Archive for December, 2009

The classic striptease performance finds a home in D.C.

The lighting is dim, the stage is small and the townhouse is packed with curious adults. All eyes in the room are fixed on the petite woman with vibrant red hair who is titillatingly twirling the tassels of her sequined pasties glued to her otherwise bare breasts. The faster she jumps, the louder the crowd cheers her on.

The packed townhouse is Palace of Wonders, a bar located in the hipster haven of H St Northeast in Washington, D.C. and commonly referred to as “The Palace.”

The woman with the pasties is L’il Dutch, who prefers her real name not be used. Not all co-workers and family are understanding when they find out their sweet, petite red head is one of D.C.’s most popular burlesque performers.

D.C. is not your average city. The Palace is not your average bar. Burlesque is not your average weekend activity. These factors combined make it interesting that The Palace has managed to make a home for burlesque in D.C., regularly selling out shows to the uptight and career-minded citizenry.

One would think the all work and no play reputation of folks in D.C. would be unfavorable for the carnival-like burlesque scene. However, the opposite seems to be true. Even uptight DCites need to let loose sometimes, and what better way to satisfy their curiosity than by watching women dance and act in a welcoming environment.

“The point of these shows is to have fun. It’s an opportunity that allows people to misbehave within reason, both audience and performers. We don’t get that in our daily lives, especially in D.C.” L’il Dutch said in an interview.

What is Burlesque?

Burlesque was introduced to the U.S. in 1868 by British performer Lydia Thompson. Thompson and her troupe, the “British Blondes,” began performing for middle class audiences in New York City and enjoyed great success. They took their show filled with parody, variety acts, song and dance and risque costumes across America. In the 20th century, burlesque in America became associated with striptease, a performance style that focuses more on teasing the audience than actual stripping.

A burlesque show isn’t just about women removing their clothes in front of an audience. Most shows have other acts, such as acrobatics, hula hooping, and fire dancing. The burlesque act almost always has an element of comedy, satire, or kitsch in addition to sex appeal. The performer takes the stage fully clothed and in character. The costume comes off piece by piece, worked into a storyline, often until the performer is down to panties and pasties. A good performer brazenly displays confidence and creativity.

Burlesque in D.C.

Lobster Boy, aka Lucas Zarwell, is credited for the burlesque revival in D.C. In 2003, Zarwell developed an interest in the carnival and cabaret scene happening in the UK. It was around that time he met Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey, a popular burlesque duo in Baltimore.

Zarwell went to one of Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey’s shows in Baltimore, liked what he saw and was inspired to dress up as an accordion-playing lobster.

Since a man dressed as a lobster would not draw large crowds on his own, Zarwell began contacting burlesque acts in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore to come down to D.C. and perform with him. “I’ve always liked sex,” Zarwell said. “But the provocative kind, not the pornographic.” Thus, the Lobster Boy Revue was born.

The first Lobster Boy Revue show was at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room in 2003. The show was a hit and Zarwell produced 4 sold-out shows a year until the end in 2006. The act stop being fun for Zarwell, so he knew his time as Lobster Boy was up. Sadly for his fans, Lobster Boy will not make a comeback. “The time for burlesque has happened here. The vaudeville thing has been played out,” Zarwell said.

As the Lobster Boy Revue was ending, Palace of Wonders was opening its doors. The Palace opened in July 2006 and claims to be the “only dedicated vaudeville stage, museum-of-oddities & full bar in the world,” according to the website. The bar quickly became the place to go in D.C. to experience burlesque each weekend.

The Performers and Community

L’il Dutch began performing burlesque in 2005 and has been producing her own shows, Dutch Oven Burlesque, since 2007. She is a self-described “huge enthusiast of mid-century and tiki cultures,” so the pinup look is a natural style for her. However, her motivation to try burlesque didn’t come until her mother passed away. Both her mother and grandmother, Big Dutch, passed away at younger ages, which got L’il Dutch thinking about what she’d regret not trying. Burlesque, along with bright red hair and tattoos, was the answer.

L’il Dutch and her husband, Gary Gutter (a MC for L’il Dutch’s shows), started going to burlesque shows in Baltimore and met Trixie Little through mutual friends. L’il Dutch and her husband made more friends in the community and it wasn’t long before she was on stage performing. Now L’il Dutch is the de facto burlesque organizer in D.C., helping new local talent get started and bringing performers in from other cities.

