International burlesque sensation and former Miss Exotic World (2008) Angie Pontani talks glamina, keeping the drama for your mama, the smell of hot glue, vintage industrial sewing machines, and the New York Burlesque Festival.

Interview: Divertida Devotchka

Born a Jersey girl and dancing since age 4, you moved to New York at 17 to study dance and theater at NYU, but admittedly found the program to be “really super boring” and became a burlesque performer “almost by accident.” Tell us about that first performance at the Dutch Weismann Follies and how it changed your life.

Dutch Weismann Follies absolutely changed my life. It was everything that I imagined show business would be exquisitely crammed into this exclusive underground show. They turned a NYC railroad apartment into a speakeasy and created the most gorgeous costumes I’ve ever seen basically out of curtains.  It taught me that you can make anything happen.  During the first show, I was a nervous and excited wreck.  I felt like it was a big accident that I was cast, my dancing skills and experience were way below the other gals, I was also shorter, underage and totally naive.  I was totally faking it, watching the other gals and trying my best to mimic them!  I had three rehearsals to learn three routines and didn’t even get a fitting in my costumes until about an hour before curtain.  I clearly remember sitting back stage with the fantastic cast trying to figure out how to glue my lashes on and how to get those huge headdresses to stay on. The buzz of the audience was electrifying and the smell of hot glue filled the backstage air. I love that smell. It’s almost as comforting to me as the smell of my grandmom’s kitchen on a Sunday. About 13 seconds after the curtain came up on the opening number, I had an absolute Janet Jackson costume malfunction! The minute I threw my arms in the air for a dance move, the girls came out!  The costume was a tad too small I suppose, but I managed to get through the number with a lot of spinning and stuffing in.  That was it for me, I haven’t performed in any other type of show since and I suppose I wasn’t so bad because I quickly went from being in the chorus line to having several feature acts- I even sang in one.  That show was absolutely magical, from the costumes, story line, music, choreography and cast. I am lucky to have been a part of it and can’t wait for Dutch to mount another production!   Even after the show closed in a perfect cloud of scandal, as all speakeasy shows should, many of the cast and crew pushed me to keep performing and helped me when I started the Pontani Sisters.

What are the pros and cons of having a manager? At what point should a gal decide to get a manager?

I don’t really have a manager so much as I have 3 amazing booking agents that I work with, one who does my solo performances, one who books my full show Burlesque-A-Pades and one who handles all my work in Italy.  They are all much more than basic agents to me and help me with career decisions, press and really anything else I ask them advice on.  I am very hands on with my career and work really closely with my agents on everything.  The choice to use agents was really made for me when I couldn’t keep up with bookings and focus on my act at the same time.  I’m into fast response and being on top of things. When that became impossible because of my travel I got serious about getting representation.  The choice to get an agent or manager is a big one and certainly one that someone should consider when they get to the point that they can’t keep up with their work load, but you really need to find someone that you trust and jive with, someone who understands your act and won’t book you into an event that isn’t for you.  They are after all a representation of you, so it’s important to get someone who gets you!  I also rely on my family a lot and they are always happy to give me their opinions, especially my sister Tara who started the Pontani Sisters with Helen and me.

How long have you been co-producing the New York Burlesque Festival? The festival will have its ninth birthday this fall, and we’d like to know- what have you learned from your role in the festival?

I’ve been co-producing the New York Burlesque Festival since its inception 9 years ago.  I’ve learned a lot from that event, it’s not easy to organize 150+ performers, each with unique needs. With these big events, and with every show, it’s about advancing the information, being clear in communication, being organized and having a great team.  People are traveling from all over the world for 4 minutes on one of our stages in the big apple. We want to give them and the audience the best experience possible. To do that we advance all the information with each individual performer, the venue tech teams, our stage manager and sound coordinator, the host, the whole crew. It’s all about pre-empting any issues as well as having a fabulous crew, so that when something does go wrong everyone knows what to do.  We also search high and low for great venues with nice high stages and clean sight-lines; my favorite is B.B Kings in Times Square!  We also will be at Brooklyn Bowl, The Highline Ballroom and The Bell House this year; these venues are all top notch.  Additionally, we have a total zero drama policy. Keep the drama for your mama, we are here to do a great show.

