Tehdas 2!!!

Tomorrow Restaurant Tehdas is celebrating their 2-year-anniversary and there will be both food, burlesque and a band! More info here !!!
Me, Pepper and Sir Willy can´t wait to see you there! And hey -we have the *bestest* pick up-artistry: Tinker Bell and Mela Lugosi <3 Seriously, Orimattila you´re getting spoiled ;)

Pic by Amy N. Joy <3

Roadtripping showgirls

With Tinx and Cherry by Bomba in Nurmes

Greetings from the road... Somewhere between Eastern Finland and Helsinki Tinker Bell, Turrrbo Cherry and myself are driving towards Wäiski and some history in making: the first Finnish burlesquezine will be released today and the party will be grand! Totally new numbers and collaborations as well as first numbers that haven't been seen for ages in stages! Huge thank you to the amazing power house Kiki Hawaiji for making it happen!

The ladies and I had a good time last night in Nurmes at the Drive In & Rock- festival where wwe shared the stage with Sweet Jeena and her Sweethearts. I have a special connection to Northern Carelia since my dad's from there and I've spent many childhood Summers up there. It was nice to see Pielinen again <3 

Hope to see you tonight!

Jeena doing her pre-stage stretching :)

Risto, Olli and Ville from the band

Drag.

Ready to rumble towards Hellsinki!

Fairy lights and disco balls

I have had a pretty clear image in my head about what my next numbers´outfit should look like. Today I went to a fabric store and the stuff I ended up buying is ... nothing like what I had planned! My albatross will look like a gigantic disco ball :D
Talking about fairy lights. I took down our Xmas lights (you know, the ones that *clearly* are seasonal) and bought today some colored fairy lights that went right up to brighten this darkness! They will hang there until the days get *obviously* longer...which means Easter or something. I blame Turrrbo-Cherry Dee and Tinker Bell for teaching me this craziness with fairy lights ;) -our rehersal studio looks fantastic with them!
Sandy had found this photo or Thee Dizzy Daisies taken at HBF´12 on the interwebs. Unfortunately we have no clue who is the photographer, so if you are out there and see this: let yourself be known! We love the shot!

Yuletide

Yes, I agree: lets enjoy the glorious October and Eve of All Hallows but come on, Yuletide is here before we can sneeze. So let's not deny the obvious but mark your calendars for the 14th of December when The Ravishing Shangri-La Rubies Tinker Bell and Cherry Dee bring us Under the Mistle Tease- A Yummy Yuletide Revue in Helsinki! On stage yours truly, Bettie Blackheart and Bent van der Bleu and there might be more!!! I shall keep you posted.
Now, I'm outta here and off to rake those leaves! Have a good weekend!

The hostesses <3

Fleas and markets and a bit of Restaurant Day as well

Making goodies on Saturday-night

Thank you everyone who came to visit us last Sunday! There could surely have been more people, but I think the Ravintolapäivä (Restaurant day) in Helsinki kept the people busy. Xtra special love to the very hungover young man who came because he had just looked up where the closest ravintolapäivä-cafe is and ended up leaving wearing my electric blue, sequined tailcoat! You made my day!!! Attitude is everything :)

Let´s get organized!

Red look for Raspberry

Tink getting her stuff

We sold sweet things for Restaurant day, all with raspberries. Here are raw food toffee and chocolate-raspberry muffins

Woop!  :)

