Friday, September 27, 2013

Autumn Update

Hello, blog. It's been a while.

It's my fault, I know. I'm not the faithful pen pal I should be. But Autumn is here and rainy days and colorful leaves just lend themselves to a hot cup of tea and letter writing so I feel confident you shall hear from me more often.

Today's blog post is about disappointments, miscommunications and feeling burnt out. I tend to take on the world all at once, without properly portioning out my time (and keeping my sanity in mind).

In my last few posts I was excited for the River City Rumble - Winnipeg's own Rockabilly festival. I had been asked in February to be part of the burlesque entertainment for the event. Throughout the year our burlesque sponsor kept us updated on everything she was told by the board regarding our performances and tried to get answers for us regarding things like how long they would like the performances to be, whether we would be performing twice (Saturday & Sunday) or just one day, if we were performing twice whether we would be doing the same performance or whether we should prepare multiple acts. We weren't given the answers to these questions in a timely fashion but we would have made do the best we could. However, shortly before the festival our burlesque sponsor was asked not to participate in the festival and when I was contacted directly by the RCR board I was informed that my burlesque act had to be "family friendly". It was explained to me that there were going to be children present at this event and that while the parents would be informed that burlesque was going on, there was no way guarantee that young children would not be in the room while my act was being performed.

Family Friendly. Burlesque. I'm not going to go into details here but I was very, very angered by this - partly because burlesque, to me, is a celebration of my body and I should not be told to hide my body in an art form where I deliberately show it off and partly because I was informed of this new requirement so close to the festival date that there was no time to create a new act. Because of this I declined to participate in the burlesque portion of the show. I was planning on attending the event but word got around that Roxi D'Lite was no longer coming to the RCR for exactly the same "family friendly" reasons that had prompted me not to perform. And that was too much disappointment to bear. I ended up not going to the River City Rumble as either a performer or a participant.

This summer I was also part of a Fringe show - Miss Mumford's Marvelous Mummy Unwrapping. I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to perform and meet so many great friends. That being said KUDOS to the professional actors and actresses who routinely do shows night after night after night! Hoo boy our show ran for seven nights and I was so exhausted by the time Fringe was over that I could have slept for a solid week. (I wish I had but the real world beckoned - pesky jobs ;-P ) One night in particular was particularly memorable as our lead actresses became too ill to perform, so I stepped in as the cousin from out of town who was helping to host the soiree while the maids each took it upon themselves to perform one of my tableaus. Talk about improv! We had so much fun dashing about stage with only a vague idea of how the play was supposed to end. It was my favorite performance of the week.

After Fringe however a lassitude set in. It was accompanied by a lack of enthusiasm for burlesque, a nagging dislike of my body and the sinking feeling that Winnipeg was just not the place for performance artists, despite the large collection that dwells here. I can't say that I'm completely over these feelings. My creative well is still churning out ideas but the fortitude to bring them to life is flagging. For the meantime I've decided to pursue some other forms of performing - I won't spoil the surprise of future blog posts by naming which ones - and connecting with other performers who deal/have dealt with similar issues.

Here's to getting back on the burlesque pony.

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

Friday, July 26, 2013

Fringe 2013: Opening Night!

Ah, rehearsals. I have missed ye not. Like anything worth doing, a play takes practice, practice and more practice to get it right. That being said the lead up to Fringe this year has been exhausting and a little panic inducing.

With three weeks to go we lost one of our maids to health issues - a secondary but incredibly important role as the maids are in charge of seating the guests, pouring tea, explaining that certain seats will be called on for audience participation and generally making sure the play runs smoothly. Like any distinguished, Victorian abode our play depends heavily on our maids! It was an amazing stroke of good fortune that Jess was willing to step in and even more willing to throw an extra pinch of sass into her character.

 Left to Right: Trish (Maid 1), Piano Man & Misses Mumfords' nephew, Shaylyn (Maid 2) and Jess (Maid 3) with the delightfully dessicated Mummy

With less that two weeks until opening night our 'grand finale' actress had to bow out, leaving us wondering how on earth we would be able to close to the play. Cutting her part out left the play incomplete. Asking an audience member to play our specter from beyond seemed too demanding - the role has quite a few lines and needs to wrap the production to a conclusive end. But what's this? Miss Stella Mumford (Lou Valcourt) had an intriguing idea for her sister's not-quite-socially-acceptable actress friend: Miss Beatrice Atkins (yours truly) could play not only the tableau artist but the ghost as well. Which would perhaps make the play even more amusing as the audience is well aware that they've seen this particular face before.

I was never so grateful that we had rehearsed so often that I could recite almost every part of the play by heart. The show would go on!

Of course we also had the other usual bumps along the road: We couldn't find x piece for y costume. Could we do without it? Could we make it? Our set up is quite elaborate. Where on earth are we going to find that many tea cups and saucers suitable for Miss Mumford's parlour? Can we leave it overnight or do we have to tear down and re-set up each evening? We need a flask for our pianist, pronto!

