Friday, September 23, 2011

A Sneek Peek, Recap and Goodbye Letter



Oh hello my beauties! This week is going to be quite a stellar show as we bid adieu to our beloved Scooter Pie with one heck of an amazing cast! Featuring LADY SCOUTINGTON with special guests, the one woman riot MINNIE TONKA and the stunning KRISTEN LEE! Making her debut in the Sugar Shack is KITTEN KENT and our gogo goddess for the night is DIVINA GRANSPARKLE! Complimentary shots served after selected sets with DJ JESS on the decks and RUNAROUND SUE and SCOOTER PIE hosting together for the last time! You dont want to miss this special Wednesday night at The Delancey (168 Delancey St. Show starts at 10pm - no cover, always a good time. Wanna find out what happened last week? Well, here is the weekly recap from Scooter Pie:

Last night's Shaken & Stirred delivered a hot audience that equalled the hot action onstage- what more could we ask for in a burlesque dance party? Lucille Ti Amore was a sexy murderess, Phara Way made her scintillating S&S debut. Bettina May served as our scorching caboose in the late-night set. The evening's featured lady, Apathy Angel, could be described as.. supersexydangerouswow. RunAround Sue and Scooter Pie presented their famous Joan Jett duet.. and DJ Jess had us all doing the hand jive! Special props to the Man in the Red Hat for killing it in both beer and dance contests!
See you next week- it's Scoot's last week as associate producer, so you'd better be there!!
XOXOX


And now , on to the peeking... A special insight into LADY SCOUTINGTON:


1. What does Burlesque mean to you?


I come from the world of comedy, so the biggest thing burlesque means to me is complete performer control. Sometimes as a comedian, you wake up and think, "man, I don't want to be funny today," but you don't have a choice. That's your job. In burlesque, if you wake up and don't feel funny, that's cool. You can be sexy, sad, angry, sweet, whatever. There can be music and movement or silence and stillness. It's a really powerful thing that I don't think audiences always totally realize, even as they experience it. Burlesque is the only world where you can see a million different takes on the human experience back to back to back to back, and they all make sense, both individually (usually) and as a whole. You have license to do anything you want to do on that stage, and that's pretty amazing, if you ask me.



2. How did you choose your name?


When I started in burlesque, my performance was still fairly linked to my work as a comedian, so I was still just using my name, Scout. Within a couple of months, however, it struck me that I was creating something of a character, and I wanted a name that matched. Lady Scoutington came from the sense of faux affectation I've adopted in burlesque. It's like if a three year old was suddenly told she was the Queen of Spain. Sure, she'd want a title, but I think it would be a little bit silly. That's Lady Scoutington: a curtsey and a wink, and I'll probably fall off the stage if I try to do anything too sexy. When I received my phd in cuddling, I adopted Doctor to my title, and I actually graduated high school with "Princess" in my name (true story. Good move on sending me to hippie liberal high school, Mom) so that was a bit of a gimmie.



3. Who was your first celebrity crush?


Kermit the Frog. I used to sit upstairs every night with my Fisher Price record player and listen to "It's Not Easy Being Green." It's still one of my favorite tunes.

4. What are you reading these days and why?

I actually just got hired to anchor a new comedy news show, so I am frantically reading The NY Times to try to figure out what the hell is going on in this world. I'm a sucker for a good human interest story, so you can find me in that section of the journalism world pretty darn often. I started a biography of Elvis, but turns out he wasn't all that interesting. I'm also working on a collection of comic essays/memoir pieces, so I've been reading a bunch of those lately, "I was Told There'd Be Cake," "Running With Scissors," and such.




5. What do you wish you had known when you first started performing?


Not to want things so badly. The road is motherfucking long, and you have no say in where it takes you or when. Part of what I love about burlesque is its FUBU nature. I may not have booked that Kotex commercial (true story again. I blame the construction outside for ruining my concentration.) but I can still shimmy and shake my lil heart out on that burlesque stage.





