La Traviata At Folkoperan - Finally!!!

Last year I told you I would be part of the opera La Traviata at Folkoperan (The People's Opera) here in Stockholm. We rehearsed for about a month. But since Folkoperan got severely water damaged and had to spend all of last fall drying up, we had to wait a whole year to actually be able to put it all on stage. Now the time has finally come though, and last week we started rehearsals again! I'm one of the nude models in act one - but clad in a transparent black dress in act two. This will be a crazy, wonderful, powerful mix of nakedness, drag queens, fabulous singers, sex, death and emotions. I can assure you La Traviata has never been done like this before... I'm really proud to be able to work with all the amazing people working so hard together to create this opera. The director, Mellika Melouani Melani's ideas are incredible, and I don't think I have ever laughed so much during the creation of anything on stage before! Like for example when Mellika told a few of us nude models to sit down on a bench, and then burst out the idea presently in her brain: "Imagine a fuck-tree. Now we're going to try to create a fuck-tree!" Haha!

As your faithful reporter I decided to sneak around the opera and take some pics to show you a bit what it looks like backstage. The bottom pic is taken by someone else though, and shows part of the second act. Last year a little trailer was also shot while we rehearsed. This one was removed from nudity-shaming Facebook though, but I've put it at the end of this post so you can see it here! The opera premieres September 16, and 17 (yes, there are TWO premieres). To read more about it, see what days it runs, and get tickets, please go here!

The stage looks really good with it's simple, yet very stylish scenery. This is the mechanical horse used in act one. Riding it naked makes me feel like Lady Godiva!

This is the hair and makeup room. We models and the drag queens do our makeup ourselves, but we get help with our hair and wigs. The pink wigs in the pick are used by the drags in the second act.

In the costume atelier you find many treasures... Here are the drag queens' shoes, and a detail of one of their costumes for act one - the white act.

After last year's water damage, the dressing rooms got a new look. The second mirror to the right is my place!

And here is a pic from the second act! The fabulous drag queens don't just entertain the audience, but also the rest of us on stage. I love this moment in the opera! And then we have the - according to Facebook - very provocative trailer... I think it's beautiful though! Enjoy...

Nordic Light Burlesque Festival

This weekend - 15-16 May - I'm coming to Östersund to perform in the first annual Nordic Light Burlesque Festival! This is a festival that showcases some of the best burlesque performers from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark, and it will take place at the magnificent old theater (Gamla Teatern) in Östersund. The festival is produced by Cherri von Leigh (the founder of NLBF), Lady Francescca and Kenta, and a few of the performers taking the stage (except for me...) are:

 LouLou D'vil!

Duchess Dubois!

Miss Rita Regrets!

Mr Gunner!

...And many more... 

For more info, visit the festival's web site here! With this said I'm taking a week off from blogging! I've had so much to do lately that I feel completely worn out, and my to-do list is still being added to. I need a vacation... Haha! Really looking forward to performing during NLBF though, and I'll see you all here again in a week! Ciao!

(PS. After writing this post I learned that this burlesque festival had been cancelled...)

Fräulein Frauke Presents - Victorian Asylum

I've missed the last two Fräulein Frauke Presents because of work, but this Saturday, November 29th, I'm free to go! Yay! The theme of this fabulous burlesque event this time will be Victorian Asylum. So I'm sure it will be a crazy night! Mohahaaa!

Photo: John Paul Bichard

During the 19th century and the Victorian era, the lunatic asylums were horrible places where people were treated like animals, instead of getting the help they needed. But on Saturday we can all go to Nalen, where the event will take place, and let loose our deepest fears, fobias, and inner craziness among like-minded freaks... A few of the performers there to enlighten our evening are:

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The Baron - who holds the Guinness World Record in the category Strongest Nipples On Earth!

Photo: Tigz Rice Studios

 

Aurora Galore!

Photo: John Paul Bichard

And of course Fräulein Frauke herself, who will make sure we all take our pills... I will be there getting my crazy on! Just hope my doctor lets me go... 

For more info about the evening, go here! And if you want to pre-order your tickets (which I highly recommend as these events usually sell out), you can do it here!

The 4th International Stockholm Burlesque Festival - Friday Extavaganza

The 4th International Stockholm Burlesque Festival - produced by Fräulein Frauke and John Paul Bichard - just went off with a big bang! The first, completely sold out, evening - the Friday Extravaganza - took place at the beautiful Södra Teatern. This theater was inaugurated in 1859, and is Stockholm's oldest playhouse. As I LOVE old theaters I was happy to be one of the performers on this evening! When we arrived to our dressing rooms, we all made sure to spread all our stuff out as much as possible, to create that feeling of burlesque mayhem that usually goes on before a show. Then we got ready, while drinking wine and snorting lines of glitter. Then it was showtime!!!

Conférencière of the evening was Reuben Kaye. This gorgeous man was probably born on a stage. He sings beautifully and I fully believe he could talk constantly until the the world ends, without ever be at a loss for words. I have no idea where he gets it all from, but when it was my time on stage, he gave me the best introduction I've ever gotten! I do think it's a bit mean to hire a conférencière who outshines the rest of the performers though... Haha! Oh well, here are a few of the evenings other 24 acts!

Blackbird Burlesque Cabaret!

Me! I did my Moonlight Sonata act, and I like the fact that in this pic the moon on my head looks like two horns! Haha!

Anja Pavlova - who made me want to learn how to dance the charleston!

Roxy Diamond!

 

Colette Collerette!

