Entries in Cabaret (7)
Open Auditions for A'DOLLed Fantasy
Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 10:46AM
Well, my brief hiatus and vacation from A'DOLLed Fantasy has come to a close and it's time to start rehearsals again. It will actually kind of be nice to get back into dancing and rehearsals.
I find that without my dance classes, I have less energy, my flexibility has definitely gotten worse, and I find myself randomly stretching in public spaces.
That being said, A'DOLLed Fantasy is holding open auditions for both MALES & FEMALES of all ages, sizes, shapes, and experience. We are looking to fill spots for headliners, chorus girls, and singers. No prior dance training is required or necessary to try out. Just bring all your sexiness, energy, and excitement to the auditions. Women are expected to wear heels and both men and women are expected to wear appropriate dance apparel. There are two different rounds of auditions: Saturday May 8th from 1pm to 4pm or from 5pm to 8pm. Auditions are located in the NEVADAN HOTEL in Ballroom's B & C - located on the 3rd floor of the NEVADAN.
If you would have asked me even a year ago, if I was going to move from Wisconsin to Nevada & be a part of an amazing cabaret and burlesque company I would have told you that you were crazy - although a small part of me probably wouldn't have been surprised. However being a part of the company has fundamentally changed me in a positive and uplifting sort of way. I was never truly comfortable with my body - always being the pale plus-sized girl in the class. Though, when I started dancing and performing with A'DOLLed Fantasy suddenly I saw my body in a different light and through a different perspective - your whole mentality changes when you take off your top with nothing on but nipple pasties and the crowd cheers wildly. During shows, you get to contrive these false identities and personas for the night and do & say things you probably wouldn't otherwise.
Similarly, I really really really really all the gentlemen callers that are interested in cabaret, dancing, singing, or more to audition for the company. We have a few males lined up that are interested in being a part of the show, but I really want a strong turn out from guys. It would just overall enhance what we are able to do creatively with the show. Similarly ... I could be escorted on & off stage by a male dancer wearing practically nothing .... is all I'm saying.
A Night At the Dollhouse
Monday, April 19, 2010 at 11:26AM
I am still in recovery from the show on Saturday. I woke up yesterday morning feeling like a hot tranny mess that just got blind-sided by a semi, and then as I lay tired & emotionally spent on the ground a small child walked over and jumped on both of my feet - that's how much pain I was in.
A'DOLLed Fantasy had its premiere show this past Saturday at the Cal Neva Events room. Overall the show went well - with just a few issues and problems. I'm sure it was part nerves, part performing in a new space, and finally part of the joys of doing a live show. I probably prepared & rehearsed more for this show than any other show in my career and this was the show I was most nervous about. Upwards to 300 people were going to come see us perform in a casino - a statement of fact that continues to warp my Midwestern mind. I was stressing about my hair, outfits, choreography and all the while I was emotionally eating my stress which did not help the overall situation. However, I knew everything was going to work out okay when I went to the Chocolate Walrus mere hours before call time for the show to pick up some eyelashes. My quick trip to the Chocolate Walrus turned into so much more, when I decided to peruse the shelves and see if there was anything else I needed. Then I saw it. I saw this sequins corset on the wall in front of me, saw the artificial lighting of the store reflecting off the shiny surface of the corset, gave the GAY GASP, and then impulsively bought it. I needed some retail therapy before the show. So while I should have been getting my makeup done, I was being cinched into a corset. The second that I walked out of the dressing room to the ooohh & aaahhs of the random customers of Chocolate Walrus I knew that I needed this corset and that it was going to be a good show.
My girl Ariel Lea did my makeup and I looked fierce and ferocious for the night. I walked through the casino with my big diva-is-a-female-version-of-a-hustler sunglasses on and worked it. Live shows are always a mix of sheer insanity coupled with a lot of praying and our show was no exception. Girls were having to do quick costume changes in order to transition from one number to another - bras, panties, corsets, and more flying everywhere is quite the sight to see. Also we had some technical difficulties with the first act of the show. Unfortunately during the song "Come Together", our singer Fleur was on top of a table when that table started buckling and she started sliding toward the ground. Apparently she caught herself and stuck the landing but was so shook up she couldn't finish the song. It was nobody's fault for what happened. This is part of the gamble of running a live show. In a live production there are so many details that need attention and focus and so many things could potentially go wrong at any second - the power goes out, sound board gets fried, girls fall off tables, etc. The important thing to remember is to continue with the mother fucking show. The audience is out there waiting to be entertained and 99% of all audiences are amazing and forgivable and will appreciate you picking yourself up and continuing with the show.
