DFW’s Vivienne Vermuth talks production, cross-dressing, heavy metal, making a spectacle of herself, and the sweaty side of burlesque.

Interview: Shoshana

Since going solo in spring of 2009, you have developed a performance arsenal that’s anything but predictable.  From a classic piece like singing in the rain, to Rush in an Octopus belt, to cross-dressing numbers- you are anything but predictable.   How do you describe your performance style?  Do you strive to bring a little Coney Island to Texas?

Every time I want to come up with a new concept, I think back to when I first started in burlesque – I looked up the definition, and a sentence stood out to me. “Burlesque is to make a spectacle of oneself.” I see that as making a HUGE deal out of the piece, whether it is a larger-than-life costume, way-out-there props or hamming it up! I don’t really have a description; I guess for lack of a better word I’m “weird”. I can literally think up a routine to almost any song (thank your stars I don’t, because some of these ideas are better off in my head). Ever since I was little and in dance classes, I loved to make people laugh and to be in the spotlight, so burlesque just seemed to be a great way to intertwine my passion for the odd and sparkly and making people laugh! (Oh, and getting nekkid. Can’t forget that!)

What do you want audiences to walk away with after seeing you on stage?

I want the audience to be laughing, feeling silly/awed, and maybe even a little bewildered. After debuting my Vincent routine (where I dress as my alter ego twin “brother”) I got a lot of mixed comments, but overall Vincent was met with giggles, questions and a lot of emails telling me how much fun it was to see something so crazy and different. If I can make you think, laugh, even question previous ideas you may have had about burlesque, then I’ve done my job right! Burlesque can be so much fun, and I want all of you to see how many different sides there are of it!

In addition to being a performer, you are also a producer.  You have two distinct show series with different approaches- Sunset Strip and Broads and Panties.  What did you feel DFW was missing, and what do you strive to bring audiences and performers with your shows?

Who doesn’t love a party? So many DFW shows are about the glamour, the sparkles, the “pretty” side of burlesque – but what about the sweaty side? The raunchy side? The girl you’d see behind the alley in the leather jacket and heavy eyeliner, smoking a joint and wanting you to skip class? That’s the idea behind Broads and Panties. I love the term “broad” – it can invoke a very specific image! B and P shows are full of raw, kinetic energy – it’s not a theatrical burlesque show! Now, don’t get me wrong – I LOVE pretty burlesque, my house is practically COVERED in rhinestones! But it’s nice to stray from the equation, and see something different! The Heavy Metal show we presented at Trees in July was definitely something Dallas had never seen – and I still get emails asking about when we are going to do that show again! It tapped DFW’s desire to add another kind of show to the budding burlesque scene here!

You speak of not looking to book “the popular girls”- what do you mean by this?

I follow the audience first approach to creating a show, and when I say this I mean I look at the show from the ticket holders’ point of view. I always strive to want to bring the newest talents and mix them with talent that may not be so known to DFW, even in our own backyard there are a LOT of entertainers not utilized! I’ve brought dancers from Oklahoma, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Austin, etc., and so many of them Dallas hasn’t seen or heard of, but when they were seen, they were loved and wanted back!

For example, Kira von Sutra was our neighbor to the North (Tulsa) for almost 8 years as a burlesque talent, and was never brought to Texas! I am so happy that I was able to introduce her to Dallas at our Metal show in July, she was perfect as our headlining act and we can’t wait to have her back! The “popular girls” are wonderfully talented and became popular for that reason, and I do utilize them, but I also look to showing my audiences that there are LOTS of amazing entertainers that they should also love!

What are three most important qualities that a producer must have in order to be successful?  What are three tips you would give to fellow performers looking to book with new production teams?

Honestly, to be a great producer I think you need to be tenacious, open-minded and creative. You have to be passionate about what you are showcasing, or your show will suffer and your audience will notice! Creativity comes into play when choosing a theme, location and your performers! The audience is paying hard-earned money, they want a good show! Tenacity I find plays a major part in the whole process, from negotiating with venues to simply putting up with obstacles along the way! I put my heart and soul into every show, and I know that my crowds love the Broads for that reason!

