#Midwest burlesque

[newwavesylviaplath]

oh santa monica, you've been too good to me

[bethanythebogwitch]

This weekend I learned sword techniques, saw French maid Waluigi singing a parody of Hallelujah, met a guy walking around in 115 pounds of historically accurate plate armor, saw nerd burlesque, ate a rally good cheesecake and a really bad creme brulee, tried a gyro for the first time, got a picture with Sailor Moon, was brave enough to openly express my gender identity, and saw Hatsune Miku in a tank.

Cons are wild

[powerlineprincess]

♡$♡$♡$♡ 2023 B&W 35mm edit. K.E.A Lux Hill♡♡

[rootlessinterloper]

On Rain

The rain here in Halifax is ambiguous. It doesn’t speak a word. Or perhaps it speaks many, but doesn’t mean a single one; it has no conviction. It’s not like that elsewhere. 

In Toronto, the summer thunderstorms call out and beckon. The sky opens up like a great chasm trying to swallow the city, asphalt and bike lanes and litter and all. A mesmerizing yawp compels you to sit on your porch and watch its spectacle, as the deluge silences the cicadas. You hear not only rainfall but the sound of the grass and weeds and the sewer drains and the cracks in the sidewalk giving collective thanks. Then, mere minutes later, just when you begin to realize that there is no more beautiful sight in the world, the rain departs as suddenly as it arrived. Satisfied with its little show, it smugly retreats into the sky, as if to tease itself like a burlesque. Oh rain, you think, you playful devil. She will always return tomorrow, or perhaps the day after that. 

In the American Midwest, where hot streams of air from the Gulf of Mexico do battle with cold ones from Canada in a grand display of preternatural combat, the rain speaks strongly too. Stop at once, it shouts, ending the battle at once with its intervention. The air goes completely still in what one imagines the first few microseconds after a vacuum bomb is detonated feel like. Then, the sky is cleaved open by lightning; Kansas City’s art deco skyline is electrified, the Liberty Memorial and Union Station and the T-Mobile Centre are flash-frozen in place, followed by the most tremendous cannonade of thunder which shakes the earth itself. The rain there is not coy, it does not merely coerce attention – it demands worship. There is faint archeological evidence that the Pawnee and Missouria peoples would have worshipped a sky deity; there is strong intuitive evidence that the Pawnee and Missouria peoples would have worshipped a sky deity. 

Rain is so strongly correlated with emotions of sadness. Some people say that rain is like the sky crying, or the earth, or God, or Mother Nature. I can recall a certain moment it rained, during one of my many childhood summers spent on the Dalmatian coast, likely in a little town outside of Rijeka or Zadar but possibly as far south as Šibenik. The details escape me, but I do remember the rain. It was dark, the whole town was sleeping, and we were walking up this great hill from the marina to our apartaman. Without warning – no apocalyptic crack in the sky or commanding anthem of thunder – it began to rain so hard that the hill soon became little more than a waterslide, with sheets of rain nearly up to our knees. It was the funniest thing that had ever happened to me. We could hardly walk five steps without keeling over from laughter, our clothes drenched and clinging to our skin and shoes overflowing with water. The rain wasn’t crying; it was laughing. It was laughing along with us in the funniest joke I’d ever been party to. The sky was laughing so hard it cried; I know I certainly was. 

When it rains, I like to listen to its voice. I like to look for answers. Here, it provides me none.  It sits silently on the windshields of the cars in the dealership across the street, drips aimlessly through the eavestroughs and overhangs, collects in sterile little pools beneath the trees. I catch myself wishing sometimes that rain meant sadness; that it was crying and washing away all the happiness from the sidewalks, but it cannot even amount to that, voiceless and idle as it is. I suspect that it is somehow made of a substance thinner and weaker than water, like some cheap chemical substitute, a flagrant impostor. Why won’t it speak to me? Why will it give me no answers? Even the ocean here provides no catharsis; its waves lap the shore listlessly and they bear no meaning.