One of the best parts of the show I thought was our trio number I performed with Lady Lola and Gigi to Michael Buble's "Feelin Good". In the song, I am supposed to play the sex kitten that exudes sex from my pores. My solo in the song involved me taking off my corset and flashing the audiences. My choreographer told me I didn't need to show my boobs and I thought: F thought, go big or go home. So I slapped on some boobie tassels and mentally prepared myself to undress on stage - something I had never done before. When I showed the audience my boobs they went NUTS and I still laugh at myself that in a burlesque show full of really hot attractive girls, the only person to show off their boobs was the drag queen ;)
The show was completely sold out & and actually we had to turn away about 60 people from seeing the show. I cannot wait to work out some of the issues in our show and put another one on as soon as possible. After the show we decided to have a little celebration at EDGE Night Club at the Peppermill. I am always a little nervous when I go to public spaces as Ginger - that aren't gay establishments. We had some connections in the club so we bypassed the whole line
- which if you have never done is one of the most delicious things ever in life - and entered a packed club. The night was amazing and I even had four or five gentlemen callers courting my affection. Of course, when you are wearing a tight majenta bedazzled corset you tend to draw some attention to yourself.
I ALSO GOT RECOGNIZED AT EDGE - I had my celebrity moment for the night. I was dancing to my jams and all of a sudden I hear through the noise of the club "GINGER!!!! GINGER!!!!!". Two fabulous ladies who came to the last A.Love.Nouveau show were at EDGE and we reminisced about Michael and him taking his clothes off. It was an incredible night but wearing heels for 10 hours straight was quite possibly the stupidest decision of my life. I have been wearing my Crocs ever since and probably will not wear anything else until the next show. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support the show. Stayed tuned for more information about upcoming shows in the future.
Fabulous Article in the Reno Gazette Journal
Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 11:48AM
An article just came out in the RGJ about the recent rise of burlesque and cabaret companies in the city of Reno. The author of the article examined each of the companies and attempted to answer the question of: Why burlesque? Why cabaret? It seems that most shows these days peg themselves as a cabaret show. I think that cabaret is a large umbrella term used to convey the richness and variety of a show without having to go into too much detail. Cabaret could apply that there is a comedic element to the show with stand-up or little skits/sketches or could simply imply to the use of music and singers to move a show along. When I use the word cabaret to describe a production I think the biggest element to factor in is the connection and relationship that the actors/actresses on stage have with the audience. Cabaret is all about the audience - whether it is a extremely sexy & talented and yet incredibly humble host mingling & bantering with the audience during the show or audience members getting dragged up on stage and thus becoming part of the overall production.
In some ways, it is always about the audience. You have to deliver a show that is catered to them, one that they will enjoy. Slapping the label of cabaret onto the title of your show allows for greater creative and artistic freedom. It gives the opportunity for the company to be exploratory in what they put on stage and not have to adhere to certain rules and regulations.
