Springtime!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty crazy. Thank you to Lili Mirezmoi for having me perform at her Sassy Cabaret in Brussels the other week, to John-Paul Bichard for taking some amazing photos and to everyone at the burlesque brunch <3

Last weekend was the 10th Helsinki Burlesque Festival and as I really have no words to describe the whole thing (I´ll do a proper post later) I want to thank Bettie & Frank for making the magic happen and for having me as a part of the whole thing.
Thee Dizzy Daisies premiered our new Ice fairies-number and there are so many people and acts that made my head spin I really have to get back to this later.

...because tomorrow at 4am I´m off to perform three nights at the Toulouse Burlesque Festival, - yeah that´s France! I looked at the weather and it´s +20 and sun -can´t wait!

Hope to see you in Toulouse, folks! Be safe!

HelsinkiBurlesqueFestival 1

It's been a week and my head is slowly starting to process the fabulousness that was HELBF16. So many performances that blew my mind, so many amazing people, so much LOVE. 

Here are a few pics from Friday and from Luminous Pariah's workshop on Saturday ❤️

Burlesque Day in Pori

This Friday I´m off to Pori so I´ll be there on the spot to teach my Korkkarikimmellys-high heels workshop on Saturday! I have to be back in Helsinki for the evening (HENRY ROLLINS spoken word <3 ) and the public transportations is a bit if-fyish so the time for the workshop has been changed to a tad earlier! Check out the info of the day here! Sea Breeze will be teaching tassel-making and a lot of fun stuff going on!

I quick reminder that the tix for the Helsinki Burlesque Festival are selling pretty damn quick so stop thinking about it and go to Tiketti and get yours! It´s the 9th of ten festivals so after this there will be only one left with this concept so you really don´t want to miss this PLUS the line-up is pretty damn incredible!

The ex-Tourettes aka The XXXettes will take the stage on both nights and we have a brand new number for ya´ll ;)

With loved ones at the Turku Burlesque Weekend last year, pic by Tuomas Lairila

A little ditty about #helbf15

Here I am, at the bottom of my bed with a horrible cold....I can´t remember being this ill since my Dengue-fever some years ago. At least I got my sinuses open now and can walk around for more than 5min without wanting to faint :) I was totally bummed out for missing the Abstinenssi-klubi last night! Good thing is, I heard there will be more of them <3 YAY! Also, feeling pretty happy that I have a couple of weekends off and not having to perform while feeling like this, I know a few colleagues that are not so lucky. Hang in there, babes! Glitter and ibuprofein go a long way.

Anyway, my point was NOT to moan about this (since there are shitloads of worse things out there than a flue, as crappy as it is) but to share a link with you from last weekends Helsinki Burlesque Festival! Read this interview with Bettie Blackheart in Sylvi (my new number also got a mention, hurrah!) - this is, unfortunately, only in Finnish.

I´ll tuck myself in so I´ll hopefully be ready to rokk on Monday again! Have a wonderful weekend <3

"Midlife Crisis" (c) Tuomas Lairila

(c) Mats Öun

Tired and thankful

Tuesday Post Festival.

The blues after the #helbf15 has been worse than for a long time after a great event...Don´t know, it might have to do with the fact that I got to climb on Mr. Gorgeous lap on Sunday´s workshop -and well, the drop from there IS pretty high.
I will post more pictures and stories later but for now I just want to send out a HUGE thank you to everyone involved: crew, audience, performers, lovers and sinners! It truly was something to remember and even if I´m still exhausted from lack of sleep I can´t remember a time when I would have been more *alive* than right now.

Thank you for receiving my new number "Midlife Crisis" so well on Friday, I´m overwhelmed by all the good reviews everyone has given me about it <3


And when the going gets tough, the tough gets going! Come and get rid of this post-festival-depression to Cafe Mascot this Friday at Abstinenssiklubi  organized by the Ravishing Shangri-La Rubies!

Group pic by Tuomas Lairila

Gorgeous!

#HELBF15 is ON next week and I´m stoked about everything about it! I´m bringing a new act for Friday, helping out with the backstage catering, taking many wonderful workshops and getting to meet old and new peeps <3 Simply put: bloody marvelous!

One of the absolute favourite performers is Mr. Gorgeous from New York. I had the pleasure of seeing him on and off stage at the Vienna Boylesque Festival last May and yes, he is as gorgeous and *tall* as he seems. The perfect Clark Kent-image that he brakes with the most immaculate comedic timing. He is a real sweetheart as well, being genuinly *nice* to you. He´s also a costumier, I got hubby a pair of his tiger-swimtrunks for our trip to the Keys :) We´re taking his acrobatics workshop next week Sunday -yikes!

Anyway, if you don´t have ticket for the Helsinki Burlesque Festival you ARE seriously missing out!
I´m hoping to see this act again live... <3 Mr. Gorgeous in Vegas

It´s that time again...

...to release the fantastic line up for Helsinki Burlesque Festival 2015!!! <3
Thank you everyone at Wäiski last night! Now it´s time for me to grade some students, do some yoga and get myself in the Holiday-mood...My gaze is already set for the new shenigans of next year so be prepared!

