Las Vegas. It was a 72-hour tour of twirling tassels, fake eyelashes, tequila shots, and glitter.
On Friday night we went to the Living Legends show at Ghost Bar, which showcased the acts of the burlesque stars of yore including Dixie Evans, Satan's Angel, and Candy "Baby" Carmelo. Those trailblazers can shake it! After the show we hit the Gold Coast for the best late night bargain's in town and somehow hailed a limo with a random couple to meet up with Erin's friends at Caesar's Palace. I was very close to convincing the pair to make it a Vegas wedding, but alas, no go. At least Siah won an impromptu shimmy contest, knocking a trifecta of tacky bachelorettes out of the water. We limped back to the hotel will high heels in hand at dawn.
Saturday was mostly recovery by the pool. Las Vegas feels incredibly unnatural - a feeling that is emphasized when sitting in a lounge chair in a vintage bathing suit guzzling daiquiris in fake eyelashes. It feels unnatural but there is something to be said about lounging: it is quite relaxing, and in the case, quite glamorous. In the afternoon Betty hosted a pin-up photo shoot in her room. The highlight for me was posing in a red silk beaded robe once worn by Satan's Angel graciously lent to me by Lady Borja, who was also partaking in the shoot (I'll post those when I get them!)
By evening we went back to the Palms for the Miss Exotic World pageant that lasted a whopping five hours. There were some really amazing acts. I was wholly impressed by both the caliber of dance as well as the quality of the make-up and costuming. The performers really put my homespun acts to shame! My favorite performance was a tennis themed number by Clams Casino, followed a Josephine Baker tribute by Perle Noir, the winner of the Best Debut Title.
After the show we went back to the Gold Coast then to Flame Cynder's suite at the Palms where things got a little sloppy. I was a Las Vegas experience. Siah, Rosa, and I topped the night off at the hotel bar before crashing at seven.
Overall, I was quite enchanted by the weekend. The opportunity to see the top characters in the burlesque world was wonderful, especially coupled with the reality that most of them could be seen walking around the hotel or at the bar or party, quite accessibly to their fans. On there other hand, I also felt disillusioned by the whole operation. Coming into the weekend naively, I wasn't prepared for all the internal politics that seem to saturate the community, even among my own troupe. I suppose this is inevitable but it's not pleasing.
Below are photos from my camera, which are somewhat limited on account of my camera's hulking size relative to my tiny clutch.
World Famous BOB and her Living Legend Dixie Evans; UK!
Sunrise on the Strip from Flame's party; Boylesque pioneer Tigger
La Cholita sneaks cake; Jean and Little Minsky's Douglas
Party people;the beautiful Sparkly bathtub
1 comment:
ah! i was looking forward to this. what a superweekend. everyone looks so cool.
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