The Sisters Mumford: Natasha Wiebe and Lou Valcourt

There were also some rather unique stumbling blocks. Originally we were going to create a mummy out of paper mache but starting from scratch would have been horrendously time consuming. Could we use some sort of wire frame? What about a doll? This leads to the rather hilarious saga of Nefertitty ...

Our brave and fearless leader, Natasha Weibe, approached the Love Nest for sponsorship and also to get an idea about the pricing of life sized blow up dolls. As it happens blow up dolls run for roughly $700 a piece. Just a wee bit outside our budget. But wait! The store manager was so tickled by the idea of our Fringe play that she called the store owner and together the three of them raided the basement, finding ... a returned (returned?!?!) blow up doll whose fingers apparently didn't inflate. Due to this defect the doll had been bought and then exchanged within a few hours, after which it had been left in the basement to suffer the cruel fate of unwanted blow up dolls. Undaunted, Natasha took hold of the doll and with many, many bottles of Javex got to work inflating and then paper mache-ing our would be Mummy. And really, what better name for a blow up doll mummy than Nefertitty?

But at last! The tables were set, the tea cups were washed. The mummy was wrapped and we too wrapped ourselves in Victorian trappings. I've been on stage many times before and I usually get a bad case of butterflies and stage fright before going on. This time however, it wasn't until the guests were seated and the sisters Mumford had elicited several enthusiastic rounds of laughter than the fist in my stomach unclenched. I believe the whole cast had they same thought: They think we're funny? They think we're funny! HOORAH!!


Left to Right: Miss Beatrice Atkins (me), Stella Mumford (Lou), Josephine Mumford (Natasha) and our previous maid.

The opening night of Miss Mumford's Marvelous Mummy Unwrapping was indeed THE Social Event of the Season! Our audience proved wonderfully interactive and willing to giggle with us and as a result we were thrilled to perform for them. Luckily for us we get to do it all over again tonight at 9:30 pm at the Centre culturel Franco-manitobain.

Stay Saucy,
Miss Scarlet

Saturday, June 8, 2013

River City Rumble

Every year in the USA an amazing thing happens. It's called Viva Las Vegas - or Viva for short - and it's a festival of all things rockabilly and pinup including burlesque, bands, fashion, dancing, and in brings in celebrities like Mosh and Micheline Pitt.


Every year I cry a little tear inside because I'm not there. But you know what? Turns out I'm not alone! Some absolutely amazing people got together and decided To Heck with Las Vegas! Let's bring the raddest, rockinest, sexiest people together in Winnipeg! And thus was born the River City Rumble: a Rockabilly Festival taking place in Winnipeg August 3rd and 4th at the Metropolitan Entertainment Center.


I am literally bouncing with excitement because this is not your average small town, folksy festival. THIS IS HUGE! And anyone who knows anything about burlesque will be equally excited because ... THE BURLESQUE HEADLINER IS ROXY D'LITE!!!

Performance photos of Roxi's acts.

Ok, so you're not sure who Roxy is? You may remember a previous post where I talked about going to see The Burlesque Assassins - Roxy played the main character Bourbon Sue. But really, that's just the tip of the iceberg. The River City Rumble website says: "Roxy D'Lite is Queen of Burlesque, Miss Exotic World 2010. Known as 'The Bad Girl of Burlesque' and 'The Drinkin', Smokin' Strippin' Machine.'" Intrigued? You should be! You can read more about Roxy here.

<3 Roxi D'Lite <3

BUT that's still not the most amazing part! The reason I haven't been able to sit still since they announced that she was coming to Winnipeg is ... I'll be performing along side her at the festival! *faints* So this won't be a duet of any sort, but the fact that I'm even mentioned in the same program as her is just unbelievable. The Winnipeg Burly Girls will be performing too: Miss La Muse, Robin Red Breast, Miss Ruby RedLips ... and you better believe we will be bringing our A-game.

Seriously, at this point do you even need any more reasons to buy tickets? I suppose I could mention that Stray Cat Lee Rocker and Kim Lenz and the Jaguars will be rocking the stage Saturday and Sunday. There will also be Swing and Burlesque dancing lessons, hair and make up tutorials to attend, Pin Up contests and Fashion shows, a vintage car show, movies, music and dance parties galore!


YOU! Yes, you need to buy your tickets now! You can buy them here or visit RiverCityRumble.ca for more info.

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Shamrock Shaker

So this happened:

And it rocked.

The evening started off with the Rockabetty models meeting at the shop in Osborne Village for hair and make up. Now, I can make myself look presentable but when you have professionals attending to your toillette the outcome is amazing! My hair was done in a corner of the shop after which I trotted upstairs to Luna Spa for the best make over. I hadn't even known Luna Spa was there but apparently they opened up recently and offer professional make up services as well as manicures, pedicures and massages. When we were all suitably dolled up we drove over to the Reagle Beagle to get the party started. The Fashion Show began with Rockabetty. They had three lines going; cherries, leopard print and purple. I was lucky enough to model a dress from their cherries line, a beautiful red summer dress that was so comfortable it was almost like wearing sweatpants but a million times more gorgeous. There's nothing worse than being overheated and in super tight clothes. This dress was airy and had that lovely 'swish' going on at the skirt. It's the kind of dress that keeps you cool while looking hot.

