http://www.bluestockinglounge.com en-gb bluestockinglounge.com 2013-5-16T00:00:00Z bluestockinglounge.com http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#135746 Were gearing up for our once a year visit to Carmarthens Lyric Theatre and our End Of The Pier show which hits the stage 18 may yes this saturday... And this has to be one of our biggest lineups EVER Yes even bigger than our christmas show at The Grand and that was a big lineup And topping the bill fresh from the World burlesque Games in London is Venus Noir. Weve been trying to get this Amazonian beauty to perform at Bluestocking Lounge for a few years now and yes she is here. Known internationally Venus has hit stages across the world and this Bristol bombshell will be bringing two of her biggest acts to Carmarthen all were saying is that they involve a massive carousel horse and a bit of Absynthe you will not be disappointed Also we see the return of our favourite pocketsized burly rocket Velma Von BonBon who will be bringing her very special friend Natalia Kalashnikov to the stage. First debuted in Bradford in April this act is on silks and is a mix of comedy and impressive deat... 2013-5-16 14:13:51 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#135744 Well loads has been going on over the last few weeks and weve barely had a chance to catch our breath weve been so busy planning the Welsh Burlesque Festival with our friends at Burlesque CardiffAnd what a fabulous day May 4 saw the biggest burlesque event in Wales hit Cardiffs Mercure Holland House Hotel in a grand celebration of all things burlesque We had stalls workshops in burlesque fan dance tassel making and vintage hair and makeup together with burlesque art which was a lot of fun. The Teatime Tease Revue was also a brilliant showcase of up and coming performers not just from Wales but from across the UK and the tasseloff was won by Violet Blaize her tribute to Chicargos Mamma Morton really was something to shout about Then we had the Gala show with internationally acclaimed performers all hitting the stage in the name of all that glitters we cant say who our highlights were as all the acts were totally inspiring and all different... Pics of the festival courtesy of our... 2013-5-16 13:58:02 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#134767 We owe a massive thank you to everyone who bought our 2013 calendar and all the performers who took part by donating photos of themselves in a pink costume. The calendar was on a limited edition print run of 100 and once printing costs etc had been deducted we raised 163378 which has now been split equally between our two charities Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Care. We hope that by producing this calendar we have not only helped raise funds that go to charities to research a cure and provide care for those with breast cancer but also to raise awareness in the importance of getting yourself checked over regularly and if you do find anything that is not normal for you yes boys as well as girls can get breast cancer to followup with a visit to your GP... After all isnt it better to be reassured if theres nothing to worry about or to receive treatment if needed. If you need any help or further assistance head over to www.breastcancercare.org.uk Breast Cancer Care is there f... 2013-4-23 13:25:37 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#134560 As producers we look at a number of criteria for the performers we book for our shows... Heres a few tips that weve learned from four years of performing and three of booking shows... 1. Tight Your routine must be tight Think of it as a video where ever you pause it must be clear what part of the routine you are at you must be engaged no not married and in the moment and performing the best you can. Your body must be doing the moves to the full your face must be active. 2. Practice Do your 4 mins on stage and the audience justice Practice your act sounds obvious and it is In the run up to a show no matter how insideout you know a routine have a run through at least 3 times a day. And practice with the shoes you are going to wear for the act never ever practice in trainers or barefoot and then wear your show shoes for the first time for the performance. And treat every rehearsal as if its the performance make all your moves count that way you wont pick up any bad habits or forget... 2013-4-17 14:31:43 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#134554 There have been many things Ive learned since embarking on the burlesque journey in 2009 by Bluestocking Lounge founder Lilly Laudanum... I moved to South Wales from London in 2005 and didnt get the opportunity to get out and meet new friends other than in the circles my husband moved in so heading out on the burlesque journey via workshops including the Lollipop Lounges burlesque weekend down the Gower where Lady Cheeks Cheek Of It All Missy Malone and Leyla Rose held classes gave me the chance to find my partner in burly crime DeeDee DeLa Rouge great friend titty Amour who runs Ruby Rooms in the Haverford West Narberth area and other lovely and likeminded ladies. We also get the opportunity to meet and become firm friends with the ladies on our courses and audience members... Burlesque youve changed my life So what have I learned To driveYes before we embarked on the burly journey both DeeDee and myself had passed our driving tests but were both too scared to drive... A show came u... 2013-4-17 12:27:57 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#134166 We are really looking forward to our show at The Grand Swansea April 20 especially since BSL fave Red Sarah returns by popular