Blog With No Name

Quick Blog, as I'm about to pop out of the house and I couldn't think of a title...

A lovely weekend of shows at Ministry of Burlesque's Twisted Cabaret at the Komedia in Bath - this is one of my favourite shows as the audiences are always very excitable and welcoming, and Bath is so beautiful!

Komedia, Bath.

The show was hosted by the amazing Abi Collins as Katinka, and I got to meet a whole load of people I'd never met outside of Facebook!

Mirror Picture! With Tom Baker, Morgan and West, Kittie Klaw, Sukki Singapora and Abi Collins!

After a leisurely breakfast I headed back to London for Simon Drake's House of Magic; another wonderful show with some truly wonderful people.

 

Selfies! With Stevie!

Abby and Snakey Sue!

Then on Sunday evening I attended a little shindig for the gorgeous Ruby Deshabille's birthday party! It was so nice to sit out in the evening warmth with a glass of wine and good friends, and see some beautiful faces I've not seen in far too long!

 

Taz Zebrowski and Ruby ** With Chastity Belt and Coco DuBois

Party People! Loz Stevenson, Chastity Belt, Luke Hatfield, Joe Morose, Taz Zebrowski, Felixy Splits and Kitty Devine ** Luke, Coco, Kitty, Loz, Joe and Ruby

Birthday Girl!!

Alongside performing in some fabulous shows, I've been to my regular trapeze and hoop classes and, well, I can't really say I'm getting good, but I'm getting there at least! 

xx

Love, Lust, Life and Learning

Yes, I've been particularly lax at posting again. I'm not going to lie and say I've been that busy, but I have been occupied with other, 'real life' concerns that have left me unable and unwilling to post a lot.

On the performance side, I've had a couple of lovely shows in the last few weeks: one of my favourite regular shows is High Tease in Bath at the Komedia - the audiences are always lovely and I have a blast whenever I'm there.

Mirror Picture! With Rod Laver, Vicky Butterfly, Peggy de Lune, James Malach, Kittie Klaw and Red Sarah!

One of the best parts about the Bath shows is getting to hang out with everyone after the show and eat burgers from the amazing burger shop next to the Komedia!

The following week I performed at a couple of hen parties for the company Burlesque Baby - the girls were lovely and appreciative, and I always enjoy working for the company as they look after their performers so well.

Mirror Pictures!

After dashing around Soho and Covent Garden all afternoon I took myself off to Volupte Lounge for a double show with the gorgeous Tempest Rose and House of Burlesque.

The show was inspired by the very first show I did with the company, Circus Burlesque, which was based on the Seven Deadly Sins. Each show in this run is inspired by one of the sins and the opposite virtue, so I performed Lust (obviously!) and Chastity, depicted with my rarely seen, non-striptease serpentine dance.

Mirror Picture! With Gwendoline L'Amour, Tommaso, Dolly Rose, Tempest Rose and Betty Blushes!

I adore the girls in the show, and it was especially lovely to meet the gorgeous Gwendoline L'Amour at last - she is one of the pioneers of the modern burlesque scene in London and the UK and she was an absolute delight to chat to between shows.

This weekend I have a private party to head to where I'll be singing a few songs for a birthday girl alongside a stellar line-up!

xx

Christmas Showgirl

Another busy, busy week here!

On Friday I travelled to Bath - the most beautiful city, and one of my favourite places to perform as a large proportion of the audience are regulars to High Tease so there's always an amazing atmosphere!

Christmas Tree by Bath Cathedral

The show was more 'Party' themed than Christmas, which worked well as I was looking forward to performing my newly re-costumed 'Shake it Doll' act - a showgirl striptease with a rock and roll edge!

 

New costume goodness!

This month was hosted by the wonderful Tempest Rose and featured a fabulous line up of fabulous people:

Mirror Picture! With Elan, Tempest Rose, Frankie Lynn, The Great Voltini, James Malach, Kittie Klaw, Elliot Mason and Nurse Electra

 

Elliot on stage ** Tempest on stage

 

Christmas dinner pre-show ** Dancing at the disco post-show!

Saturday was a rare treat for me - I was performing as part of the Flaming Feathers Burlesque Show in Bath that evening so I had the entire afternoon to myself to wander around the beautiful city, do a little more Christmas shopping and shelter from the rain in quaint coffee shops!

Pretty coffee

The show went fabulously well - unfortunately since we had separate changing rooms I didn't get chance to take any pictures! However here are a couple stolen from others on Facebook :P

 

 

On Sunday, back in London, I indulged in one of my favourite pass-times; vintage shopping! After a lovely lunch at Goode and Wright in Portobello (it's delicious, you all must go!) I unearthed some fabulous and unusual vintage furs - Christmas present to myself, obviously! I adore vintage shops and markets for the weird and wonderful things you can find:

 

Taz with life-sized brass skeleton! ** Ken and headless Barbie...

A hectic, yet fun Christmas Eve soon arrived - dashing around, shopping for the last few bits and bobs, running out of wrapping paper and gift-bags, wrapping and packing until I was exhausted! However a steady stream of Christmas movies (Muppet Christmas Carol and Nightmare Before Christmas are firm favourites!) kept me going all along!