 (Unless otherwise stated, all event photos courtesy of Bradley Mazur)

Mmm scarlet .... I think that's my colour.

The models changed in the bathroom which was maybe not the best of choices - the floor hadn't been washed and a lot of us had to change our stockings to match various dresses. There was also only one washroom for the models and the attendees- boy were they surprised to walk in to find a room full of half undressed ladies! With clothes flying everywhere and last minute touch ups to hair and make up the backstage area was hectic but fun and full of laughter. I changed out of the red dress to model a leopard print number from Rockabetty's sexy line. This dress is so amazing I took it home. It makes me feel incredibly attractive but it's classy in that 50's, don't have to show a lot of skin way. I've worn this to work several times as well as out on the town and I've received so many compliments on it.

Here kitty-kitty. ;)

When the Rockabetty models had finished the Foxy Shoppe ladies took a turn on the floor. They kicked off the show with the new lingerie they had gotten in - meow! More leopard print with matching bras and girdles. They had both small and plus sizes in red and black with leopard print accent down the middle. I seriously want!

King Cabernet took over at this point in the evening for some rockin' dance music with a St. Patty's Day flair. The "runway" turned into a dance floor. The Reagle Beagle was packed - I've been there before for events but I've never seen that many people on the dance floor. It was fantastic. When the burlesque portion of the evening arrived the dance floor cleared out and became a stage. It was MC'd by the hilariously funny Heather Witherden. Miss La Muse started us off with her infamous Potions Dance. This is my favourite routine that she does as she drinks a "magic potion" that makes her body start dancing against her will. It really show cases the skill she has not only dancing but in acting too.

"Nerd Girl loses her inhibitions" Photo by Oleh Stolarskyj


Miss Robin Red Breast (who recently made her very own Facebook page! Give it a 'like'!) debuted a new rockabilly routine that I didn't get to catch as I was backstage. From the hooting and hollering going on during it the audience definitely gave it a good review.



I did get to see the lovely Ruby RedLip's Dorothy-esque routine. She went from good girl to watch out! This sexy lady wasn't in Kansas anymore. ;-) A glitch in the music at the wrong (or very right) time had Miss Ruby swinging her bra and bobbing for a good two minutes while the staff tried to get the music back up and running. I think the audience loved that part especially - I know I did! Ruby was such a good sport about it too, hamming it up to the audience. The show must go on! And when they got the music going again she finished her routine without being phased in the least.



Finally it was my turn and I have to admit, I was a wee bit worried about my routine being a little too raunchy. However, it was St. Patty's Day and it called for good Irish drinking song! Flogging Molly's Salty Dog was my poison. I swaggered and I staggered and jigged in some bloody-high heels- I impressed myself with that one- and I had a great time. It was especially cool that all four of us girls had incredibly varied acts. There was something for everyone.





The evening finished with the Go go bops getting everyone dancing again. And boy, did we dance! I couldn't help thinking all night long that this was the best time I'd had in a long time. That's Saint Patty's Day for you, and I was in good company. My boyfriend won a door prize - a necklace and lovely hair fascinator - and despite the fact that I've assured him they would look fantastic on him he gave them to me.

There's only St. Patty's Day beads in there ... I swear!

I'm not sure I could say what the best part of the evening was. It really was a magical evening - perhaps the work of a leprechaun or two.

The Burly Girls!

The cherry on top of it all was that the event was a fundraiser for Winnipeg's own Rockabilly Festival - the River City Rumble! Check out their Facebook page for more details.


Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The Burlesque Assasins!

On April 10th I went to the Winnipeg premiere of The Burlesque Assassins at Towne 8. This hilariously campy movie is set before and after WWII and revolves around KGB spy Katarina Molotov and US Secret Agent Johnnie Valentine who join together (in more ways than one) to create the Burlesque Assassins, an elite guild of assassins whose goal is to Seduce and Destroy the Third Reich.

Bourbon Sue (Roxy D'Lite) is a small town girl from Windsor, Ontario who is taken under Johnnie Valentine's wing to become a Burlesque Assassin and has to learn on the job with coworkers Coco LaDouce and Belle Bombshell in order to stop a secret post war plot to reunite three parts of a secret code that will activate a nuclear powered Nazi death ray. With the fake German accents and characters such as Clone Hitler and Billy Mussolini Jr. this is a B Movie in all it's gory glory. Yet as horrible as the lines and plot may be the burlesque acts in this movie are amazing! Glittering costumes and intricate acts help move the plot along, with everything from fan dances to puppetry. There is an aerial routine that was absolutely jaw dropping for the finale. This movie made me laugh, cringe and applaud. I'm so glad I got to see the only theatre showing in Winnipeg. Plus it was a fundraiser for the Roller Derby. What's not to love?

