THE EIGHTH ANNUAL NEW YORK BURLESQUE FESTIVAL
30 SEPTEMBER 2010 — 3 OCTOBER 2010

TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Midnite performs on Sunday, October 3rd!

Thursday September 30th: Teaser Party
Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Ave,
Brooklyn NY 11211
Doors: 8pm
Show Time: 9pm

Friday October 1st: The Premiere Party
The Bell House
149 7th street (between 2nd & 3rd)
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Doors: 8pm
Show time: 9pm

Saturday October 2nd: The Saturday Spectacular
BB Kings
237 W 42nd Street
NY,NY 10036
Doors: 6:30pm
Show time: 7:30pm- 11pm
Saturday Night Official NYBF After Party
11pm-1am @ Lucille's Bar
(Next door to BB Kings and free for all Saturday ticket holders)

Sunday October 3rd: The Golden Pastie Awards
Highline Ballroom
431 16th Street
NYC, 10011
Doors: 7pm
Show: 8pm

The first time we saw the gorgeous Midnite Martini she was hanging upside down off a giant hoop, spinning in circles, wearing nothing but stockings, panties, and tassled pasties. We just had to learn more about this enigmatic beauty. Here's what we found out:


1. Who are you and what do you do?

I am Midnite Martini, an aerial burlesque artist who headlines weekly at Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret in Denver. Aerial burlesque is a combination of aerial dance circus arts (such as lyra, tissue, stilts, etc) with the retro art of burlesque and striptease. I also produce shows, such as Midnite Martini's Sexy Circus Sideshow, Midnite Martini's Ladies of the 80's, and Midnite Martini's Burlescapades, and teach burlesque classes with Fannie Spankings in our Burlesque Booty School! Dipping my toes in everything, I also help manage Lannie's Clocktower on the business side of things, working their admin, box office, and most recently helping them open their patio.

Unfortunately I can not fully support Midnite's lifestyle, so my alter ego Kim Townsend also teaches dance and aerial classes to kids and adults with Frequent Flyers Productions (Boulder) and Creative Dance LLC (Denver). I also just accepted a job as academic administrative director for Naropa University in their Somatic Psychology department (I earned my bachelors in psychology).

I am also proudly Korean adopted, a Burner, lover, dreamer, and am often oozing with sarcasm!

2. How did you get involved in burlesque and aerial dance?

My dad used to always watch old movies and listen to old music, so I grew up loving Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Danny Kaye, Red Buttons, Abbott and Costello, Vera Ellen, Billie Holiday, etc. My appeal to classic glamour and retro culture was instilled at a young age.

Also I started performing at a young age, starting in figure skating and then moving to community theatre and dance. From 7th grade and throughout the rest of my schooling I did a lot of musical theatre and was drawn to the style, sex, and attitude of Fosse musicals. I adored Chicago, Sweet Charity, All that Jazz, Pajama Game, not only for their unique dance sequences, but also for their tongue-in-cheek and often dark taboo feeling.

I studied musical theatre my first year in college which surrounded me with an unhealthy and self-deprecating environment. Our dance and theatre professors were always preaching that we needed to lose weight and have the "Male V" and "Female Hourglass." I distinctly remember one afternoon our department professors sat all of us incoming Freshmen down and warned us about the gaining the dreaded "Freshman 15." They said, "It doesn't matter if you have the talent, no one will hire you if you don't have the body and the look." In this world I became very unhappy, and I overstressed about my body image. This lead to me actually gaining weight and then resorting to unhealthy habits to try and get it off. I felt like disconnected from myself and had a real distaste and discomfort in my own skin, it was a very gloom year.

After that I decided that this environment was not a good place for me and I transferred to a different university to study psychology in Boulder. There I decided to dance on the side of my schooling and was lucky enough to become a company member with Frequent Flyers Productions, an aerial dance company.

I found that this circus and aerial dance world felt much more comfy to me, it's known for often accommodating the "misfits" of the conventional ballerina world. It really is for all those people who want to run away to join the circus!

Well, my creativity was sparked and passion for dance re-invigorated! I got the crazy idea that maybe it really is possible to perform doing things my way, and so I drew upon my retro cultured childhood and love for Fosse and looked up Burlesque in Denver. Seriously, I literally googled it and the "Burlesque as it Was" troupe is what I found.

I contacted Vivienne VaVoom, the director of the troupe, informed her that I did aerial and dance and wanted to start burlesque. She invited me to come see one of their shows, which I did. I met with her for a bit and by the end of the night she invited me to bring a couple of acts to their next show and try it out! This was back when burlesque was not as popular (though there were plenty of woman doing it, not to discount their efforts and activity), but the community was more relaxed, the demand for shows weren't as high, and everything still felt very underground and unknown. Nowadays girls who want to get into burlesque usually follow the protocol of taking classes, apprenticing at shows, and then auditioning their acts for producers and troupe directors. But I joined the scene back around 2005, so am very fortunate to have the chance to pretty much stumble in and get right onstage!

