Madame Mystere of New Orleans’ Fleur de Tease sits down to talk burlesque style diversity, inspiration, New Orleans Burlesque Festival, absinthe, bacon and Viva Dallas Burlesque.

By Divertida Devotchka

You’ve been a dancer since the age of three. What was your first experience with dance and in which styles of dance do you have experience?

My first memories of dance are of being in class.  I had wonderful teachers growing up; they made me fall in love with it.  We had a big recital every summer and it was something I really looked forward to, more than anything else all year.  The stage, the lights, the costumes, the dancing, the applause!  The bulk of my dance training is in ballet, tap, and jazz, with abbreviated training in modern, lyrical, clogging, hip-hop, musical theater, Irish step dancing, and belly dancing.  I love it all.

You moved to New Orleans from the Midwest in 2002, and by 2003 you had started your burlesque career. How exactly did you get started?

My fiancé and I were living uptown and our neighborhood bar was also a laundromat!  So we would go there to do our laundry and hang out and we became friends with the staff there.  One day the manager said she was going to start a burlesque troupe and wanted me to be in it, and I was like, “what’s that?”  Well, she went on to explain a bit and I thought “oh no, I can’t do that.  I can’t take my clothes off in front of people, but I’ll still come to the shows.”  So my fiancé was their stage manager and I helped with whatever I could and cheered them on every week.  After a while it became harder and harder for me to just sit and watch and NOT be onstage.  So I joined the troupe the “Steamin’ Mimis”.  My very first act was a tango inspired dance, and I only stripped down to a full corset, ruffle panties, and fishnets.

Unlike most performers who tend to stick to one style (be it classic, neo, etc.) you seem to dabble in all styles. What are your thoughts on folks who insist that classic performers should stick to classic burlesque (and that neo-burlesquers should only do neo?)

I think I HAVE touched on every style at one point or another.  If someone insisted that I should only do one style, I might think they were being a bit selfish at first, but maybe they’re complimenting me on performing a specific style particularly well.  I guess it could go either way, but I feel that it should always be up to the performer.  If you love neo, keep doin’ it!  If you’re comfy in classic, keep doin’ it!  Do it your way and have fun!  But since we’re all creative people, sometimes “sticking to” a certain style can lead to feeling “stuck in” that style.  My advice is to try each one on and see what fits, maybe all of them will.

In one Fleur de Tease dance you choreographed, you and 2 other performers do a spot on ode to Bollywood-style dancing. In another, you do a mash up of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Beastie Boys “Intergalactic,” complete with an alien dance-off. You’ve stated that your Darth Vader striptease is one of your favorite routines to perform, and you also have more classic boa/glove/gown strips to music like Ray Charles. From where or whom do you draw your influences? Do you find it difficult to come up with fresh and exciting material or are you the type that always has a million new ideas stewing on the back burner?

I’m definitely influenced by all types of dance and all types of music.  For me, most of the time a skit idea will come from a song.  Sometimes it comes from a specific costume piece, or a show theme, or a random idea that gets bounced off someone else, which is exactly how the Intergalactic dance-off came about!  Natasha Fiore (my alien cohort in that number) and I used to work together at a day job and we would throw around wacky ideas all day, and some of them stuck, like the space dance.  And I get inspired by watching my fellow performers; we have some really talented burly girls here in New Orleans!  Sometimes it does get difficult to come up with new material, I get dancer’s block, or I can’t figure out just what to do for that theme show.  But oh yes, I’ve got ideas that have been on the back burner for a while, mostly due to lack of funds.  But it’s okay, I’m hopeful that I can pull them out of limbo in the near future.

You’re performing at the 2nd Annual New Orleans Burlesque Festival’s Risque Soiree on Friday, September 17 at the House of Blues. What aspect of the festival are you looking forward to the most?

I’m really happy to be included in the fest again this year.  Last year I missed out on the daytime activities, so I’m looking forward to attending some of the classes and panel discussions.  And of course I’m excited to perform and to meet the other performers and watch them do their thing.

What other events or upcoming projects do you have in the works?

Well, I’m really excited to be heading to Dallas to perform at the Lakewood Theater on October 1st as a special guest for Viva Dallas Burlesque!  And I’ll probably be hitting the road with Tony Clifton/Comic Relief for a few dates in October as well.  With Fleur de Tease, we’re preparing for a big “Wizard of Oz” show, September 11th & 12th.  We’re gearing it towards New Orleans (instead of Kansas) so it should be fun, and we’ll be performing at the Voodoo Music Experience again this year on Halloween Day.  With the Storyville Starlettes, we’re having a show at the Shadowbox Theatre on October 24th.  It will most likely be a Halloween theme that could veer towards serial killers and/or scary movies.  And we’re planning a Facebook themed show soon, so look out!