[degenderates]

the things you put in ur burlesque insp tag always rly interests me. my concept of burlesque is only limited to very stereotypical portrayals of it but the thinggggs you tag are like opening up my mind like I want to know more about ur burlesque

thank you! i'm approaching one year of doing it (with a very amazing queer and body-diverse troupe) and didn't really know much about burlesque before, and i've only recently realized that my local scene is not the typical cultural association people have with "burlesque." the choreo we do has been pretty diverse; in group acts we've done classic burlesque, neo-burlesque, specific attitudes like a "trash animal" act where we were a cult of trash animals (eg. possum, squirrel, bear, raccoon, cat, etc.), other examples are a fruit basket (lol)--I was a lemon (lol), clowns, etc. it's always a lot of fun.

we have a lot of crossover with the local drag king group so there's also a lot of draglesque, butchfemme duets, stuff like that. our mc is always a drag king pretty much. most of our solo performers in the big quarterly shows we do are women in their 30s-40s, a lot of chubby milfs, the producer/founder of our troupe is involved in the midwest fatlesque scene, and though our troupe is mostly white, she invites in a lot of black solo performers in from other places in the midwest, which is cool.

personally, i'm pretty new but i have done a few solos at our smaller shows at the club; my first was cowboy improv with pink lingerie, then i did a sparkly drag act to perfume genius, and my most recent one was a blood cryptid to siouxie and the banshees. rn my costumes are pretty simple because i'm not talented at costume-making and don't have the money for expensive materials, but that's what the insp tag is for, i love seeing a fashion shoot and going "hmm there's some interesting vibes going on here...i wonder what this would look like in a striptease" lmao. especially since my act/persona is kinda of a creepy/scary vibe:)

[mightyflamethrower]

Senate Sodomite in Capitol Sex Tape Is the Latest Attempt by Biden to 'Bring Back Decency'

Once upon a time, a president whom I shall call "Slick Willy," using a form of sorcery unbeknownst to modern man, transformed a starry-eyed intern into a consensual humidor in the Oval Office.

Ta-DA!

Some believe the real magic was that he kept his job, but, as a Democrat, that was the easy part. And it was just the beginning.

Today, Joe Biden and his myrmidons in the Democrat Party are using their useful idiots to tear down every stitch of decency in American politics. They are doing this on purpose — as per the 45 goals of Communism — and are employing their most broken malcontents to carry out the mission.

FACT-O-RAMA! LOOK AT THESE THREE GOALS OF COMMUNISM;  6. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and press. 7.  Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in the media. 8.  Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, and healthy.” 

I do not recall celebrating the 12th day of Christmas when my true love sent to me 10 drag queens a-twerkin'.

As reported earlier, a couple of barebackin', raw doggin' lads brilliantly filmed their foray into amateur porn in a Senate room, allegedly reserved under the name of Sen. Ben Cardin.

           RELATED:  Democratic Senate Staffer Filmed Gay Sex Tape in a Senate Hearing Room

FACT-O-RAMA! Amateur porn is a multi-billion-dollar industry. It is driven by people too unattractive to make "real" porn, but too damaged to stop trying. Kind of like how 90% of the nation's" burlesque" dancers are too fat to be strippers but too emotionally crippled to keep their clothes on.

Understand this: the left, especially the hardline "Gaystapo" kids hate you, this country, and everything decent. They believe they are victims of "genocide" and "right-wing bigotry."

I personally do not care what people "do in their bedrooms" but attention-starved men, becaked in glitter and lacking daddy's love, have made it their mission to humiliate themselves in an effort to "stick it to those conservatives." That's you and me.

Thus far, the Biden administration has given us a luggage-swiping bald man in a dress and cheap lipstick, a transamabob who took his shirt off at a White House picnic to show us his "moobs," and now a couple of dudes "building back better" in a Senate chamber.

BREAKING REPORT: Aidan Maese-Czeropski, the staffer for Dem. Senator Ben Cardin who purportedly made a GAY SEX TAPE in the Senate Hearing Room has been terminated.. Unconfirmed reports are now emerging that the room may have been reserved under the name of Dem. Senator Ben… pic.twitter.com/Bf1KlKNFAR— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) December 16, 2023

Woah, a couple of dudes playing "Brokeback Mountain" in the Capitol. You jolly ranchers really showed us!