Funny story about the article is that unfortunately there were one or two typos in the piece. The article called me the producer and director for the company - a statement that did not go over too well with the actual producer and director for the show. He acknowledged that it was a mistake and not a big deal .... then I had to inform him that they spell his name wrong .... that was more of a bigger deal ;) But other than that it is a fabulous article. Check out a copy of the article here or visit my PRESS ROOM for a copy of the article
Life as a Dancer Means I Hurt Everywhere All the Time
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 12:20PM When the hell did April happen? It seems that the New Year just started and now I have found that April has snuck up and is currently biting me on the ass. Each passing day is constant reminder of my neglectful behavior toward my taxes. Also, each passing day brings us closer to the first show of A'DOLLed Fantasy at the Cal Neva – April 17th at 8:00pm, 21+ $10 at the door. With the new company , I have found myself going to dance rehearsal three to four times a week. I appreciate what dancing provides me; an opportunity to escape from the biggiditiness of life sometimes & the opportunity to live out my Center Stage dreams. However, dancing this much has enlightened me to the trials and tribulations that dancers face their entire careers. My first couple of weeks dancing, everything seemed perfect, I had more energy, my plus-sized body felt toner, and I was getting a different perspective about tempo, rhythm, and aesthetics. After the third week though, every part of my body invariably become sore and PISSED OFF AT ME. Muscles that had nothing to do with dancing started to hurt and complaining to me. I was popping Aleve like they were M&Ms and started developing this incredibly sexy and amazingly awkward penguin waddle. It would take my twenty minutes to go from the parking lot to anywhere just because it hurt to walk. All of this made me have a new-found appreciation for dancers and what they do every single day of their lives. It also made me a little concerned. My mother was/is a message therapist and therefore my childhood was filled by my mother's clients who basically fucked their body up and now are spending the rest of their lives attempting to negotiate the pain of the injury and how to navigate through life with it. My mother also has the power of Catholic guilt on her side and attempted to strike the fear of God into me, by warning me and not wanting me to overdue it. Damn you Catholic mothers and your ability to turn situations around so not only are they my fault but then I am made to feel shameful because it is my fault ;)
As I am dancing more, my choreographer is throwing more advance moves my way. However, I am still untrained and am a drag queen, and what do drag queens do best – fake it and pretend like you know what you're doing. I remember when Nayte was choreographing for Adam Lambert's “For Your Entertainment” the opening number for our show at the Cal Neva, and he turns to me and goes;
“Alright Ginger, I would like you go into your side splits, and then swing around to the other side, and then do a back rollover. As you come out of the back rollover I would like you to land on your knee and kick up and out into a standing position”
EXCUSE ME, you would like me to do what? Honey baby child, this is not “So You Think You Can Dance?” so let's not try to break the drag queen host prior to the show. As my momma would always say “if it aint broke, don't fix it”.
Why do we do it then? Aside from the passion of performing, entertaining, and because there is a 7 foot tall German man telling me to do it, why do we push our bodies and spend so much time dancing. There is something so freeing yet structured at the same time about dancing. You let go of life and the inhibitions of your body but at the same time, you know the steps, you know what is to come next. There is no uncertainty or ambiguity. A choreographer tells you what to do next and you do not have to make those decisions for yourself. Sometimes, when life is fill with impossible decisions and monumentous choices, sometimes it is just nice to have someone else make the decisions for a while ;)
Hope to see everyone at the show Saturday April 17th at the Cal Neva events room!!!!!
My First Show At the Cal-Neva
Friday, March 19, 2010 at 11:24AM 
This drag queen is moving on up, moving on up to a deluxe stage in the CAL NEVA!! We just got some of the shots from the photo shoot that we had this past Friday. Some of them turned out ridiculously well - our girls are so hot and beautiful. Make sure to check out my picture gallery with all of the photos from the night.
Our first show at the Cal Neva is going to be Saturday April 17th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm. Admission to the show is going to be $10 and the event is located in the Events Room in the Cal Neva. Although I cannot give all of the details of the show away - mainly because a very tall choreographer man would be very upset with me - I can tell you that we are pulling out all the stops with A'DOLLed Fantasy's premiere show. The show will feature headliners, solo numbers, epic groups numbers, and beautiful singers filling the ballroom with their majestic voices. Of course I will be there, providing comedic relief, as well as continue my never-ending search to find a MANS in the audience to be my new boyfriend .... 0 :) It is one of the perks of being the host of the event. I was also informed by my director that we are auditioning some male dancers!!!!! Is it bad that part of their job will involve coming out on stage with me during the show so that I may oogle them and generally objectify them?
Make sure that you do not miss this event; it is going to be an incredible night of hot dancing, sexy girls, ridiculous drag queens, beautiful singing, and hopefully some male dancers :)
Stay tuned for more information about the show as well as some sneak peaks as we get closer to the event. Thank you Cal Neva for the amazing photo shoot and the poster!!!
