Quotes That Ring True

"If you have a sword, you better know how to use it."

Bright Lights & Road Construction Ahead

As I was waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up from work tonight I looked over and saw these lights and the road construction sign. I immediately laughed because it's totally a symbol for what my performer journey is right now. I am ecstatic that I am booked in Chicago and Knoxville in 2013. There is however a lot of work that I need to do to become a better performer.

I am motivated and I can do this.

Burlesque-A-Pades, Holiday Inn

This past Tuesday, I worked the merchandise table for Angie Pontani's show, Burlesque-A-Pades, Holiday Inn.  

Who is Angie Pontani? UM...she's fucking awesome.  This is her bio from website:

Burlesque extraordinaire, Angie Pontani, “The Italian Stallionette,” is one of few involved in the ecdysiast arts who shimmys and shakes on stages around the world, as well as carries her art into other fields and genres. A child of Brooklyn by way of New Jersey and a key player in establishing the neo-burlesque scene, this bump-n-grind bombshell has spread the glamour gospel across the globe for over a decade. The New Yorker calls Angie, “first rate, the perfect centerpiece!”and rightfully so, since her signature acts and productions all set standards of style and class.

This international superstar’s ability to mix glamour of yester-years with contemporary sensibility has earned her burlesque’s most prestigious award:“Queen of Burlesque, Miss Exotic World 2008.” Aside from its substantial part in Angie achieving burlesque’s highest honor, this combination of a deep-seated retro base and a cutting-edge innovative drive is also why Angie has toured multiple runs in the United States, Italy, Australia, Canada and Spain, and has been featured at spotlight events all over the world, including the exclusive night clubDragon-I in Hong Kong.  She has headlined some of the largest festivals in the U.S. including New York and Dallas Burlesque Festival, and was named “Best International Touring Artist of 2009,” by The Naked City/Alternative Media Group of Australia. Even with such travels and acclaim, this modern day vintage vamp, as grounded as she is worldly, equally treasures her hometown titles, “Miss Cyclone,” and “Best Body in Burlesque” (2008 and 2011 New York Burlesque Festival).

Angie Pontani, the “Gypsy Rose Lee incarnate” (NYC Edge), is as rooted and ground-breaking offstage as she is on. She is co-founder and co-producer producer of the longest running annual burlesque festival, New York Burlesque Festival; she co-produced 2010 Burlesque Hall of Fame’s The Titans of Tease: 53rd Annual Striptease Reunion Showcase and the Saturday Night Competition; she was co-creator of the off-Broadway hit, This is Burlesque; she is producer of the on-going U.S. tour, Burlesque-A-Pades, starring the “#1 Burlesque Attraction in the Nation”(AOL.com), The World Famous Pontani Sisters. Her productions have shattered, and undoubtedly will continue to shatter, attendance records. Her knack for production and marketing has led her to produce and create a series of dance instructional DVD’s: Go-Go Robics I & II, Twist Party featuring Los Straitjackets, and Go-Go Dance with Angie Pontani.

Whether headlining events and entertaining from the stage, or setting the stage for headliners to entertain from, Angie’s repertoire is frequently sought by discriminating clients including Campari, Esquire Magazine, Dos Equis, The Fox 5 Superbowl Party, Guggenheim, and more. She worked exclusively withHendricks Gin to create her glass bath tub act, which was the featured entertainment at many of their events throughout the U.S. In the midst of her wake, Angie has wowed celebrity fans the likes of Sting, Anthony Kiedas, Hillary Duff, The Strokes, Adrianna Lima, and Hugh Hefner.

As “New York’s Burlesque Queen” (ToscanaTV.com), Angie has appeared multiple times on the Conan O’ Brien Show and Gossip Girl. She was also featured in other New York productions: Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, MTV’s The 50 Cent Project, Good Morning America, and The Today Show. Angie also appeared on The List (Canada), Lady Burlesque (IT), Burlesque Mania (IT), Good Day New Zealand (NZ), and Nightline (NZ). Always reaching for new fields and genres, Angie had a featured role in Michael Imerioli’s directorial debut film, The Hungry Ghost, and was also featured in The Poor Man’s Follies, an Italian film created for MTV. She was also a part of an ad campaign for Peter Werth (UK) and X-Rite Photosystem with Brian Smith(USA). Aside from having been photographed by renowned photographer Ellen Von Unwerth for L’uomo Vogue, she has graced the covers and pages of many magazines including Pin Curl, Page Six, Glamour, Spanish GQ, and countless others.

Currently Angie is working on several major worldwide appearances for 2012, including a completely revamped Burlesque-A-Pades, featuring all live music and dance tour done in the true fashion of classic American Burlesque. When Angie is not on the stage, setting the stage, reenacting the stage, or representing the stage, the combination threaded throughout everything she does, the interwoven retro and avant-garde where old meets new, is found within Angie herself.  As youthful and energetic as she is, as much as she teases audiences and both influences and changes the world wherever she goes, Angie Pontani is nothing more than a grandmother at heart, one who enjoys nothing more than cooking, gardening, crocheting, watching old Westerns, and playing with her wild puppy!

When I walked into the White Rabbit, she greeted me was friendly and I could immediately gather that this small statured woman was 100% business, which I always love.  Also, I am obsessed with anything from the state of NY, whether it's burlesque performers, salt bagels with bacon cream cheese or my boyfriend-EVERYTHING that comes out of that state I love.  She had already set up the merch table and I was blown away with what she had to sell.  NYBF t-shirts, mouse pads, cigarette cases, pictures, mirrors, coasters, a featured Bachelor Pad Magazine, her Go-Go dance instructional DVD ($10!!) and much more.  

The show started with host, Albert Cadabra.  Albert is probably hands down one of the best male hosts that I have seen live.  He was witty, had fun body tricks (he's a headliner at Ripley's Believe It or Not in NY) and had such a warm vibe about him (both onstage and off).   The Pontani Sisters started the dancing off with a CUTE dance opener that they didn't strip 100% in.   The choreography of the sisters was go-go meats retro show group dance numbers in the most delicious way-very original and very fun. The show continued on with the sisters doing solos, Donna Touch from Chicago (one of the sweetest and most real people in the business), Veronica  Belvedere from Creme de les Femmes and even Albert stripped.  The evening was upbeat, full of talent and when the last number was announced, I didn't want the show to end.   

What spoke to me as a performer with Angie is that she was delightfully quirky without losing her sex appeal.  Too often, I feel that I should put myself into a box of being a "Funny Girl" rather than a "Sultry Girl".   When talking to Angie post show, I told her that she inspired me for this reason (among others-her dancing, costuming, etc.).  Pontani looks at me and goes, "You can be whoever the fuck you want to be." 

 

2013

Now that I have passed my official 2 year performer mark in September, I’ve been looking at what I have done to this point performing wise and thinking of my future goals.

This next year I want to do the following:

1. Take two dance/movement classes.
2. Build a website.
3. Create and utilize business cards.
4. Perform outside of Indiana 5 times in 2013.
5. Solo produce a fundraiser show.
6. Create a classic burlesque number.

As I have been building my site, it excites me to look at my pictures and see my progress as a performer.  There’s so much I want to do and areas that I want to improve in, I really think this is going to be a great year.

XOXO,

Pepper