So a cat named Aidan Maese-Czeropski, who worked for Maryland Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin has been sperminated terminated for taking the back road in a Senate room. It's not his fault. He is a victim who is being "targeted" for "who he loves."

So the gay man taking traffic in the exit-only lane believes he is being punished for "who he loves." Dude, did you not get the memo? NO ONE CARES you're gay. Maybe refrain from getting tagged by "who you love" on a table where our legislators meet. We ask so little.  

FACT-O-RAMA! Never mind those devils at "Urban Dictionary." First and foremost, cornhole is a drinking game, popular in the midwest, that involves throwing bean bags at a hole in a piece of invertedwood. This is the hill I will die on. I shall fight for this until I am out of Carling Black Label beer, and my enemies will have to bull the bean bag from my cold, dead fingers.

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If "LGBT genocide" means asking Democrat staffers not to bring their bat boys into Senate chambers for a game of wrecktum, call me a monster.

"Now hold on a minute KDJ, you do NOT strike us as a puritanical type."

This is true. I may have plowed a field or two in a public setting, but never have I gone to a place of reverence, nor have I videotaped my wayward son in action just to "piss off those stupid Conservatives."

Keep it classy, commies. The more you show your hand — and anything else — the more people will pull away from your party and start voting for real Americans.

Let's see if our marginalized and unemployed friend Mr. Maese-Czeropsk dares to put his resume on Monster.com

[nariko-fearme]

Omg what country do you do Burlesque out of? I'm in the US!

Me too!!! Here in ye old Midwest

[midnightsslut]

what about The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess?

I’ve only heard casual and good luck babe. Apple Music kept pitching me the other songs AGGRESSIVELY and it annoyed me. I also heard pink pony club at a burlesque performance and femininomenon (?) at a party, both at my college. I don’t looove them idk. Chappell is objectively more talented though imo.

[project1939]

200 Films of 1952

Film number 185: She's Working Her Way Through College

Release date: July 12th, 1952 

Studio: Warner Bros 

Genre: musical 

Director: H. Bruce Humberstone 

Producer: William Jacobs 

Actors: Virginia Mayo, Gene Nelson, Ronald Reagan 

Plot Summary: Angela has been saving up for college by working as a Burlesque Queen named Hot Garters Gertie. She is accepted to Midwest State where she hopes to learn to be a playwright and impress a professor she loves. Immediately popular on campus because of her beauty, she fears what might happen if anyone discovers her salacious past. 

My Rating (out of 5 stars): **¾  

So here we have our second Warner Brothers musical in as many days, and god do I have feelings. It was certainly better than About Face- it had more life and sparkle to it, and it had the breathtaking dancing talent of Gene Nelson. It was a bit infuriating, however, because of its political blind spots- made exponentially worse by the fact that Ronald Reagan had a prominent role in the cast! I was intrigued by the premise, having just watched real burlesque, but virtually everything about the plot of this film and the character of Angela was a letdown.  

The Good: 

Gene Nelson was the shining light of the whole film for me. He had heaps of charisma and an ability to act with a naturalism and effortless style... but it was his dancing that stole the show. He reminded me a lot of Gene Kelly- he was extremely athletic, able to make lightning fast moves with fluidity, and he had the same low center of gravity that Kelly did. His solo dance number where he moved from piece to piece of gym equipment was literally jaw dropping- I wrote that actual phrase out in my notes, along with “Jeeezus!” 

The Technicolor looked great. 

There was some good energy to the musical numbers, and there were a lot of them. It kept the film lively and bright. 

The dancing all around was really good. 

The premise was fun, even if the follow through wasn’t. 

The Bad: 

Virginia Mayo. I’m sorry to say I just didn’t succumb to her charms. She was pretty, yes, but I found her acting to be a little too dry and restrained. Her dancing was nice, though. 

Ronald Reagan. The dude was never known for being an especially good actor, and if you want proof, here it is. 

There was a painfully long drunk scene with Reagan, putting his lack of skill front and center. 

The coincidence of both Professor Palmer and Fred Copeland being at Angela’s New York show on the same night unbeknownst to one another when they lived hundreds of miles away was silly. 