Last fall, you said in your CNN iReport interview that one of the most difficult things about being self-employed is ensuring that you stay employed. Many people don’t realize that though you have what some would consider a dream job, it’s a constant struggle to get more work, and that you work 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Do you find that people misjudge the amount of work required to being a full-time performer, producer and choreographer? How do you manage all of that without going crazy?

Well, I think you have to be a bit crazy to be in showbiz. But absolutely, most of my non-entertainer friends don’t even consider my career a real job.  They think it’s all good times, parties, traveling and gallivanting.  While that is part of my job, 97% is total work. During my “off” days, I am working on upcoming tours, shoots, shows, videos, keeping my site and press materials current,  creating new costumes and maintaining my working costumes, thinking up new shows and keeping up with myself! Going to the gym and doing my nails are things that are career requirements to me.  When I am in show mode on tour or doing a string of performances, it’s typically a chaotic and sometimes grueling schedule.  Plane to tech to show, van to tech to show, plane to tech to show, etc…. That is the schedule and it can go on like that for weeks on end, throw in early morning interviews, time changes and sleep deprivation for fun! You need a lot of glamina (glamour+ stamina) to have a career in burlesque.  It’s also tough on family relations sometimes, I love my family and being away so much can be a challenge.  This year I’ve missed Easter and Mother’s Day dinner, I’m probably the first Pontani to ever do that!

In the same CNN interview you were quoted saying, “A good burlesque show is when the audience can get lost in the show.” What suggestions do you have as a producer and performer in terms of how to guarantee that your audience “gets lost” in the show?

As a producer, you need to think about more of the technical aspects, aside from getting a great crowd and keeping your performers happy in the green room.  Good lights, a proper stage with good sight lines- these things make a good show great. As a performer, you should be thinking and caring about these things as well, but you also have to practice.  I like to practice my routines like crazy.  I don’t ever want to think about what comes next, I like for it to be instinct so that I can be up there running on instinct and having fun, not panicking about my next step or garment removal, which is also why it’s important to practice in costume. Know your costume in and out and where the weakest points are in case of a tear away emergency.  It’s a little insane I know, but when I rehearse, I will first get my basic act down, know my markers in the music and where different things should happen, then I will turn in every direction and do the routine, I’ll do it in the dance studio which is a hard wood floor, then my living room which is shag carpet, then I’ll do it in my tiled entry way and then I do it with all the lights out and my eyes closed.  If you can handle that, you can handle any warbled stage or other mishap you might endure.

You, as well as your sisters, have played a significant role in not only the New York burlesque scene, but the burlesque revival in general. Though I’m sure there are many, what are some of the big changes that you’ve noticed taking place in recent years as far as the revival is concerned?

The form seems to be perpetually evolving and changing.  Mostly it has grown, there were a hand full of us in the beginning and now there are tons of performers.  I also see a lot of sects forming, classic, alternative, punky, comedy, pop, contemporary, themes… people who take burlesque and adapt it to their sensibilities teaming up with other like minded folks and creating full shows.  The biggest change is the growth of the scene, it’s amazing to watch and be a part of as well.

Unlike some other performers whom I’ve heard describe burlesque as an almost exclusive hyper-glamorous art form, you seem to stress the realness and audience connection when you describe burlesque, which I find not only much more realistic, but it also shows that you’re rather down to earth. You’ve said that burlesque “is being able to manifest this ideal image of glamour but at the same time create almost an accessibility to the audience where they connect with you… it’s ultra-glamorous, but not off-putting. It’s not like a red velvet rope feeling… We put a lot of effort and money into looking glamorous and fabulous but there’s a realness to it that I think people can connect to… it’s not unattainable.” What do you think is the key to being both ultra-glamorous and making a real connection with the audience?

I think a big part of the key is not taking yourself too seriously. I am very serious about serious entertainment, but there is a balance. I don’t want people’s perception of me to be this false ideal, that’s just not who I am.  I love glamour and corsets and 5″ heels and 20 pound gowns and my glass bath tub, but with enough time and effort anyone can have those things. The reality is I also love vacuuming and sitting on my stoop on any given day for hours chatting with my neighbors.  I think of Dolly Parton as the ultimate ideal of this philosophy, she is both glam, amazing, wildly talented and a total diva in her own way, but she is also real and real about what is fake. I hope I’m making sense, I have a tough time with these questions because to me burlesque is what it is, and it’s showbiz. I’m not much for analyzing.  If you are good at what you do and have a sincerity and love for show business, it comes across and that’s the joy and excitement the audience feels.