Please share 3 little known facts about yourself.

–I once chased down a purse snatcher to retrieve my friend’s purse, even after being threatened with stabbing.

–I have love affairs with absinthe, Twizzlers, and bacon, but not at the same time.

–I can get any song out of my head by singing “Red Red Wine” to myself.  It works!

Burlesque Legend Wild Cherry talks New Orleans, burlesque revivals, and “taking it outside”.

By: Divertida Devotchka

New Orleans burlesque legend Wild Cherry grew up travelling the carnival circuit with her family, and her first performances were carnival girlie shows.  She began dancing in New Orleans night clubs in the late 1950s. “I just wanted to make a living, because I had not had any formal schooling.” explains Cherry.  Her stage name was given to her by a club owner who found it was befitting of her feisty personality. Cherry danced in various clubs throughout the French Quarter over the years and has fond memories of dancing, drinking, and of course, fighting. According to Cherry, there were certainly some clubs she didn’t stay at for very long. “I worked at some clubs with bad reputations- girls fighting a lot, and some managers even hit the girls. That never happened to me though,” Cherry said.  “Maybe because my name put them off, I don’t know.”

There’s known to be intermittent cattiness and drama in some aspects of the burlesque scene, but Wild Cherry says things are nothing like they used to be. “There wasn’t a lot of that catfight stuff. Nah, these girls were pretty rough,” Cherry said in an interview with Rick Delaup, producer of New Orleans’ own Bustout Burlesque and the New Orleans Burlesque Festival. “And if they did decide they didn’t like somebody, in theaters I’ve seen, they would take a rolling pin and a light bulb, and grind that glass up fine like a powder and put it in your face powder. They would put shoe polish in the eye mascara tube. They could get really rough. They didn’t play.”

I found the “crushed glass in the face powder” gag to be rather shocking, so when I asked Cherry about it in our interview, she casually replied, “Well, I was glad I didn’t use powder, for one thing! I used pancake makeup instead and I suppose I would have seen crushed glass in that.”

In recent years, Wild Cherry has performed in several of the Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend Legends showcases, as well as performing occasionally with New Orleans troupe Fleur de Tease, and she’s also done a comedic monologue in some Bustout Burlesque shows. She’ll be appearing again at this year’s New Orleans Burlesque Festival, where she will participate in panel discussions and sign autographs. I asked Cherry for her opinion about the current boom in modern burlesque.  “There are girls out there who are bringing back the classic style and I’m excited about that,” Cherry said. “There are troupes all over doing that now, thank God. But I’m dead set against most of the new Bourbon Street. So many girls just go on stage and stroll around begging for money. Most of them don’t even dance, and some of them may be good at working the pole, but soliciting money has no part in burlesque.”

According to Cherry, burlesque isn’t the only thing that she has seen change over the years. She was known for being “scrappy” and argumentative, and admittedly used to go looking for fights some nights as an outlet for her rage. “I don’t go looking for trouble like I used to. People who knew me before would definitely think I’ve mellowed out over the years,” Cherry said. She may be calmer these days, but the old Cherry is still in there, and is known to make an appearance from time to time, much to the chagrin of her family. “I haven’t been in a good fight in years, but I wouldn’t back down from one even today, doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman. A few years ago I embarrassed my granddaughter in Wal-Mart because I was threatened by two young women and I said, ‘Let’s take it outside.’ Of course, the girls backed down.”

We asked Ginger Valentine to share her insiders’ tour guide to New Orleans as well as her favorite Louisiana recipes. Here’s what she had to say:

I lived in southeast Louisiana for about five years, and what an impression it left on me! Trips to New Orleans were frequent, and before I knew it, I had fallen in love (really fallen) with the city. I will never be the same. To keep my sanity I visit at least once a year. The following is a very short list of some of my favorite places to visit for food and drinks. I hope if you plan on going to the upcoming New Orleans Burlesque Festival that you will check out some of my favorite spots – you’ll probably see me there devouring a po’boy or giddy from one too many Pimm’s Cups.

Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club
This is the queen mother of all dive bars everywhere. Located near Tulane and Loyola in Uptown at 7612 Oak Street, this bar is nothing more than a glorified shack where you can get beer like Schlitz in a can. The bar is an old house and it’s in the middle of a residential area. It’s hard to tell whether it’s a home or bar. They say they open at seven, but things don’t really get going till 1 a.m. At my first sojourn to this truly locals-only bar, I found myself in need of the ladies room. You can imagine my surprise when a bartender led me to the end of the hall where there sat an exposed toilet. Ha-ha, joke’s on me. That one was just for show; they do have a private bathroom. Use it if you dare.

