Frankie Tease Blog

Whitney Streed is a prominant comedy performer in the Portland Oregon Burelsque circuit who is also dabbling in combining Burlesque & Stand-up comedy. Frankie Tease sat down to ask this busy gal a few questions about comedy and burlesque, why she moved to Portland, OR., and what she has in store for you as her audience. FRANKIE-When did you get started in stand up comedy and what or who inspired you? WHITNEY-I started doing stand-up about two years ago. I had a job where I had a lot of free time but I couldn't seem to find any kind of creative outlet, even though I was craving some kind of art. I had thought about doing stand-up kind of in the back of my mind, but hadn't seriously considered it. Then one day I had this weird experience where I was wearing this shirt and I thought, "I should wear this when I try an open mic." By the end of the day I was like, "No.You should do it now. Now is the day. Go and do it!" And so I wrote a set list in a

How to Warm-Up While On Stage   as published by Kelly Dinardo on the Candy Pitch March, 2009. Did 'hair & make-up' go too long before you heard "you're on"? That's ok. You can build a warm up for your own safety into your every performance! If not, you can take 30 seconds to do this right before going on stage. Coming from a major injury to my hamstring, I can tell you that warming up is without question, the most important thing you can do for yourself before performing. I hurt myself on a cold December day during an audition which I didn't have time to warm up for! Because I do acrobatics during every performance, I have now devised a system that will ensure I didn't cool down while waiting to go on stage. Here's How To: Take that f irst 30 seconds  of your routine to breath deeply through your nose, connect with your surroundings on the stage, and warm up!  Think about your four 'major muscle groups'. The Chest, Legs, Back,

Frankie Tease sat down to talk with one of Portland, Oregon's favorite visiting Burlesque performers. Topics include: Honolulu, how a life-long ballerina started doing Burlesque, and what does Portland have to do with Honolulu anyway? Frankie- How long have you been a resident of Honolulu? Violetta- I was born and raised in Hawaii! I'm Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, European and Native American, which I think is a great representation of Hawaii's unique cultural strata. I love my island home and the "aloha spirit" that resides here! Frankie- That's beautiful. In Honalulu you are a burlesque performer and producer am I correct? Violetta- I consider myself a performer more than anything, I've helped to produce shows but usually do so as a choreographer and costumer. I'm thinking about beginning to produce on a limited basis though. Frankie- You are an amazing performer that is always well recieved in Portland for your unique choreograph