Bond & Burlesque

Today I am blogging about ...

THIS:

Put on by THIS GUY:

King Cabernet

The one on the right, though the one on the left is dashing too ;-)

A couple of months ago King Cabernet, a suave and debonair DJ (see above photo), messaged me about performing in a Bond and Burlesque tribute event that coincided with the opening of Skyfall - the latest James Bond movie for those of you who are not cinematically inclined. Seeing as how I'd been listening to Adele's latest single, also called Skyfall, almost constantly in anticipation of more Daniel Craig yummyness I didn't see how I could say no. After organizing my own show on Hallowe'en it was so nice to have an event that I just had to show up to and titillate. Not that that's a hard job - King Cabernet throws only the coolest gigs I've been to and everyone who shows up is exactly the crowd that a burly girl could hope for.

The burly girls before the show. Yours truly, Miss Ruby Red Lips & Miss La Muse

There was a massive snowfall that night. I know, snow - in Winnipeg? Get outta town. *eye roll* But even though it comes every year it still wreaks havoc with our sense of time. I left the house an hour before I was supposed to arrive but still ended up being late. As did quite a few others. But our clever host had scheduled everything on the late side so by the time it was showtime Juss Jazz was packed! And I mean shoulder to shoulder, back to front! If you've never been to Juss Jazz it's a sweet little place, very long and narrow. There's a tiny little corner stage at the front of the room, which just wouldn't do, so we appropriated the doorway/first section of the dance floor for our shimmies and shakes. The problem with the narrowness of the place is that after four rows of people you only caught glimpses of arms or the occasional flash of boa. My man, who was about halfway to the back of the room stood on a chair to see my routine (like he doesn't get an eyeful at home ;p).

This is where I love to be!

 A friend of mine wiggled her way to the front with only minor use of elbows to see me dance and then we slipped back through the crowd when I was done. My only regret is that after moving out of the way for the other viewers (and to get dressed without scrutiny - putting clothes on is rarely as scintillating as taking them off) I didn't get to watch Miss Ruby or Angela perform. I did see Miss Ruby's costume, an amazing creation of white feathers and sparkling diamond which went perfectly with her song: Diamonds are Forever. The fact that she made her own costume was just incredible and also what burlesque is supposed to be all about. I'll get around to costume creation when school is done, I pinky swear! Angela's costume included an elegant full length girdle which was so lovely. She did a simmering dance to a slowed down version of the James Bond theme song. My own song, Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang by Shirley Bassey is a dark and naughty ode to 007, which made it absolutely perfect for me. 

The lady on the left just makes this picture for me :-D

I have to admit that going into the night I wasn't confident in my routine. I've been stressed out with school and work lately. As a result my creative juices were running a little low. That being said the music started playing and my body just grooved without instruction. Sometimes as a dancer you feel like you become the music and this was one of those nights. That feeling is the main reason why I dance. So I owe a big thank-you to King Cabernet for setting up such a wonderful night! And here's a shout out for his next awesome event:

SHINDIG!

If you're not doing anything this Saturday night you should go and get your groove on! 

Saucily Yours,

Miss Scarlet

The Mysterious Murder of Jazz Baby McGee

The Mysterious Murder of Jazz Baby McGee!

Starring:

Ashton Barter as The Inspector

And to think it was his night off!
(Photo by Adriano Ali)

Tiffany Humble as Baby's Co-star

One of the flapper gals - Did she do it out of jealousy?

Lexi as The Stalker

Baby spurned his every advance ... did this lead to a crime of passion?

Natasha Wiebe as The Witness!

Everyone had something to gain!

Aj Shymkiw as The Bartender

Did the fact that someone else was tending to Baby while he was tending bar drive him to commit murder?

Holly Halftone as The Boss Lady

One half of the sister pair running the Speakeasy. Did she have it out for Baby?

Chelsey Moir as Baby's Co-star

One of the flapper gals - Did she do it out of jealousy?

Samantha Wiebe as The (Other) Boss Lady

One half of the sister pair running the Speakeasy. Did she think Baby was a bit too full of herself and decide to put a stop to it?

&

 Miss Scarlet Divine as Jazz Baby McGee

She had it coming ... the only question is: Who dunnit?

To Be Continued ....

*All Drawn & Plastered photos taken by Holly Halftone

First Show Poster!!!