Between panic and despair

Sorry guys and dolls, it´s been hectic since I got back. I have been trying to up my excersise-routines (after Berlin, quite needed haha!), do the coreo practice and work on my costume. Sometimes the grand ideas one has at the planning faze just ain´t working when tried out...and the first practice with the outfit usually tells you your faux pas´ so one piece of advice here: don´t do it the night before the show :) Usually there is some (read: a lot) of adjustments that has to be made. I´m really happy this week has been a vacation week for me!
Currently I´m somewhat panick-y, not totally but a bit since it´s one week to showdown and there is still A LOT to do. It´s back to work next week, -which is great! and the evenings are pretty booked with   everything from a fitting (new dress for the festivities, yey!), practice and then four workshops with Angie Pontani, Tigger! and Dirty Martini. It pretty much means I have to get everything together before Tuesday when I have my last time at Raspberry Fields...Oh! And those classes are already sold out BUT there is still place in the vaudeville masterclass by Mr.Pustra!!! Contact Helsinki Burlesque for more information. It´s unfortunately at the same time as Tigger!´s class so I can´t take both :(
Taking classes will cost you some but from my own experience I can say that it´s money well spent. You really learn from more experienced performers and even if you are not in to burlesque per se, but do some other performing (music, theatre...) I´m sure there will be something to work with since themes can vary from presence on stage to how to move and everything in between.
And talking of that, I have to get going. I´m meeting Tinker Bell for a final time to see that all is as it should be coreo-wise. Tomorrow  Thee Dizzy Daisies are going on a road trip to Turku to attend Alli Ruth´s ´how-to-make-a- performance-bra´- class. She will have one in Hellsinki later this Spring so if you are interested, take it! Performance-outfit IS NOT the same an lingerie!!!! If you are thinking about getting up on stage in that pretty HM bra, how blingy it ever is, -do think again. It will give a more professional and less cheap impression when you have done work on your outfit yourself.

Ok, off my soapbox again. Really wasn´t my point starting this post to sound so ...teacher-ish, sorry! but I shall be a good girl and have lost more of coffee and calm down. I think after meeting Tink I will feel better.

Leaving you with a song that really made my day! Ta!

Carpe Diem

My blue, spandex-clad friend was right (again). All of a sudden I want to make a stupid reference to mothers always being right, but maybe it´s not that far fetched? Scotty the Blue Bunny has been doing and breathing burlesque since the Tyrannosaurus walked the earth (according to himself - I would never dare to say that. The rule of "don´t guess the age of a drag queen" also goes for spandex bunnies in my book)  so he *knows* his shit. So I took his advice, put down my phone and did not take one single picture of the show last night. There were professional photographers present. As usual. 

Last night was History in Making- an evening of all male performers in Hellsinki, three newbies on stage among a stone hard line up. Pun intended ;) It was living, stripping proof of that we have a pretty awesome scene going here!!! 

When I locate photos of performances I will beg, steal and borrow to get them, in the meantime here are some snaps from between the sets. Thank you everyone involved, Bettie and Epe for organizing, friends and performers for making a wonderful night! Love is in the air!

Thee Dizzy Daisies. I seem to have broken the suspender rule.

Sir Willy. <3

My friend who came to see burlesque for the FIRST time got a blue hug.

Pepper and Molla, revealed.

The Men.

More hugs.

Tinker Bell. She is so gorgeous even from behind.

Tink and Macha.

With Hedoluxe. This guy. No words <3

This season I´ve been mainly...

Have you ever watched the Fast show? I´s this brilliant British comedy series. One of my favourite characters is this man coming out from a barn or something announcing that "this season I´ve been mainly wearing yogurt" or some similar nonsense :) I know, it´s stupid written down but it´s hilarious. British comedy really works for me...Absolutely Fabulous, the Black Adder...Smack the Pony must be one of my all time favourites. Here´s one that might give burlesquers an extra kick: 

But this week I haven´t been mainly wearing yogurt (even if it would probably be great for the skin) but doing stuff like...

Organizing my hair thingies.

Got red?

Practicing with Tinker Bell @ Raspberry Fields.

Wearing leg warmers very 80´s style because it´s COLD!

Thinking about Aatamin asussa-boylesque happening 08th of Feb. Here´s me with Hedoluxe last HBF. 

Siberia chic

Brrrr!!!! It has been really old around here again, we had -26 C this morning and it seems to be as cold tonight (same degrees as we speak). But what a beautiful day! Sunshine and clear skies. Winter as it´s best! 

I had my first class with Tinker Bell this afternoon, and as wonderful as Raspberry Fields studio is, it can be a bit chilly. So woollen socks, leg warmers (very Wham!) and pullovers it was. We got my coreo nicely started, hurrah! More to come next week. I also learned that trying to move arms in a gypsy-dance-kinda-way is friggin´  HARD :) Unfortunately me and Sandy had to cancel the go go gig with the Dangermen tomorrow since Sandy has caught a bad case of stomach flue. SORRY!!! But if you are in Hellsinki you should definetly go to Instro A Go Go and get a load of some great surf-music!!! Do some moves for us as well <3

West Siberia Stripper Chic.

