The theme of the show was Burlesque as the show was also titled as such and two shows ran thoughout the night, the first one was on at 9pm and the second half was at 10.30pm. Performers on the night were the lovely ladies of the Melbourne burlesque scene Jasper Jewel and Miss Burlesque VIC Strawberry Siren along with the super talented Patricia Sidesplitter who mesmerised us with her singing voice combined with pole work. Host on the night was the amazing Anna Burgess who wore the most amazing custom made suede jacket and managed to get a group of men to do an improptu strip tease between acts.
On arrival at Alumbra there were corsets aplenty thanks to Kate (aka Patrica Sidespilitter) and outfits to mix and match and it was so much fun to mash it up and try different looks. By the end of the night I had almost more costume changes then Madonna, well OK I only had three as that is how much time would allow between shows and roving the pavement outside. My favorite was a dark green and corset with black lace and I teamed it with a black tu tu skirt just for a kooky mix, which I thought looked amazing together, and was totally Lady Kalypso's style.
After sorting out costumes amongst myself and the three other roving burlesque beauties in Alumbra's upstairs bar area, we were shown the ropes by Kate and Rod or Artifex Productions, entrance doors, bathroom we can use, stage position and then we were walked outside to check out the car park which had been turned into a concrete arena for the after party complete with food stalls and a main stage for the DJ.
Once the briefing was over we all headed to the bathroom to transform into our beautiful burlesque babes attire and once we were dolled up to perfection, drink card giveaways in hand, we hit the fashion hungry scene outside and worked our magic as best we could to the tough crowd.
I must say, walking around though that crowd with my fellow burlesque beauties was interesting as most did not know what to make of us women dressed in costumes, complete with feathers, fans, corsets and fishnets. Most were well dressed and the style was not my cup of tea but I am sure that their outfits cost them a lot of pennies, just as top labels do. It was a mix of the high fashion but thrown is was a few quirky individual styles which I appreciated more then the mainstream that flooded the event. My fashion crazy friend Tina in Sydney would have had a ball walking round seeing the fashion that was on show.
The highlight for me had to be the lovely and perfect Dita Von Tesse who made a surprise visit to the opening night, she walked right past me and I almost died! Perfection is exactly what that women is, my style and business icon right there in the flesh and what beautiful pale white flesh it was. She was wearing a teal long sleeve fitted dress that went to the knees I think and the colour of the dress looked so beautiful in contrast to her raven black hair and pale face. Of course she had her lips painted red and her hair was an art form in itself. I can't believe that she does here own styling, now that is something to aspire to, something that is rare these days.
After the shock of seeing Dita, the rest of my night was spent in Alumbra fulfilling my stage kitty duties and for those who do not know what I specialise in, a stage kitty is basically the bridesmaid to the performer who is the bride. I stand in the wings and make sure everything for their performance runs smoothly. I am the one who has to work backstage behind the curtain and collect costumes as they come off, set props on stage as to the run sheet , clean up the stage of any spills from raunchy wet performances and also hand props to the performers on stage if needed. I am hardly seen but my role is very important.
Last night was a lot of running up and down stairs and though bars to get to the green room/bathroom upstairs to hand props and clothes back to the performers but the vibe was really layed back the whole night and it was the easiest and probably most interesting kitty gig I have had in my short but fantastic career. If you can call it that.
I know, I am taking this new role to unexpected heights but if you love doing something then why not give it 110% each time and do your job properly whether it is a volunteer gig or a payed one, that is beside the point as the passion still has to be there. To me a stage kitty gig is a time to have fun, mingle with people, help out artists, wear great costumes, meet inspiring performers, help out friends and make new contacts.
I would like to take this moment to announce that I am also now, a cigarette girl and stage kitten for a new show in St Kilda titled Peekaboo Follies. Next show is in April and it is a permanent gig for me, once a month.
When I completed a modelling course in my teens along with my younger sister who went off to model overseas, I had no desire to be a model as I felt I did not fit into the mold of the mainstream. I am glad that I have continued not to and that I have embraced that I am a little different as it is working for me. I can not wait to walk into Peekboo and bring the 1940's back to Melbourne in fabulous vintage fashion, I am so happy with life right now as I am finding where I truly belong and being me is not so strange after all.
Note: Image used in this blog is was taken by Ange of 3FATESMEDIA and is copyright in all ways and forms
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