For dressing 'burlesque' I received a large movie poster! I can hardly wait to hand it in my new place.

I wore my new Rockabetty dress and met up with Miss Robin Red Breast who had the same idea - leopard print for the win! Miss Heather, D and M came out to enjoy the show all dolled up too. As it happened there was a "burlesque" outfit contest before the show. I ended up going to the show straight from work but if I'd known sooner I might have worn some pasties on the job! My bosses might have been a bit scandalized what with that pesky workplace dress policy and all. :P Regardless, we all looked glamorous.

For dressing up (such a hardship, I tell you) the lovely ladies at the Roller Derby table outside the theater gave us movie posters. I can't wait to frame and hang this bad boy! I really hope this movie comes out on DVD so I can own it.

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

April: TPR #4

April: Tightlacing Progress Report #4


I fell off the wagon this April. I could feel myself trailing off. I spent the entire month thinking "I can start up again tomorrow. It's not too late." The problem was/is I always seem to think about what I want to wear, what I wish I was wearing or what I want to accomplish that day while I'm already out the door and either at work or out with no way to run home and grab a corset. For example, I left my corsets at my parents' place and between work and social commitments I ended up sleeping at the BF's for the week .. which means that even when I wanted to and was thinking about it I couldn't wear my corsets. Bad Scarlet!

April Tally:

5th - 10 hours
6th - 6 hours
7th - 40 mins

However, falling off the wagon doesn't mean giving up. It means getting back on. This month I'm moving in with the BF and two room mates which means going home to just one place with all my stuff will lend itself wonderfully to having corsets on hand. There will be no excuse not to put them on in the morning.

 April Stats:

-Longest time corset was worn: 10 hours
(Down two hours from March)
-# days in a row corset was worn: 3 days
(down three days from my current record of 6 in March and January)
-total time spent in corset: 16 hours and 40 mins
(March was 59 hours and 35 mins. Oh, the shame.)


My next big hurdle will be wearing my corset under my clothes. I currently own one sweater that doesn't overheat me with my corset underneath and with summer coming I don't always want to wear my corsets over my dresses ... especially since I currently own two and matching my outfits to them seriously diminishes my wardrobe choices.

But it's May! Which means my outfit conundrums will have to wait for the next Tight Lacing Report. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to read this article written by the Vancouver burlesque star and tightlacer Little Miss Risk. She makes an important distinction between tightlacing and waist training and I've found my own journey to happiness has also been helped by corsets.

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

Monday, April 29, 2013

Subgenres Blogger

Because one blog just wasn't enough ... now I have two!

Or rather, I am now the official blogger for Subgenres Winnipeg. Subgenres is a production company that is making a tv show of all the weird and wonderful sub-culture events that go on in Winnipeg and groups that thrive here. They have a super nifty website at SubgenresWinnipeg.com and one of the links along the top takes you straight to the blog. I've currently posted an Interview with Natasha Wiebe, the creator and (evil) mastermind behind the idea, and my second post is about 38 - the sci-fi play I co-wrote with a wonderful bunch of friends. I'm cross posting it here because I'm very proud of this play and I think you should come catch the performance at Keycon.

38

"The play (38) is being written and developed especially for Keycon and its members. It is a collaborative effort with everyone contributing and adding their special talents to the performance. Not one of us can take sole credit for this production, it is a wonderful process of dynamic writing and creative cooperation." -Subgenres Keycon Radio Play Info Page

I love to write. At heart I consider writing to be my first love. Well, after reading. But the thing about writing is that it's precious and your words are parts of you. You don't want to share them with just anyone, and if you do share them it's usually only after they've been polished and babied and gussied up just right ... Writing a story with a group of people who all have different tastes in genres and styles seemed like an impossible task. And yet ...

38 is a science fiction audio play that was co-written by a group of crazy strangers that got together and just clicked. Natasha Wiebe (Subgenres Creator) came up with the idea of a play written specifically for Keycon and set about assembling our rag-tag team of eccentrics: Mike Major, Anna Hatton Lauder, Tiffany Humble, John Speelman, Ben Jeffers and myself. It's safe to say that none of us knew each other very well. In Ben's case the only person he knew going in was me (he may or may not have had a choice in this decision). So here we all were, in a room full of strangers, preparing to create something that (oh please god, please) wouldn't be horrible. We came at it somewhat like what I imagine a DnD session would be like - the only ones I ever went to were when I was 11 and it was much less of an interactive experience and much more watching the boys argue over who had the cooler weapons.

We knew three things:
-The play was science fiction
-it involved a salvage operation
and
-we had to perform it at Keycon

And then something crazy wonderful happened: This room full of strangers clicked. We took turns being loud and boisterous, gave thoughtful critiques and suggestions to each idea and laughed in unison at the witty (crude)  humour that sprang to life between us. And that first meeting wasn't a fluke. Since then we've been meeting almost once a week to hash out script changes, plot movements, sound effects, dialogue. When we can't meet we've been spamming our Facebook group chat with new ideas, progress updates and inside jokes. We've even got our own little forum for links, photos, documents and general mayhem.