demand... Topping the bill Londons Red Sarah performed at the very first Bluestocking show in 2010 and last time Red Sarah hit our stage June 2011 she got a standing ovation for Casonova we totally love this act and cant wait for you to see it Red Sarah is well known for her clever characterisations and has been at the forefront of British burlesque and with 15 years experience as a top billing artist this mistress of make believe has wowed audiences internationally with acts which include her drag king and flaming tassels. Head over to her website for more info www.redsarah.com Hailing from the US Peggy DeLune has made a huge splash on the UK burlesque scene with her heady mix of old Hollywood glamour and contemporary comedy routines. She was crowned Best British Newcomer at the 2012 World Burlesque Games and has performed at some of the West Ends... 2013-4-8 12:56:06 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#133692 Here you go... What youve all been waiting for the performers who will be taking part in this years festival... We couldnt keep this under wraps for much longer This years Welsh Burlesque Festival May 4 at Cardiffs Mercure Holland House Hotel will feature some of the best UKbased international performers in the closing Gala show plus we have the pick of the best upandcoming and established acts fresh from the UK scene that we think the Welsh Burlesque Festival audience should know about in our Teatime Tease Revue. Performers for the evening Gala Show lineup are Diva Hollywood Britains Got Talent fan dancer Talulah Blue Daisy Cutter Luli Blue Odelia Opium Kitty Kane LouLeigh Blue Miss Glory Pearl plus some of Wales most popular professional artists including FooFoo LaBelle Miss Betty Blue Eyes Lilly Laudanum Lucy Purr Didi Curve Honey Holiday and Sandy Sure. The Teatime Tease Revue includes notable artists who have all been causing a stir on the UK scene Poppy Vang... 2013-3-26 16:35:12 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#133336 Well things are in full swing for the next Welsh Burlesque Festival which we coproduce with Burlesque Cardiff... Weve been working hard behind the scenes to give you an even better and bigger festival this year and a venue that will reflect the talent So the news so far The venue is the Mercure Holland House in Cardiff. A lovely hotel with enough space to accommodate our workshops and two performances stalls and more We hope youll be impressed The festival will again run on the one day day passes are 16350 which includes two shows two workshops you can also buy show package tickets that get you into both shows or single tickets for each show we will again have our stalls Justin Harris will be there with his popup photo booth and new for this year we will have two free workshops that you can take part in... We will also have an informal prefestival meet and greet on the friday night for everyone to come along to performers audience members and any one else you choose to bring The LineUp... 2013-3-19 12:05:04 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#133024 This weeks blog goes out to everyone who thinks they are too old to have a go... Well whatever youd like to try in life be it a new haircut or learning the trapeze wed just like to say you are never too old And that goes for burlesque tooWhile some are of the opinion that burlesque performers should hang up their pasties when they reach the ripe old age of 30 we say No Some of the best performers are older than that. With age comes a confidence and experience and some of the acts that you the bluestocking audience have loved the most are over 30 over 40 and even over 60 in the case of the fab Boris and Doris Von Sneeze Its especially topical since Satans Angel one of the legends of burlesque heyday performing in the 1960s and originator of the fire tassel will soon be hitting the screens with her documentary Queen Of The Fire Tassels... Yes shes still performing at almost 70 years old and holds regular classes after all who better to learn the art form from than one of the biggest ... 2013-3-11 13:11:52 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#132755 Itll be National Womens Day this friday so this weeks blog is all about saluting the fabulous and creative women not just those youve seen on our stage but the ones behind the scenes Women as inspiration...First off we must tip our hat to Bluestocking the name in general means an erudite woman and our take on it was inspired by the Bluestocking Society formed as an educational and social group in the 18 century... Bluestockings roots go a bit further back than that referring to the Compagnie Della Calza Company of the stocking a secret learned 14th century society in Venice who wore blue stockings to identify members and the BasBleu Society in Paris the following century. Yes these learned and creative societies inspired our name and our ethos a meeting of the minds a secret society for women and men. Women on the stage...How can we not salute all the creative clever and confident ladies that have graced our Bluestocking stage since we begun in 2010 Performers who think outside the... 2013-3-4 14:14:59 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#132479 We often get asked what to wear and how to behave at a burlesque show by ticket holders who have never been before. Youll find a whole post on what to wear by scrolling down. A burlesque audience can be quite different from other sit down and watch cabaret audiences in that audience participation is encouraged... Heres a few pointers...NEVER GET ON THE STAGENever ever get on the stage unless the performer in question has invited you on there as part of their act or