It has been a truly lovely Christmas season - spent with family and dear friends, eating far, far too much delicious food and drinking far, far too much delicious booze! 

Hat Trick

Thursday is the start of the weekend for me: it's usually the first day of the week I have a show and last weekend began by travelling to Barnstaple with Dolly Rose and Elliot Mason for The Burlesque Show.

The Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple

It was a lovely show, hosted by Lili La Scala and featuring the usual cast of wonderful performers. I hadn't seen Fancy Chance since the shows in Jersey back in August so it was great to have a catch up with her and she performed her fabulous 'Prince' act too, which I love!

Mirror Picture! With Kittie Klaw and Fancy Chance

We stayed in a nice little hotel overnight, and after a lovely breakfast I headed off through the rain with Jim Devereaux to Bath for one of my favourite shows; High Tease at the Bath Komedia.

Mirror Picture! With Sherry Trifle, Alexandra Hofgartner, Betty Blue Eyes, Velma Von Bon Bon, Dusty Limits and Kittie Klaw

The show was loosely Halloween Themed - one of the things I enjoy most about the Bath shows is that the audience always get really involved, dressing up to the nines and having a wonderful time. I was excited to see Velma's 'Fandango' act - the costume and concept was wonderful and the act itself was truly inspired. For me, the highlight of the night, though, was Alex's incredible double-act with her dance partner (sexy ping-pong! *not* that way... filthy people!) It was weird, wonderful, sexy and disturbingly gorgeous. I loved it! I also had a giggle performing as 'Zombie Marilyn' - singing 'My Heart Belongs to Daddy' complete with blood-soaked sponge heart!

Zombie Marilyn

After the show, we piled back to the Komedia flat, loaded with with burgers and chips from Schwartz Brothers (or Shwartzenburgen :P ) and lots of wine and beer to round off the night with several hours of gossip and giggles.

Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe - Bath

On Saturday morning we had a couple of free hours to have a lovely brunch and wander around the beautiful shops in the centre of Bath - the weather was bright but freezing cold and I was so happy for my gorgeous new coat I bought in Camden last week! Then we loaded the cars back up to complete the hat-trick of shows with another 'The Burlesque Show', this time in St. Albans.

Mirror Picture! With Jim Devereaux, Elan, Dolores Delight, Tempest Rose and Kittie Klaw

This show was spearheaded by one of my favourite hostesses, Tempest Rose, and she absolutely slammed it! The audience were onside from the very start and the whole show was so much fun (even though I put the heel of my shoe through the sequinned dress for my 'Sugar' act and had to perform a very unsexy manoeuvre to unhook myself!)

This is how I'm spending my Sunday!

So, tired, aching but completely contented, I made it back home for a lazy Sunday in front of trash TV! Blissful!

Interview - Kittie Klaw

Ladies and Gentlemen, please be upstanding for the Queen of Bawdy, British Burlesque - the inimitable Kittie Klaw!

"It's Burlesque so don't take anything too seriously!"

What was your first experience of Burlesque or Cabaret and what convinced you to start yourself?

I first encountered the word 'burlesque' when a photographer quipped that my 'style' of comedic-sexy posing was 'very burlesque'.  I was intrigued and tried to find out all I could - but the only material available were rare VHS copies of Irving Klaw movies with Bettie Page and Tempest Storm. I fell in love with the idea of a taboo of the past becoming a whimsy of the present. So I decided that giant knickers must be bought. I was already performing as a comedic belly-dancer for a local band who were themselves a rock 'n' roll pastiche (Hugh Reed & The Velvet Underpants) and a Glasgow 'legend'; and so my new fixation of novelty knickers was easy to incorporate. 

These early performances were a mix of physical comedy and awkward dancing taking inspiration and themes from American burlesque (specifically Bettie Page as she danced in Teaserama), Carry On movies (the exaggerated social and cultural stereotypes), pantomime (OTT expression) and classic British sit-coms such as Allo Allo (for parodic reference points). My very first 'appearance' involved a make-shift burka. Back then, the burka was in no way the controversy which it would've been in more recent years - there was no political agenda involved. Politics were far from mind.

When I started performing burlesques there was no burlesque scene - nor any hint of a future industry here in the UK (I'm now 30 and began when I was an undergraduate student). Burlesque as a concept was an anachronism and difficult to research. The word itself (when entered in to Google) yielded few search results and none that we'd recognise today. I remember opening a link for a search on 'burlesque' to find that "the trial was a burlesque of justice" - this use of the term as an adjective meaning 'mockery' set me to investigate the form further. I became hooked on the history and the idea of encouraging a modern legacy of this form of social satire (and big pants). 

