. :)

Now I'm advertising and putting finishing touches on my costume for tomorrow - I'm performing with the Shimmy Collective in celebration of my new class series!

Yo!  The Expo needs volunteers!  We especially need them Friday morning for theater setup and Sunday night for tear down.  I'll be there helping, but we need more than just the one Amazon!  If you're willing and able, sign up here:

http://www.i-volunteeronline.com/burlesque-expo.asp

There's a lot of great things happening do - checkout our AWESOME class schedule and shows April 2-4 2010 - www.burlesque-expo.com

That if I can get people to teach on cheese, monkeys and armidillos, I can have my own class track on cheese, monkeys and armidillos.  He doesn't think I'll post about this .. but  I will.  So, if you have a class that relates to cheese and/or monkeys and/or armidillos and how it relates to Burlesque - drop me a line.

Or just check out our website and see the new class postings - www.burlesque-expo.com.

I AM looking for teachers - mostly for Business classes and workshops - so drop a line here, or to my email, if you're interested.

And VOTE FOR US!  http://thephoenix.com/thebest/boston/vote/DanceTroupeSexy/

And come see V for Vixen on Sunday a week from today.

Hi gang!

Would you believe it!? I'm writing from India!! I came to to Burlesque by way of the Orient - my most serious training in dance has been in Bharata Natyam, and I'm in India right now rounding out my dance education and buying a frighteningly large amount of shiny stuff. It's a Burlesque dancer's dream here - Indians may be the best shiny thing makers on the planet, and the prices are fantastic. Also, spas are super cheap, and so are maids. It's a wonder I'm coming back at all... but it's my of beef and the Boston Babydolls that brings me home!

Speaking of the Boston Babydolls, we have a TON of new shows coming up.

I'll be whirling into town on the 5th and performing on the 10th in LAFF your Pants Off. Stay and here great stories of my travels! I'll be performing my two most popular and funny numbers, and I hear that the troupe has cooked up some hilarious new material while I was gone, so it'll be a great mix of old and new favorites!

When:  Wed, Feb. 10th, 10:00 PM
Where:  Improv Boston, Cambridge
How much: $12

Buy tickets here: https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=78927ae5f5adfeabc31d1c671d44b2ef&t=tix

Two blogs in two days!

Promise me you won't have a heart attack! Because I would be seriously bummed if anyone missed V for Vixen!

We had our first rehearsal in Oberon last night, and it was the normal amount of stress and chaos. Scratch has finished the stage craft planning, but moving around 8 dancers, 6 lindy hoppers, one singer, 3 stage hands who are so active they might as well be cast, and 2 lighting people with follow spots -- that's some craziness right there.

But we sorted it out with good cheer.

The numbers are looking great. They need more time in the space - but they'll get that tonight.

I can't honestly say, there's not a weak one in the bunch. Even the number with lots of challenge that I choreographed very late in the game is looking good.

Wrapped up the night with a salad and half a lobster at Eastern Standard. Which just rocks. Their kitchen is open until 12:30! They have a limited menu that fits more into the realm of light snack than late dinner, but it was pretty easy to assemble a decent dinner. And I would gladly pay more for small portions to be able to eat late at night but like a grown up. Being ensconced in their posh leather couch with a marble top table and a half lobster in front of me had me feeling like a true starlet.

Hi ladies and gentlemen!

So, I have been a truly sucky blogger, and I'm sorry.

I'm sorrier still to start the post with an ad, but truly DON'T MISS THIS!



V FOR VIXEN
A Wintertime, Wartime Fable Told In Swingtime

Friday, Dec. 4, 10:30 p.m.Oberon
Two Arrow Street
Cambridge, MA
(Just outside Harvard Square)

This is an amazing show, and it's running for 1 night only. You'll see some of our best numbers from ages past, with some lovely new (and not new!) faces. And some all new numbers. We have 5 lovely new ladies joining us, plus a fabulous singer, plus an entire crew of Lindy Hop dancers that I haven't even gotten to meet yet!! Behind the scenes, Scratch has a cadre of really great folks that we've come to know and love over the years, so even the backstage crew will be kicking ass and taking names.

We're totally inspired by the coolness that is Club Oberon and we've made use of some of of the really cool theater stuff to add in all sorts of wonderful surprises and to pull you in and back in time to 1939.

I'm totally pumped, especially after seeing this nice review.

( yeah, but what's up with me? )

Hi gang,

After our fight with the town of Quincy, we're moving on and strutting it out!

Here's some of the neat stuff I'm currently working on:

Just got a Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/BettyBlaize

Given that some of the networks I compute from are very restricted, the coolness of being able to Tweet from my phone is simply delightful.