On working with new producers, I say get OUT there to clubs and talk to people! Find bands that you dig, and ask ‘em if they’d like go-go dancers, or an act to open for them! Get to know your local art community and see if they’d like themed acts at their openings! Burlesque is a beautiful and fun addition to any event, so put your name in the pot! And of course, if you work with a team new to the concept of burlesque, don’t forget to tell them about your needs (stage kitten, prop setup, music/lighting, announcing, etc). Your new producer may not know, and so it will be on your shoulders as a professional to give them some insight. They will love and appreciate you, and the performance will go super smoothly!

You also have a pretty heavy arsenal of costuming experience as

well as beginning work as a make-up artist.  Are you self taught in both?

I actually have a long history in makeup artistry, almost 9 years! It’s just recently that I have delved into the pinup/commercial shoot world. I am self taught in both, and also have been fortunate to learn bits and pieces from amazing costumers and MUA’s along the way! I really have to credit local ladies Ruby Redlocks and LaDonna Hearne to my success in the past year, both ladies have been so amazing to me, teaching me and working with me, and just being so sweet to me! They have inspired me in my creative process and given me a lot of confidence in my abilities. I also credit my burlesque friends, dancers and photographers, for collaborating with me on so many projects and trusting my crazy side!

What are some of your proudest costuming moments?

Honestly, getting THE email from Perle Noire asking me to create a hat for her for the Burlesque Undressed show. She wanted a custom creation to go with a gown she had, and she told me she loved the hats that I had outfitted the greeting gals at the Amour show. I about died, and set out to make a hat fit for a Queen. 2 failed attempts, 3 trips for pearls and ostrich plumes and almost 1000 Swavroski’s later, I had created a masterpiece. When I lifted it out of the box to show Perle, she gasped, told me she was in love, and that she wanted me to make her costume for Miss Exotic World in June. I am currently designing a vintage inspired gold outfit for her, and we have plans for more. I am also commissioned to create a costume for a dancer in San Antonio, we are doing to black widow outfit!

What does the future hold for Vivienne Vermuth?

I hope everything! My main goals are to grow my burlesque brand, my artistry and my overall creative career. There are so many things I hope to accomplish and do, and am so very thankful to everyone who has been instrumental in bringing me to where I am now. I haven’t slept a full night in almost 3 years, why start now?

Hot Rods and Heels Darling of the Year, and the mastermind behind Bewitching Burlesque- Glam Amour talks voyeurism, chaos, and total world domination!

How did you fall in love with the pin-up & burlesque movement?

Girlfriends bought me a workshop with Jo Boobs when she was here in Dallas a while ago…I fell in love. It was a chance to really set lose my inner exhibitionist, but in a way that seem very safe. I always thought being a stripper would be fun, but I thought A: I’m too Fat and B: I LOATHE the thought of being groped. With burlesque, most of the audience doesn’t care what shape you are, it’s more what you can do with your curves and there’s no touching! It was as if someone said “oh, you CAN have your cake and eat it too”.

If someone has no idea what burlesque is, how would you define it?

It’s a voyeurs holiday, because instead of stripping for the audience, you are stripping for yourself and you bring them along for a ride. There is classic burlesque that seduces with glamour and glitz taking you back to a time when the journey was almost more fun than the destination. Modern burlesque that wants you to question assumptions about beauty or sexuality or your world. My favorite numbers are ones that have something to say, a story to tell. Then, not only is there eye candy, but brain candy as well. yummmmm…..

You debuted as both a producer and a performer in October of 2008, describe that first Bewitching experience.

Nerve wracking. Emotionally chaotic…. what if I don’t break even? What if they say “what the heck does that fat chick think she’s doing taking off her clothes” and what if they all run for the one bathroom to vomit. What if some how I piss off all the performers I’ve hired and I’ve just ruined my chances of performing ever again? I had to do it, though. I had to prove to myself that I could do it. Even if all the nightmares I was having came true. I had to gift myself with the chance to know- to have done it. Just once….ok, twice…. ok, three times…. ok- again…. and again…

You were the first to have a variety burlesque showcase in Dallas, where anyone was welcome to audition. What are the ideals that Bewitching Burlesque is founded upon?