Sydni Deveraux!

Natsumi Scarlett!

And Tigger - who did his Father McTigger act! I'm now a believer... The next evening I asked him if he wanted to be the priest when I got married to Reuben. But then Reuben said he's allergic to cats, so then I put a stop to it right there and then! The fact that he's gay I see as a smaller marital problem than the cat thing. Oh well... Still have a huge crush on him though!

And here we all are on stage after the fantastic show. The audience was amazing too, screaming and shouting throughout the whole evening! Thank you audience!!!

Then we spent the rest of the night dancing our asses off, until it was time to go home and fall into bed - only to get up and get ready for the second day of the festival. But more about that on Wednesday...

To see photos of all the performers click here!


Photo: John Paul Bichard

Arabian Nights

Last fall, when I performed at Caput Mundi International Burlesque Award in Rome, a camera crew from Fizioni Entertainment was there to film everything in 4K. As a thank you for letting them shoot this project, all performers got a video from their respective acts. They had three cameras, and filmed each act two times - first during the rehearsal, and then during the show - which resulted in videos shot with six cameras from all angles. It's so nice to get professionally shot videos of performances, and as I received mine yesterday, here it is! I did my act Arabian Nights, and I think that was a very appropriate choice, since I use an aladdin lamp filled with glitter in that number, and an aladdin lamp is exactly what Fizioni Entertainment use as their logo! Haha!

Fräulein Frauke Presents - Wonderland!

Last Saturday I found a rabbit hole in the ground while I was out for a walk. I decided to jump down into it, and when I landed on the other side, I found myself surrounded by all kind of weird people and creatures, and I was told I had come to Wonderland... Or, actually, I had come to Nalen, that had been transformed to Wonderland - which was the theme for Fräulein Frauke Presents this time!

I wore my red tulle ball gown from the 40s. I didn't get a good picture of it, but I wore it for a photo shoot a while ago, so if you want to see the whole dress, go here! The earrings are from Daisy Dapper!

As anything can happen - and does happen - in Wonderland, it felt completely normal when Sugar High & Le French Tiger went up on stage and did a burlesque performance with lamps on their heads!

Then Johnnie Lowlife took the stage. Here accompanied by Alice in an old version of Alice In Wonderland that was showing on one of the walls.

Then we moved into the big ball room, where Evy Maroon did a power-to-women act in celebration of the International Women's Day. Other performers were:

Ivoncita!

Abigail Collins!

Amber Ray!

Gabriella Dal Rooth, Leo Gongora, Nosslo-Grebnellaw Anilaup and Karin Victorin!

Fräulein Frauke - who did the sauciest performance I've ever seen her do! With latex and all! I just had to hump her a bit on the dance floor later that evening. Haha!

Everyone's favorite bunny - Scotty the Blue Bunny - was back in Stockholm to present the show!

Since the theme of the evening was Wonderland, many guests had dressed up as rabbits. Scotty decided to bring them all up on stage for probably the best bunny-shot ever!

Of course the none-bunny guests all looked fabulous too! Here is Ruby Luscious as the Queen of Hearts...

...and her own bunny Albin!

  

Mr Hultgren had brought the Cheshire Cat on his shoulder. I WANT THAT CAT!!!

Lenore Cain had made a crown out of her own hair. Impressive!

Even the bartenders were decked out in Wonderland attire! Some wore giant playing cards, and here we see the Mad Hatter himself! I'm not sure what he put in his drinks though...

And here is me, with Elegy Ellem and Miss Loulou! I danced until my feet bled - literally! I was wearing new shoes, and forgot to bring band aids... But I couldn't stop myself when I came out on the dance floor, so who cares?! As usual the night was magical, and I can't wait till next time!

For more info about Fräulein Frauke Presents, and to see more photos from the evening, please visit their Facebook page here, and their web site here!



All photos (except the top picture) by John-Paul Bichard.

Full Moon

Photo: Don Hong-Oai. Source

To get some better videos of my burlesque acts than the iPhone videos from performances I already have, I recently had two of my numbers filmed in a studio, with the help of photographer Qbike. As my newest act is all about the moon, I thought it fitting to post the video of that one in today's Full Moon post! The music I'm using is a remix of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, done by E.S. Posthumus. I had to speed it up a little bit though, to make it better to dance to. I've noticed I've made it very difficult for myself by always using pointe shoes in my acts, as ballet might look a bit ridiculous if you can't take out the steps properly - and many stages you end up on as a burlesque dancer are quite small (which was also the case with this studio stage), and the floor of the stages vary a lot, sometimes being very non-pointe shoe friendly... The stage floor in this video was wholly carpeted for example, which screwed up my balance a bit. But I guess all of these challenges make you a better dancer in the end. I mean, why should anything be easy here in life?! Haha! So here it is - my Moonlight Sonata act!

If you, like myself, love everything vintage, burlesque, circusy, and showgirlish, the following photos will probably be to your liking. The photos depict circus showgirls during the 40s and 50s, and they're all in color!

Circus Showgirl, 1950.

Barnum & Bailey Showgirl, 1946.

Circus girl, 1950s.

Circus people, 1955.

Circus women, 1956.

Aerialist Pinto del Oro, 1953.

Performer Lottie Brunn, 1949.

Birthday flowers, 1941.

Mardi Gras girl, 1952.

Dailey Brothers Circus, 1950.

Circus Performer Couple, 1954.

Aerial ballet showgirl, 1949.

King Brothers Circus, 1950.

Wardrobe wagon, 1959.

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