Frankie Tease Blog

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an interview by Frankie Tease. After seeing "Surf the Musical", the Broadway-level production that was at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas during August 2012, I couldn't help wonder how they got the $10 Million in props ready for the show (Read my show review ). Sure, the multi-media aspect of it's glimmering L.E.D. backdrops were fascinating, and the cars too, but I couldn't help fixating on the organic craft of restoring old vintage surfboards. After all, surfers are an amazing group of people, and the boards reminded me of great times in California growing up. The musical had surfboards as tables, surfboards as surfboards (that thing you surf on in the ocean), decorations on walls, and even surfboards as advertising in kiosks outside the theater (pictured left - and how clever).  After a little searching, I found out the surfboards were made by the guy from " Chubby Surf"  ( Dear John, Shark Week, Austin City Limits Festival, Long Be

While there is no  one  expert about Burlesque,  Jo Weldon aka 'Jo Boobs'  has been a massive contributor as the head mistress of the  New York School of Burlesque  which reigns as the world's most acknowledged, prolific, and prestigious school of this genre since 2003. Jo states on the school's website that  "Classes include movement, history, costuming, makeup, choreography, fitness, theatrical skill building, circus training, and confidence building"  [ http://www.schoolofburlesque.com/ ]. Jo has been an intrinsic member of the Miss Exotic World pageant (annually in Las Vegas), as well as running the New York school. This forerunner has an amazing online handbook and a full in-print burlesque handbook available. You can purchase your print copy online via  Harper Collins  directly, or visit her site for the online edition on the  School of Burlesque website . The book's release date was over a year ago, June of 2010, but this is a book that is s

Shanghai Pearl by POC Photo One of the most impressive performers I have ever seen once came on stage in a gorilla suit, and high heels (as seen on America's Got Talent ). By the time she took that suit off she was in a bikini eating a banana. Who could I be talking about? None other than jet- setting, world class international burlesque instructor, performer, and costume-maker extraordinaire: The Shanghai Pearl . Below is the interview I conducted by chat, long-distance, with this amazing individual, June 27, 2011. FT: Where are you originally from? SP: I was born in Taipei, Taiwan. FT: What year did you come to U.S., was it first Seattle? SP: I came to this country with my mom when I was three, and grew up in Arizona. I've lived in Seattle for almost nine years now. FT: What year did you begin performing burlesque , and what or who was your inspiration? SP: I graduated from Miss Indigo Blue's academy of Burlesque in 2006. Before that I was a p

You have committed yourself to perform, your costume is ready and you are excited to wow your audience. But wait, who is coming to this show? Unless you are hired for a private event, it is your job to inform your fan base of your upcoming performances. Nowadays promoting doesn't just involve passing out handbills, it is a sophisticated combination of posters, handbills, online invites, and calendar listings. The easiest way for you to manage updating your fans could be creating an email list, fan page, or group. Without delving into each and every medium a  little bit of basics you might apply to make everyone happy at your next show. Each place you play, you will get new fans. How will you keep them informed among all the other event choices they have?  First, make it easy for your new fans to follow you. I recommend you create a free blogsite that is easy to remember, something where your fans don't have to sign in to access (such as yahoo groups or facebook fan p

Choosing the right shoes  for your burlesque routine is like shopping for specialty fudge, you kind of have to know what you're doing. This 'how to' is about choosing the right shoes for what you're going to do on stage. Burlesque routines can vary in choreography as much as a good day of weather in Portland. What you're doing in your routine is going to determine the type of shoes you will want to wear. If you are planning to sashe across the floor gracefully, you probably won't want something too tall with a rubber sole.  Ballroom Dance Shoes  - Ballroom dance shoes are made for action. The average shoe has a suede based sole for moving on dance floors, and will run from $30 to $200 depending upon the quality of the manufacturer. A couple sources I recommend are  http://www.danceshoesonline.com  and in Portland:  The Glass Slipper  3106 NE Broadway, as well as  the Letoard  2432 NE Martin Luther Kind Blvd. 503 284-9244. Ballroom dance shoes can be fo

This issue is dedicated to applying pasties to your bosom for performance and modeling. Don't laugh, it's not as simple as it sounds. Basically the type of adhesive you use depends upon your type of skin sensitivity, what you plan to do on stage, and what you have on hand. Read below for all the choices in adhesives before you.Spirit Gum - One thing I've noticed is that at everyone swears by the adhesive they use, I swear by spirit gum. During my performance I do fleshy acrobatics and have had to find something very solid to depend upon. Spirit Gum is made of SD Alcohol 35-A and resin, which is the 'gum' [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_gum ]. This type of adhesive comes in small or large viles and looks just like a 'cement glue' container, with a brush attached to the cap. The level of quality will vary greatly. In Portland you can find this at Hollywood Costumes 635 SE Hawthorne. They also have an ample selection of mustaches which can also be ap

In our travels and costuming, we try to make everything last as long as possible. This includes the longevity of stockings. How do you get the most out of your silk thigh highs, or nylon hose? I mean it's your favorite pair and you just got a run. How will you avoid this? It's all about the temperature. When I had a waitress job way back when, one of the requirements was to wear nylon hose every day. That meant going through a lot of hose. The company recommended we put the freshly bought pair of nylons into the freezer, as a way to preserve them. I didn't understand, but obeyed. Apparently, the freezing temperature of the freezer of your handy household refridgerator is a climate that will moleculary change the stockings, stronger once they are thawed. Leave in package in freezer overnight. Take them out and let them sit at room temperature. Take them out after a couple hours and let them air dry. You wil find a tougher hose than you ever imagined, saving you a ton

Frankie Tease sat down to talk with Matt Adamik about Ohio, New Orleans, photography gear, getting that perfect shot, and shooting burlesque shows. You might be surprised that a guy so quiet had a lot to say.  FT: How long have you been shooting cameras? Matt Adamik:  I've been interested in cameras since I was three, since I could comprehend what they did. FT: Is this an artistic fascination? How would you classify it? Are you a true voyeur of the world? MA:  Techniclly, I'm a gadget freak. I love the mechanisms of cameras like how the shutter works. Especially film cameras, I can sit there and play with broken lenses all day long. FT: Do you fix cameras? MA:  I fix my own gear as much as I can, if I can't fix it for myself I can walk into a shop and tell them what's wrong. FT: So you've been using film for most of your photography career and then recently switched to digital. When did that switch happen? MA:  I started shooting digital in 2006,