This Wednesday, October 31st at The Cheer Bar & Grill!!

**$10 if you show up at the door, not $15**

Photo courtesy of Dano Tanaka.

Hope to see all you saucy darlings there!

Miss Scarlet

Gemini - Of Two Minds

It's officially September which means back to school - where has the time gone? I've been wrapped up in the whirlwind that September usually is but it's time to get back to the blogging board. I mentioned in my last post that I had submitted an article to a magazine about my alter ego and I'm excited to report that they published it! The Zine, named KATALOG, called their latest edition 'Gemini' after the Greek twins, though in this case it was more of the splitting of two personalities. I'm finding more and more often that I prefer to be Miss Scarlet rather than plain ol' me but perhaps what's really happening is that plain ol' me is turning into Miss Scarlet. More on this transformative stage later.

Right now the biggest divide I'm feeling is in my creative energies. I'm organizing a Hallowe'en burlesque show and trying to get a couple of routines down. But on the other hand I've always had a passion for the written word and lately I've been trying to throw myself into the writing community the same way I embraced the stage. Which is to say, just get out and do it! That's always harder than it sounds but so far I've managed a few interesting things, such as:

Volunteering for the Thin Air Writing Festival! Thin Air brings authors to us, the public and offers a lot of fun seminars, workshops, readings and other literary adventures. Here's their overview:

In September each year, Winnipeg welcomes writers from Canada and around the world for a week of readings, lectures, interviews, conversations, book launches, and other events. That week of literary feasting—which reaches out into the rural areas of the province as well—is THIN AIR, the Winnipeg International Writers Festival. With programming for adults and children, in English and French, THIN AIR is an infusion of energy into the thriving literary culture of this city.

Thursday, September 6th I helped set up the annual book sale at the Forks. All books are donated and proceeds go to the Festival fund. It was a piece of cake really, seeing as how I've spent the last year working in a book store. The coordinators and other volunteers are really gung ho about the Festival and the work they put in so it really doesn't feel like work. Last Friday I sold tickets to the Manitoba Reads event supported by the CBC and I got to sit in on four literary critiques each champion a recently published Canadian novel-and one of them was written by my Creative Writing prof from last year, Struan Sinclair. It's like I'm meeting famous people already. ;) Yesterday and today I'm taking care of the hospitality suite which has given me the opportunity to talk to and about authors I never would have met or heard of otherwise. My reading list has grown drastically and surprisingly a lot of the books are not in the genres I usually read. How's that for growth? This has been a really great time and I'm definitely going to volunteer again next year.

Secondly I've become more involved with the University of Manitoba Literary Society. The Society is a student group founded by my Creative Writing class of last year and led by some truly enthusiastic Masters students. Our group so far has provided support and feedback for each other's writing endeavours outside of the classroom and made a point of attending readings, plays and other literary events together. We also held a bake sale last year where we raised funds for a local literacy group. This year we're planning a Creative Writing Contest, putting together a list of places to submit polished work to, looking at bringing in speakers to motivate us and working closely with the Writer in Residence. If you'd like to get involved with us drop us a line in our facebook group. You don't have to attend classes at the U of M to join, the only prereq is that you enjoy writing and would like to connect with others who do as well.

And last but certainly not least: KATALOG! That link will take you to the page where you can download a pdf of the magazine.

I made a point of learning how to take screen shots just for this occasion, so here we are: sneak peeks of my article in the 'zine. I'm very excited about this. It's the perfect blend of my two favourite ways of expressing myself, writing and dance. Now don't try to read my article off these pics! ;-D There is a spectacular variety showcased in the seventh issue of KATALOG and I sincerely encourage you to take the time and check it out.

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

August Aspirations

Recently I applied to be a participant in two events put on by the Central Canadian Centre for Performance. I wrote an entry for their online zine, KATALOG, and I applied to participate in their Alter Ego Pageant. I was invited to both of these events on Facebook. The lovely Lizzie Lala graciously passed the info along.

I sent in an article to KATALOG, the Official publication for the Central Canadian Centre for Performance. (It can be found at cccponline.net.) It was looking for "performance photos, videos and write ups about Altered Ego or extensions of the self in performance." I ended up sending in six or seven photos to go along with the article because it was so hard to choose just a couple!