I was so excited to do that first show, I studied vintage burlesque film, hot glued together a tabby but workable costume, and showed up with bells on! Not even 21 years of age yet, I did the first show 2 days before my 21st birthday! Using my flexibility and dance background I'm happy to say I did well enough to be asked to keep performing with the troupe. From there the burlesque scene just kept exploding. The troupe has since disbanded, but all of the troupe ladies along with many other seasoned and new faces perform as individual contractors down at Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret. Currently, there are several venues that host weekly burlesque and variety shows. Also towns like Fort Collins and Colorado Springs have developed their own scene and the good word keeps spreading. In fact, the demand is now so high that I just co-produced the First Ever Colorado Burlesque Festival this past July to much success!

I have always found the burlesque world to be a breath of fresh air compared to my classic dance and musical theatre training. All shapes, sizes, ages, colors, backgrounds are welcomed, and if you have the talent then it doesn't matter how you look, you are beautiful! The environment has opened myself up to accepting my body and self, which in turn has freed my creativity and liberated me as a woman. I think I've always been destined to be in this line of business because it truly feels like home!

3. What inspired your stage persona Midnite Martini (and where did the name come from)?

Midnite Martini is really just me, probably an emphasized version, but still me . . . I've always been a ham, loved the spotlight, and will play it up for a crowd. I will say (like I explained in the previous answer) that Midnite has allowed me to love myself more, be more comfortable and confident in my own skin on and off stage, and inspired me to create and grow as an artist more than ever. But when I emcee or perform it's really just me up there, no crazy different character, I'm me doing my thing. I think that's part of the appeal for both me and the audience. It's honest, genuine, and I have the chance to tap into the many different sides of who I am and how I feel!

Oh my name, the most difficult decision I've had to make in this biz! I wanted a name where the first and last started with the same letter, I just thought it would sound catchier that way. The influence of growing up listening to the vocal standards of the Rat Pack and loving that lounge lizard glamour made me decide to incorporate "martini" into my name. Seemed appropriate! Midnite came from wanting something mysterious and dark. I still really enjoy my name and think it encompasses the mood I want from the audience.

4. What's your favorite thing about the work you are doing?

The moments where I go, "Wow, I'm really doing something good and am here for a reason," are when women come up to me and tell me how our shows have positively inspired or changed them. We have more women than men come to our shows, and I've had many ladies talk to me and express that seeing performers of all shapes, sizes, and ages get on that stage and own it has put a sense of empowerment in themselves. Burlesque is truly a place where we celebrate our differences and our flaws are often what makes the audience fall in love with us. One appeal is that we're women just like the ones out in the audience. It is liberating to see women just like you being confident and not apologizing for being naked, funny, politically incorrect, clever, or un-ladylike!

I've also had specifically Asian women come up to me and thank me for being a strong, dominant Asian female figure. It combats the stereotype that Asian women are submissive or shy or stay at home. When I first started I don't think I fully grasped that I was doing this, but after women expressed these things to me it became very clear that what we were doing was bigger than just ourselves and our acts. My favorite thing about this work is representing all the "boxes" I fit into (Korean, Female, Small, etc) and showing other people that it's okay to blow these boxes to pieces. Because no one belongs in a box!


5. What (or who) inspires you to do this work?

I love my girls and fellow performers down at Lannie's Clocktower. We regularly support, challenge, and inspire each other to grow and mature. I look towards the Burlesque Legends, the women who were performing in the hay days of burlesque. They show me how it was and how it should be done. I look to the current burlesque stars like Michelle L'Amour, Dirty Martini, Julie Atlas Muz, Trixie & Monkey, Tigger!, World Famous BOB, the list goes on and on. These artists range from being earth shakingly smoldering to bending gender roles, from creating fantasy to making social or political commentary in playful ways that make the audience think instead of knee jerk react. They show me how to be successful but remain classy in doing so, and how to use burlesque to its fullest potential in this modern world.

And in general, anyone who works towards equality and acceptance in this society, fosters the expansion of the creative and performance arts, and challenges our minds inspire me in my art and life!

6. Who do you hope to touch with the work you're doing?

Everyone who needs to be touched by it . . .

From the bachelor who just wants a fun night out on the town to the awkward gentleman struggling with gender identity and finds solace in our unconventional world. From the woman who doubts that burlesque is part of the feminist movement to the woman who is just getting out of an abusive relationship and wants to take burlesque classes to turn over a new leaf and take her life back. From the many burlesque mommas who fully support their daughter's art to the well cultured theatre critic who analyzes the show beyond the glitz and glamour.