Fear the randomness that may result.  Hopefully I will restrain myself from continually tweeting "OooOOoo!  Shiny!"

Wrathskellar:
July 13-18 at The Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA
Buy Tickets here:

This is a real departure for us.  Usually we're pretty shiny happy nekkid people (OK, not all of us are nekkid, and we're not all that nekkid... but anyway).  This time we are dark, spooky, mysterious, sensuous nekkid people.  I'm sure some of us were that way all along, but for my part, I'm a big goofball.  So this is a real challenge for me.

I'm embracing it though. I have one number that's a real costuming challenge.  And, if I don't need stitches by the end of the week, I'm considering the number a success. ;)  Ya gotta love a number like that.

The other is a dance challenge - I'm using my 3 crazy years of Indian martial arts training to build a Russian martial number.  Yes, I *know* that Russia is nothing like India. But if you can kick through someone else's chin, it really doesn't matter what country you come from - it looks pretty cool.  And as a giant white woman, I'm just a little bit more plausible in a sumptuous Russian coat.

Also working a duet with Joy de Vie, where she's the sweet innocent one and I'm the mean one.  The mean one?  Can you believe it?

So... come see me be mean, and dark, and mysterious!  I swear, I will not giggle.

location: Cafe Nation music: Something Spainish and Salsay

Even I can't be too hard on myself for this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx5kG82536g

My latest solo work, done in partnership with Scratch.  I had the silk and the idea of the song, but he designed the awesome set that makes this more than just a pretty number with a big silk thing.

I really enjoyed doing it, and I'm pretty happy with the results, including parts I was worried were a bit boring.  Mostly I'm sad that the digital video refresh rate makes it seem less flowing that in real life.

So... instead of watching the video, you should come to the Great Boston Burlesque Expo, (April 10-12, Cambridge Hyatt Regency), and see it in person!  I'll be performing it, along with the awesome latest and greatest Boston Babydoll group number with truly insane floral costumes.  Picture the grandiose ideas of Mr. Scratch, along with the elegant costume talents of Miss Mina (who made the inspiration costume that started us off), combined with my own somewhat more get-it-done-fast skills, plus the blood sweat and tears of 4 other Babydolls + a professional costumer.   Yeah, crazy.  We had weekly costume "homework" assignments.  

Anyhow, that's just the tip of the iceburg for BBE this year.  As always we have:

• 3 Great Shows Friday, Saturday, Sunday - each show is completely different!
• Fabulous classes on Burlesque performance techniques and business topics.
• Some fabulous lovely legends
• A great vendor room
• Drop in Classes

But, we are always trying new things too, here's some improvements this year:

• A focus on new teachers - the teachers who stay on our teacher ranks are our absolute best, the ones that get rave reviews.  We have more than 50% new faces this year to keep classes fresh and new
• Vendors now have the option to have suites - so some will be in cozy hotel rooms.
• A legend critique session on Sunday
• Free breakfast with some of the packages.
• Master Classes on Friday - for an extra fee, many of our wonderful legends and top teachers have agreed to do a Friday block of Master Classes.  You'll also see classes from these great folks Saturday and Sunday, but the Master Classes are something extra special for dedicated fans.
• Me, with more sanity, I hope to have a helper at all times.  It might work to maintain a more stable Betty.  But then, I'm not all that stable to begin with. :)

See you there!!!

We have FOUR great shows in three weeks!

Two are private shows, so you're just out of luck. But the 25th and 26th you should start your Halloween festivities a little early, with two great shows, in two great locations!

Sat., Oct. 25, 8 p.m.
Howl-a-ween
So sexy, it's scary! Ioka Theatre
55 Water St.
Exeter, NH
Tickets: $10 in adv./$15 day of show (plus on-line fee of $2)

We're returning to one of our favorite locations - an old school theater in New Hampshire. It's well worth the drive from Boston, and it's a chance for us to visit our New Hampshire fans. We're pulling out all the stops for our favorite season, with awesome new special effects, crazy props and fabulous new numbers and dancers! You won't want to miss this!

Sun., Oct. 26, 8 p.m.
SINDAY AT CHURCH

Church of Boston
69 Kilmarnock St.
Boston, MA

It's Sunday, time to go to Church and learn about sin!

The Boston Babydolls present a sermon in seven parts, featuring an
all-star line-up: Greed, Pride, Envy, Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony, and a
special appearance by Lust!

We kick things off (pun very much intended) with some high-stepping
action from Can-Can Revolution, Boston's favorite French-kissin'
cuties. Then the gypsies of The Poludaktulos Orchestra work their
magic on you. The Boston Babydolls take the stage at 10 p.m. for a
sermon you won't ever forget!

Advance ticket sales close at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25. After
that, tickets are available at the door for $13.


( Fun from Betty )