10 years in Burlesque

     Ten years ago I entered the wonderful world burlesque. The setting was the gritty old Jewel Box Theater inside the Rendezvous Cafe in the city of Seattle. The show was a recital of recent graduates of Miss Indigo Blue's Academy of Burlesque, which routinely offered a six-week course in the art of the tease. After developing a persona, learning the craft, and picking a burlesque name, students graduate in the form of a recital in front of an audience. One of the graduates that night was my friend Joy who went by the name Ruby Caliente. Ruby had asked me to take photos of her act. It turned out to be one of the most pivotal moments of my life and would lead me to many incredible experiences as a burlesque fan, photographer, and performer.

Me in 2003 at which point I didn't know nuthin' about no burlesque
(photo by Carla Loo)

    When I moved to Seattle in June of 2003 I purchased my first camera, a simple digital point and shoot. I had been thinking about getting a camera for years but never really followed through. It was only upon the move that I got a camera to document my last remaining months in Brooklyn and my new life in Seattle. In my first few years in Seattle I took my camera everywhere. I did a number of walkabouts in several Seattle neighborhoods, took it to parties thrown by my new Seattle friends, and just played around and experimented with it whenever I could. In taking photos I used the principles I learned in film production class (way back when) as far as lighting, composition and framing. When Ruby got the idea that she wanted someone to photograph her burlesque act, she thought of me.

 
"Paul can you shoot my burlesque act at my recital?" Ruby asked.
"Um, sure." I replied.

 
    Before that night my idea of burlesque was that it was something that women did in the 40s, 50s and 60s and that you could only see burlesque in the present day in a place like Las Vegas. After I agreed to photograph Ruby I wondered what I was in for. I believe I was actually nervous. Was I afraid of all the nakedness and sexuality I would see on stage? Did I believe they were going to make me strip as well? Would I fuck up the whole photo thing? I didn't know.

Ruby Caliente performing at my first burlesque show in 2005

Miss Indigo Blue looking something like this at my first burlesque
show(from a shoot we did in 2008)

    I left the show thinking so many things; It was funny, vibrant, sexy, silly, dirty with Miss Indigo Blue leading it all with her double entendres and her ruler, ready to discipline any audience member who was naughty. It was like we were all in on joke. We knew all the students were going to strip down. We knew Indigo's comments would be full of ribaldry and bawdiness. We knew we would see pasties twirling in our faces and we cheered every time. For me it really was a truly magical and entertaining experience.

Heidi Von Haught at Back to School Sept. 2005 at Re-Bar 

    It wasn't until September of that year that I made it to another burlesque show. This was a benefit show for victims of Hurricane Katrina at The Re-bar and it was called "Back to School". My friend Ruby produced it with Miss Indigo serving again as hostess. At this show I saw for the first time Tamara The Trapeze Lady, Heidi Von Haught and Lydia McClain. This time I photographed the whole show. It wasn't until 2006 that my live photography really took off, shooting as many shows as I could at different venues: more shows at Re-bar and The Rendezvous, plus The Annex Theater, The Last Supper Club and Columbia City Cabaret. And of course I met and got to see many great performers in 2006: Shanghai Pearl, The One and Only Inga, Lucky Penny, Go-Go Amy, Waxie Moon,Vienna Le Rouge, Babette LeFavre, Evilyn Sin Claire, Paula The Swedish Housewife, La Chica Boom, Belle Cozette, Jo Jo Stiletto, Lily Verlaine, Polly Wood, Hottie McNaughty, Miss Elaine Yes and a host of others.

Shanghai Pearl at Re-Bar July 2006 

    Some time around then the idea of shooting portraits and pin-ups began to take hold of my brain. One photo that really influenced me to do that was a photo series I saw by RJB photo. The photos happened to have my friend Kerrin and burlesquer Go-Go Amy as the models. I loved the composition, the way the colors were manipulated, the expressions on the models' faces. I wanted to try to do things like that. I did a couple shoots first with the Barrett Sisters, Sammy & Rachel, near the Ballard Locks and a few weeks later, a 60s mod style shoot with friends Serafina & Michelle. A month later I did my first real burlesque pin-up shoot with Shanghai Pearl.

