Monday, January 16, 2012

New Thing Done Numero One


Welcome to the first "snapshot" post for my new 2012 quest, Operation Fear Liberation (OFL).  Each week, as I force myself to do something new (and, for some stupid reason, intimidating to me), I will post one of these snapshots to look at: why I put this new activity on my list; my previously-held reservations and hang ups about said activity; the "when, where, and how?" I did the activity; a summary of my experience; and my final takeaway post-activity.  Here we go!

Week 1: Go to a Burlesque show.

Peakaboo Pinups by Michael Albov [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Why it’s on my list: Every time I open the Stranger or Seattle Weekly, I see advertisements for burlesque shows and think, “That looks fun.”  God, how many times have I seen someone brag or gush about attending a burlesque show on my Facebook feed?  Frequently.

Hang Ups: Requires advance planning and finding someone to come with me, cost of admission, getting over a tired internal debate left over from my time as a Gender Studies minor about whether or not burlesque performances objectify or empower the female performers, mental resistance from that tiny part of me that is a total prude.


Conquered on: New Year’s Eve.

Where: Visual Arts Collective (VAC) in the Boise, ID suburb, Garden City

How: I attended the New Year’s Eve 2012 CARnival event at the VAC, which featured, among others, performers from the Red Light Variety Show, which lists its “affliction” on Facebook as “vaudevillian cabaret-like circus freaks.”

The Experience: One gal tapped in a potato sack to David Olney's song “Sweet Potato,” ripping the sack off midway through the dance to reveal baked potato pasties. Two gals performed amazing acro-yoga feats. Also featured: freaky-good belly dancer, pole-dancing spectacular, a lovely strip-dance using feathered fans as props, and a re-enactment of this LMFAO video:



The Verdict: Fantastic and fun.

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