the delights of nanny dora

ladynoctis:

ive been musing again and today im thinking about how the audience react to burlesque perofmrances…catchy i know but its got me thinking again!!

in a time when burlesque has been respresented in many glamourous ways, through moulin rouge, christina aquilera and her glittery frocks and the ever breathtaking dita von teese recently on the box again im wondering if all sides of burlesque are fairly represented?!

often when i perform people are unsure as how to take me…you see i go for the shock value most certainly but does that effect the audiences response at all? if they arent very “up” on burlesque, if they are used to the dita von teese image then they are in for a shock when i step out?!? but is this a good thing, breaking the stereotype and does it lead to a good reception or a bad reception? when im on stage i can certainly sense the trepidation of the audience when they first see me and i very much play on that, the first minute of my acts is taken up with “acting and setting the sceen”…responding to the radio broadcast in a very sincere manner or in the case of my bonkers act simply standing still and letting the audience prepare themselves for whats coming. this comes from my acting background, not just creating the character but maintaining the character (i even take a bow as nanny dora)…a strength i drew on when i became interested in moving to the burlesque world…i find the audience confusion aspect an interesting performance technique to use…they have no idea whats coming, the tension creates the atmosphere so when it does climax in a very unexpected manner…BAM! thats gonna hit em right between the eyes in the most memorable way possible…or atleast thats how i hope they respond! however one day that could all go horribly wrong and already has produced some “what the hell just happened?!?!” moments but thats all par for the course i think. any response is still an audience reaction and some may love that moment of being yanked out the comfort zone, being shown the flip side to burlesque and some are more comfortable in what they know and thats fine too…

but many people are scared to embrace and support the “different”…keeping your audience in their comfort zones is a very safe way to play it and avoid those WTF moments. i think its important to promote the flip side too, its important for performers and promoters alike to ensure that audience know there are many aspects to burlesque dating back to it vaudevillian, musical hall past as well as the 50s glamour and pinup era, i think a varied and all encompassing bill makes for a far more interesting night for the audience even if its not always what they were expecting, after all, wheres the fun in watching the same theme portrayed in many different ways when there are many varieties of burlesque including the glamour, the shock, the slapstick, the stripping, the parody, the sincerity, the big, the small, the boy and the girl..variety is the spice of life after all!