One of those new local talents is DD Cupcakes, aka Sherill Anne Gross. DD Cupcakes, named for her ample bosom and love of cupcakes, started going to burlesque shows at The Palace in June with her husband who has an interest in tiki culture and exotica. She decided to take one of Gal Friday’s monthly classes at The Palace.  L’il Dutch was at the class and asked DD Cupcakes if she’d like to perform. She agreed and her debut is set for December 19.

Of course DD Cupcakes is nervous about her debut. But she has enjoyed the support of the community and the confidence burlesque instills. “That is one of the appeals of the scene. You have girls with absolutely smoking bodies, perfect bodies. There are people who are curvier and rounder, or bigger here and bigger there. But that doesn’t detract from anything. They are all amazing. It’s about having what you have and working it,” DD Cupcakes said.

A common discussion point with this community are how supportive they are of each other. “I found it very easy to make friends in the scene. It’s an atmosphere where we can foster growth in one another,” said Elise Dawson of Stereo Vision Photography. Dawson, along with her fiancee Carlo Pizarro, began photographing shows at The Palace in 2007.

“Because there are so few of us, we are really lucky in D.C. that the community is like a family. We would do almost anything for each other,” L’il Dutch said.

The burlesque scene in D.C. has enjoyed a consistent level of popularity since The Palace opened. Though the verdict is still out on whether interest in burlesque has peaked or if people will keep coming back for more. Some in the community think The Palace could use a resurgence, others note the continually packed audiences. “I think it’s growing, and I think there will always be a constant variable about that. Even though D.C. is conservative, you have a great art community. Wherever there is an artistic community, you will have burlesque,” said Maria Adams. Adams, otherwise known as Maria Bella, is a performer and co-founder of Gilded Lily Burlesque, a burlesque troupe that performs primarily in D.C. and Baltimore.

There is a dedicated core of local performers, and as long as Palace of Wonders is open, burlesque will have a home in D.C. “I think D.C. appreciates burlesque. They always come out and are supportive, whether or not they are fully into it or are just looking for the eccentricity and shock value,” L’il Dutch said.

How Shintaido teaches peacebuilding through finding individual peace

Sixteen adults in a semi-circle reach their arms toward imaginary stars. They chant “ooh” and “ahh” in peaceful harmony. Next, they clasp their hands before them, and end the exercise with a minute of meditative silence.

The adults were participants in the “Exploring Peace through Movement – Shintaido movement workshop,” hosted by American University’s International Peace and Conflict Resolution program. The Saturday workshop was led by master Shintaido instructor Haruyoshi F. Ito.

Shintaido is a spiritual martial art based on moving meditation. It focuses on using body movement to deepen the connection one has with their inner self and nature. While it is a martial art, Shintaido does not involve combat.

“The form you make with your body acts like an antennae. You receive the energy from nature and broadcast that energy to the world around you,” said Ito. Through that practice, Shintaido artists believe they can achieve peace in their minds and bodies.

Shintaido practitioners believe the inner peace they have achieved can be shared outwardly through peacebuilding activities in their communities and work. They believe their work as peacemakers is highly connected to their own relationship with peace.

Elli Nagai-Rothe, a graduate student in the university’s program, organized the workshop. Nagai-Rothe has been practicing Shintaido for three years. She started to notice a connection between Shintaido and her studies in peace and conflict resolution.

“In the academic world there is intellectualizing and theorizing of peace and conflict. It’s in our head, not so much in our bodies. Shintaido can connect the two,” said Nagai-Rothe.

The workshop was organized to help participants explore the role of movement and the connection between body and mind. Then to use that connection to expand understanding and gain new insight for peace and conflict resolution. Rather than think of conflict resolution as an external issue to oneself, Nagai-Rothe hoped the participants would come out of the workshop with a more holistic understanding.

In layman’s terms, how is someone supposed to successfully resolve conflict in a community when they don’t have a full understanding of conflict as an individual? That’s what the workshop aimed to explain by introducing peaceful movements of Shintaido to connect the mind with the body and through discussion about how to use that connection in peacebuilding work.

For more information on Shintaido, watch this introductory video.