This play writing experiment has been the best group project I have ever been a part of. I've had so much fun  honing my character, suggesting lines and laughing at the craftily worded come backs that go slinging around our writing group. This play will be performed in a dark room with the occasional computerized sound effect but mostly just our voice. We wanted to bring back the feeling of the good, old fashioned radio plays of yore when you could lie in your bed in the dark listening to voices coming from a box and let your imagination take you miles and miles away ...

You should check us out:

38 debuting it's first and possibly only live performance at Keycon, Radisson Hotel on May 18th at 11 pm.

Check out the Crew of the Salvage ship here!

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

Dem Resolutions

By now I'm sure people are either congratulating themselves on not making any New Years Resolutions or quietly not saying anything if the subject comes up to avoid having to admit that January might have been a good start but everything went downhill, fast.

 
The thing with resolutions is that you have to check in often and keep trying. So here's my check in: 

Resolution #1 - Get Healthy
This was your stereotypical "work out, eat healthy, lose weight" goal. So how's it going? Umm ... that's a good question. I feel like I've taken some steps forward and then taken a few steps back. This year I have:

-Signed up for hot yoga (love it!)
-Signed up for pole dancing (the aches! so worth it)
-Started making super healthy fruit and flax seed smoothies with almond milk

The Good: The smoothies have really helped me keep up with eating enough fruit and veggies. I usually have one apple and several servings of veggies throughout the day for an average serving of 1:3. Thanks to the smoothies it's now 3:3. I am definitely going to work on upping that serving ratio but I do have to give myself credit for the improvements so far. Also, as I usually do not eat breakfast EVER this smoothie is really easy on my stomach. Weight loss guides always advise eating breakfast as it kick starts your body's metabolism so Victory point number one!

The Bad: I haven't been cooking for myself at all. Well, not counting Ramen noodles. I eat a lot of Ramen noodles. I've been so busy running around lately that food has slipped to the bottom of my priority list. I'm looking forward to moving out though because then I'll be in charge of cooking and grocery shopping for myself. Meal planning here I come! So far the scale hasn't budged at all but I am feeling better on the inside which is it's own incentive. On the bright side I've fallen in love with allrecipes.com which is a veritable found of good advice and tried and true recipes.

The Ugly: My thermos containers have mysteriously disappeared which means it's been impossible for me to bring tea to work. I find that I desperately need caffeine in the morning and have developed a really gross habit of consuming an energy drink between 10 am and noon. I don't even like energy drinks. Solution: Next paycheque I'm buying a new thermos.

 Resolution #2 - Write
I'm doing really well with this one, guys! Have you seen this blog? It's not only been frequent updates but they've been fairly steady too. Last year there was one month where I posted 11 articles, but then didn't have much to say for the following three months. So far Meg's system of three posts a month has been great. I don't keep myself to a super strict schedule (she often waits until midnight on the dot on the 5th, 15th or 25th to post her articles) but I've been doing roughly one article at the beginning, middle and end of the month. I find that with this schedule I'm really excited about blogging as it's not a chore when I've got extra posts lined up in the archives.
Another crazy awesome project I've been a part of this year has been 38. 38 is a science fiction audio play that was co-written by a group of crazy strangers that got together and just clicked. I've had so much fun honing my character, suggesting lines and laughing at the craftily worded come backs that go slinging around our writing group. This play will be performed in a dark room with the occasional computerized sound effect but mostly just our voice. We wanted to bring back the feeling of the good, old fashioned radio plays of yore when you could lie in your bed in the dark listening to voices coming from a box and let your imagination take you miles and miles away ... We will be performing our radio play at this years Keycon on Saturday, May 26th at 11 pm. If you can't come check us out (which you totally should) then I'm pretty sure we'll have a recording floating around somewhere. I'll try to get my hands on it and post it here for your aural pleasures.

As for that novel ... I'm still brainstorming. But it's coming, slowly, I can feel it.

Resolution #3 - Tightlacing
I've been kicking ass and taking in inches. See: Tightlacing Progress Report (TPR) #1, TPR #2 & TPR #3.

 
Resolution #4 - Grow Up
I'm moving out! I'm so excited. We found a wonderful two story house for rent which was not only bigger than the apartments we were looking at in our price range but also in a better neighborhood with grocery stores, bus routes and beautiful, beautiful trees. The fact that it's only two black away from my parents place means I won't have to hire a fleet of moving vans to move my stuff. ;-)

Resolution #5- More Burlesque!

I'm really pleased with the way 2012 is unfolding. I've got wonderful plans a'brewin' and I'm surrounding by creative and talented people brainstorming with me

So far there have been some really great events: Check out my upcoming posts on The Shamrock Shaker and Rockabetty's Sinphony of 50's Fashion. I've also got some photo shoot posts that I'm excited to share and a graduation party burlesque show in the works!


The verdict? I've kept 4 out of 5 Resolutions nicely and I haven't given up on those leafy greens yet. I hope your own resolutions have been going well, for those who made them! Let's keep at it!