Angela the character was probably the most disappointing part of the movie for me. On paper, she was supposed to be a scrappy girl who longed for a college education, worked hard in a sexually liberated job to earn the money for it, and in her free time wrote plays. But the Angela in the film was no different than any bland Hollywood beauty batting her eyes at boys. 

The side plot with Professor Palmer and his wife was needless and sleep inducing. 

The music wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t exactly memorable either. 

The college campus set was so obviously a set it was hilarious. You could see the painted backdrop and even the places where it looked like there was some glass matte painting. The trees looked fake and carefully placed, and the “grass” was the turfiest stuff you could find. 

Angela had a black theater assistant who was a pretty racist stereotype, speaking in a Mammy dialect and constantly telling jokes that only she laughed at. 

The idea that college should be an inalienable right for everyone was reiterated multiple times, which was very ironic when the entire student body of this college was white. When Reagan gave a speech at the end warning about colleges barring students who “go to the wrong church, come from the wrong side of the tracks, or were born in the wrong country,” any explicit mention of race was removed. And again, he gave this speech in an auditorium filled with only white faces. I agree 100% that college should be an inalienable right, but how can you be serious about it while being this dishonest? 

This was based on a 1942 film called The Male Animal, which had a strong political message about free speech, civil liberties, and prejudice. That had to be completely gutted here, because those things were too dangerous to portray in the HUAC Red Scare days of 1952. Ah yes, right wing America. 

I know this was an early 1950s musical, but the sanitization of the subject matter, especially the portrayal of burlesque, was laughable. But of course, they could never even hint that Mayo got down to her pasties!

[hellcity]

Prepare your eyes to witness the beauty of @ethellovelesss another one of our amazing Burlesque Performers at @hell_city Ohio 2024! We are beyond excited to announce our collaboration with @queenbeecabaret to bring you this year’s amazing collection of Classic Ohio Burlesque Performers taking the @hell_city mainstage this May 17th-19th at the @hyattcolumbus in downtown Columbus, Ohio! This neon bombshell @ethellovelesss started in the Kentucky burlesque scene in early 2013 to tease the senses with her thoughtful, bodacious curves and bright aura✨ She travels across the Midwest to perform and is a frequent producer throughout Louisville, KY... It’s the Tangerine Dream, Ethel Loveless! Don’t miss your chance to see @ethelloveless perform on the @hell_city MainStage this May 19th! 💃🏼Ethel Loveless @ethelloveless will be performing at the @hell_city Tattoo Fest on Sunday at 3pm! 🔥Get your presale tickets today at www.hellcity.com

[fairykukla]

Steampunk, initially was intensely DIY. We made our gear out of whatever we could find. There were some extraordinary artists out there hand crafting props and costumes and home decor.

I went to my father and explained to him what the movement was all about and asked if he had anything he could give me. Papa read a lot of science fiction but never participated in the culture. I mentioned Anubis Gate by Tim Powers and a few other early steampunk novels (many on the earlier list weren't published yet).

He ruminated on that for a bit, then said, "So... Wild Wild West?" It was a rare TV show that he had watched.

"Yeah! The thing I really need is goggles."

Papa dug out an old footlocker. Not actually a steamer trunk, but close. He gave me vintage black rubber gloves that went to the elbow, band-collared shirts, a vintage coverall, and an engineer's hat. He pulled something big and heavy out of a closet; it was part of a German U-boat; some kind of binocular device.

He handed me a pair of goggles fitted with welding lenses. The iconic bakelite ones. They were *red*. They had a marvelous patina on them, from having been actually used as welding goggles. He'd replaced the elastic in the most unusual, DIY way ever; the band off a pair of underwear. "I may need these back," he said.

"I'll trade you for a fancy new pair you can wear over your glasses!" I replied with great excitement. I had just bought a couple of pairs of those cheap green welding goggles with the flip up welding lenses. He still has them, and freaking loves them.

I still have his goggles, and they've earned the name "butt-goggles" due to the elastic, despite the fact that I replaced that first. I only ever found another red pair once, and bought them. The new pair turns out to be an inferior, more recent, plastic copy.