Since there were no clubs and certainly no theatre shows (!), the places where I could perform were considered 'underground' and alternative - including the fetish-clubbing world. The playfulness and the exploration of gender roles which are lampooned in burlesque, seemed to tug at the heartstrings of the fetish and avant-garde art sub-cultures and so here I made my first network. At this time, burlesque in the mainstream was a fantasy notion. In reality performers like myself were celebrated by the alternative world but derided by the mainstream press and the wider showbiz community. Myself, Immodesty and a couple of others who were working at this time had to continually fight a flabbergasting battle to be fairly represented. The tabloid press did run a few ("positive") stories on my antics but the term burlesque was totally alien to them and my performance intention largely misunderstood with vastly more fabrication than fact printed. Feeling the sting of misrepresentation, the idea of championing the complexity and value of burlesquing became a personal 'mission'. I can be like a dog with a bone over such things. I'm a proud pedant. Over ten years that 'mission' grew in to what is now the bustling Ministry of Burlesque community.

What we (the worldwide community) have today in terms of a whole network of regional scenes across countries, a choice of clubs for both amateur and professional performs, gyms and church halls holding classes, dedicated fashion and costume shops, friendly press, mainstream media appearances and the biggy..... THEATRES (actual real theatres!) who want us, is just incredible. What a difference a decade makes. It's a triumph of perseverance.

 

"I'm a proud pedant"

You run 'The Ministry of Burlesque', an invaluable resource for the Burlesque and Cabaret community and produce several shows – how did this begin and how has it evolved?

See above.  Also:

After leaving my Masters/PhD course due to the tragic and sudden death of my academic mentor, I headed to London to take on more performance and modelling jobs in the alternative world. During this time, about seven years ago, I met my now partner James who is an I.T. Wizard. After getting over his initial confusion as to what the weird costumes and late nights were all about, he embraced the concept of burlesque and saw value in the scene as having potential to host business. He took over the MoB domain and created the first incarnation of the community.  He has tirelessly spend the years improving and honing the technology behind it, trying to help the industry emerge by creating free spaces for people to network, share and advertise their services and wares - with a sense of community fair-play. It hasn't always been easy as being at the centre of an emerging industry has sometimes led to resentment and often problematic behaviours on the part of users who have misunderstood the intention of the community and necessity of content moderation. Fortunately, these instances have been vastly outnumbered by seeing so many people blossom and our making some very special friends through the system.

Our regular shows are fun and I've learned to ensure that they remain a pleasure for everyone involved. I'm only going to produce as long as it's enjoyable. I need a blend that satisfies both business and personal returns. This is why I hire a 'core' of performers on a regular basis  - for me they equate to reliable, fun to be with and great on stage. We have developed a little family of eccentrics where mutual support and consideration are key. 

It only takes one sour puss to ruin a show for everyone - and an unhappy backstage environment translates to the audience. 

"I have developed a little family of eccentrics"

Which routine of yours is your favourite to perform and why?

I think... though it's hard to say, I like the Solitary Vice routine. I don't tend to get too nervous before this one, I think this is because it's most reliant on expression and clowning rather than choreography or prop gags (other than the chair) and the burlesque is very clear - suggesting that Victorian women were anything but prudish. It's also very cheeky despite for the most part of it being fully attired in far too many layers of Victorian costume (which I love)  and it's based in my favourite era of lampooning. I like the modern sense of absurdity as we mistakenly think of the Victorians as sexless or dull.

"Victorian women were anything but prudish"

Who are your biggest influences/inspirations?

Of the past - Bettie Page, Lola Montez, Lydia Thompson and Co, Vesta Tilley, Buster Keaton.  They were entertainers through wit and wiles. 

Today - I could watch Elan all day. I'm taking some private tuition with him on movement.

 

Bettie Page ** Lola Montez

  

Lydia Thompson ** Vesta Tilley

Buster Keaton 

Elan Koszuk

Tell us a little about your favourite experiences so far

- Having a sell out 2 nights in Hoxton Hall of an experimental show called Victorian Values.- 5 stars, sell out etc at Edinburgh Fringe for 2 years.- Meeting Ben Elton and having him praise me for my historical comedy and then keep in touch with silly email.- Seeing key High Tease / Burlesque Show performers develop in to stars. It's nice to know I've been a little part of their journey.- Making true friends and coming to understand myself better for their company and perspectives

"Ben Elton... praised me for my historical comedy" 

Tell me something no one would suspect about you

I do the Hokey-Cokey every morning. I  collect taxiderpy (that's 'derp' taxidermy) and Victorian mourning jewellery. 

On a more serious note, those who know me well know this... but most are surprised when they find out that I've struggled with anxiety all my life. MoB's mission to include, and the nurturing of key performers has been born of this - because expressing my ideas in public has been a self-set challenge which ultimately, has  led to my understanding of happiness. Through this, I can see how strong I actually am. I want others who worry or chronically doubt themselves to try it too. The culmination of this has been my one-to-one coaching - www.purrfit.co.uk 

"Be open, honest and up for a laugh"

Finally, any words of advice for newcomers to the scene?

Be open, honest and up for a laugh - with others and yourself. Trust your instincts and never be too timid to ask for advice. Keep a realistic perspective - it's burlesque so don't take anything too seriously! 

More Kittie Klaw:

* Kittie's Website

* Purrfit

* Ministry of Burlesque

* Cabaret UK