Stay Saucy,
Miss Scarlet

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Modelling - How to Pose for Beginners

Today's article is a cross post from the ultra lovely Ava Strange (avastrange.com). It seemed particularly fitting as I've been doing more modelling lately and people have been asking me for tips and how I started. I could tell you, or you could read this wonderful article written by a much more experienced model. Without further ado:

Modelling For Beginners - How To Pose
By Ava Strange

I’m not a model, but I’ve been modeling as a hobby for about four years. I’ve done photoshoots, live art modeling, fashion shows, and even a bit of TV. It’s not something I take super seriously, but it can be really fun and it’s a great way to help either new photographers who need to practice certain techniques or expand their portfolios, or experienced photographers break away from the daily grind and try something new. So I thought since I’ve done this for a while and there are always people interested in doing it, I would write a quick guide, to be used either for beginner models or just people who want to fuck around with a camera on Saturday. This is not intended to be advice for professional models. They’re working on totally another level. But if you want to try this out as hobby, this might help you out.

-One first important note: SHOW UP. Models are notoriously unreliable, and this is not just rude, but a huge waste of time and probably money for everyone else involved. I have a zero tolerance policy on shoots that I’m involved in behind the camera. If you don’t at least take it seriously enough to respect other people, don’t bother. You won’t last long.

 Photo by T.J. Pendragon


-RELAX! Being stiff is the biggest thing that will hold you back. Seriously, you NEED to relax. A lot.

-Don’t be afraid to look like an idiot. In truth, a fraction of your photos will be usable. That’s not because you’re not good at it, it’s just true for everyone who’s not a pro. Out of the 10 pictures you might see in an album, often over 300 were actually taken. This means that many of them are unusable anyway, and not being afraid to “go there” is what’s going to result in magic on those few good ones. Otherwise, the whole thing can fall flat.

 

                      OMG HEEEEELP! Seriously, it was so hard to get out of this thing. Photo by Jenna Lee

-Use a prop. The biggest challenge is when you’re just standing in front of a backdrop. You wonder WTF are you supposed to do? Having a prop gives you something to interact with, something to do with your arms, and helps you a lot for ideas. My favorite thing so far has been a hoola hoop, but you could use anything, including a wall. When you’re totally stuck, use your own body!

 -Don’t forget your neck.

-Make small movements. If you’re new to posing and the idea overwhelms you, moving one body part at a time will not only make things more simple, but give the photographer a lot of variety, and time to see what they might like you to do.

-Point your toes. All the time. Even when you’re standing (heels count).
Foot fetishists gave me my start on Deviant Art.

-Communicate with the photographer. Tell them any ideas or concerns you may have and they’ll work with you while directing you. Directing isn’t them telling you what to do, it’s a conversation and a collaboration. Help them help you.

-If your pose feels physically weird, uncomfortable, or painful, it often means it looks awesome. Sometimes even your damn eyeballs will hurt.


Photo by Kathy Cruz (Glam Chix Artistry), makeup artist and other model is Elliot James

-If you feel mentally weird, uncomfortable, or painful, you need to stop.

-Whatever you’re doing, do it more. Subtlety isn’t usually the camera’s friend (though it can be).

-Be versatile. Don’t do the same damn style with the same damn pose with the same damn face all the time. That shit is boring. Nobody wants to shoot something they could have photocopied from another shoot you did.


Me? Do edgy and boyish? NE-I mean, YES! The red nail polish makes this a little less believable. Photo by Shawn Fillion

-Check out what other people are doing for inspiration.

-Keep in mind that a photo is not 3D. The closer something is to the camera the bigger it looks. It seems obvious but the impact is huge. I have this picture where my foot looks freakin enormous because of its proximity to the camera.
See?
 

See? I’m a monster!! Photo by Chris Wilkinson

-When you’re smiling, have the shot taken while you’re exhaling. It forces you to relax so it looks more natural. Just like when you get a piercing!

-If you have a blinking problem, close your eyes and open them on the count of three. The shot should be taken immediately after.
This is my favorite picture in the world right now.


-DON’T FEEL BAD ABOUT YOURSELF!! Professional models are beautiful, but they’re only one kind of beautiful. Be a role model to people who look like you.



Dat ass.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Miss Mumford's Marvelous Mummy Unwrapping!


A mummy unwrapping, straight from the Victorian parlour of Miss Mumford herself! I am so excited to play a part in this delightful Fringe production as the 'Tableau Artist' amongst a truly phenomenal cast.



Go to Miss Mumford's Marvelous Mummy Unwrapping for more information.

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

March TPR #3

Tightlacing Progress Report #3 - March.


I realized when the end of February rolled around and I took stock of my corseting habits that I seem to start really strong in the beginning of the month, forget about wearing it midway through and then remember at the end of the month that this is a thing I'm supposed to be doing and try to get a few more days worth of wearing my corsets in. So this month I'm officially initiating a Mid-Month Check In. Which is really just a fancy smancy way of saying that on the 15th I'm going to tally up my hours so far so that I can re-motivate myself to wear my corset throughout the month, not just in the beginning and end.