Photo of my friend Kerrin B, from the photo series that made me want to do portraits and pin-ups (courtesy of RJB Photo)

Sammy & Rachel near The Ballard Locks-One of my first photo-shoots Aug 2006 

    After meeting Shanghai back in July of 2006, we became fast friends and eventually talked about doing some sort of photo-shoot. Julia's on Broadway allowed us to shoot on their stage. I didn't have any strobe lights to speak of; luckily my job at the time let me borrow some hot lights for it (and for a few other future shoots as well). Shanghai and I have since worked together on another 12 shoots over the following years, as well as collaborating on projects with Shanghai in the role of hair, make-up, and stylist. Soon I was shooting a lot more live performances, at one point in April 2007 shooting about ten shows in a three week period. I definitely started feeling camaraderie with the performers I was getting to know. In July of 2007, I got a studio space with two other photographers at the 619 building on Western Ave in Pioneer Square. The 619 was a wonderful building - six stories, and full of all types of artists in a variety of disciplines doing their thing. The stairway had this huge crack that went up several floors (someone said that was caused by the Nisqually earthquake in 2001). This building served as the hub of the first Thursday art walks. Those times were really exciting. I loved how the artists opened their studio doors and showed their works, it was really inspiring and magnetic. I had left the space around 2009 and the artists were eventually kicked out because they deemed the building unstable for the Alaskan Way Viaduct tunneling project (which as of this writing is a complete disaster). The building has since been made "tunnel proof" and will most likely be used for high-rent office space; a real shame because there hasn't been anything with that kind of artistic vitality since

Shanghai Pearl at Julia's on Broadway. My first pin-up shoot Nov 2006

    In my first year at 619 I had many photo shoots, mostly with burlesquers such as Hottie McNaughty, Polly Wood, Shanghai Pearl, Polly Amores, Miss Elaine Yes, Evilyn Sin Claire, Waxie Moon, Belle Cozette, Lucky Penny, Go-Go Amy, Tana The Tattooed Lady and Miss Indigo Blue. That year provided invaluable experience in learning how to shoot and manipulate lighting and also how to direct the performers or models. The next few years were more shows, more shoots, and many new friends who were performing burlesque or involved with it in some way.