The idea behind KATALOG is very cool. Instead of repeating everything the Zine says about itself on their website I'm going to quote parts of their Submission Call. "KATALOG is an online publication with video and sound capabilities which is dedicated to the practice of performance and live art."

The site doesn't say whether or not I'll be notified if they choose my submission or when the next issue is set to be published. I'll wait until Sept before sending them an inquiry. I was really nervous about sending in my entry as there are so many performers in the world who are both more established/polished and who are better known. But you never know if you don't try, so I screwed my courage to the sticking point and sent it anyways. If my article isn't published it'll make a good blog post. :-)

Photos taken from cccponline.net

I also entered the CCCP's Alter Ego Pageant, where contestants will be judged on their alter egos. The contest includes a talent and a beauty portion. The talent part is easy - one burlesque routine, coming up! The beauty bit? A "birthday/bathing suit" competition. Yikes! I don't know how I feel about the beauty portion of the event but I think I'm going to get creative and flaunt Miss Scarlet's beauty ideals. I don't know what those are, exactly, as they range from raunchy to classy and back again! The Pageant is to be held on Sept. 8th. I'll let you know if I'm selected to be one of the participants!

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

Two Words: Portable Shade

Screw fifty shades (of grey), it is way too hot outside - and not in a good way. This whole summer the only shade I've been craving is the kind that shields my poor, ghosty skin from the effect I like to call "lobstering". I don't tan, I blister. Return to white, repeat cycle. But it ends here! This summer my saving grace has been my umbrella. Ideally I would have a parasol but I'm on a budget and my 'brolly is pretty enough to pass as a parasol for now.

After a mild sunburn on my face and chest in the spring I decided to heck with this heat. I appreciate that others live for the summer months but I'm an autumn gal through and through. I still haven't found a sunscreen that is more than SPF 15, doesn't clog my pores and doesn't feel like I'm slathering my skin in margarine. And even if my skin is protected from burning I overheat quick. Enter the best idea ever: portable shade.

Parasols have been around for ages and have a lengthy history, but most people think 'Victorian' when they think of or see a parasol. The Victorian era saw the unprecedented rise in popularity of the parasol as a fashion accessory. A lady in that age wouldn't be caught dead with sun browned skin, it was a sign of having to work and therefore not considered to be genteel. They didn't have sunscreen and with the heavy weight of all the clothing they wore an extra shawl would have been unbearable. The parasol was the perfect accessory for a walk in the park.

Fashion has changed but pale skin or fake tans are becoming the thing again. And parasols today range from the classically simple to incredibly ornate. Skin cancer is a serious risk health risk, one that parasols can prevent- and with style. Whether you opt for an oriental paper style or lace trimmed with ribbons a lady can find the perfect parasol to accent her wardrobe.

Alternative model Amber Gabriel/Ghettoblaster by Cherry Photography, bringing the parasol back in style 

I love it when old fashioned ideas come back in style. I still get strange looks or people asking if I think it's going to rain- which, to be fair, is a legit question seeing as how I'm using my umbrella. But a lot of people have also complimented me on having such a brilliant idea. Especially when I'm waiting for the bus and there's no shade to be seen. Next summer I'll be sure to have a proper parasol and hopefully I'll be seeing a few more around town.

EDIT: I was going to wait to take a photo of me and my parasol before posting but a rather blustery day managed to turn my umbrella inside out and break one of the tines. A quick repair job should fix it right up but that's always a danger when you live in Winnipeg. It can get pretty windy, especially down town! However I'm still set on getting myself a pretty parasol for next year.

Stay Saucy!
Miss Scarlet

Faery at the Forks

And here they are! A wonderful assortment of photos taken by the fantastic Dano Tanaka.

He was kind enough to format a couple of timeline pictures.

The picture on the right captures how I feel every time I wear this outfit.

 One of these two photos is my favourite ... I just can't decide which!

I feel mystical, magical and mysterious when I look at this photo.

Is it just me or do I look strangely like Kristen Stewart in the left photo??
It's creeping me out! ;-D

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

Dano Tanaka: Photographer Extraordinaire

Miss Pamela Fox strikes again! This past June a mysterious photographer named Dano Tanaka contacted Miss Foxy via facebook to see if he could use her studio for a shoot. His gentlemanly charm- and tattoos- endeared him to her so she suggested on The Foxy Shoppe facebook profile that people like his page. I took a look, liked what I saw, sent him a message saying so and clicked 'like'. He took the time to thank me for my comment - and oh, I'm a burlesque dancer? Would I be interested in modeling for him? You bet I was! So wham, bam, thank-you ma'am - a date was set. The magical Miss Foxy brings people together.