Café Du Monde
Sandwiched between the mighty Mississippi River and the French Quarter you will find Café Du Monde French Market on Decatur Street. Open 24/7, this is my favorite late-night spot for a quick pick me up after too many sazeracs and hand grenades. Famous for their scrumptious beignets (so much more than just a French doughnut) and café au lait with chicory, Café Du Monde is always packed no matter the hour. There is a perennial dusting of powdered sugar throughout, so think twice before wearing black.

Lucky Dogs
That famous red and yellow hotdog cart that you find parked throughout the French Quarter is more than just ordinary street food – it’s a Crescent City tradition. Sure, some may scoff at a greasy hotdog bought from a vendor, but this has a literary connection that permanently endears them to me. Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, A Confederacy of Dunces is part tall tale and part love song (albeit wacky one) to New Orleans. The main character, Ignatius Riley is briefly employed by Lucky Dogs, and what ensues is some of the funniest shit I’ve ever seen in literature. I suggest picking up a Lucky Dog and taking it to the corner of Canal Street and Bourbon where you’ll find a bronze statue of Ignatius Riley parked in front of the old store front of the D. H. Holmes department store.

Napoleon House
You want tradition? You want unique cocktails and the best damn muffaletta you can wrap your hungry mouth around? Then you want to go to The Napoleon House located on 500 Chartres Street in the French Quarter. Built in 1797, story goes that this was a residence intended for Napoleon Bonaparte after his exile, but he died before he could move in. Now it’s the most famous place to get a muffaletta (call it a “muff” if you wanna blend in, but try not to giggle like me) and one of my favorite cocktails, Pimm’s Cup. The building really hasn’t changed much in 200 years, be sure to check out the cash register at the bar. And the bartenders wear arm garters there, which I think is really romantic.

Tropical Isle
If you want to get rowdy (I mean really rowdy), and don’t mind hitting up a tourist spot (but hey, I’ve even known some locals to have fond memories of this joint), then you have to go to Tropical Isle to get a Hand Grenade. Order the big one in the commemorative cup. About half way through your drink, you’ll swear it’s talking to you. Yes, it’s obnoxious and cheesy, but that’s usually how I like to start out my visit in the Quarter, but then again, I kind of turn into a hedonist once I’m in the 504, so I’ll just say I can’t help it.

Mother’s Restaurant
Not far from the French Quarter, you’ll find Mother’s Restaurant on 401 Poydras Street. This is a cafeteria-style deli that serves po’boys so good it’s hard for me to express my feelings without using profanity. When you go to Mother’s this is what you get: The Ferdi Special. Baked ham, roast beef, debris (crusty bits of roast beef that fall off during the roasting process) and gravy crammed in between two perfect pieces of crusty french bread are the key players in the Ferdi Special. I’ve stood in the line that wraps around the block (hungover and in the rain!) to eat a Ferdi special, and I’d do it again (and again) in a heartbeat.

Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop
If you keep walking down Bourbon, and then walk a little more, you’ll come across one of the oldest bars in the country. Built sometime before 1792, this bar is lit by candle light, and it’s easy to imagine yourself transported back 100 or so years ago, that is until your cell phone rings. They have all the usual New Orleans cocktails here, but I suggest trying a sazerac. This whiskey cocktail is one of the oldest cocktails (which is why it’s great to order it here) and it has such a yummy and distinctive flavor that you’ll always associate with the magic of New Orleans. I think this place is a piano bar too, but I can’t be for sure. I could have had one too many drinks and found myself singing along to a song that only I could hear.

Click here for Ginger Valentine’s Red Beans and Rice recipe.

Brad Pitt visited New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina and was devastated by what he saw in the 9th ward. Even more disturbing was the overall sentiment that New Orleans would never be able to rebuild. He decided that doing nothing was not an option.

Pitt moved his family to New Orleans, where they spend much of their time, and put his love for architecture and his environmentally conscious sensibilities to work. The result is the Make It Right Foundation, which strives to do just that- make it right. Make It Right, working with Global Green and others, has embarked on one of the most unique and ambitious rebuilding efforts New Orleans has seen to date. The first eight homes are completed, and displaced 9th Ward residents now call these houses home.

To learn more on this amazing project, and how you can help, visit www.makeitrightnola.org

Nola Chick, Pin-Up model and New Orleans resident gives Pin Curl the insider’s guide to New Orleans, tips and tricks on modeling, and the importance of a mystery.

Interview: Shoshana

Your name let’s folks know just how proud you are of your home town. If an out of towner had one weekend to spend in New Orleans, what are some things they should be sure and see/eat/do?