I've met and talked with each of these people and burlesque is meant to touch anyone who is willing to watch!

7. What's your favorite decadent treat?

It's a very decadent treat anytime I get a show off and indulge in a date night with my honey.

Food wise, I love Jamocha Almond Fudge Ice Cream, Creme Brulee, Tiramisu, and my new favorite Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream

8. Do you have a favorite sex icon? If so, who?

My soul mate Jason who is also known as new boy-lesque sensation Buster Hymen!

9. What has been your biggest challenge in your sexy endeavors?

Those who don't quite see burlesque the way I do (everyone is certainly entitled to their perspective and burlesque would be quite hypocritical if they didn't truly accept everyone, no matter where they come from or what they think).

But it is difficult to keep the positive performance environment when people think of you as a dirty stripper who is undermining the feminist movement and don't see any positive redeeming value in burlesque. It's hard to break the stigmas and open up people's minds (men and women alike) that burlesque can be empowering, liberating, smart, a place for social comment and conversation, and all of the things that make me love burlesque so much. Burlesque has been the most freeing thing in my life and has allowed me to accept myself completely more than ever before, and the fact that there are those who don't believe or understand that just makes me sad.

10. Where do you see yourself in five years?

I want to be performing and producing locally like I am now, but hope to also be performing internationally. I hope to still have my own shows where I can employ the best of the best in local burlesque and in five years would love to have the capabilities to tour with these shows! Five years will also hopefully bring more acceptance, powerful movements for the arts and women, great creative growth and chances to take bigger risks . . . and of course sparkly props and more elaborate costumes!

Official Colorado Burlesque Festival Schedule

We'd like to thank everyone local and out of town who is partaking in and supporting the Colorado Burlesque Festival. We extended invitations to all of the local burlesque performers and burlesque businesses to get involved and participate in this monumental event, and great thanks go out to those who accepted the invite and were able to join us on this wonderful ride!

Any events not listed here are not associated with and unfortunately do not profit the festival. Thank you!

Wednesday July 7, 2010
Pampered Passions Fine Lingerie Party (Official CBF Sponsor) & CBF KickOff
Join us for a little wine, snacks and the sexiest lingerie to be had!
(303) 346-8450
9615-D East County Line Rd
Englewood, CO 80112
5pm - 8pm
FREE
Pampered Passions

Thursday July 8, 2010
Naughty Pierre's Burlesque and Comedy Extravaganza
Lannie's Clock Tower Cabaret
303-293-0075
1601 Arapahoe Street, Denver 80202
8:00pm
$20.00
Lannies

Friday July 9, 2010
Colorado Burlesque Festival Intimate VIP Night
With Your Host Naughty Pierre and Opening Music from Jonny Barber & The Rhythm Razors
Lannie's Clock Tower Cabaret
303-293-0075
1601 Arapahoe Street, Denver 80202
8:00pm
$35.00
After party with drink specials (show ending around 11:30 or Midnite) till 2am!
Lannies

We are excited to be able to offer two amazing classes on Saturday July 10th.
The classes will be held at The Aerial Dance Over Denver Dance Studio
8964 East Hampden Avenue Denver, CO 80231
Each class will be $20 or you can do both for $30!
For out of town guests we will be arranging a carpool from The Curtis Hotel to make sure you can get out to the studio!
Please email me if this is something you want to get in on!
This is a rare treat to have these educators sharing their skills so sign up today to ensure your spot!
Please submit payment through Paypal to email address: cbfclasses@gmail.com
Please specify which class you'd like to sign up for or say both along with your performer name and regular name
2pm-3pm
Tease Technique With Miss Exotic World 2005 The Ass That Goes POW! Michelle L'amour:
Expand on the basics of burlesque: walk, bump, grind and shimmy. Finish those body lines and learn how to transition from each move.

3pm-4pm
STRUCTURED PLAYTIME with The Adorable Trixie Little & Mr. Exotic World 2010 The Evil Hate Monkey!
In this amazing class, Trixie and Monkey have combined their training in physical theater, clowning and burlesque to lead a structured playtime for the purpose of discovering new ideas, taking risks, playing, increasing connection to an audience, letting go of self-consciousness while improvising, thinking on your feet and utilizing your whole body. Perfect for anyone who wants to have a new kind of fun while performing.

Saturday July 10, 2010
Colorado Burlesque Festival Main Event
With Your host Liam Sullivan and Opening Music by Caesars Pleasers
The Gothic Theatre
3263 South Broadway
Englewood, CO 80113-2425
(303) 788-0984
8:00pm
$25.00
Gothic Theatre

Saturday Night After Party
Jonesy's Eat Bar
400 East 20th Avenue
Denver, CO 80205-3201
(303) 863-7473
When the show at The Gothic ends, that's where we're all heading for $5 buffet and cheap "Big Mama Red" shots!