Magical things always happen at The Foxy Shoppe

Dano and I met up at the Forks and walked along the river path and gardens. It's such a gorgeous place I'm surprised there aren't more people there taking pictures at all times. The pictures themselves have a very romantic feel to them, with long grass and flowers in the forefront and me in the distance. They're almost fairy like which made me giddy and excited when I got peeks of them on his camera. I can hardly wait to see the finished photos!

Sneak peak! More to come!

Dano is incredibly easy to talk to. He's full of stories regarding his travels and his work, as well as various people he's met and worked with since he started photography. He really put me at ease. I remember being  impressed with the way he worked. Not only does he have a knack for capturing the best angle but he was confidant about giving directions about how I should position my body when he wanted a certain look. Not hesitant, not bossy, just matter of fact and a true pleasure to work with. He's currently traveling across Canada for work but scheduled to be back in Winnipeg come September! Meaning: contact him now or you'll miss out on your chance to work with this awesome guy! Check out Dano Tanaka Illustrator on facebook. He's trying to get 1000 'likes' by the end of this year, so if you like his work- you know what to do!

This gorgeous photo is part of his Pin Up Marathon series in Edmonton, Alberta.

One of the things we talked about was how we're both just beginning to establish ourselves in our fields of choice and we agreed, at some point you just have to put yourself out there. It is incredibly exhilarating to do what you love. After spending the morning modelling for Dano I was so pumped I felt like I could take on the world. It's sometimes hard to remember this feeling when I get down on myself, as everyone does, but the sense of accomplishment I get when I model or do a show makes me soar. I never would have guessed five years ago that I could possibly do the awesome things I'm up to right now.

So don't just dream. Grab hold of them with both hands and mud wrestle those dreams into existence. As T. E. Lawrence said, "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible". Dangerous? My middle name.

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet

Smut Slam 2!

When was the last time you stepped outside of your comfort zone? Tuesday, July 10th I did something completely new for me. I attended Winnipeg's Second Annual Smut Slam! Now, what on earth is a smut slam, you wonder. Essentially it's like a poetry slam. Attendees are asked to put their names in a hat when they arrive if they're willing to tell a story. If their name is drawn they then dance up to the mic and recount their sordid tale. The catch? It has to be a five minute, true to life, actually happened to them story. This year's theme was Hot Mess! Or, train wreck sex. You can see how this gets interesting, fast.


The slam took place in Mondragon, a vegan/vegetarian cafe in the exchange district. It was hosted by local celebrity Heather Witherden, comedienne extraordinaire, and Cameryn Moore, playwright and Smut Slam founder. They brought with them 5 fringe actors who had volunteered to be judges. They rated each story on whether it was true to life, whether it had a narrative arc and audience reaction.

At the door the bf, my friend H and I checked in. Us girls each got a bright, grass green penis drawn on our hand in marker while the bf received a rather fetching pair of bosoms. I remember thinking 'what a cute way to start off the evening'. Clearly I need penises drawn on my hand more often. The lady at the door explained that everyone who wanted to participate had to sign a slip stating that the story was true to life and that our pictures may be used to promote the smut slam. H and I egged each other into signing up to tell a naughty story. I think we both had our fingers crossed that ours names wouldn't be picked but waiting to see if they were added another dash of spice to keep us on the edges of our seats.

Mondragon

So besides me, and the poor people I roped into coming, who goes to a smut slam? The crowd looked like your usual Mondragon suspects, that is, slightly left of mainstream. But still, normal. Among the list of poor souls- I mean, brave champions who were picked to go up and tell their stories there was a  poet, a divorcee, a man hating dominatrix (did I mention she hated men?), a bride to be, a burly girl, a girl lolita, a virgin and A LOT of anal. Strike that last one, it's a topic not a person.

But before you collectively yell EW! (or secretly get too excited) that wasn't all the stories consisted of. There were exes, best friend's exes, mind fucking, unintended injuries, public sex, bdsm and first times. The stories made the audience wince sympathetically, gasp in horror and laugh uproariously. It was a great time.