unless the compere has asked you up there. No performer will ever thank you if you invade the stage during their 4mins thinking you can assist or enhance their act. It can also be dangerous. Picture this an audience member in high heels stepping onto the stage glass in hand swagger in tow. You may have noticed the stage maidsmanagers who pick up shed items and props sweeping up the stage after every act to ensure the next performer has a safe slipfree stage to work on glitter is VERY slippery. They will not thank you for the... 2013-2-25 12:53:39 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#132181 Well what can we say except what an amazing lineup and great atmosphere our Love In was... And what a diverse range of performers on the bill... we had the delightful Dolly Rose whose fan dance was dubbed by one audience member as one of the most beautiful poetic and aweinspiring things she had ever seen... We cant argue with that we were all a bit mesmerised in the wings by it The Fabulous Fran Fandango paid us a visit on her reunion tour and we were thrilled to have such a legend with us and we know she thrilled you all too Flixx Demontrants Captain Hook raised the roof and you all fell a bit in love with Atheria Hart Lilly Laudanums Barbara Cartland went a bit beyond her romance novels and Boris and Doris were on top form as usual with their Sonny and Cher tribute We also were chuffed to be joined at the last minute by Didi Curve whose infatuation with the Hoff and lets face it you all would secretly drove her to pieces... Pics from our official photographer Miss Moth coming very ... 2013-2-18 13:17:47 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#131826 The lovely Dolly Rose will be headlining our February 16 show the Love In so this weeks blog is some great advice from her to new and fledgling performers Things I Have Learnt through being a burlesque performer which I wish I had known when I decided to be a burlesque performer. So when Lilly asked me to write a blog to introduce myself for the Bluestocking Lounge website I instantly said yes thinking it would be nice to attempt some writing for the first time since the long ago days of university essays. However having said yes I then remembered that I am absolutely terrible at writing about myself and returned to her with despairing cries of ARGGHHH WHAT SHOULD I SAY.The suggestion that I write a bit about how I first got into burlesque set me on the path of reminiscing about my earliest performances and acts mainly from the perspective of how much trouble I caused myself through things that seemed like a good idea at the time but with hindsight seem absolutely inexpl... 2013-2-11 15:04:03 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#131458 Its February and you know what that means Bluestocking lounge is three years old Yes its been three years since Bluestocking Lounge opened our first show at Carmarthens Lyric Theatre in 2010 and starting as we meant to go on we had a cracking line up featuring Peski DeVille and her voodoo dolly Kitty Kane and er offbeat yet cheese cake routines and headliner Red Sarah who wowed the audience with her Queen Of Tarts and fire acts. We wanted to give you the audience professional and quality artists right from the start For the first show we werent even called Bluestocking Lounge we went by the rather generic Cabaret Rouge which incidentally was named after a rather more somber place the British cemetery at Souchez where thousands of World War I soldiers are laid to rest... That first show also marked the proper beginning of The Bay Belles which is why we are always so keen to put newcomers on the bill in one of our new talent slots But Bluestocking was in the planning years before i... 2013-2-4 13:09:10 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#130971 Weve seen some legends in the making on our Bluestocking Stage but its not often we are graced with the presence of an actual legend The Fabulous Fran Fandango will be hitting the stage February 16 as part of our Love In lineup and we were very humbled that she wanted to introduce herself to you all. Take it away Fran... Hello there Ive been asked to write a little bit about my career which could take a while. Ill try and do the quick version but you may want to go and get a cuppa anyway just to be on the safe side... I was born in Rotherham South Yorkshire way back in 1931 but then we moved to Lancaster Lancashire when I was 6 years old. Nothing very interesting happened in South Yorkshire or Lancashire so lets skip forward to 1948. I was 15 years old and I wanted to be a star How do you become a star Not in Lancashire thats for sure No stars are made in America and luckily for me I had family in America. So off we went me and my sister to live with my Aunty amp Uncle... 2013-1-28 11:19:00 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#130687 We thought wed write a blog post on filming routines. As most performers will know its hard to get a gig if you dont have a video of the act. We here at Bluestocking Lounge only book performers that we have seen perform or from video links and with the Welsh Burlesque Festival which we run with Burlesque Cardiff just about to release application forms which will require a video link we thought it would be helpful to offer some video advice. Video clips from a live show. Probably for us at least not all producers will agree the best footage you can put up is clear footage from a show where the act has been performed. Yes clear footage that has been filmed from near the front so you can be seen without a microscope with no heads or other obstructions obscuring your act From clear footage we can see exactly how the performer interacts with the audience how the audience responds to the act how the performer uses the stage their confidence and creativity and get a true sense of how the act ... 