ANNOUNCING A'DOLLed FANTASY BURLESQUE AND CABARET COMPANY
Monday, March 8, 2010 at 10:53AM 
I am super excited to announce the premiere of A'DOLLed Fantasy Burlesque and Cabaret Company. A sister organization to A.Love.Nouveau, A'DOLLed Fantasy incorporates traditional elements of burlesque and infuses with contemporary styles of choreography - Jazz funk, hip hop, and lyrics. The show will also feature jazz lounge singers to provide a different layer to the show give audiences the feeling they are in a true cabaret show. I am still going to be the host for the event, keep audiences laughing all night, and also shamelessly flirting with all of the young attractive eligible bachelors in the audience. Make no mistake, I will most likely find my future husband in one of these shows so I need to make sure to keep my drag queen eyes open.
A'DOLLed Fantasy was created by choreographer Nayte Tavcar - voted one of the best choreographers by in the RN&R in 2009 - and features many of the girls who were formally a part of A.Love.Nouveau. We also have a new home!! We are operating out of the Cal-Neva and will have our first couple of shows there but hope to be performing in different venues at different events throughout town.
Check out the facebook fan page for the group HERE in order to stay up to date on everything that is happening.
A'DOLLed Fantasy,
Burlesque,
Cabaret,
Dancing in
A'DOLLed Fantasy My First Practice with A'DOLLed Fantasy
Friday, February 26, 2010 at 2:24PM So these past couple of weeks, it's been crazy with a lot of changes and new transitions. One of them is my move to A'DOLLed Fantasy Burlesque and Cabaret Company. Although I enjoyed my time with A.Love.Nouveau, it was time for me to move forward to new projects. Amazing choreographer god Nayte Tavcar decided to branch off from A.Love.Nouveau and form his company including many of the girls from the previous troupe and myself.
Now, I have never been to a dance class or taken a dance class ever in my life. I do not know how to point my feet, I do not know what the hell an A-ron-jeu-lon is [or really how to spell it - it is supposedly a Rond De Jambe], and apparently until last night I did not truly understand the meaning of the word pain. Dancers are epic … dancing is ridiculous, and I was physically and mentally unprepared for what is about to happen. I thought that a “strength and conditioning” course was going to include some free weights, some light callisthenics, and some aerobics. What actually occurred was a very tall very angry choreographer standing over me yelling at me to dig deeper for my center splits. I didn't know that there was 15 different ways to work my splits and stretch out those muscles.
I think I knew that things were heading toward a downward path of destruction when Nayte told all us girls to find a place along the wall. He then informed us to face then wall in center splits and push ourselves as close to the wall as possible …. ummm excuse moi …. you would like me to do the splits and then purposefully push myself up into the wall? Oh hell no. However, tall angry choreographer man had a different outlook. Should it look like we weren't trying hard enough, he threatened to come up behind us and push our butts to get a deeper stretch. In the immortal words of one miss Beyonce “You must not know about me, you must not know about me”, he was so lucky that he did not try, otherwise he would have needed to pray for his life.
So once all that crap was over, I couldn't feel my legs and I stood there wondering if I would ever have the ability to procreate. Then things just got worse. Nayte wanted us to do some squatting exercises which of course is one everyone's favorite past times. On top of my legs generally checking out for the night, I had mowed down on some In & Out prior to practice, and my body was so not mentally and physically prepared to “squat”. It took all of my strength to keep from accidentally farting during the middle of rehearsal. Now normally, I have no problem farting in public and completely owning up to it, but it was our first practice and didn't want to be “that girl”. “That Girl” that then gets blamed for any future mysterious unexplained smell that occurs during practice.
To make the night of torment truly complete, we ended our “strength & conditioning” with an ab workout. Now, nothing makes me feel more like the fat kind in middle school gym class than sit ups and ab workouts. The only workout my abs get is the giant sit up I do in the morning to wake up – and half the time I cheat & roll over my side anyways. I was pretty thankful that nobody was watching me because I am fairly certain I looked like a lost and confused whale flailing on the sand. Not necessarily a pretty sight to behold.
Thankfully I survived the practice, although I am still sprawled out in bed as I write. I am still sore and recovering from the experience and hope to God that this gets easier in time. I really love all of the girls in the company and cannot wait for our first show together.