If you read the second last paragraph closely you may have seen that one of the contestants was a burly girl. The third name picked to go up was my friend H and, glaring at me the whole time, she reached into the bag and drew my name to follow her. What are friends for, right? I was worried that we'd both be full of 'umm's and 'uhh's and be utterly terrible but H, though nervous, has a natural flair for story telling and had the audience laughing in all the right places. I, meanwhile, have years of public speaking experience gained in church so I was well prepared. :-P I managed to stay coherent and be fairly entertaining.

Cameryn Moore - Playwright, Actress, Sex activist

 Some of the stories were slightly uncomfortable to listen to, to be sure. The Dominatrix claimed that when she was younger she met a Dominatrix who taught her about true feminism. She then talked about picking up a guy in a bar and tying him up without his consent because he was an arrogant asshole. It's one thing to say "you know the kind of guy who feels he's entitled to everything" but she broadened her story so that every man was the target for her name calling. There was a lot of hate radiating from her. The three of us were sitting in the front row and I could literally feel my bf glaring at her the entire time she was up there. Mostly her story made me feel that she and I have very different lives and very different tastes. She did check H out though, so her taste can't be all bad.

The story highlight of the evening was definitely the Lolita. She told us about growing up in a small town and being attracted to older men when she was still underage. In her words she wanted "Daddies- grey, old and fucking me". Not only was the sex illicit but it was a power trip for her. They couldn't tell anyone about it afterwards but she could have told the world ... Lolita was a born storyteller and had us
hanging on her everyword. She was also clearly evil. I'd like to meet her again, I think we'd be friends.

Heather Witherden, cohost of the Smut Slam. 

 She is the funniest woman I know and recent star of Winnipeg's Best of Fest Fringe Show Stretchmarks!

The contestants stories were interspersed with stories from the judges. They definitely had a more polished performance feel to them. The best line of the night was one of the judges talking about his sexual inexperience growing up and describing his Dad - He was a minister and was so serious he didn't like knock knock jokes because he felt they were offensive to homeless people. 

The only thing I would have changed is that the evening would have been all around better if Mondragon had served alcohol. Otherwise it was a roller coaster of a night. The judges gave a score out of ten to each participant after their story and I scored a fair 8.5- 3rd place! H got a 9.5 which tied her for first place with Lolita! There was a quick down and dirty smut-off and Lolita took first place. Prizes were provided by the Love Nest with baskets filled with goodies. My prize included a variety lube package, blow pops, a flogger, a tea leaf vibrator, and Fifty Shades of Grey. Psh, like I haven't read it already- I gave my copy away for someone else to enjoy. :-D 

But what about my story, you wonder? Sorry but I don't kiss and tell. Well, maybe in person. With copious amount of wine. I will say that the bf earned major props. He sat in the first row of the audience listening to a story about his penis and didn't bat an eye. What a man!

Didn't come out this year? Look out for Smut Slam 3 next year! I'm already looking forward to it.

Saucily Yours,
Miss Scarlet

Rockabilly Event - Part Two

Hairspray, corsets and greasers, oh my! I decided to go with a more metal-rock sound for my rockabilly burlesque routine, though there was definitely banjo in it! The song was Black Betty by Spiderbait. It was a knee high leather boots and crop meets hot pink sequined show girl ensemble and it went a little something like this:

Photo by Brad Mazur

Photo by Holly Halftone

Photo by Holly Halftone

Photo by Brad Mazur

Photo courtesy of Joel Nickel

This one is awesome because if you look closely my reflection is also blowing a kiss on the big screen. Look ma! I'm on TV! ;)

Photo courtesy of Joel Nickel

Photo courtesy of Joel Nickel

Left-Holly Halftone  Right-Brad Mazur

Photo by Holly Halftone

It was really interesting dancing on the same level as the audience. Usually you're higher up with blinding stage lights in your eyes. This time I could see every face of every person watching me ... and they were five steps away from me at any time. This turned out to be to my advantage, however, when I sped up my routine! Oops. I guess I was just so excited I frenzied myself out of tempo. However, a little improvisation and a lot of flirting-which Meg got the brunt of- managed to end the last little bit of the song on a credible note. Thanks for playing along Meg!

If you could take a minute to go and show these wonderful photographers some love I would be incredibly grateful. Brad Mazur, Holly Halftone and Joel Nickel do amazing work.

Stay tuned for more sass!

Saucily yours,

Miss Scarlet