Sunday July 11, 2010
"Pool Party" and Merchandise Bazaar
$10 Brunch and $5 Bloody Marys
Meet and Greet with All Your Favorite Burlesque performers
And DJ Rock Star Aaron
Featuring OVER 15 Vendors!
Wynkoop Brewery
1634 18th Street
Denver, CO 80202-1212
(303) 297-2700
2:00pm-5:00pm

Roxi Dlite is a self-proclaimed Stripographer. A lengthy performance resume as Canada's International Burlesque Performer, Aerial Artist, and Pinup Model paved the way for Roxi Dlite Photography, a vintage pin-up and glamour photography studio. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Roxi began performing burlesque in 2004. Since then, she has devoted her life to a sultry, swanky and sophisticated life of glamour known as burlesque.

She wowed crowds last year taking 1st Runner Up in BHoF, but this year it was all crown for Miss Dlite! In a classic and sultry performance with the help of a very lucky cigar, Roxi deservingly won the title of Reigning Queen of Burlesque!

Evil Hate Monkey took the Boy-lesque Crown with an amazing pointe and banana act that also won the award for Most Comedic! Ms Tickle swept up with 3 awards, best debut, most innovative, and most dazzling with the genius use of her fans that transformed from a skirt to her wings. Mimi LeMieux brought home most classic with a beautiful screen act. And the duo Lola Martinet & Tila von Twirl took home Best Variety with their acrobatic burlesque routine.

A HUGE congrats to all the competitors and performers from this weekend, it was an incredible experience and I was honored to be apart of it!

"I'm honored to be placed on the same stage with such incredible women and other variety stars! I look up to and am inspired by each and every one of them and consider performing next to them a victory in itself!"

Midnite Martini has the amazing opportunity to compete in one of the greatest international Burlesque events out in Las Vegas! Hundreds of the greatest Burlesque, Boylesque, Variety, and Vaudeville performers apply to be apart of the competition, and this year Midnite will proudly represent the Mile High City!

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the BHoF pageant will take place on the first Saturday of June. Each year a burlesque performer is crowned Reigning Queen of Burlesque in a contest often referred to as the Miss America of burlesque. Winners receive both the title and a trophy.

Dixie Evans initiated the BHoF  pageant in 1990 as a way to draw people to the museum and on Friday, June 4th during BHoF Weekend the Burlesque Hall of Fame museum will have it's grand opening at it's new location!

Each show features burlesque performances by both Legends from burlesque's golden age and younger women involved in the New Burlesque scene.

For more info and tickets to the event go to www.burlesquehall.com


Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend Competition Lineup
BOYLESQUE:
Mister Burlesque (Melbourne, Australia)
Roky Roulette (San Francisco, CA)
The Evil Hate Monkey (Baltimore, MD)

GROUP:
The Amazing Knicker Kittens Burlesque Revue (Stockholm, Sweden)
Chicago Starlets (Chicago, IL)
Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society (Vancouver BC, Canada)
Sweet Soul Burlesque (Vancouver BC, Canada)

VARIETY:
Lola Martinet & Tila von Twirl (Chicago, IL)
Mariel a la Mode (Los Angeles, CA)
Shabnam (San Francisco, CA)

DEBUT:
Ava Garter (Los Angeles, CA)
Cherry On Top (Vancouver BC, Canada)
Coco Framboise (Toronto, ONT, Canada)
Kisa von Teasa (Knoxville, TN)
Lola Frost (Vancouver BC, Canada)
Miss Hell's Belle (Glasgow, Scotland, UK)
Ms Tickle (Brooklyn, NY)
Philly Caramel (Marlton, NJ)
Scarlett James (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Sydni Deveraux (Seattle, WA)
Tasia (Sydney, Australia)

MISS BHOF, THE REIGNING QUEEN OF BURLESQUE:
Amber Ray (Brooklyn, NY)
Kristina Nekyia (Los Angeles, CA)
Lux LaCroix (Los Angeles, CA)
Melody Mangler (Vancouver BC, Canada)
Midnite Martini (Denver, CO)
Mimi First (Chicago, IL)
Mimi LeMeaux (San Diego, CA)
Nasty Canasta (Brooklyn, NY)
Ophelia Flame (Minneapolis, MN)
Perle Noire (New Orleans, LA)
Renea' Le Roux (Atlanta, GA)
Roxi Dlite (Windsor, Canada)
Sweetpea (Minneapolis, MN)
Trixie Little (Baltimore, MD)
Violet Eva (Tokyo, Japan)