6. Please distill your life philosophy into either a couplet or haiku:


Believe in whimsey.
Leave a trail of glitter, and
always prrrrrrrr when scratched.


7. How can the people find out more about you?

You can always read about my latest exploits at my blog: http://365showsin365days.blogspot.com/ or my website www.ladyscoutington.com. And if you want to find me on facebook, do it like this: DoctorPrincess LadyScoutington. Bark!


And finally, in closing we're reprinting Scooter Pie's Goodbye letter. Don't be sad - she's moving on to amazing things and will always have a home in the Sugar Shack. AS a matter of face, she will be guest hosting on 11/23!

I, Scooter Pie, have had an incredible past year and a half as associate producer of Shaken & Stirred. RunAround Sue is a mutha-f'in genius who has taught me so much about taking on the world with grace and kindness, and lots about putting on a show. DJ Jess has made me want to never ever stop dancing- his sets are more fierce and fun every week. It is with great already-forming nostalgia that I prepare to bid a fond farewell to these kids and all of our wild Wednesday nights together as I take some time off to prepare for new performing ventures. Before Team S&S starts to carry on without me in October, join me, won't you, on Sept. 28 to dance it out with me one last time!! Much, much love- SP

There you go! How can you miss it? See you in the Shack.

xo
SSB

Friday, September 16, 2011

A Sneak Peek at Shaken and Stirred Featuring APATHY ANGEL


As we settle into the lusty months of autumn, we're keeping things hot down at the Delancey. Join us this week when we feature the sleek and sexy APATHY ANGEL with special guests LUCILLE TE AMORE and BETTINA MAY! Giving great face on the gogo stage is none other than STELLA CHUU and making her Sugar Shack Burlesque debut is PHARA WAY! As always, hosted by Team Sugar Shack: RUNAROUND SUE, SCOOTER PIE and DJ JESS! Free shots served after selected Burlesque sets...and plenty plenty plenty of opportunities for you too, our dear audience, to get yourself on stage. Bring your friends, your lovers and everyone in between.

And now for last week's weekly recap by Ms. Scooter Pie and one Goodbye Letter:

Last night was gorgeous, wild, and truly stirring- a consummate Shaken & Stirred evening for the books. Jonny Porkpie rapped- holy crap, it was amazing. The gorgeous Stella Chuu made her debut, a tribute to Tron. Beloved gogo sensation Cookie Cutter, in town from Austin, won our hearts all night to the beat of DJ Jess' selections. Our featured performer was Legs Malone, fresh off a European tour and blowing our minds as ever. Hazel Honeysuckle was a super lovely caboose to cap off the evening. We also had some mega excellent talent onstage during our dance contest. I totally could not stop dancing all night- it was great to be back! XOXO


I, Scooter Pie, have had an incredible past year and a half as associate producer of Shaken & Stirred. RunAround Sue is a mutha-f'in genius who has taught me so much about taking on the world with grace and kindness, and lots about putting on a show. DJ Jess has made me want to never ever stop dancing- his sets are more fierce and fun every week. It is with great already-forming nostalgia that I prepare to bid a fond farewell to these kids and all of our wild Wednesday nights together as I take some time off to prepare for new performing ventures. Before Team S&S starts to carry on without me in October, join me, won't you, on Sept. 28 to dance it out with me one last time!! Much, much love- SP


And now, on to a Sneak Peek of our featured dancer for next week's Danceparty:

APATHY ANGEL

1. What do you feel is an essential quality in a performer?



An ability to be vulnerable in front of complete strangers. I think in order to be a great performer, someone that people really remember and WANT to watch, you have to be able to take yourself onstage to a place you might not be able to in real life - whether it's sexual, comedic, dramatic, etc. You have to want to open up and give whatever emotions you have to the audience without any fear of judgement. A love of the stage, basically.