This month I'm kicking ass when it comes to hours as well as firsts. I slept in my corset for the first time. It took me a couple hours to fall asleep and I kept waking up everytime I'd go to roll over and suddenly realize I was bound where my pajamas are usually quite loose. But I was very excited to have accomplished my first night.

I wore my corset to work for the first time! I've gotten a few quizzical looks - especially when I'm in the bathroom adjusting my laces, but so far no one has said anything. I've been wearing sweaters that belt in the front so the corset is partially covered or long sleeved t-like sweaters that cover my corsets completely. My work is kept fairly cold (I think they want us to generate our own heat by working faster) so the extra layers have felt really comfortable.

I also learned the hard way why people advise you not to drink pop or anything carbonated while wearing a corset. I hit an afternoon slump so I bought myself a coke but after drinking only half of it I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to relieve the pressure in my stomach by burping as quietly as I could. Talk about embarrassing. Having gone without pop for a full week now I find that the compression of the corset causes me to burp a lot more than usual anyways, even if I'm only drinking water.

Time for the tally! Hours this month:

March 4th - 6h 15 mins
March 5th - 10 hours
March 6th - 7 1/2 hours
March 7th - 1h 20 mins
March 8th - 12 hours
March 9th - 8 1/2 hours
March 11th - 2 hours
March 13th - 8 hours
March 23rd - 4 hours

My goal for April is to be more uniform/standard when it comes to hours wearing my corsets. For example, instead of wearing it 12 hours one day and 2 hours the next I'd like to try for a solid 8 hours every day. There's still that ten day gap in the middle of the month where I fell off the corset bandwagon but checking in at the fifteenth did have me wearing my corset for longer duration into the month. I'm going to keep working to shorten any gaps there are, not only days worn but in space at the back.

March Stats:

-Longest time corset was worn: 12 hours 
(up from 7 and a half hours in February)
-# days in a row corset was worn: 6
(up from 0 days in a row in February and the same as January)
-total time spent in corset: 59 hours and 35 mins
(Up from 16 hours and 20 mins in February!)

Stay Saucy,
Miss Scarlet

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

February: TPR #2


I shorted Tightlacing Progress Report to TPR #2 : How's that for a snappy title?


I originally ordered two corsets about a year and a half ago from Timeless Trends. They're a great boutique that sells off the rack corsets for really decent prices. I'd been wearing them as decoration on and off since then. Last September I put my mind to it and wore my corset every day for two weeks. I found that I forgot about it after half an hour but became hyper aware of it around hour two. At first a couple hours made my back ache a little bit - not enough to be concerned about but it was definitely a relief to get out of it and slouch. But at the end of week two I wore my corset for a whole eight hours on a Saturday! I was really surprised to realize that when I took it off it not only didn't hurt at all but I could have worn it for a few hours more. The feeling was akin to taking my bra off at the end of the day - sometimes it's a huge relief and sometimes the difference is negligible.

I'd like to mention that the reason I could wear these corsets as both decoration and for tightlacing is because they're made with real steel boning, so they're strong enough to resist the pressure put on them as the corset is tightened. The Bones of a Corset --> rods of steel placed around the corset so that your body molds to the corsets' shape and not the other way around. I can hardly imagine they used to be made with whale bones!

Now for the check-in.

1st - 2 hrs 20 mins
3rd - 2 hrs
5th - 4 hrs 15 mins
6th - 45 mins
8th - 7 hrs 30 mins!!
28th - 4 hrs 15 mins

Ohhhhh god ... I slept in my corset for the first time this month. Feb. 8th, 11 pm to 6:30 am. I woke up with a killer stomach ache! I didn't sleep very well ... I kept waking up in the middle of the night and tossing and turning in between. However I did pull in 7 1/2 hours which is fab. I'm hoping this sleeping with it on thing gets easier quickly because it's a lot more convenient than trying to hide my corset at work or squirming in the uncomfortable work chairs. It's hard enough to sit right in those things in the first place.

February Stats:

-Longest time corset was worn: 7 1/2 hours 
(up from 1 hour and 40 mins in January)
-# days in a row corset was worn: 0 - I was super sporadic this month
(down from 6 days in a row in January)
-total time spent in corset: 16 hours and 20 mins
(Up from 5 1/2 hours in January!)

One of the funniest parts of this journey has been the realization that I prefer to read and write about corsets and tightlacing while I'm wearing a corset. Maybe because I'm quite literally bound to it? This amuses me. Besides always looking for more engaging sites on the interwebs I've also been reading "Corsets: A Modern Guide"by Velda Lauder. It's interesting but not very in depth and I'm curious as to where the author found some of her information from. The highlight is that there is a gorgeous picture every other page and they range from corset fetish models to burlesque performers, fashion catwalks, historical paintings and figures as well as famous corset wearing celebrities. These pictures are serving as fuel to up my corset wearing hours for March. :)

Stay Saucy,
Miss Scarlet

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Nothing Makes Your Night Like Jazz, Murder & Mayhem

Alright, so it's been a while, but here's the recap of Drawn and Plastered's Mysterious Murder of Jazz Baby McGee!


