This is something I have been
considering a lot recently. With the Burlesque Festival season in
full swing, many of the top performers are doing the rounds and
appearing in festival shows the world over. More so this year than
any other, it seems to be many the same performers featuring at the
festivals, which implies that they are head and shoulders above the
rest of them.
There are also endless discussions on
social networking sites: “Who is the best performer in the UK?”
“Who is your favourite performer?” etc. where the same names
appear time and time again. Again, this shows that certain performers
are considered to be much, much better than most.
So, what makes a good performer? What
makes someone memorable, recommendable and marketable? There are
hundreds of performers in the UK, and many hundreds more abroad, so
what does it take to stand out from the crowd and be considered 'one
of the best'?
Some of the below are superficial,
some are not: these are my
opinions on what I believe makes someone both a good performer and
what makes others think they are. I would also like to state that I
have been on both sides (good costumes, not so good: part of a
clique, not part of a clique, etc). I am not
referencing any particular performers at any stage, these
are mostly sweeping observations and statements meant to apply
broadly rather than specifically.
Costume
I
genuinely believe that this is one of the main factors in determining
whether someone is perceived as a good performer: image is
everything. For better or for worse, the audience and promoters will
react more positively towards a dancer wearing a swarovski covered
silk gown, than a dancer wearing unembellished primark underwear,
regardless of whether the girl in the gown is actually a better
performer.
A
fabulous costume implies to others that you are committed to your
art: that you have invested time, money and effort into your act. A
poor costume implies that you don't care about your routine, despite
whether your efforts have been concentrated towards your dance,
acting or clowning ability.
Obviously
image is important, and many of the best performers have realised
this and invested a lot of time and money into their costumes,
meaning that up and coming performers often believe that a beautiful
outfit is the way to success.
Figure
I heard a
wonderful quote a couple of weeks ago: as burlesque becomes more
commercial, there is a lean towards a commercially perceived ideal of
female beauty.
I tend to agree
with this: burlesque is seen as a celebration of the female form in
all its wonderful diversity, and there are many world class dancers
who do not necessarily fit what the media considers to be an 'ideal'
body type. However it's hard to disagree that most of the top
performers also have amazing figures.
There is an
obvious reason for this – if you are taking your clothes off in
front of an audience, you want your body to look its best, so
performers will exercise, diet and work hard at perfecting their
figure. The more a dancer works, the more they will want to look
good, meaning that the top performers will invest a lot of time and
effort into their appearance, which perpetuates an idea that if you
have a wonderful figure, you will also be a wonderful performer.
Face!
This is one of my
particular favourite things with performers: those who give good
face!
Some performers
are wonderful dancers; some have perfect figures; some have
incredible costumes. However if they don't look as though they are
enjoying themselves, they are boring. Simple.
Facial expressions
do a lot to enhance a performance: whether it's a growling sex-face,
half-closed sex-kitten eyes, a coy rosebud mouth, a wide-open
faux-shocked expression, or many combinations of these. It is proven
that whenever an act is on stage, regardless of what the act is, most
audience members will spend most of their time looking at the
performers face – this is why TV broadcasts of variety acts usually
employ close-up camera shots.
Conversely, many
performers have realised the power of giving good face and have
rehearsed certain facial expressions in the same way they will
rehearse their dance moves. I actually don't like this: it shows and
feels forced and stagnant, and many times I actually believe it
affects the true potential of a routine.
The performers who
are cited among the best know the power of the face and their facial
expressions and have fun with them.
Who You Know
As with any walk
of life, I honestly think this is one of the main parameters in
predicting success. It's “Who you know, rather than What you know.”
The burlesque
scene is often criticised for being cliquey. I actually don't think
this is really a bad thing: if you are a promoter running a show, you
may have an overarching theme in mind for the style of show you are
putting on, in which case there may only be a handful of performers
who will fit your vision. At the same time, if you have a group of
performers you work with regularly, who are all good performers, who
all get along well and turn in a consistently high standard of work,
then of course you will book them rather than taking a chance on
someone you don't know. It is a sensible way of ensuring your show
meets your standards.
If you are a
performer who is 'in' with one of these groups, you are guaranteed a
level of exposure you wouldn't get if you were merely doing the
rounds. Especially if that show is particularly well received,
reviewed or respected. A regular performer with one of the best shows
will naturally be viewed as one of the best performers, regardless of
whether you actually are one of the best, or whether you merely
happen to be friends with the promoter.
Training
One
of the great things about burlesque is that it is open to all: anyone
with a modicum of talent, or merely the craving to be on stage and be
the centre of attention for a time can have a go, and some of these
will rise to become incredible performers. There is no elitism with
cabaret; no system of training as with drama schools, no exams and
levels as with ballet; anyone with drive and determination can have a
go.
However;
most of the top performers have had some sort of training, whether
before beginning burlesque or after starting when they realise that
only by learning stage-craft can they progress. This might be
learning basic performance skills such as dance or clowning, or
specific talents geared towards one particular act. The best
performers know that only by training can they hope to become the
best, and keep improving.
Promotion
In one way or
another, a lot of performers who are considered to be among the best,
are masters of promotion. Some people just seem to have the knack for
self-promotion on social networking sites or just generally.
Publicity seems to
equal talent in many minds: there are performers in every art form
who are described as 'coming out of no where' or being 'an overnight
success'. On the whole this is generally not true, with these
overnight successes usually working away for years before achieving a
seemingly meteoric rise.
I often refer to
burlesque as being the hardest sales job in the world. We are
essentially selling a product to a consumer: the consumer being a
show promoter and the product being ourselves. Good sales people can
'sell ice to the Eskimos' so if a performer is naturally good at this, they can make people believe that they are one of the best, whether
they are or not, and whether they even realise they are doing it!
Self-Belief
After a
combination of all of the above, a performer will be imbued with a
sense of self-belief; believing the hype that they are a good
performer. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy and will show on stage
– all of the best performers own the
stage: they know they audience can't take their eyes off them, and
will turn in the best performance they can.
The
top performers are often described as having that 'X-Factor' – that
indefinable, indescribable aura on stage, where you simply can't look
away. A friend put it succinctly when describing one act: 'they could
take a shit on the stage and you'd still go wild for them'
This
is truly the hallmark of what makes the best performers: the inherent
belief that they are meant to be on that stage and you are meant to
love them.