2013-1-22 11:07:19 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#129659 2012 has been such a great year for us and were so happy you all came along for the ride Since moving to our new home the Arts Wing of Swansea Grand Theatre in Dec 2011 weve been able to give everyone a seat those who remember the early Bluestocking days at The Monkey and Milkwood Jam will tell you just how important this has been to us and offer the best sight lines of some of the most brilliant performers on the UK burlesque scene. And from your response weve managed to keep the Bluestocking Lounge an intimate show that we hope you all feel part of as much as the performers do we like to think of you all as being part of the Bluestocking family as do these shows for you So what have been the highlights of 2012 Well where do we start Weve seen frogs Flixx Demontrant Gnomes Bella Bambina and stunning winged creatures Miss Primrose Proper Mia Merode Penny Bizarre and who could forget Velma Von Bon Bons Flamingo stunning showgirls and pin ups Susie Sequin Missy Malone Viva Misadventure D... 2012-12-31 16:47:44 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#129172 Well if you believe the Mayan calendar and Ive actually inspected it at close range in Chichen Itza Mexico the world will end this Friday... and if that is true were going out in style my lovelies I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are here at Bluestocking Lounge to bring you our biggest lineup EVER and that lineup is topped by one of our favourite artists Diva Hollywood. Those who have been coming to our shows since the Monkey days and we know who you are Blue Belle and that naughty Bev Lisa and co you will remember Diva from our first Swansea show performing her Mermaid and Evolution of Woman acts and she also hit our stage at Carmarthens Lyric later that year... Well you are in for a real treat as we have her back and she is performing one of our DeeDees most favourite acts ever her fairy Diva really needs no introduction her status as an international headlining artist voted in the top 100 of 21st Century Pin Ups top 100 for two years in a row says it all. She has wowed cro... 2012-12-17 15:18:17 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#128699 Well were all very excited about our Myths Magic and Mayhem seasonal show which sold out a few weeks ago so we collared one of our lovely performers Miss Primrose Proper to give you a little heads up on her routine... I popped into Revue studios this week to let Lilly Laudanum have a sneak peek of my Christmas routine Its quite a different experience dancing for one person Luckily it was nice and warm in the Boudoir room so I didnt mind too much taking things off and Lilly has enough personality for several audience members Ive spent a few Sundays now dancing round the living room in my flowery pyjamas with a big pair of wings on. My housemates think Im crackers. The great thing about burlesque is that you can bring all of your interests and influences to it. Im also a belly dancer and Ive wanted to use Isis wings in an act for ages. I think theyre so striking and audiences seem to love them. I got thinking about how I could use the wings a bit differently what kind of s... 2012-12-5 16:19:24 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#128285 So we have quite a lot to catch up on Firstly what a fab fab show our Razzle Dazzle was It certainly lived up to the title especially when you examine the amount of glitter and confetti left behind by our headliner Lena Mae and Velma Von Bon Bon We had giant whales a horse and a massive flamingo glamour and glitter courtesy of Lena a spooky Scooby Doo adventure thanks to Velma Liberace was alive and well in Betty Blue Eyes awesome tribute The child catcher scared a few fols Boris and Doris were fab and we introduced the lovely Poppy Vanguard and her Rat Packthemed act to the stage. Pics are coming soon in the past shows section but in the meantime check out this fab pic by Miss Moth Photography which totally sums up the night We also started a new six week course with a fab bunch of ladies... We cant wait to get stuck in with them and some are even asking about performing which is totally brilliant We love finding new talent And finally which sort of ties in with the show apologies ... 2012-11-26 11:50:06 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#127695 Seeing as shes one of our favourites at Bluestocking Lounge and her new Liberaceinspired act is fantastic those who have tickets for this Saturdays Razzle Dazzle show will be able to see it in action we thought wed collar Betty Blue Eyes to ask for her inspiration on her acts... I am always intrigued with how performers come up with ideas for their acts and wonder if their process of creative thought is similar to how I put my routines together. Generally my inspiration comes from a song or a prop or an image. The last two items in that list have unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it has made me into the mother of all hoarders. I have lots of stuff and I mean LOTS I know Im not the only one out there ladies and gents. I have lots of notebooks full of pictures and images that I have found from magazines postcards papers. Ive become a collector........I cannot resist the lure of a sparkly sequinned pair of pants or the come hither stare of a severed head yes I bo... 2012-11-13 11:40:32 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#127355 So its almost showtime