Hottie McNaughty-my first photo-shoot at the 619 studio June 2007

    At some point, during all this glittery, rhinestoned magic, I thought about what it would be like for me to perform. What would it mean to get up there and remove my clothes in front of an audience? I become entirely fascinated and scared of the idea of baring it all on stage. In the fall of 2009, the Academy of Burlesque offered a six-week Boylesque 101 class culminating in a recital. I unfortunately missed out on that one, but lo and behold another would be offered the following spring. I talked to friends about wanting to sign up; at the same time still having this stomach-full of nerves. At one show that Indigo hosted (and that I photographed), she put in a plug for the next Boylesque 101 class. Basically she said into the microphone something like, "Our next Boylesque 101 will be offered in April and you should really take it…Paul O'Connell." Now I had to take it. I signed up and so began the next part of my burlesque journey.
    Waxie Moon and Ernie Von Schmaltz were to be my teachers, which in itself was worth the price of the class. In that session with me was future collaborator and 2014 Mayor of Seattle Burlesque Paul Phillion (Sir Richard Longfellow) The next six weeks were filled with excitement and a little fear as I and my fellow students- six of us total- thought up our acts, workshopped them, and learned how to put on big faces that can be seen from the back of the house. We also found our stage names…Man Johnson, at your service.
     We learned some burlesque and boylesque history and put it all on the stage at West Hall one night in May 2010. That night finally came. All the students arrived a few hours before the show for some last minute run-throughs, costume checks, and makeup applications. Thirty minutes to house. Twelve minutes to house. Three minutes to house…
     We students were on the balcony looking down as the crowd started filtering in. We looked for our respective friends and family in the crowd gathering below. My stomach was full of butterflies - extra big, glittery butterflies. At this point for me (and this seems to be the case with many people whom I've asked) I wasn't concerned about stripping down to almost nothing on stage. Certainly I had thought about that previously; I would be lying awake at two in the morning and think, "Oh my God I'm going to get naked on stage" or "I wish my body was more this and less that." But that was just noise in my head and has nothing to do with being on the burlesque stage. What I was concerned with was entertaining people and hitting all my marks in the song I chose, a mix of The Rolling Stones' “Dear Doctor” and Daft Punk's “Oh Yeah”. 20 minutes to show. 9 minutes to show.1 minute to show…
     Ernie Von Schmaltz took the stage as the MC for the show. Waxie Moon served as stage mom making sure we were all ready for our performances. The amount of butterflies seemed to double after every act as it came closer for my turn on the stage. Sometimes at the recitals the Academy will put an act from one of their other classes like the bump 'n' grind class or the belly dance class. After intermission there would be three students doing their belly dance act and then I was to go on right after. In West Hall there's a set of white curtains hung on a track system on house left to shield performers as they go from the dressing room in the back to the stage. Just as the intermission ended, I remember walking down that narrow corridor like I was a going to the gallows. My hands were clammy, my legs were quivering and my mouth dry. I heard the crowd on the other side of the curtain and looked at the mirror on the wall. I took one last look at my crazy get-up, I watched the belly dance trio begin their act. In four minutes it would be my turn. They finished; now it was my turn.

Boylesque 101 April 2010 (Photo by Evan Draeger)

    Ernie started to introduce me. Holy! Fucking! Shit! "Ladies and Gentleman, Man Johnson!" The curtain opened. My song started. I walked on stage and saw the audience. I had rehearsed, I had received feedback from the other students and teachers. There's nothing left to do now but to do it, I told myself. This was it. At one point in the act I placed a picture frame on a table. For some reason the frame did want to stand up on its own. It seemed like an eternity as a tried to get it to stand up. I thought, "Why won't you stand up on the table godamnit!" What would I do if it wouldn't stand up? Would I throw the frame down and run off the stage, out of West Hall screaming onto the streets of Capitol Hill? No I would not. The frame finally stood and I continued, eventually stripping down to my silver booty shorts and taking my final pose on stage. I did it. (Although I kind of didn't remember all of it. It was sort of like a brown out in my brain). The show was over and we all took our curtain call and received our diplomas. And then we had a second show, repeating it all for the 9:30 crowd.

Boylesque 101 April 2010 (Photo by Evan Draeger)

    Since that night I've had the pleasure of performing my absurd acts in various Seattle venues as well as in Texas and Portland. In Las Vegas I got to perform at The Burlesque Hall of Fame in Miss Indigo Blue's step down number as reigning Queen of Burlesque. It was quite a thrill and honor to be a part of that with so many awesome performers. I still get chills watching the video. I played the part of prancer, genuflector and Indigo Blue lifter. In rehearsing that act on one of the floors of The Orleans Hotel (which the hotel security eventually shut down), I remember saying to myself “Whatever happens, don't drop Indigo”.

                                             Here's the video from Indigo's BHoF step-down number
                                                                   (by Golden Echo Films)
    After my 101 recital, I wanted to explore burlesque in other cities. I had already gone to Portland and shot a few shows down there. I got in touch with producers of festivals like Rick Delaup from the New Orleans's Burlesque Festival, Terri Raridon from the Texas Burlesque Festival and the producers of Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend. I was able again to capture more burlesque magic on those stages and meet many new burlesquers, some of which have become good friends. I also started to contribute to a blog called Burlesque Seattle Press, which was started by Jessica Price. That was wonderful experience because I was able to interview many people, in different stages of their burlesque career. I am deeply fascinated with everyone's personal history with burlesque, what burlesque means to them and how they maintain their own burlesque life style.