I noticed from some of your Facebook posts that you have at least one vintage sewing machine. What are the benefits of using an older model? Any drawbacks?

I have two vintage machines, both hand me downs from my family. One is a huge Viking Huskvarna industrial machine from the 40’s, the other is a 50’s table top Singer.  I’ve got a modern singer as well, but I rarely use it.  The old machines are quite indestructible and look a lot better too.  I don’t make my own costumes anymore, but when I did, I used those vintage machines. My Viking will sew through anything, fingers included. It is a dream with heavy fabrics.  The drawback to the vintage machines are repairs, I actually recently put my Viking in storage, there was only one man NYC who repaired that type of machine. He did house calls and came and tuned up my machine once a year, sadly he passed away and I can’t find anyone who can really get her going since!   I’ll never get rid of her, in fact I think I will probably end up hiring a mechanic to come and replace the motor and other parts one day.  Even though I don’t make my own costumes anymore, I sew quite a bit.  I tailor most everything I buy and I make a lot of my own clothes.  I love to make my friends homemade gifts for holidays and birthdays, like vintage aprons in really fun novelty prints.

What big projects are you working on at the moment?

There is a lot in the works right now,  we are in full swing planning for the 9th Annual New York Burlesque Festival which will take place September 29th – October 2nd right here in the big apple.  I am also working on a new touring show with Los Straitjackets, the Rock ‘N Burlesque Spectacular, that will be a two week tour in late October, we will also have a Burlesque-A-Pades tour back on in the winter and I’m going to be releasing some new DVD’s this Fall, including a new Go-Go Robics. I am really excited about that one!

Editor’s Note: This just a small part of the interview & photoshoot, for the full reveal (literally) get your hands on a copy of the Best of Spring 2011 online or at our Issue Release Party at Hot Rods and Heels 2011!

Miss Coco Lectric, crowned Texas Performer of the Year at Hot Rods and Heels 2010, talks titles as currency, travel, and the burlesque community evolving.

Interview: Divertida Divotchka. Photos: DallasPinUp.com

My goodness a lot has changed for you since Pin Curl last spoke to you.  You were crowned Queen of Burlesque in New Orleans last September.  How have titles changed things for you?

The biggest change is being held to a higher standard every time I hit the stage. When someone introduces you as the Queen of Burlesque, the audience sets their expectations a little bit higher. They’re expecting to be blown away. I don’t know if I’ve always been able to live up to this higher standard, but I’ve certainly tried.

Producers have also had a good excuse to hire me for their shows, since the New Orleans festival, which has given me the good fortune of making burlesque my full-time job. Having titles is like currency in this business and everyone wants to see for themselves what all the fuss is about. I’d become accustomed to performing for an unassuming audience, and these days they prepare themselves to see something spectacular. I have to bring it just a little bit harder every show to live up to their expectations.

Congratulations on being voted number 13 in 21^st Century Burlesque’s Top 50 for 2010! We’re so thrilled to hear the news, what’s your reaction?

I was thrilled! I didn’t lobby for votes and I really didn’t expect to see my name on the list at all. I don’t know what happened, to be honest. I was watching the list and cheering on my pals, for sure. After it got to the top twenty performers I figured that I didn’t have a chance. I feel truly honored that so many people even know that I exist, let alone like my work. I’m still sort of in shock about it and I thank 21st Century Burlesque for always having such kind words to say about me. They’re doing great work to get the word out about so many talented performers and promote burlesque around the globe, and that’s priceless.

I’m told you’re focusing more on the education realm at the moment. As headmistress of the Austin Academy of Burlesque, do you mean teaching more, taking more classes/workshops, or both?

I love teaching and I love learning, so I plan on doing a lot of both. Learning from the legends and contemporary performers is key to keeping burlesque alive and well. It allows the community to grow and shape the art. Burlesque performers are like a family in a lot of ways, only we’re not born into it as much as we’re brought in by learning from the life and art of those who came before. I’m proud to be a part of this family, and by teaching I get to help other burlesque performers and students with the lessons I’ve learned from the greats.