Anyone who has the balls to get a performance together, a good costume and wants to take the stage- should be given the opportunity. It’s really hard as a soloist or a new troupe to break in to burlesque- I know, I tried it… lost my temper and decided to build my own event, with Pixie O’Kneels excellent help, for those of us who need a jumping off place or just place to show off a fabulous new hobby. It’s one of the most empowering things I’ve ever done, I HAVE to share it. Wouldn’t you?

Bewitching Burlesque was instrumental in the recent rapid growth of Dallas’ burlesque scene. How do you feel about burleque’s giant surge in popularity lately?

BRING IT ON! I’m excited and scared. Rapid growth can lead to stress fractures with in the community, so it’s really important that the community keeps communication open about everything from events to workshops to new performers looking for mentors. Our community can be SO supportive and warm, I don’t want to see that lost. I feel like the Lorax allot of the time, the doom sayer, but really I’m excited about all the opportunities that having a growing community brings. No matter what- it’s gonna be quite the ride!

Where do you feel the Dallas Burlesque scene is headed? Where would you like it to be?

I really like that the community works hard at making sure that show/event dates don’t conflict, that respect for the performers as artists is being widely promoted. If we can keep this up, our community is going to grow until it will be unheard of for a person to NOT have been to at least one burlesque show. ( I’m excited for the day when I’m at dinner and the next table over is debating the difference from the classic show they saw last night and the modern one the saw the week before!)

As a producer you were recently awarded the title of “Hot Rods and Heels Darling” which recognizes someone annually who has worked their behind off to promote the community. Tell us about that experience.

Winning the award was really awesome for me. It’s quite selfishly warm and wonderful to be recognized on a community level, but I tell you what, this next year is gonna be a tough call! I’m really excited about (had nothing to do with) the Dallas Burlesque website and the grass root initiative to get local performers giving local workshops. There is also the budding project “Burlesque for the Cause”- which I think is a very noble concept. I think my efforts last year are going to be far outstripped by the amazing work that groups like these are doing.

What are the skills neccessary to be a great producer? What goes into planning a show?

HA! There are a thousand and one different takes of what it is to be a great producer and since I’m not one, I don’t know what they are! The way Pixie and I run and event is by working at being good parents and NOT doing anything that we hated that was done to us as performers (another dance genre, not Burlesque). So we work at keeping the dancers appreciated, informed and protected. We work at making sure that we have an audience for our events and that our audience knows how to appropriate appreciate the performers.

What goes in to planning a show? antacids, long sleepless nights and lots of prayers. pray that the boss doesn’t catch you doing your second job at your first job. pray that all your performers don’t catch the flu all at the same time and you have a show of… you. pray that the family of the performer on the stage, doesn’t catch the catty comment you just overheard from the group in front. pray no one falls and takes your house….Faith, I guess is the short answer, faith and antacids.

As an entertainer, what do you hope audiences take away from your performances?

ENTERTAINMENT. An evening where they forgot bills, house repairs and work woes. Maybe even lit a spark for ideas for the next night when the kids are at grandma’s……

What does the future hold for Glam Amour and Bewitching Burlesque?

For myself- GlamAmour: I want to be a good, solid performer.. Not great, I have no delusions of grandeur, however good, for me, would be great. So I’m off to take classes and push my self in to auditioning for events (even when my inner coward is screaming “NO YOU FOOL”) and just making my self more desirable as a performer. I also am dreaming on some ideas to get more community orientated events. Some balls have been started by La Divina and the Velvet Kittens, I hope to get those picked up and run with.

For Bewitching Burlesque: TOTAL WORLD DOMINATION. or hey, a Mid Summer Masquerade in August and a cool collaborative with Through the Looking Glass in December- Gifts and Garters. 2010- who knows. Pixie does. She’s the brains of the outfit.