Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2011: Day 2

Stuff from the second day of the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend. It's been a busy Weekend with socializing, shows, and educational events, but here's a brief rundown of what the second day is like.

• The second day of the BHoF Weekend is filled with events associated with the Legends of Burlesque. It's one of the more significant parts of the Weekend, which includes performers of the 1950's, '60s, and '70s. The evening's show is filled with performances from burlesque artists such as Dee Milo, Judith Stein, Kitten Natividad, and many more (full lineup at http://burlesquehall.com/2011/04/fridaynight/). It made for a wonderful show, as the audience truly loves and appreciates their predecessors.
• There was a premiere also of the film, "Erotic World and the Burlesque Revival." It's a documentary about the evolution of the burlesque museum started by Jennie Lee and then Dixie Evans. If you're a fan of the art form, you'll want to see it when it's released. They're also seeking funding to help with the release of the film via their Kickstarter page. The film is a wonderful look at how the museum started, and includes footage from some of the earliest pageants which include perfomers who we all know and love!
• The Grant Avenue Follies of San Francisco closed the show!
  
• Meeting with the Legends, through being a volunteer who is to assist VIPs and the Legends or through random encounters, was my favorite parts of the Weekend. Amongst the Legends whom I met were Dee Milo, Judith Stein, and Toni Elling. They were also so friendly and warm!
• The social aspect is one of the big attractions of these events. Not only is it a way to get to hang out with those from your own area, but you also get to know people from other areas of the world. There are performers from Japan, Australia, Canada, and various countries in Europe.
• Daytime classes presented by BurlyCon included class from Legends, which have always been popular. A list of the classes presented may be found at burlesquehall.com/2011/04/classes/.
• Among the popular activities for performers is shopping. Since Las Vegas has so many stage shows, there are a lot of stores and swap meets and flea markets in the area at which many treasures for one's wardrobe may be found.
• The pool is also a popular place for people to gather and socialize during the daytime.
  
• Some people will also take a free shuttle to the Las Vegas Strip to visit the casinos during their free time.
  

That's it for now. The evening's Tournament of Tease will be kicking off in less than 90 minutes, and I'll need to get dinner and change into my evening attire before then.

Sparkly Devil will be our area's contender, so the whole Bay Area contingent will be cheering for her! The Dolls of Doom of which San Francisco resident Lola Martinet is a part will also be competing for "Best Group."

Kaleidoscope Cabaret Weekend happens October 28-30, 2010

Since 2007, Kaleidoscope Cabaret has been bringing together bring together performers of color for an all-star cabaret show. It's a unique neo-burlesque event that only takes place this year in San Francisco!

Founder and Artistic Director La Chica Boom started the showcase in 2007, dedicating it to showcasing people of color in burlesque and cabaret. With Tease-O-Rama on hiatus for the past two years, this event and Cabaret Verdalet are one of the few shows in the Bay Area where you can see burlesque talent from around the country all in one place.

Scheduled to perform at the Brava Theater in San Francisco on Saturday, October 30, will be Narcissister and Veronica Blair from New York, Orchid Mei from Denver, and Sydni Deveraux and Aleksa Manila from Seattle. Also featured will be local performers Sandra O. Noshi-Di’n't, Thisway/Thatway (aka Cecilio Cooper), the Grant Avenue Follies, Felatio “B.J.” Browne (Stephfon Bartée-Smith), Landa Lakes, Simone de la Getto, and La Chica Boom herself.

Tickets are $25 in advance at brownpapertickets.com (plus a $1.99 service fee), and may also be purchased at the door (if available). The doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. The Brava Theater is located at 2781 24th Street in San Francisco (map).

This year, in addition to the show on Saturday night, there will also be an educational symposium on Thursday afternoon at U.C. Berkeley and a Friday evening pre-party and social at San Francisco's Center for Sex and Culture, too!

Although burlesque has its roots as "low" entertainment for the masses, there is scholarly interest in the cultural and sociopolitical significance of the performances. On Thursday, October 28 from noon to 5 p.m. in room 370 of Dwinelle Hall at U.C. Berkeley, you'll have the opportunity to listen to a keynote address and panel discussion of Race Reveal: Racialized Tropes, Queer Performance, Political Possibilities. The titles of some of the panels and discussions include Pleasure, Power, and Profit in Race Performance, Queering Latin@ Subjectivities on Stage, and Racism, Minstrelsy, and Subversion in Burlesque Performance. The panelists will include performers such as Thisway/Thatway (Cecilio Cooper), Narcissiter, and La Chica Boom (Xandra Ibarra), among others. For a list of descriptions and abstracts for the panel please visit crg.berkeley.edu/content/race-reveal#abstracts. This event is free to the public.

On Friday, October 29, there will be a pre-party and social event at the Center for Sex and Culture in San Francisco from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. It's a fantastic opportunity to have a drink and mix and mingle with the performers, scholars, and cast and crew of Kaleidoscope Cabaret. The Center for Sex and Culture is located at 1519 Mission Street in San Francisco, and the cost to attend is $5.

La Chica Boom presents... KALEIDOSCOPE CABARET!

Saturday, October 30th, 2010
Doors Open 7 pm
Show Starts 8 pm

Brava Theater
2781 24th Street
San Francisco, CA

http://www.kaleidoscopecabaret.com/

Kaleidoscope Cabaret, The Fourth Annual National People of Color Showcase
Neo-Burlesque Performers of Color On Show and Showing Off!