Oh my gosh!  Where do I start?  Well, when you come to New Orleans, what do you want?  You want food.  Start at Mother’s and go from there.  It’s one of the best places in the city and they are known for their roast beef po boys.  Cafe Degas for French and Tony Angelo’s for Italian.  Oh!  And you have to stop by Central Grocery to get a world famous muffaletta.  This delicious sandwich was invented here. 

Then go see jazz at Snug Harbor on Frenchmen- they have free shows at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Go to One Eyed Jack’s or Dragon’s Den for your Burlesque fix.  Visit the Ogden museum and the World War II museum and the New Orleans museum of art!  Also be sure to do some shopping on Magazine street and get a drink at the Sazerac Bar in the newly refurbished Roosevelt Hotel.  The Roosevelt is a place where anyone can dress up and instantly feel like you are back in the 1950’s. I could go on and on, but I would be here all night! 
 
Take us back four years to August 2005. When did you leave, when did you return? Describe what the city was like after Katrina.

Well, I left with my family the day before the storm hit.  It was a Sunday and the mayor had officially told everyone that they need to leave or seek shelter.  We were gone for about 3 weeks, not really knowing what was going on or what the future held for any of us.  To this day, I think that the “not knowing” was the very worst of it. 

When we got back, we had discovered that although our home had been spared, my aunt and uncle, had lost everything.  For those first few months, New Orleans was not the city that I knew.  The national guard was heavy, parts of the city didn’t have power, there was a curfew all over town and there was a general feeling of unease.  We all had the question of, “well, what’s next?” swimming in our heads, because we weren’t getting any answers.  People who had lost everything didn’t even know where to begin in the whole “rebuilding” process. 

Should we stay and start over and hope this doesn’t happen again? Should we leave and start a new life somewhere else? Imagine your entire town being wiped out; Imagine that you have lost everything. All you have are the clothes on your back and a couple of bucks that the government threw at you. What do you do?

You cling to what you DO have…family, friends…this is when you realize what matters.  This is what gives you hope and keeps you going.  What else can you do?  You’ll go crazy doing anything else.
  
Has New Orleans returned to her former glory? Have the business, culture, & community returned?

I know some will argue with me and say that New Orleans will never be what it was.  I believe we are there now more than we ever have been.  The culture is here and it always will be.  The culture is in the people, the food, and the music, and it will remain as long as people come here and experience it. 

Do we still have work to do?  Absolutely.  Homes are continuing to be rebuilt and we could definitely use all of the help we can get.  I don’t want anyone to think that everything here is perfect, but I definitely don’t want anyone to hesitate to pay us a visit.  If you come down here, we will definitely make you feel at home. 

 
Let’s switch to a lighter topic. How did you fall in love with the pin-up style? What about it is so alluring to you?

Well, I have always been a “girly girl”, and I love pin up because it is so classic.  I just grew up appreciating the art of it and loving the “tease” aspect of it.  You can be sexy without showing anything at all.  It’s all about being a woman and embracing all that entails.  It’s about doing your hair and makeup and getting dressed up.  To me, it’s about that as much as it’s about getting a pretty picture- It’s about the whole process.  

I want people to know that anyone can do pinup.  ANYONE.  It doesn’t see race, size or age.  You are never too old, young, big or small to feel like a gorgeous woman and embrace who you are.  There is nothing that I do in my pictures that a woman admiring it on the internet can’t do herself.  I would tell anyone who is interested in pinup to do it.  Even if it’s just once.  
 
Who are your favorite vixens?

Well, ok, we’ll start with the obvious, the queen, Miss Dita Von Teese.  As far as models, I’m inspired by people like Gia Carangi.  The way she mixed fashion and art is what makes her a legend.  The classics: Betty Grable, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Eartha Kitt. 

These were women who did it right.  They were gorgeous, but they also had strength and attitude.  All of the actresses from this era carried themselves in a way that demanded respect.  They weren’t like the “starlets” of today with sex tapes and mini skirts.  They weren’t all over the gossip rags.  There was a mystery about them.  I think that’s the problem with a lot of girls today; there is no mystery left.  Girls shouldn’t be so quick to put it all “out there”. 

What is your trick to relating to the camera?

Well, that depends on the shoot.  For a “boudoir” kind of thing, I imagine that the camera is a boyfriend that I want to seduce.  Isn’t that so cheesy?  But it really works!  A photographer once told me to imagine that the camera is a person who I have to convince that I’m beautiful with just my eyes.  Ha!  That’s easier said than done. 

If the shoot is about you looking more serious, then you have to put yourself in that place.  If you have to look dominant, you have to put yourself there, too.  A lot of it, I guess, is about acting.  Only, you have to portray everything you want to say with one look.