and were looking forward to the sold out Razzle Dazzle show on the 17 November so we thought youd like to meet one of the lovely performers... We asked Velma Von Bon Bon to tell us a little bit about herself...I got into burlesque by watching the Martini Lounge in Liverpool run by Millie Dollar. I saw some really great acts including Millie Diva Hollywood Anna Fur Laxis Kitten on the Keys and Agent Lynch and thought I would love to do that I started working on a costume and when Millie saw it she offered me a newbie spot for the December show. I was nervous but gave it a go and made my scooby routine to go alongside it. They show went great and the rest is historyMy Scooby Doo character is Velmas tribute to her heroine. She smart and geeky but who says you cant be clever and sexy Velma in Fandango Fiasco is a badass bandit and is just a bit of ridiculous I just couldnt help but imagine what it might be like to ride out to some dramatic moody music on the back of ... 2012-11-5 15:26:53 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#126793 So while we should have been updating you all with a blog on Monday we were out shooting the final image for the calendar so we can have it ready for the next show... Christmas came early at Revue Studios as we turned the boudoir into a seasonal scene with the lovely Miss Primrose Proper and Bunny Bon Vivant who last teamed up for their naughty milkmaids act... Heres a little look at what went on we can only show you a behind the scenes pic as youll have to wait for the real deal in the calendar whod have thought two red balls would be so much fun All our images are in now and they are currently being designed. We should be able to bring you more news before the next show 2012-10-24 13:39:15 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#126365 Now that Halloween is almost upon us who better to help with gorelesque act creation than Lilly Laudanum This post first appeared on coochiecrunch.com run by that lovely Transatlantic booty shaker Tuesday Laveau... Bring on the blood Yes you might have guessed but for me its Halloween every day1 for the past 20 years Ive made a living out of everything horrific whether it was getting gory with my previous bands reliving the historical side of reallife horrors as an actress at the London Dungeon playing various left of centre walkabout parts and now by adding a bit of camp terror to burlesque. For those who are unfamiliar with what gorelesque is its using blood guts and gore and fusing them with burlesque. Its all the frills with plenty of chills For me gorelesque works best when its not just covering yourself in blood for the sake of it Think of it this way the best horror films have a great story line with plenty of jumps characters to engage you and possibly an ... 2012-10-15 15:10:53 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#126092 Its Breast Cancer Awareness month so this week were going pink in our blog and will be going pink throughout 2013 with our charity calendar... As some of you that have been following us and coming to our shows for the past few years will know we have tried to run a BSL Goes Pink show for ages but strange events have conspired against us yes totally unexpected things like a venue we were using going out of business one week before the show and the BSL Goes Pink event in 2010 just got too expensive to put on with venue charges that it was better to give the money that we would have lost on the night straight to the charity. so this time we have decided to put together a 2013 calendar and all of the profit once deductions for printing have been taken out will be going to Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Care. Already we have to thank some fabulous performers for donating a pink pic of themselves for the calendar and were sure youll be chuffed with the end result Breast cancer ... 2012-10-9 19:11:20 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#125837 Well its bee a few weeks and weve only just recovered from the steamy affair that was our steampunk Victorian themed night... We had a very naughty Bunny Bon Vivant reading her ladies lit Miss Primrose Propers Bluebeards Castle Lilly Laudanums tribute to Lizzie Borden and ode to Jack The Rippers second victim yes it did get a bit bloody the4 fantastic Felicia Noir got her jugs out in time for Happy Hour and also showed shes an expert in the tassel department when we demonstrated her assles the lovely Luli Blues clockwork doll and perrot clown acts were simply spelbinding and our favourite FooFoo LaBelle made everyone go wild with her War Of The Worlds and emotional Pris acts. We have to say were a fan of classic sciFi here and Pris was always our favourite character from Bladerunner so it was great to see her come alive and die live on stage... Weve already got all the dates through for 2013 shows and we can tell you its going to be a right cracking year... Well be bringing back a cer... 2012-10-5 15:09:59 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#125276 How exciting On Friday Bluestocking Lounge director and founder Ronnie KerswellOHara and Revue Dance Studios director Stacey Ademiac were invited along with their friends to an awards ceremony celebrating Women In Business at Swanseas Dragon Hotel. Both were nominated and came highly commended finalists in their categories and very deservedly so... Ronnie says she is so chuffed not only to be nominated and placed as a finalist but this also means that burlesque in Swansea and the surrounding areas has become a recognised form of entertainment. And thats really down to everyone who comes to the shows classes the high quality calibre of artists that grace our stage and everyone who has supported Bluestocking Lounge since Ronnie set it up at the beginning of 2010 with the first show at Carmarthens Lyric in February of that year. Creating a scene with Bluestocking Lounge has not been easy... But Ronnie was determined to bring International quality headlining artists to Wales performers ... 