#helbf14 part two

BOOM! There goes another week! Spring is here for sure, it feels like the light has increased so much it makes everyone´s head spin :)

I got some finishing touches to my "Albatross"-number in Tallinn last weekend, the tickets for the Sinsational Spring Awakening are on sale at Tiketti as we speak and all of us Daisies will have new solo-numbers to show you as well as a modified group number so get tickets beforehand! This Friday it will be sweaty and crazy at Dubrovnik when a bunch of drag queens and burlesquers hit the stage at Drag me to HEL! I´m performing my "Lucia, faithfully" in honor of the rainbow community all over the world and especially in support of the one in Russia that is being harrassed at the moment by crazy and unacceptable laws. 

Here are the last bit of the iphone pics I promised you from this years Helsinki Burlesque Festival! Have a wonderful and sunny beginning of the week <3 Ta!

My look for Day 2

Backstage, later...

Hubby gor some action from Kitten de Ville who performed her amazing "Casting Couch" act -the one sanctioned to her by Dixie Evans herself.

Sandy and me with Pearl Noire after her workshop

The unbelieveably inspiring Imogen Kelly

#helbf14

That is the hashtag used in the social media for this years Helsinki Burlesque Festival, check it out if you don´t believe me :) Here are a few snapshots (part one) found in my phone after the weekend. I really don´t take pictures of the shows... And I do recommend you do the same. Put your phone away. Enjoy the LIVE show. We look at life through a lense too much as it is. "Breathe through your mouth" like Scotty the Blue Bunny says.
Plus the fact that most, at least bigger, shows have professional photographers who will do a MUCH better job than we will with out phone-cameras!!! So relax, sit back, enjoy the experience and let the pro´s do their thing: on stage and off.

The gorgeous Lada Redstar, Pepper, Lassi and Tuomas at the meet&greet @ Hotelli Aleksanteri on Thursday

The crazy, wonderful women at meet&greet: Sandy, Tinker, Cherry, Koko La Douce and Fiona

Scotty with his new hat made by Bettie Blackheart´s mother <3

Us Daisies with our favourite Bunny and our Friday outfits: retro/vintage swimwear!

Handsomeness to the maxx: Jett Adore and Sir Willy Waterlily

The ever-so-sweet Kitten&Lou with our Godfather of Manlesque Frank Doggenstein

Dictator is trying to feed Lola Vanilla a banana and Tuomas is helping. Or something.

A huge thank-you!

To everybody who made Helsinki Burlesque festival the magical sparkle-fest it was: THANK YOU! Especially to Bettie Blackheart and Frank Doggenstein for massive organisation and who hand-pick the performers every year to guarantee the top notch-fantastic performances we see! It was a true honor to assist Kitten de Ville and Imogen Kelly at their workshops. Hugs to my girls Sandy Jungle and Pepper Sparkles for being my crazy partners-in-crime and to my ass-fantastic hubby "Dick Tator" for all his help driving, organizing etc :)

Here´s a link to an interview with Jett Adore and about the festival at Iltasanomat (in Finnish only, sorry!)

This Friday me and Cherry "Turrrbo-Cherry" Dee are driving up to Kouvola and shake our tail feathers at  Nostalgia Ravit, maybe we see you there?! If you are in Tampere be sure to take Kitten´s workshop there this Friday and there is a Teerenpeli Tease Hollywood on Saturday-night! Hope you have a great week <3

It´s here!

Happy Friday everyone!

And indeed, a happy one it is! HBF kicked off on Wednesday with the first workshops and today is the first day of shows at Gloria! I really do hope you have tickets because the last time I checked tomorrow is sold out and for tonight there are only a few left! The line-up is amazing! I got to meet some of the performers last night at the meet & greet and they are such sweethearts even if there is a some jetlag and flue going around <3
A big thank you at the moment especially to Perle Noire and Kitten de Ville whom I had the pleasure of assisting at their workshops! You ladies are a true ispiration and raise the bar of performing  sky-high!!! I learned so much!
21st Century Burlesque made a piece on the Helsinki Burlesque Festival and why it´s so popular and in high demand, please read it here! Bettie Blackheart is one helluva producer & performer and an ispiration and I´m so proud to be able to call her my "burlesque-mom" <3

Hope to see you at Gloria or tomorrow at Imogen Kelly´s or Kitten de Ville´s workshops! Ta!

Warm up club!

Tomorrow night there is a warm up party at Tyra´s Boudoir! Fredrikinkatu 24, @ Liike, fantastic drag show by Linnea von Kattendam and a possibility to buy some burlesque accesorizes from Tyra Therman!