In your last Pin Curl interview from July 2010, when asked about being the only Texan to perform at Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend in Las Vegas you said, “I was nervous that if my performance wasn’t so great, they really wouldn’t take Texas seriously. I’m hoping I made a big enough splash this year that they consider more Texas performers next year.” Considering that you’re performing in the Reigning Queen of Burlesque competition at this year’s BHOF weekend, it would be safe to say you made quite a splash, don’t you think?

I’m delighted to be performing in the competition this year. It seems as though the selection committee is looking a little harder at Texas performers, which is exciting to all of us in the Lone Star State. Congratulations in particular to my friend and colleague Ginger Valentine, who was chosen to perform in the debut category this year. I have high hopes that we’ll rock Saturday night and encourage performers from out of state to come to Texas and perform with us, too.

As always, you’re a remarkably busy woman. You said in your most recent Pin Curl interview that you were making festivals a priority, and boy did you ever! You’ve traveled all over the place this year, including Key West, LA, San Diego, Chicago, Albuquerque, Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans, Las Vegas, all over Texas, and plenty more that I likely missed. How do you manage to keep everything balanced?

This year I’ve had no choice but to take everything one step at a time. It’s wonderful that I get to do what I love, I wouldn’t change a thing, but I’ve had to remind myself more than a couple of times to breathe. I also remind myself that if I ever get tired of doing burlesque I can just stop, but I don’t think I’m in danger of that. It’s still the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing on my mind as I fall asleep. It’s my absolute dream job and I am so thankful that I can tour so much and make friends with performers all over the world. I suppose I manage to balance the craziness because this is my chosen profession and lifestyle and I’d like it to stay that way for as long as the universe allows.

The Jigglewatts, the Austin burlesque troupe you co-founded, was voted best burlesque troupe in Texas at Hot Rods and Heels last year and is also a finalist for the same award in this year’s event. How have the Jigglewatts evolved in recent years?

We’re constantly evolving because we recruit such great performers. Miss Ruby Joule and I love being solo performers, but having a group is so rewarding and allows us to reach more people. Selecting new Jigglewatts is a process, and in the five years we’ve been producing shows we realize how important it is to have a troupe full of headliners who all just happen to get along. We need to keep the cast small and everyone needs to be confident in their abilities and recognize how valuable their individual talents are to the group as a whole. This year we added Jolie Ampere Goodnight and Ruby Lamb to our cast and 2010 Jigglewatts Pearl Lux and Goldie Candela will be performing again with us very soon. We recognize that as a group we’re so much more powerful and entertaining than we are individually. The Jigglewatts mission has always been to support the beauty and talent in other women, and it might be a little hard to do that without showcasing as many different beautiful and talented performers as we can.

Anything you’d like to add?
The burlesque world changes and grows constantly, and with its increase in popularity there’s an opportunity for the community to come closer together and there’s also more potential for the genre to grow. It’s our responsibility as the current burlesque community to work together and help it become the best and most wonderful thing it can be. I understand that there’s been some concern about the recent increase in the popularity of burlesque and a lot of us are afraid that it will morph into something new and different and unappealing to those of us in the field now. I feel strongly that if we stay true to our studies and our roots and we keep our eyes open to the world around us, we will be able to help guide the art form as it develops. We just have to continue to support each other.

Oh, and I love Pin Curl! Thank you for all the great things you do in the community, and for working so hard to promote burlesque as the wonderful art form it is. See you May 21st!

Find the full interview & photo shoot here!

Miss Cardinal Cyn of Austin is the featured performer for Hot Rods and Heels 2010. Here she takes the time to chat with us about Mexican wrestling, pimps, Miss Exotic World, and Femurs. This is an abbreviated version of the full article available in our Best of Spring 2010 Issue, which will celebrate its issue release at Hot Rods and Heels on May 15th, and will be available in our online shop after that!

Interview & Photographs: Shoshana, of Through the Looking Glass Studio

Q: Your burlesque bio is extensive.  How did you get your start, tell us about that first performance.

My introduction into the burlyq world started behind the scenes where I helped friends with their hair and makeup for shows and photos.
My first appearance as Cardinal Cyn was on the cover and centerfold of Barracuda Magazine!    