2012-9-25 00:03:07 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#124839 Just a quickie post this week... and we thought wed share with you some of the Bluestocking workshop fun we had over the weekend at Revue studios dont worry well update you with the show stuff soon but youll have to wait for thatSo we had a fabulous gorelesque hen party and we hope our hen Pip and friends had a bloody good time Led by Lilly Laudanum who most of you know has made a career out of horror blood guts and gore in her various incarnations and DeeDee De La Rouge... Heres a pic of them before and after We also had the fabulous FooFoo LaBelle in to lead a fun chair dance workshop and didnt the ladies do well learning an entire routine in 2 hours Phew 2012-9-16 13:32:56 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#124524 Well theres just under a week to go until our next show in which well be putting the steam into steampunk with the lovely FooFoo Labelle Luli Blue Felicia Noir Lilly Laudanum and newly announced Bunny Bon Vivant and Bluestocking fave Miss Primrose Proper... As were heading down the Victorian path we thought youd be amused with this serious bit of Victorian kit the Electric corset One only can imagine the comfort of being electrocuted through the steel and whalebones... Apparently its the very thing for easing all kinds of dispositions including hysteria dyspepsia all kinds of ladies ailments even constipation Well it made us laugh anyway... 2012-9-9 17:05:52 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#124199 No one wants a pastie to fall off during a show so heres a few tips that might help keep them solid during your performance...Preparation is the key...Never use body moisturiser or oilbased products talk body powder or make up in the area that you are going to stick the pastie even if it is hours before. Pasties stick better on a clean dry area.AdhesiveIts up to you what you use to stick the things on some go for plain old bodytoupee tape some carpet tape weve even come across performers who use spirit gum and one brave soul who used super gle we dont advise you try that last one. Whatever you use wed advise always cleaning the back of the pastie removing any old tape or scrubbing off any old glue but make sure its dry before you put new tapeadhesive on. PositioningPutting the pastie on is pretty straight forward always ensure your hands are dry and sweat free not so easy if you are in the middle of a quick change in a hot sweaty backstage before you remove the tape backing. Crossc... 2012-9-3 11:59:19 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#123833 We here at Bluestocking Lounge are very fond of dressing up and making an effort and we know you all are too which is why we have our best dressed competitions as we like to reward those who make an extra special effort. Sometimes new comers often ask what is correct to wear to a burlesque show. There is no real answer to this as wearing what you feel comfortable in is the best way forward. But we do know that everyone has a little something that they keep in their wardrobes for best and sometimes that best never arrives... so we say bring it out We usually have a theme to our nights which brings out some interesting outfits worn by some of our more imaginative audience members we love that Heres a few pics of some of our winners from Feb 2010 present and some of our favourite looking audience members that we thought deserved another outing cue wolf whistlesIf you want to dress up like we said its fine if dressing up isnt your thing... heres a few pointersWhat to wearVintage suits ... 2012-8-27 15:50:49 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#123482 So its Monday and time to meet another of our performers for the Old Curiosity Shop September 15 at Swansea Grands Arts Wing. The perfect shade of burlesque of course were not going to argue with that being blue ourselves Luli Blue runs the Blue Room Burlesque shows in Northampton and her performance style ranges from dark Victoriana to 1950s bump and grind... How did you get into burlesqueI have a background in all kinds of dance and theatre and had always admired burlesque performers and the beauty of fan dance. I was working as a belly dancer performing at weddings and restaurants then one day I was called to a booking and found that they wanted me to dance burlesque not belly dance This was the push I needed. I performed a belly dance with fans and the audience loved it. Gradually my style evolved from belly dance to fan dance to burlesque strip tease. Now I enjoy creating bold burlesque routines that tell a story.Youve performed in Las Vegas how was itVegas was amazing Ive been... 2012-8-20 10:23:53 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#123178 FooFoo LaBelle will be headlining our September 15 show The Old Curiosity Shop as well as leading a chair dance preshow workshop at Revue Studios 35pm highly recommended it will be fun. She is a renowned burlesque performer and belly dancer founder of Burlesque Cardiff and cofounder of the Welsh Burlesque Festival. She has over 20 years performance experience under her garter belt in all types of entertainment and theatre and a quick pit stop of her career includes showgirl stints in China Hong Kong and Jersey elephant riding as part of Swedens national circus principle roles in pantomime producing Miss Universe competitions and more So we thought youd like to get to know her before seeing her in action So FooFoo how did you get into Burlesque I have worked as a dancer in cabaret shows circuses and pantomimes as well as being a belly dancer so burlesque became a natural progression and a chance to bring all my performance experience together.Youve performed all around the world ... 