I never once bought a "Steampunk Costume." Every one of my costumes were lovingly put together or made from scratch by me. And yeah, I embroidered gears on stuff. I have a hat with a copper metallic vinyl hatband I made from cartoon vinyl scraps that has "Also some gears on it, and make it steampunk," because I have a sense of humor.

I hosted the first steampunk event at my regional convention the year that we hosted NASFiC, and the Mad Scientists Tea Party for like 15 years after that until Covid hit. And trust me, our events were punk as fuck. We had a submarine sub theme one year: 20,000 Leagues Under The Tea. I had local artists create porthole projects to make the hotel ballroom look like a submersible. I had a gang of artists making table centerpieces out of found objects and art projects. We served food and teas in the convention's space, which the hotels hate because they want you to use their catering. We argued that if the caterer was willing to serve my menu, we would be delighted to pay for their service, and won the right to have the event. Being in the American Midwest, they couldn't provide scones and cucumber sandwiches and teas from around the world, much less the handcrafted goodies we provided every year.

I ran the first local steampunk meet-up group. We flash-mobbed all kinds of places from going to the mall to view the cinematograph presentation of "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and ride the carousel, to bombing a local borders to take photos amongst the stacks, to picnics in the local Victorian pleasure park with hydraulic armaments and aquiferous ammunition. (Water gun war.)

I ran the premier Steampunque Burlesque performance group which was designed more like the EARLY Burlesque houses with silly musical parodies and funny sketches performed mostly by ladies. (My Celebrity Jeopardy sketch called "Peril" was a SCREAM!)

Oh, I've got your PUNK right here.

Now I can buy goggles for $5 at the Halloween shop. I went to the Steampunk Festival in Hannibal and so many people were wearing gear that was just straight up purchased online. There are still DIYers out there, and the Diesel punks are doing really interesting things lately. There are still plenty of artists hand crafting individual pieces and trying to sell them. But it's not a counter culture anymore.

i never understood what made steampunk punk. romanticizing georgian era england and industrial revolutions are some of the least punk things ever. youre putting gears on a top hat

[kalalalito]

just watched Burlesque (2010) for the first time and it really feels like it was written by a midwest girl who’s always fantasized but has never been to LA.

also the men were toxic and creepy????

[for-a-muse-of-fire]

NYE Gatsby Burlesque, anyone? If you're in Central Illinois and want to roar in 2020 with a rocking good time, check the link!

[thejeezloueez]

Jeezy’s Juke Joint: A Black Burly-Q Revue Saturday December 2nd White Rabbit Cabaret 8pm doors, 10pm show $15/adv, $18/door

The show that features the brightest brown-skinned burlesque stars from across the country is proud to return for it’s 3rd annual show in Indianapolis! This jumping, jiving, foot-stomping revue pays homage to Black burlesque and variety with a fabulous line-up of award-winning, entertainment. Ranging from classic burlesque to drag to comedy and everything in between, this popular once a year event is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.

Hosted by Jeez Loueez and featuring an all star line-up from across the midwest! Bunny Van Doren (Indianapolis) Po’Chop (Chicago) Cruel Valentine (Chicago) Josephine Shaker (Chicago) Switch the Boi Wonder (Chicago) Shimmy LaRoux (Chicago)

With special guests: Elektra (Paducah) P NoNoire (Chicago) Maxi Glamour (St. Louis) Aasia LaShay Bullock (Chicago)

21+ www.jeezysjukejoint.com/upcoming-shows 

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Jeezy’s Juke Joint: A Black Burly-Q Revue (INDIANAPOLIS 12/2) Jeezy's Juke Joint: A Black Burly-Q Revue Saturday December 2nd White Rabbit Cabaret 8pm doors, 10pm show…

[discofaery]

Anime Midwest lineup! Still don't know what order they'll be in but I've got Nezumi, cowboy!Nezumi, Shion, novel!Shion, Matt, burlesque!Misa, Yoite and Raikou!

If you see me, come say hi! 💖

[bradleighrae]

Planning on doing more cosplay content!! Let me know what you guys wanna see! 😉

Make sure to add me on snap for more fun!

👻 bradleigh_rae