2. What do you do to stay motivated?



I try to never get ahead of myself. That is, never allow myself to get to a place where I feel totally comfortable - I'm always trying to challenge myself, do something I haven't done before, or perfect what I already have. I think as an artist, allowing yourself to think you've finally "finished" something is a death sentence. Creation is all about constant change - being willing to tear things down and build new foundations. That said, I love watching others perform and see how they tackle things. Meeting new performers, seeing new shows, reading and watching films and viewing art - you have to keep all channels open, otherwise you risk cocooning yourself and suffocating. Isolation leads to "making art for the artist" and that always leads to flat performances.





3. What is one thing you wish people had told you when you first started performing?



Buy stock in Magna-Tac, haha!




4. What are you reading these days and why?



Not working on anything at the moment, however I'm DYING to get my hands on a copy of Mygale by Thierry Jonquet (Pedro Almodovar's newest film "The Skin I Live In" is based off this novella) as well as Mark Twain's autobiography (which, per his instructions was published 100 years after his death).



5. Do you have a favorite joke?




What is the meaning of life?



6. Please distill your life philosophy into either a couplet or haiku:



Can I give you a couple of quotes instead? (I am hopeless at haiku!)

"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval."

and

"If not now, when?"



7. How can the people find out more about you?


Anyone who is interested in what Apathy Angel is up to or planning can always check my website at www.apathyangelnyc.com! Of course, there is always Facebook (www.facebook.com/apathy.aoki) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/ApathyAngel) if anyone is interested in the minute, ridiculous nonsense that pops into my head and out of my mouth on a daily basis!


See you on the dancefloor Sweethearts <3 RAS

Friday, September 9, 2011

A Sneak Peek at Shaken and Stirred Featuring LEGS MALONE


Last week was quite a blast in the old Sugar Shack! DARLINDA JUST DARLINDA was our featured performing showing off quite a lot of talent with both of her numbers. CREAMY STEVENS dropped some science along with her clothing for our opening number and our sweet little caboose, BOOTS LA MAE, turn heartache into an erotic moment with our final number of the night. The unstoppable heartbreaker, MINNIE TONKA, gogoed her little heart out and then performing a smoldering slowburn of a strip tease while our very own RUNAROUND SUE played an acoustic version of "House of the Rising Sun" in our final set. As always there were free shots to be had and plenty of audience participation.

This week we are celebrating the Homecoming of some of our favorite people! Our darling SCOOTER PIE has been tripping through the enchanted world of Midsummer Nights Dream bringing to life the role of Puck over the last couple weeks. And now she's back to bring her special brand of mischief to Shaken and Stirred as our fabulous co-host. The ever glamorous LEGS MALONE returns for her European tour with her first stop back stateside at our sweet little party! JONNY PORKPIE has been teasing audiences across he states and so he too is newly return- we cant wait to see what he brings as our special guest. Closing out the night with be Rhinestone Follies producer HAZEL HONEYSUCKLE as our late night caboose. Up on the gogo box is none other than COOKIE CUTTER visiting us from her new nest in Texas and making her burlesque debut is the super cute STELLA CHUU! Wow- you thought your highschool homecoming dance was fun? What till you spend a homecoming in the Sugar Shack! Bring your friends, your lovers and everyone in between!

And now on to the peeking!

LEGS MALONE

1. What do you feel is an essential quality in a performer?



Presence. Without it, an audience's attention is hard to hold.





2. What do you do to stay motivated and positive?



Keep going - keep pressing ahead - and a whole lot of positive daydreaming :)





3. What is one thing you wish people had told you when you first started performing?



Be sure you can dance in your shoes. I had one pair of really cute shoes that I was perfectly fine standing in but once I got on stage, I was wobbling like mad and even stepped out of the shoes a few times. Not cute.





4. What are you reading these days and why?



I mainly read the New York Times website to keep an eye on world affairs but as for books I'm in the middle of "Just Kids" by Patti Smith. It was recommended to me by a friend and I have to say it is absolutely living up to its hype. I'm loving it.







5. Do you have a favorite joke?

Pretty much any joke by RunAround Sue :)



6. Please distill your life philosophy into either a couplet or haiku:

To be human is
to err, to forgive, to love
to love more and DANCE!


