Phew!

[bethlakshmi]

Wow! A good but busy weekend. Not hectic, per se - there was thankfully little running about in a crazed fashion... just busy.

Before I forget - the first sneak peak of our Miss Exotic World footage has hit Comcast On Demand. (if you don't have Comcast, I'm sorry) To see my big head for like 1/2 a second:
- Go to the On Demand section (you digital Comcast for this) - Press Menu, go right one item - it will show "On Demand", and hit OK
- Go down 1 page, and select "Cutting Edge"
- Select "Something Wierd"
- Select "Miss Exotic World"
- Select "Exotic Overview" and choose to play it (it's free!)

It goes through a whole thing about what Miss Exotic World is. Just after Dixie Evans opens the show (she's wearing a black dress and a big silver feather head thing) - the video flashes quickly through a bunch of Miss Exotic World things - one of which is us (mostly me) raising my hat in a cartoonish "ooh that's amazing!" expression.

There you go. Me. On TV. I never thought I'd actually end up on TV. Thank you Babydolls.

Back to your regularly scheduled program. Stuff I did this weekend...

Friday - dinner with new_man and mermaidlady, and then early to bed. I was in bed and out cold by around 10:00. I was completely beat from the Best Practices Expo, fun as it was.

Saturday - Forewent the Greenwood Isles Picnic in favor of doing serious work prepping for Out for Blood. It is time for the costuming to come together, and come together it has.
[Bad username or site: OFB checklist minutae @ livejournal.com]

Mummy Trio Needs:
- 3 glitter dot edged bras - 1 done (Mina's), 1 in-hand (mine), Honey's needs to be given to me, or the edging given to her.
- new plan - underwear panels for everyone to pin to underware - it is much saner - need to measure dancers and make panels.
- found black panel skirt for Honey - needs repairs to snap.
- 3 pastie sets needed
- choreography basically done, but needs drilling and needs more intense solo work, slight replan for Honey skirt remove.

NOTE TO SELF - bring measuring tape and sequin fabric for Honey's bra tomorrow!!! Ask Mina for 6 tassels *or* help w/ pasties. Hmm.... black/gold sequin use?

Spider Needs:
- basic outfit done
- "corset" top refitted
- skirt made - requires finished hem and gathered front
- glove supplies ready, gloves need spidification
- Scratch is managing set peice
- need to figure out bra and undies and pasties - can easily reuse existing items if necessary, low priority

NOTE TO SELF - at lunch -> Jo Anne Fabrics -> get red ribbon for gathers. ponder hem edging on skirt. look for easy trim for Egyptian panels.

Sisters Needs:
- corset cover finishing work - optional
- bra and panties - DONE
- skirt - supplies purchased just needs assembly
- head feather - needs reattachment to barrette - use wire, not glue


It looks like a daunting list, but it's a bunch of little things. And there's lots of wishes on the list that are necessarily low priority. Most of all, every peices needs to be drilled and drilled and drilled. The Mummy is truly and ensemble peice, and it's compartively easy - it's with three strong dancers, working in their strengths and with a very individualized "script" - we have very little dancing that is synchronized, and the only hard part is the bra remove. I'm not overly worried, as long we practice enough.

The other two are really challenging. I'm excited for it, but the challenge is a sneaky one - rather than being hard tech stuff done on its own, the hard part is working as an ensemble when the other person is basically an accessory to me. And active accessory, that requires the other person to do some not-really-dance, stuff to help me be the star. It's a real trick. And it's not something I have lots of training in. I find myself deeply thankful that Scratch is at our rehearsals, because he understands much more about the physicality of theater than I do, and theater is really what we are doing here. No, I'm not being a prima donna here.



Also saw Chicago on TV twice, somewhat scamming for moves and costuming ideas. I think I like Chicago on film better than I liked it on Broadway. On film they do these nice flashes from imagined on stage dance to "real" life, while the theater show I saw had the dance numbers fused in with the on going dialogue. Obviously it would be hard to flash from in-a-theater to not-in-a-theater in a stage show - the presence of the actual theater is rather overwhelming... but it was a really neat thing on film.

Found myself envying the fact that it was a movie and they could do a million cuts of anything. We don't have that luxury on stage. :P Also wonder whether Richard Greer's tearaway pants are snaps or velcro.

Sunday was spent rehearsing, working with Honey on the Spider number, doing the Babydoll Hair Ritual, packing and going to our Birthday Bash. The Bash was very cool - I was so happy to get to see a whole bunch of friend there!! Thanks gang!!

I think the fact that this is our one year birthday is hitting me in many ways - some good some bad:

- everyone is a mixed bag, so the biggest "bad" is realizing that some of the interpersonal ticks that bug me have bugged me for a year.
- the best "good" is realizing that not only have I grown alot as a performer, so have many of my fellow dolls. Dinah is more charismatic, Jax is much more in the Burlesque Spirit, Morgan (who was always fabulous as a performer) seems calmer and less nervous on and off stage, Mina's an ever better "stage mom" and center of sanity... the list goes on an on...
- some bittersweet - we have lost (permanently or on-hiatus) many dolls along the way. Most poignantly - Dinah is taking a break after this show, and Pinky is going to California. And Jax won't be in Out for Blood this year... It sucks, man, in many case, I feel like I was just starting to figure out how best to be part of this team, when the team has changed all around.
- some proud - not only have we grown as performers - the troupe made it to two big national events - Viva Las Vegas and Miss Exotic World - ended up on Comcast twice and counting, met some of the biggest names in the biz, became Best In Boston for Burlesque, and have started to make a name for ourselves.
- some thankful - Mina and Scratch are two of the nearest and dearest people to my heart. I knew that joining them in this adventure was going to challenge a relationship that we worked really hard to build in the first place. But I wanted to be involved in this, I knew I'd regret it if I didn't. So, I'm particularly thankful that we have made it a year, we still care about each other and we still can work as a team. In fact, I think I have new found appreciation for their abilities, since I hadn't worked that much in the theater realm with them - I've gotten to see what all they can do in theater - and their skills are pretty darn "leet". :)

Comments

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

Also wonder whether Richard Greer's tearaway pants are snaps or velcro.

Now I'm gonna have to spend some quality time with my DVD, the zoom feature and slo-mo to see if I can find out.

(I suspect snaps, personally.)

[elizabear.livejournal.com]

I think you're also in the section earlier where she is saying "exercise classes".

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

Quite possibly. I took two classes, one of which (the Pontani Sisters class) was filmed by Something Weird. If it's 3 tiny women teaching, with a Glamazon student who is grinning like a loon... that would be me. :)

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

I figure time watching Richard Greer ripping off clothes is *never* wasted. :)

[elizabear.livejournal.com]

I ran it again, and it's definitely you. Your hair is all in ringlets, which is a nice look.

[elizabear.livejournal.com]

Also, if you want a copy on DVD, let me know before it expires off On-Demand.