2012-8-14 11:34:02 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#122822 We know a lot of performers are not sure of what to put on CVs when applying for slots on bills so we thought wed put our heads together and share what we like to see on an application for Bluestocking Lounge shows and hopefully you performers out there will find some of it useful Firstly dont forget your performer name and contact details Youd be surprised at the performers who forget this info..Its useful to have all the information on one sheet expanding to a second if you need to. Dont go into reams and reams as this will make you look unprofessional and bore the person reading it. As space may be a premium make sure you fill it with concise and essential info not rambling descriptions. And include ACTUAL FACTS obvious we know but remember producers are a savvy lot who do their research before spending money on an act and will know if theres a false statement performing fact etc. Include a small sentence that describes you as a performer your style for instance our resident perf... 2012-8-6 11:12:12 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#122462 When it comes to performing positive mental attitude and confidence go handinhand. Yes it takes belief in yourself to get up on the stage but even those who have no intention of performing can take these exercises into practice for daily life situations. Fear Embrace the fear that is holding you back Fear of failure things not going the way you rehearsed them of falling etc is why most people dont give a performance or a life situation say of making a phone call a job interview a meeting their all. Fear comes from the fight or flight decision your brain makes which turns fear into adrenaline to run or adrenaline to stay and fight. This adrenaline rush is a powerful thing and by turning that fear into fight you can use that fear to propel you forward and make your performance even more powerful remember that extra adrenaline will be pumping. Train yourself to enjoy that feeling of fear and have a bring it on mantra in your head. If you find yourself in a dreadsituation w... 2012-7-30 12:22:51 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#122132 Remember those days when CDs first came out and the manufacturers told us they were indestructible We seem to recall them being stamped on run over by a car and having an egg fried on them Well surprise surprise treating your CDs in this way will result in it not working. As a performer you want your music to the be best quality that it can be as without the music you cant perform your act So we were chatting to Derek technical genius from The Rock Show Live www.therockshow.co.uk about some CD dos and dont and weve thrown in a few of our own... Editing music When performing an act its preferable to all involved if you are using more than one track that the tracks are edited together. You can do this really easily with programmes such as Audacity and Free Audio Editor very easy to use and as the name states free to downloadNames Of TracksProducers will need to know the titles of any tracks you use they may want to check on other performer is using the same music and may need the info a... 2012-7-23 12:38:18 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#121814 We always get asked what we look for when booking acts for the shows and as Bluestocking run beginners burlesque classes we get asked by potential performers how to construct a routine... so we thought wed put together a few pointers which we must just point out isnt the be all and end all of burlesque and are based on our resident performers style of characterdriven British burlesque...Firstly what is your style of performance Are you a glamorous neoburlesque vixen Is cheesecake more your thing Do you prefer the comedy character acts Find a style that you are comfortable in performing and the rest will followAre you performing for an audience with an audience Frankly we hope your purpose for being on stage is to entertain an audience as being on stage for any other reason probably isnt going to make you feel as good as youd hope Audiences tend to connect more to performers who have the attitude not just of here i am when they make their entrance on stage but ah there you are as well ... 2012-7-17 14:58:48 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#121717 Phew What an almighty day of burly action we had yesterday we were up at the crack of dawn er not that Dawn famed for her crack you naughty lot putting the finishing touches to our Jewels of The Nile show before heading into our sponsors Swanseas Revue Studios for a certain Sextembers hen workshop... We hope you had a good send off stella THEN it was a whole lot of bumping and grinding the lovely Exotic Luna Rosa arrived for her workshop aimed at bringing out the inner vamp as you can see below it certainly worked a treatOur Tribal Fusion artist Pearl Boheme put the belly dancers of Swansea through their paces with a hardcore workshop in tribal fusion and working the gluteus in all ways. Meanwhile our double Ds thats stage manager Dawn and hostess DeeDee were being finely coiffed at our sponsors Boosh Salon. Then after a dash around to the Grand Theatre it was curtain up on one of our best and most varied lineups which went all exotic for the summer... curtain call pic below by Marta... 