Long time

It´s been a while, hasn´t it?
between being really sick with a damn cold and a trip to Stockholm there hasn´t been much going on. I have officially declared Spring in the form of changing my kitchen curtains and buying a fabulous Frida-Kahlo-ish wax cloth for my big table! It´s bright turquoise with pink roses and I LOVE IT!
I was supposed to go and see Pepper Potemkin shake her thang last Saturday in Stockholm but having 38 degrees fever kinda put a stop to that plan :( Good thing is, she is coming to Helsinki Burlesque Festival next week!
NEXT WEEK! I´m taking workshops with Perle Noire and am happy to be Kitten DeVille´s workshop assistant -can´t wait to meet these amazing ladies! I´m trying not to stress about festival outfits, I will take the easy way out this year even if me, Sandy and Pepper do have an idea for Friday-night!
Looking forward to tomorrow at Raspberry Fields, I´ll be working on my upcoming number and making some coreo-changes with Sandy for some of Thee Daisies stuff. Just hope this snot would disappear from my head!!!
Have a grand day everyone! I need to get some teacher-stuff done, even on this week of holidays :) Ta!

(c) Jirina Alanko

Helsinki Burlesque Festival 2014

Hallo!
There is NO time to waste if you want to be a part of the glitz & hooblah of the annual Helsinki Burlesque Festival: the tickets are selling like crazy so I strongly suggest you get yours from Tiketti as we speak! A wonderful line up once again...can´t wait to see Kitten de Ville, Perle Noire, Jett Adore and a whole bunch of other lovelies! Not to mention: our favourite Blue Bunny is back in toon <3

Scotty the Blue Bunny <3

Jingle them belles!

Hooyah! A little while left before Xmas...people are getting more and more uptight, the crowds are getting thicker, the mood is dropping...one can see those Neanderthalian looks on peoples faces at most shops these days...busy-busy-busy!!! Hang in there, folks! This comes eve-ry year so relax! If you hate cleaning, don´t do it! Dim the lights and light some candles. It´s supposed to be a joyous, relaxing holiday!
Since we (as in hubby and I) will be spending Xmas on a sunny beach this year I totally stopped my normal Christmas-craziness at... hrm, hanging up seasonal curtains and getting some flowers. I admit, it´s a sickness - I change our kitchen curtains four (!) times a year depending on the season but then again, it´s something I choose to do. Nobody expects it of me. So it´s fun...so far :)
I´m pretty tired, I admit. But I promise I´ll be back in full swing after Xmas! In the meanwhile GET THE TICKETS for Helsinki Burlesque Festival 2014!!! I mean it. This Saturday´s Yuletide Revue sold OUT and I know a LOT of peeps crying over it because they were not awake!!! Don´t let that happen to you. The line-up is *amazing* plus the festival workshop info is out, too! The tickets (at Tiketti) are selling FAST, more info here!!!

Have a merry week and hey -if you got those tickets, I´ll see you Saturday at Diana-näyttämö in Hellsinki!!!

By: JBM

Knackered

Sometimes one needs something different from the every-day-things. Last Friday´s gig in Pori was a much-appreciated break from craziness of other kind :) It´s a long drive but very much worth it, we had a blast, so thank you! Special thanks to Veera -again! Thee Dizzy Daisies will be back at the end of the month and we are bringing Sir Willy Waterlily with us so better get tickets!!!
I am absolutely knackered so need to throw my feet up for a bit before heading to yoga. Have a great week!

P.S Teerenpeli Tease Winter Wonderland will be Saturday 7th of December in Tampere and Champagne Sparkles is both performing and giving a workshop there!!! You do NOT want to miss this! Also,  the line-up for Helsinki Burlesque Festival 2014 seems amazing... Kitten D´Vil, Perle Noire, Jett Adore, Scotty the Blue Bunny...tickets are on sale and they WILL sell out so better be safe than sorry!

I warmed up my "In Flames" number...a change of shoes made all the difference!

With Holy Curves! and Pepper crammed at the miniature backstage :)

Elevator ladies!

Olivia´s rack

Vaakuna hotel in Pori has an AMAZING brekkie <3

Until Friday

I just realized that I haven't posted my snaps from HBF13! So here you go - workshops and Friday night backstage. I'll have to go through the Saturday as well at some point...
Oh yes, Tallinn was a blast! Berit took care of us as we would be queens, the event was truly magical - bellydance and burlesque go great together! And our first worshops with Pepper was a success. We got complimented for both contents and lay out so I feel really happy! The teacher in me is doing a little dance haha!!! Looking forward to do more workshops so contact me if you want something for e.g bachlorette parties or birthdays!

The Russian ladies Miss Blondis & Lyalya Bezhetskaya @ Dirty´s workshop Thursday night.

Ruska putting up scenography @ Gloria, Friday.

Titania Hill, backstage Friday.

Me and the terribly handsome (a bit scary here) Sir Willy Waterlily.

The Baron & Loulou D´Vil 

Fiona Timantti fixing the hair of the Authentic Jazz dancers

Me with my idol Dirty Martini after her workshop on Thursday.

The fantastic scene of HBF13 by Ruska Schönberg.

With the one and only Tigger! after his workshop on Thursday.

Kitty Litter & Pepper Sparkles backstage Friday.

Building...Friday.

With Sandy <3

Me with Dirty and Pepper, backstage Friday.

Thee Dizzy Daisies @ Raspberry Fields after Angie Pontani´s go-go workshop on Wednesday.