San Francisco, CA—September 5—Kaleidoscope Cabaret is the first of its kind in neo-burlesque, it’s where performers of color take center stage and reveal more than their bedazzled satin gloves. Join us for an evening of riveting drag, burlesque, song and aerial art at the historic Brava Theater at 2781 – 24th Street in San Francisco on Saturday, October 30, 2010. Doors open at 7pm and show begins at 8pm, buy your tickets at brownpapertickets.com

Since 2007, Kaleidoscope Cabaret has consistently sold out to Seattle and San Francisco audiences. This year, among the annual all-star showcase at the Brava Theater, Kaleidoscope will provide an exciting jam-packed weekend of events. Join us on Thursday, October 28 at UC Berkeley for the educational symposium, Race Reveal: Racial Tropes, Queer Performance, Political Possibilities, hosted by the Center for Race & Gender. Also be sure to make the pre-show party on Friday, October 29 at The Center for Sex and Culture in San Francisco. For detailed information about weekend events, visit www.kaleidoscopecabaret.com

Scheduled to appear at The Brava Theater Kaleidoscope Showcase: “The Anonymous One,” NARCISSISTER; “The Mile High Stocking and Garter,” Orchid Mei; “An Aerialist of Supreme Elegance,” Veronica Blair; “Consummate Drag Host,” Aleksa Manila; “The Golden Glamazon” Sydni Deveraux; “The Living Legends,” The Grant Avenue Follies; “Dandy Faggotron,” Thisway/Thatway; “Miss San Francisco Hooker” Sandra O. Noshi-Di’n’t; “Dis-identifying Song bird” Fellatio “BJ” Browne; former Miss Gay Indian Nations, Landa Lakes; founder of Harlem Shake, Simone De la Getto; and artistic director and show founder, the shameless La Chica Boom.

Kaleidoscope’s mission is to provide a stage for exciting entertainment, critical knowledge and transformative actions inspired by people of color performance and race positive sexuality.

Join us as we represent and transform burlesque as it is and was. Kaleidoscope entertains, inspires, and arouses. Enjoy the nation’s best in burlesque and BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW at www.brownpapertickets.com.

Pre-Ticket Sales!
$20 in September
$25 cash at the Door

Organized in collaboration with UC Berkeley Center for Race & Gender symposium:
RACE REVEAL: RACIAL TROPES, QUEER PERFORMANCE, POLITICAL POSSIBILITIES
http://crg.berkeley.edu/content/race-reveal

Thursday, Oct 28, 2010
12pm - 5pm
370 Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94040

facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152447258125729


http://www.kaleidoscopecabaret.com

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/128184

http://www.brava.org

(Corrected Veronica Blair's city on Oct. 27, 2010)

Swinging Chinatown: The Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs' Opening Gala is Thursday, February 11, 2010

I always love learning about the history of things, and burlesque is no different. So when I received word that there would be an exhibit about Chinese nightclubs in San Francisco in days of yore, I couldn't resist posting about it!

For the next two weekends, you can learn about Noel Toy Young, the "Chinese Sally Rand." Or Paul Wing, the "Chinese Fred Astaire." You'll also be able to view photographs, costumes, and other items.

The exhibit is open on the weekends of February 12 and 19, and it will be at the Old Mint. Here are all of the details:

Swinging Chinatown Exhibit
Friday February 12 to Monday, February 15, 2010
Friday February 19 to Sunday, February 21, 2010
12 Noon to 5 PM
The Old Mint
88 Fifth Street
San Francisco

Presented in collaboration with the Chinese Historical Society of America.

From the late 1930s to the early 1960s, Chinese nightclubs flourished in San Francisco's Chinatown. Clubs like the Chinese Skyroom, the Shangri-La, and the Forbidden City, were the first - and in those days the only - venues for talented Asian performers.

Swinging Chinatown brings back to life a long-neglected slice of Asian-American history. The exhibit will feature over 100 vintage photographs, dancer Ellen Chin's costumes and gold dancing shoes, Tony Wing's tap shoes, and menus, napkins and other mementos from several famous nightclubs. Immerse yourself in a bygone era, when celebrities and visitors of all stripes were entertained by Larry Ching, "the Chinese Frank Sinatra;" Noel Toy Young, "the Chinese Sally Rand;" and Paul Wing, the "Chinese Fred Astaire." The exhibit will feature vintage photographs, costumes, dancing shoes, menus, napkins and other mementos from famous nightclubs. Swinging Chinatown is co-curated by SFMHS associate curator Kristin Morris and historian Trina Robbins, author of Forbidden City: The Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs.

Tickets: $5 SFMHS and CHSA members, $10 non-members, $3 for students

On Thursday, February 11, there will be an opening night gala event at the Old Mint. Ben Fong-Torres the rock journalist will emcee, and a troupe of former nightclub dancers, the Grant Avenue Follies, will perform. Information about the gala and some repeat information about the exhibit is below:

The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society (SFMHS) in collaboration with the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) presents Swinging Chinatown: The Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs.

This rare exhibit features vintage photographs, costumes and memorabilia of the exciting and glamorous days of the Chinese American nightclub scene.

The exhibit opens with a glittering cocktail celebration at the Old Mint. Bay Area author and personality Ben Fong-Torres will be the master of ceremonies for the evening that includes a performance by the “Grant Avenue Follies,” a troupe of former nightclub dancers. Trina Robbins, author of Forbidden City: The Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs, will be present and signing copies of her book. President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, David Chiu, will also make opening remarks to commence the exhibit.

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

The exhibition will be open to the public February 12-15 and February 19-21 from 12:00pm to 5:00pm

Admission is $5 for SFMHS and CHSA members, $10 for non-members, $3 for students

The Opening Night Gala and Exhibit are part of the Asian Art Museum’s Shanghai Celebration (http://www.shanghaicelebration.com).


TICKETS

Tickets to the Opening Night Gala are $85 per person for SFMHS and CHSA members, $100 for non-members

Proceeds will benefit the exhibition and the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.sfhistory.org or call 415.537.1105 x100