Hooyah. Pretty but COLD!

My girl Tink <3

Baby food= snack for winners :)

Bump´n´grind

One of the quintessentials in burlesque is, of course, the bump and grind. The not-so-suttle movement of the hips gets the attention every time. Hey -if Elvis got in trouble for his hips...  ;)
I´m taking the first of my dance-coreo classes tomorrow with the lovely Tinker Bell...hopefully she has not too much to "undo" after Bent´s MAN-class on Tuesday haha! Anyway, I have been looking at videos for inspiration and wanted to share this one with you: the gorgeous Crystal Starr showing how the bump´n´grind should be done. I wish I could move like that! Practice, practice and practice...Tink, you are going to have your hands full tomorrow!!!

What a week

Thee Dizzy Daisies, fierce! by Jirina Alanko

Hello peeps! 

This week is soon over and I´m not really sad about it. One of our cat´s got bitten by something, a raccoon dog we presume since those have been around lately (supikoira in Finnish) and both her front paws are in really bad condition. The left one we might have to loose all together, the next week will tell how the antibiotics and cleaning of the wounds help. So do send some love her way, don´t know what we will do if she doesn´t make it :( 

In one and a half weeks there will be Instro a Go Go in Hellsinki with go go-dancing by me and Sandy, it´s going to be pretty quiet for a while now since I really have to concentrate on the upcoming number for the Helsinki Burlesque Festival. Tomorrow I´ll be going to Tampere for a final fitting with Olivia Rouge, also booked some dance classes with Tinker Bell...since coreo and dance really are not my forte as of yet :)
I´m also taking a class with Bent van der Bleu about drag (king:ing) and faux queening (if that is a word?): I want to make my Lucia better and more masculine and who´s not a better teacher than the Prince of Finnish boylesque! My advice for everyone out there is: use the knowledge around you. Take all classes you can get in the subjects that you think you need to work on and if they are not organized, ask for private tutoring. Yes, it will cost you some but some things can not be valued in money. We are surrounded by real talented people, pick some brains and get out there! Remember though that you have to make it YOUR own, not copycat anyone else´s thing. To be an original is as important as being nice to people around you.

We got the fantastic photos that Thee Dizy Daisies took with Jirina in December, so I´ll leave you with a couple. Have a great night and a good start of the weekend! Ta! 

Sometimes it just all goes array! Burlesque, as you can see is all about pose, elegance, sensuality and being dead-serious.

by: Jirina Alanko

Lucia, faithfully. By: Jirina Alanko

Some more Kaylin

As I was surfing I found a post from  Kaylin Idora about a video shoot with the 69 Eyes they have made in New Orleans... beautiful location and beautiful women, among others the amazing Perle Noire...not to mention a very nice song, mellow and somehow a bit sad. Maybe it´s just this darkness :) So cool that rock bands are using burlesque performers in their videos. I stole the link to the video, you can go check it out.
Came to think of all those wonderful photos Kaylin has taken while visiting Finland, so I snuck in on a couple of friends facebook sites and stole these pictures, thanks Tink and Sandy <3
And Kaylin, baby you need to come back!!!

Shake it, Sandy!

The amazing Tinker Bell

Doing what must be done....

My "Kiss (of a shy girl) outfit.

Pirates ahead!

Yarrrr!

We´ve had first snow and I feel all Christma-sy (don´t ask, I´m sure it will pass...) but tonight there will be some hot stuff at Kokomo in Hellsinki to take thoughts away from the snow...Bettie Blackheart is hosting Pirates Pleasures, on stage the Hellsinki Hellcat herself, Frank Doggenstein, Tinker Bell and my girl Sandy Jungle. Showtime is at 9pm so see you there! All wo/men on deck or walk the plank!

So far in September

I found some wine that will make you take your clothes off...

Located some very inspirational cookie jars (*ping* Stella Polaire!)

Got a very retro, gorgeous swimming hat from Tinker Bell that will make the grannies green of envy :)

Started my upcoming Xmas number...

...and almost finished one part of it (and it only took half a beer).

Have a great week ya´ll !!! Ta!