7. How can the people find out more about you?

They can visit my website - www.legsmalone.com - as well as friending me on facebook (look for Alegsandra Malone) and follow me on twitter @misslegsmalone !

Friday, September 2, 2011

A Sneak Peek at Shaken and Stirred Featuring GIGI LA FEMME


Well Hello! Last week we sent the last of August off with quite a sweet intimate show. Dangrrr Doll kept the room hot and steamy as our gogo sensation while RunAround Sue and her hosting partner for the night, Tequila, kept your engines running. DJ Jess was in full effect and Rosie151 shot us all right through the heart as our featured performer. Lolito opened the show with a gloriously inappropriate phone call and the gorgeous Cassandra Rosebettle closed the night with a sensual fan dance.

Join us this week as featuring the Girl Dreams are Made Of: GIGI LA FEMME! With special guest CREAMY STEPHENS, the lady who put the gore in gorgeous and our cutie caboose BOOTS LA MAE! MINNIE TONKA is our heart stopping, unstoppable gogo gal for the night- Wow! What a line up.

And now, a sneak peek at our featured dancer: GIGI LA FEMME

A fantasy made flesh and blood, GiGi La Femme is a delectable feast for the eyes, heart and soul. One of the most active performers on the New York Burlesque scene, she is a mainstay at many of the city’s most critically acclaimed shows and best loved venues from the Bronx to the Battery and beyond. A multi-level threat, GiGi is a striptease artist, go–go dancer, pin-up model, chanteuse, host, and producer.
She's been called "sultry" by The New York Times, a "risk-taker" by NY Theatre Wire and was awarded the Golden Pastie for Best Booty Shaker of 2008 by The New York Burlesque Festival. It's no doubt that GiGi La Femme really is the girl dreams are made of!




1. What does Burlesque mean to you?

Burlesque, for me, is the ultimate art form because you have the power to dream up any act, use any piece music, design and/or make costumes and create the choreography as you see fit. The choices are all entirely up to the performer and it gives you the opportunity to tap into personal inspirations and attack things that challenge you. Burlesque is my art and my art is my therapy :)

2. How did you choose your name?


I made a list of first and last names that I was really drawn to and then played the mix-n-match game. GiGi La Femme was the one that got the vote--my first (Muggle) name is French as well and heck, I like to think that this gal is ALL woman! After that, I did my research: I scoured the internet (it's a great tool, people!) and made sure that my name didn't even come close to anyone else's, even in the pin-up community. Sure, imitation is a sincere form of flattery, but you never want to invite the opportunity to be confused with someone else. Your name is everything!

3. Who was your first celebrity crush?


It's a toss up between Michael Jackson and Davy Jones (The Monkee, not the pirate).

4. What are you reading these days and why?

I kind of hate to admit it, but I am addicted to gossip rags & blogs. It's so mindless and ridiculous that I just end up laughing while I "read". It's sick, I know! However, it's not like I have subscriptions to anything, but I'm not opposed to picking up a copy of "Guess Who Got a DUI Again & Celebrity Mansion Tour Magazine'" on line at the supermarket, traveling on a plane or while I'm getting my nails done. All that said, my next book purchase will most definitely be Steven Tyler's new biography, "Does The Noise in My Head Bother You?: A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir."

5. What is your favorite performance anecdote?


I always crack up when I think about the time my Kissing Cousin, Scarlet Sinclair, almost got paid twice after we performed at The Slipper Room. The doorman thought she was me after we casually switched places beside him. We're tricky without even trying!

6. Please distill your life philosophy into either a couplet or haiku.


Mind your heart and mind
Love others and receive love
Also wiener dogs


7. How can the people find out more about you?


I'm on the Facebook as 'GiGi Lafemme' and the Twitter as 'gigilafemme' but I've also got a handful of websites should you want to keep out of the social networking muck:

www.gigilafemme.com
www.revealedburlesque.com
www.burlesqueonthegogo.com


See you at the show! Bring your friends, your lovers and everyone in between.