Catherine D'lish performing at New Orleans Burlesque Festival Sept 2010

Perle Noire performing at Texas Burlesque Festival April 2011

    For me every show I photograph I'm trying to catch that moment of magic. That's always the challenge. Every show has different lighting, sometimes good and sometimes not so good. Every show has a different perspective to shoot from. The stage, the costume, and of course the performer are variables that go into trying to capture that magic. Is it something in the eyes? The way their arm is positioned? That raunchy expression? A spectacular and magnificent costume? It’s all of these and more. So ten years ago today I entered the Jewel Box Theater, a little green and not sure what I was in for. Ten years later life is full of beautiful wonderful people, who are as passionate, loving and damn sexy. Burlesquers, fans, photographers, producers; people who have and continue to inspire me on many levels. My life is full. As I quoted Coco Lectric a few years back for a Burlesque Seattle press article a few years back: "Better Living Through Burlesque" It's true. Here's a few more photos of early years of fun along with some wonderful people I know.

Tamara The Trapeze Lady at Back to School Sept. 2005 at Re-Bar

La Chica Boom at Re-Bar Feb 2006

Key Party with Hottie McNaughty and Polly Wood at 619 studio Nov 2007

Shanghai in between set-ups at the 619 studio Aug 2007

Iva Handfull competing for Best Debut at BHoF in Las Vegas June 2011

Eddie Van Glam, Indigo Blue and myself at BHoF Las Vegas June 2012

Go-Go Amy at Re-Bar Feb 2007

Waxie Moon at my 619 studio Aug. 2007

Charlotte Treuse, Me, Baby Le Strange and Hai Fleisch Jan 2012

Wiggy Stardust, Me and Madeline Rider backstage at Stark Naked: A Nerdlesque Tribute to Game of Thrones July 2012

Polly Wood, Me and Miss Elaine Yes in deep thought Aug 2007

Evilyn Sin Claire at Re-Bar July 2006

Hottie, Shanghai, Belle & Polly at one of the promo shoots for
Animal House March 2008

Paul Phillion and Me at BHoF June 2012

Iva Handfull, Me and Stasia at New Orleans Burlesque Festival Sept 2011

Randi Rascal competing for Best Debut at BHoF in Las Vegas June 2011

Me, Nina Nightshade, Hai Fleisch & Waxie Moon in PDX after Bergamot Burlesque July 2014

Shelby Mine, Me and Eaton Johnson at Texas Burlesque Festival 2013

Playing the Sun in Waxie Moon's act at SEAF June 2012 (photo by John Cornicello)

Elsa Von Schmaltz at Re-Bar July 2006

Charlotte Treuse showing me what's what at Burlycon Oct 2012

Red Delicious at Back to School at Re-Bar Sept 2005

A whole bunch of burlesquers at Magnolia Cafe after TXBF April 2012

Flirty Laundry and Me backstage at The Naked Show Nov 2013

Me and Miss Kitty Baby post Boys! Boyz! Bois! March 2013

Me and Tana The Tattooed Lady April 2013

Vienna La Rouge at Re-Bar Feb 2006

Coco Lectric at New Orleans Burlesque Festival Sept 2010

Miss Elaine Yes at 619 Studio Dec 2007

Lucky Penny at 619 Studio Jan 2008

Babs Jamboree, Me and Chris Stewart in PDX after Bergamot Burlesque July 2014

Babette LaFave at Chop Suey Nov 2006

Jonny Porkpie, Me and Jo Boobs at Burlycon Meet & Greet Oct 2014

Me in a great costume by Jordan Christianson March 2014

Roxie Moxie as Hello Kitty & Me at Texas Burlesque Festival April 2012
(photo by Brian Dewey)

Shannon Doah and Me at BHoF June 2012

Lydia DeCarllo, Boom Boom L'Roux, Me and Randi Rascal at Can Can Feb 2013

Me at Showcase Showdown at Re-Bar (photo by Magpie Creative Photography)

All photos © Paul O'Connell except where indicated