Miss Mina Murray

Dear Constant Reader,

I’ve briefly left Fannie Farmer to cook with Mrs. Crocombe. The latest Victorian Way video from English Heritage has her cooking furmenty. I immediately perked up because we have a lot of wheat berries left over from Christmas Eve dinner when I made kutya. Kutya is a traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve dessert made from wheat berries cooked in almond milk, then baked with dried fruit, nuts, ground poppy seeds, and honey. As we could only find the wheat berries in a five pound bag, I’ve…

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Dear Constant Reader,

Last week I saw the documentary Carol Doda Topless at the Condor. By the way, what a pleasure it is to see a movie in a theatre! I found out the movie was playing near us at about the last minute and I’m glad the timing worked out so that we were able to see it. It’s not about burlesque per se, but the transitional period of adult entertainment between burlesque and the neo-burlesque revival.

Carol Doda was a cocktail waitress at the San Francisco night spot the Condor Club in North…

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Dear Constant Reader,

It’s a very blustery day here in Boston. I hope everyone is snug inside, or having better weather than we are!

Here’s a tip to brighten up the day:

When removing, keep moving.

I don’t mean that you have to be in constant motion while stripping. In fact, there are time when you want to be still to highlight a garment peel. But make it a deliberate choice. Just stopping dead to remove something and then starting up again can look like it’s hard to do two things at once. And we want the…

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Dear Constant Reader,

This past Saturday was our debut performance at House of Hatchets, an axe-throwing emporium on Cape Cod. Ticket sales were a bit slow, so I was very nervous. I mentioned to a friend that I hoped the show would go well and she asked if I thought I’d have fun. I realized I *always* have fun with Betty and Ava and Devastasia and Scratch. Even if the show sucked (spoiler: it was awesome), we’d have a great time together.

Our dressing room was one of the axe-throwing lanes with a curtain…

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Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I’ve been tidying up my sewing room and reorganizing my supplies. That reminded me of this tip:

Flexible measuring tapes are often made of materials that can stretch or shrink over time. Periodically check yours against a plastic or metal ruler. If the measurements are off, toss it.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! A quick reminder that Introduction to Burlesque starts on Monday and floorwork the following Sunday. Here’s your tip:

Pack hangers along with your costumes.

If your dressing room has a clothing rack, you can’t count on it to also have hangers. If you bring your own, you can be sure you’ll be able to hang your costumes. If there’s no rack, you might be able to get creative…

We like those velvety hangers because they’re very flat and can pack easily.

These writings and…

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Dear Constant Reader,

After something like five years, B.A.B.E. had a student showcase! Scratch and I taught Burlesque: Your Way in January and February, one of our favorite classes, and one we haven’t taught for so long. In it, we coach students through the process of creating their own routines. The students start with an idea and end up on stage. They create their own choreographies, costumes, props, and set pieces. We offer guidance and feedback. They work so very hard!

Deacon Giles was good enough to…

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Dear Constant Reader,

While I’ve got your attention…

I will be teaching both Introduction to Burlesque and an intermediate-level floorwork routine in April! Early Bird pricing for the complete Intro course ends on Monday.

The BeauTease are preforming at House of Hatchets on the Cape tomorrow! There are still some tickets available!

And at last, your tip!

Spring is technically here, but it’s still rather raw out there. I don’t know about you, but the cold and the wind do a number on my lips.

Exfoliate your…

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Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! First, a few announcements:

I will be teaching both Introduction to Burlesque and an intermediate-level floorwork routine in April!

The BeauTease will be performing at a new venue this month! On March 23rd we’ll be at House of Hatchets on the Cape. For those of you on the South Shore who wish we performed closer, here we are! Get your tickets here!

And at last, your tip!

Wash out your water bottle.

Yeah, I’m talking to you. Even if all you keep in it is water, you need to…

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Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! How about a tip?

Follow up.

If you’ve contacted someone about performing or teaching or renting a venue and you don’t get a response, wait little while and then follow up. Unfortunately these days, sometimes people figure that no response is the same as a “no” (you would never do that, Dear Reader, right?), but sometimes people get busy, sometimes things slip through the cracks. 

It can’t hurt to (politely!) remind them of your interest.

These writings and other creative…

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