Last October Drawn and Plastered put on a night of mystery, murder and intrigue! They had a live jazz band which really brought the classiness of the whole endeavor up a few notches. I don't think anything can quite top live jazz. After a set the mystery started with my routine. It was a bit unusual in that the venue (at the University of Manitoba) didn't allow nudity to the point where even pasties were prohibited. That was incredibly strange given that they were informed there was going to be a burlesque routine - and inconvenient as they didn't tell us until a week before the show! That was definitely one of the biggest routine changes I've made to date. I got around it by putting a bathrobe over my dress and putting my clothes on, as if the audience was watching me in my dressing room. I was especially nervous because front and centre was a table of two elderly ladies and their gentleman escort. 

The routine ended with a pause, a waver and then a faint! But really, why describe it when I could show you?


And so the evening began! The usual frozen montages of the models were interspersed with video clips to introduce the suspects. There was also another set done by the band where Jazz Baby, in ghost form, got to wander the audience and demand to know who-dunnit. I got a few laughs: the little old ladies stopped me and said they'd just loved my performance (phew) and I met the parents of Jazz Baby's jealous lover who said "It's AJ of course. We know our son - it's something he would do." Turns out, it was the jealous bartender all along! The evening came to a close with a video of the Bartender's subsequent arrest and confession. The audience had previously written down who they thought had done it on slips paper. The slips were drawn for prizes - but only the members who guessed correctly were eligible to claim the prize!

This was a fantastically interactive event and the best one to date. 










To see so many more amazing pictures click here and browse through Drawn & Plastered's Facebook albums "Attendee Pieces 3" and "The Mysterious Murder of Jazzbaby McGee".

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

Friday, February 15, 2013

Art Modelling

A couple years ago I decided to go out on a limb and try to get over my body shyness in a rather extreme way. Art modelling! The WAG is always looking for models for their life drawing classes. I was nervous as all heck! But I wanted to model so I took the plunge. The signing up was relatively painless. I walked into the art space, spoke to the receptionist, she gave me a couple forms to fill out and voila. I got a call the next week. Oh boy - what had I gotten myself into?

I arrived fifteen minutes early to talk to the instructor. He walked me through the set up of the class - ten one minute poses, a couple of five minute poses, a couple of ten minute ones. One fifteen minute pose and then break. The second half of the class was one solid pose for an hour. And yes, I was nude. Yes, all the artists were old dudes. Yes, it was freaking cold. But the instructor said "you're nervous for the first fifteen seconds and after that you start to think about how boring your pose is, or if your arm is falling asleep." And that's absolutely true.

The whole experience was a roller coaster of nerves, boredom and an adrenaline rush that really did serve to boost my confidence. I received a couple of sketches that were and were not me. My dog later ate them but canines have no appreciation of art. The Instructor also mentioned that a lot of the models have mentioned being or wanting to be burlesque performers. I guess we're all just nudists at heart.

Not from the WAG but an artists rendition all the same (c)David Oro

I've signed on to do a few more art modelling sessions this spring ... partly because it's a second job and partly because I want to feel like I'm doing something to benefit the artistic community this grey, icky February. I'm modelling for a figure drawing class for a grades 11 and 12 students at the WAG. The funniest thing was walking in a seeing that they were all asians.... so tiny. They looked like they were 13, max.

This class was different in that I had to hold one pose for two hours. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to do that but you never know until you try. The class was for two hours and I amazed myself by not taking a break until an hour and fifteen mins had gone by. A quick two minute stretch got the blood flowing back into my feet and hands and worked out the crimps in my back and neck. Then back to sitting. I took a five min bathroom break with twenty mins to go. The last ten mins were brutal because I knew I was going to be able to move soon so it was difficult to zone out and be still.

Immortalized as a penny dreadful cover by (c)Kenneth Porhownik

The studio sits the model under a giant lamp so that artists can pick up the details of light and shadow. It's really warm, but only where it touches you. The rest of the studio isn't heated for naked people. The result was I was sweating profusely but only my upper body was overly warm. My hands and feet had gone numb from the cold.

It's that same initial "Oh my god everyone is going to be judging me, I'm unattractive why am I doing this - did I remember to shave this morning???" After two minutes of quiet sketching with the instructor going from pupil to pupil and using technical jargon about charcoal and shading sitting nude in a room full of strangers becomes somehow ... mundane. It's a nice way to meditate really. I'm usually to jittery or busy to sit still.

If I were a doll.

And afterwards seeing their works is really cool. They somehow are me but look nothing like me: I've become a kind of mythical art figure on canvas while the real me gratefully puts on clothes and walks back out to the sounds of traffic, the slush on the sidewalk and a quiet joy of being hyper aware of my body and the luxury of moving.

Stay saucy,
Miss Scarlet