From there I was in the “Night of the Tiki” featuring Don Ho!  I was the mermaid that sheds her tail, so she can join in the tiki fun. Kitty Diggins gave me my first shot on stage as  one of her follies in “the Kit Kat Follies Burlesque Revue” fundraiser for Dixie Evans Exotic World Museum at the Palace Theater. The Palace is an art deco theater that holds 2200 seats! My most memorable solo-ish performance (I had 2 backup dancers) was at the Mayan Theater (built 1927 holds 1491 seats)which is truly amazing  it’s the real deal with balcony seating and art deco mayan carvings on the walls.  The show was Lucha Vavoom (Mexican masked wrestling, comedy & burlesque) which I previously performed in as a ring girl. I read that in 1948 the Mayan was a burlesque theater and Marilyn Monroe made an appearance!
 
Q: You competed for best Debut at Miss Exotic World 2006, can you tell us a little bit about that experience? 

It was the first year they did it in Vegas! I just remember all the great acts and getting to see and meet the legends! I had my first run in with Satan’s Angel in the bathroom giving my friend Mia Vixen a impromptu lesson on tassels! I recommend to all the girls new and old to attend Miss Exotic World or Tease O Rama and really experience the true supportive and awe inspiring performers from all over the world.  It’s a really great feeling to be enveloped with all the camaraderie with other women that have the love you do for burlyq!
 
Q: At one point you were represented/managed by a talent agency, maybe you still are.  What is your view on professional representation, as opposed to performers representing themselves?

I’ve always represented myself. I’m listed with a friend’s promotion agency out of NY!  Living in TX now I don’t book as much in the corporate world.  It would be great having someone to deal with all the money aspect.  It’s hard when there are people out there trying to take advantage of performers, we don’t need pimps, people!

Q: Now a painful subject.  In 2008, when it seemed like you were unstoppable, you slipped on an audience member’s spilled drink and broke your femur during a show at Emo’s in Austin with Kitten Deville.  It took a troupe in the show insisting that you go to the hospital, and when you arrive you learned you were going to need metal screws to put you back together.  You were out of commission for three months, and unable to perform for a lot longer.  How long did it take you to emotionally recover, and how long did it take your career to recover?  What has the rebuilding process been like?

Ladies I don’t recommend doing this at home or anywhere!  Although I do believe it helped win me the title of the “Most Beloved Burlesque Performer” in the Austin Chronicle! I broke my femur at the hip and have 3 metal screws to put me back together. I was on a walker for 3 months and then moved on to crutches.  I was scheduled to perform at a benefit for Miss Exotic World in Corpus Christi. I didn’t want to let them down and I really wanted to perform!  I bought a beautiful art deco red velvet chair to perform on.  I was nervous because I’m a hip shaker and never just did a striptease!  It was an amazing experience!  My adrenaline kicked in and I couldn’t even walk on my crutches, I had to be carried off stage! I did that performance two more times in Houston at the Continental Club and Numbers! Burlesque definitely helped to get back on my feet.  I don’t have insurance so I couldn’t afford physical therapy. I did it all myself dancing in the pool!  My motivation was to perform at the Tease O Rama in SF, where I used my cane right up till I got on the stage!  That was 8 months after my accident.  Two years later I’m still working on getting my leg back to full use without discomfort, and no I can’t tell if it’s going to rain.  The experience really made me appreciate my life, legs also made me realize how vulnerable I am.  How nothing can hold me back and that I’m not patient what so ever!
 
Q: In addition to quite an impressive burlesque career, you have an equally stunning career as owner of La Petite Rouge in Austin where you are a hair and makeup artist.  What have been your most rewarding experiences in your “day job”?

I love vintage glamour and I love making people feel beautiful inside and out!  That truly is the most rewarding!  I have had the pleasure of working with many great people including celebs and the girl next door.

Q: What are the most common mistakes you see gals make in the realm of pin-up and burlesque make-up and hair artistry?  What are your beauty pet peeves?

Well I’m eyebrow obsessed and it’s truly one of my specialties! So ladies get them right!  Just find what makes you stand out and have fun!  Do your homework before a shoot.  Look at other pinups and find the pose and the look you want before the big day!  For burlesque know your body what are your best attributes? Make them a focal point and disguise the ones that aren’t!

Not a beauty pet peeve, but a performance…I don’t really care for shock value in burlesque, to me that is more of a performance art. I like the glamour of burlesque, I’m not into the raunchy props keeps those at home please!…Unless of course the show is all about that then by all means go for it.