2012-7-15 19:10:10 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#121558 Were very excited about our new bunch of ladies on the latest six week course at Revue Studios... The course which started last week will be covering characterisation peeling posing and a whole load of other fun things and as ever we have a lovely bunch of ladies to take on that journey... Were also very excited to see The Sextembers rehearsing away and when we popped in for a nose they told us of plans for their solo routines and we are very excited about their creativity... VERY excited actually We hope they get cracking on their ideas as we cant wait to see them in action So this Saturday is going to be a very busy day for us at Bluestocking. Firstly we have a certain Sextember in Revue for her hen party workshop which were looking forward to teaching. Then weve got a workshop with the undisputed Queen Of Exotica herself The Exotic Luna Rosa also at Revue. Weve got a tribal fusion belly dance workshop at the YMCA with the wonderful PEarl Boheme. And our Double Ds are off to get th... 2012-7-12 22:49:56 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#120715 Were all getting excited about the Jewels Of The Nile show and to get us into the spirit of things weve been having a wee gander at the historical comedy of Wilson Keppel and Betty. This act from the music hall times capitalised on the fashion for all things Egyptian and the audiences curiosity of such an exotic place. Egypt had become a popular destination to travel to thanks to Thomas Cook who had started taking holidaymakers there in the late 1800s and the 1920s marking the era of discovery in Egypt following Howard Carters famous excavations in the Valley Of The kings 1922. Wilson Keppel and Betty burlesqued their perception of the ancient Egyptians postures and parodied the styles as in this clip httpyoutu.beOMZJf5x6QKs which is Bettys parody of the Dance Of The Seven Veils in fact it wouldnt look out of place in the modern burlesque arena or on Bluestockings July 14 bill Go here to check out their most famous Sand Dance httpyoutu.bebq7DGvfnr3U So now youre all feeling exotic ... 2012-6-27 17:19:14 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#120453 Wow With just over 3 weeks to go we are now sold out of online tickets for our Jewels of the Nile show... you can still get hold of them in Hobos that cool retro boutique on Oxford Street and directly from the Grand Thatre box office both in person or via 01792 475715 We are really looking forward to the show especially after the blast that was our Garden of Unearthly Delights And weve been hard at work lining up the next set of shows for you See you there Lilly x 2012-6-23 13:04:09 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#119593 Weve borrowed this from Lilly Laudanums site www.lillylaudanum.com Just recovering from a run of 5 totally packed out and rammed shows last night when www.bluestockinglounge.com teamed up with our favourite devon burly pals www.kinkyandquirky.com as part of the Enchanted Garden Ball in Exeter. It was raining heavily mid afternoon when KampQ and Bluestocking Lounge hit the double locks a lovely historic pub on the Exe which had been turned into a sea of marquees and strung vintage lampshades. But as soon as our lovely performers arrived from Wales Miss Betty Blue Eyes Bella Bambina and Sandy Sure and our dapperlyattired stage manager Chris appeared with a mop looking hopeful the sun came out. By the time our tech guy Mike arrived the Enchanted Garden Ball was looking awesome yes we clocked that the cigar and vintage whiskey yurt was right by us. result and just about to open the doors to the 1800strong partygoers whod arrived in their ball gowns and dicky bows... 2012-6-6 20:51:32 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#119193 Well we here at Bluestocking Lounge are very excited to be heading to the West Country to team up with our favourite burlesque duo Kinky amp Quirky for The Enchanted Garden Ball which takes place at Exeters Double Locks on Tuesday June 7The event which is now sold out btw will be a feast for the senses with loads going on to entertain ballgoers weve read about on the water walkers on the River Exe a Mad Hatters Tea Party Tarot Readings a whisky and cigar tent we know where our stage manager will be then plus a burlesque tent featuring Bluestocking favourites Miss Betty Blue Eyes Sandy Sure Lilly Laudanum and Bella Bambina. Were sure itll be a magic night 2012-5-30 17:03:02 http://www.bluestockinglounge.com/page3.htm#119191 We were totally inspired by Oxfams Big Bra Hunt so we decided to collect a few more bras on their behalf but we werent expecting such a great response Members of the Sextembers and Bluestockings April six week course got together rummaged through their draws and came up with a haul of unloved bras. But we werent done there Aside from having a collection spot at Revue Studios so that other ladies who use the studios could donate their unwanted bras we made our final collection at our Garden of Unearthly Delights show May 19 and some very brave lady even donated the bra live on stage she did it very tastefully we have to sayThe bras will now be taken to Oxfam some will be sold by Oxfam in the UK while some will be sent to Senegal as part of Oxfams Frip Ethique scheme where they will make a difference to women in West Africas lives both in the selling of the items and in the wearing of the items. For more information on Oxfams big bra hunt head over to their website www.oxfam.org.ukdona... 2012-5-30 16:42:04