And a final word from your burlyq sponsor :]  Be supportive of your fellow burlyq girls they’ve got your back!  If you’re not having  fun don’t do it.  xx Miss Cardinal Cyn

Denton’s Vixens of Vaudeville did fundraisers for months to afford to send the troupe to Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Las Vegas. If you’ve been living under a rock- this is where the Miss Exotic World Pageant is held annually, which is *the* title to hold in burlesque. We asked the Vixens toshare their experience.

By: Divertida Devotchka (Vixens of Vaudeville Revue)

I’m pretty sure Stacey Q’s “Two of Hearts” was blaring through the 20th floor suite at the Orleans Casino and Hotel when someone ripped back the curtains to reveal blinding beams of daylight (which, mind you, seem much harsher when you’re whiskey-drunk at 7 AM at the ‘pants off dance off’ after-after-party). Everyone cheered triumphantly as if challenging the sun to interfere with our celebration, and it was at that moment that it really hit me. “Holy crap,” I thought. “I’m in Vegas at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend. My life rules.” Of course, this epiphany was rudely interrupted by hotel security informing us there were noise complaints from two floors below us. Sigh.

The party may have been cut short, but the entire weekend was brimming with similar this-is-why-I’m-glad-to-be-alive experiences. The grueling months of planning and fundraising paid off for our troupe, the Vixens of Vaudeville Revue, and to be honest, the whole journey couldn’t have been more rewarding.

The highlight of our trip was meeting the burlesque legends, listening to them reminisce, receiving their indispensable advice, and of course, seeing them shake what their mommas gave them. Although she did not perform this year, just being in the same room as Tempest Storm was something we never thought we’d be fortunate enough to experience, and Dixie Evans is such a gem. Every time she addressed the crowd it brought a huge smile to my face. We were also thrilled when Satan’s Angel won the Legend award for 2009. We had the pleasure of meeting her and she was incredibly down to earth. Seeing the legends perform and attending their Q & A session was overwhelmingly inspirational. The four of us Vixens agreed that we’d give anything to be like these extraordinarily graceful, talented women when we’re older. Vixen Crystal Pistols put it best when she said, “Guys, we should be like the Golden Girls, but we’ll do burlesque!”

Aside from the legends showcase, we also had the privilege of modeling in a pinup safari hosted by Don Spiro, Dale Rio, and Java of Java’s Bachelor Pad. We had a blast cruising through Vegas on a double-decker bus, enjoying a hearty whiskey breakfast with our new photographer friends.

And of course, the Miss Exotic World Pageant was absolutely breathtaking. Everyone was so talented that it must have been very difficult for the judges to choose the winners, but we agreed that the new Reigning Queen of Burlesque Kalani KoKonuts put on a stunning performance. We also adored Perle Noire, who we can’t wait to see again at the New Orleans Burlesque Festival in September. Some of our other favorites included performances by the Oona Tramps, Arabella Trapeze, and Foxy Tann and the Wham-Bam Thank You Ma’ams. All told, we saw over 12 hours of burlesque performances during the weekend and every act was unique. “I thought it was wonderful to see the variety of performances from classic to avant garde,” said Vixen Honey Cocoa Bordeauxx. “It just goes to show that burlesque is not just one thing, and that it has so many different elements – dance, theatre, comedy, striptease, and anything else you can think of to throw in the mix.” And don’t even get me started about the caliber of emcees who hosted the events. They were all unbelievably entertaining, but our favorites were Miss Astrid and El Vez, who had totally different personas but they had an amazing dynamic on stage together. As much as we love the ladies, we agreed that the boylesque performers really gave the gals a run for their money.

Another reason we attended the event was for networking, and even that experience exceeded our expectations. People were very welcoming and passionate about the preservation of burlesque as an art form, and they really advocate awareness of the history of burlesque, which are two main reasons the Vixens do what we do. “Everyone was so excited – excited about building a new vaudeville circuit, excited about what we’re doing, and excited about what we could make together. They really cherish the idea of preserving the old while adding the new,” said Vixen Femme Vivre LaRouge. It was refreshing to be surrounded by so many glamorous kindred spirits. We were all fascinated by how they’ve managed to construct their own fabulous little world in Vegas, a place already described by many as a playground for adults.

To say the least, the Vixens are already anxiously awaiting next year’s BHOF weekend. And if you’re a fan of all things glittery and fabulous, you should be anxious too.