#effyourbeautystandards

I recently posted one of the most inflammatory posts I've ever made. One of the comments on my post was #effyourbeautystandards, giving the inspiration for this blog post's title. 

What does beauty mean to you? I asked myself this recently and found that what draws me to people, what I find the most beautiful in someone, is confidence. The ability to not only know the power you are given in this life but use it, to me, is absolutely gorgeous and irresistible.  

Usually, I keep my negative ranting on FB to a minimum. However, what I experienced last week was the most extreme case of discrimination and sizeism I have ever faced. My outrage and the painful sting was so much that I felt I had to share publicly. Though at times I wished I hadn't written that post, I believe there is a reason I live my opinions out loud; so others experiencing similar situations will know they're not alone and to draw attention to archaic ways of thinking that still exist, in hopes one day it will change. 

On a Wednesday I got a very exciting call asking me to hoop for 4 days in two cities, (one

city being San Diego at a location very close to where I'm living right now) with a very good pay rate. I was excited to be given this opportunity especially because the gig was specifically looking for hoopers with multiple hoop skills. Multi-hooping, in circus on-body splits, various boxes, juggling and Native American shapes have all been a passion of mine for a couple years now and what I have been focusing on most in my training. This seemed like exactly what I had been spending all those hours training for. A high level, high paid gig asking for the same skills I love. 

There was one catch, I had to do someone else's choreography...three different ones to be exact and I had to learn them all in two days. Because yep, the client waited until the last minute. Surprise surprise. The choreography was a disappointment but really a small concession for 4 days of good work as a hula hooper! So I watched the videos of the choreography, was slightly underwhelmed and checked with the agent that they had various sizes of costumes for the various hula hoopers. The costume was an important part of the look for the performance. Turns out no, only one size and lo and behold my size 8 was too big. WAIT! WHAT?! They made the costumes for the performers before booking the performers? They assumed they would only be hiring someone size 0 - 4? 

It's totally normal to think they would find a model sized, talented multi-hooper NOT booked for a Friday and a Saturday two days beforehand. Yeah. Right.

Before it was determined that I was too large to fit into their body suit, the agent asked me if I knew someone else who could also do one of the cities. They needed another performer for LA. Yes as a matter of fact, I know several people who could do this gig with me from San Diego. Let me refer you someone. 

As soon my dress size was brought up, the agent told me I might not get the gig at all but the person who I referred (who has a smaller dress size than me) would be getting the gig. All four days. It's a dog eat dog world out there in corporate land. 

I have to hand it to the agent. She worked hard to get me the gig. She felt awful that the client was turning me down, someone completely qualified and specifically trained for the skills requested, because of my dress size. 

It was a rough couple of days. I had serious ups and downs and I was extremely emotional about it. I had to send pictures of me hooping, body shots, selfies, head shots, natural-looking pictures. At one point it seemed I had convinced them but then it turned out no, I wasn't getting hired but the woman who I referred was. Also turns out they picked someone else in my place who only had one-hoop skills but is model sized. 

That's when my FB post hit:

Turns out being skinny is more important than being skilled. I just lost out on a incredibly highly paid semi-regular gig b/c of my dress size. I want to cry and punch something at the same time. It doesn't matter that I am the best person for the job (multi hooper) or that I've dedicated my life to training, performing, teaching, living and breathing hoop dance. All that matters is my body type. The shallow nature of this industry and society in general is depressing. I'm bringing booty back!

About 100 people commented within half an hour and I was in tears all over again. People wrote some of the most touching things to me I have ever read. Real life instances in which I had inspired, worked with, taught, danced with, performed with or mentored were coming out of the wood work. Some of my favorites include:

"... you're my IDOL. I've agreed to do a hoop burlesque performance this month and you are my inspiration, you are the Fairy Burlesque Hoop Goddess who whispers to me, 'Cookie, you are sexy with those curves!' " -Jennifer Mountain

 "The way you love, embrace, and use your body has always been such an awe and inspiration to me. And on top of that, you're extremely successful and thriving, rocking a gorgeous body, without a size 0 build. So basically fuck 'em The impact you've had on me and probably countless other girls is way more important than some dumb gig that doesn't see the beauty in you." -Katelyn Carano

"What I love so much about dancing with you is that you know and teach us how to have FUN rocking your body, and that all the women you are making happy don't fit a standard body type but are confident enjoying the body they have, no matter what shape or size! Whoever can't appreciate this doesn't deserve it! Keep up your amazing work performing and teaching and inspiring people around the globe!!! And yes, I'm all about booooootay!!! Bring it on!!" - Tine Be

"Valentina, because of you I moved beyond what I thought my ideal body image for myself was. You inspired me to love my body just the was it is, and flaunt it. I've been a size 12,10,8,6,4,2... Cellulite, stretch marks, saggy skin - all of it! This is the main reason I'm involved in performance art, to pay it forward and show men and women what FEELING good looks like!" - Emeraude LaStarr

Needless to say I was crying reading all of these comments. I decided to let it all go and

went to go take a shower. When I had washed off the icky feeling of being emotionally dragged around by shallow, inconsiderate corporate whores, I looked at my phone and saw that the agent had convinced them to hire me! WHAT?! They changed their minds? After I went public about their sizeism I was being offered the gig. What to do now?

It took me a while to decide what to do. A large part of me wanted to refuse the gig to prove a point. They didn't deserve me anyway. In the end I decided to take the gig because I knew I could rock the body suit and I knew I could rock the hoop moves! I wanted to show them that you do not have to be a size two to be publicly viewed on stage as a performer or even as a model. Now I definitely don't consider myself a model but ironically around the same time this happened, Sports Illustrated published a "plus sized" model Robyn Lawley in their February issue. She does not look plus sized to me. But she definitely looks beautiful.

So I did the gig. I felt both curvy and sexy in the body suit. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. The make-up they did on me, though it was a bit heavy, was fun to play with for a couple days. The most ironic thing about it was that multiple people, both the general public and the employees of the company, complimented me relentlessly on my body. "You have the perfect body!", "I want your body!", "Can I have your body?" These phrases came at me all day. I was gracious, said, "Thank you" and laughed to myself inside. See, you little corporate piece of shit, this is the type of person who should be seen on stage, the REAL, healthy, strong, empowered, talented woman. The one who is more like the everyday woman than the photoshopped models on the cover of magazines. 

The 2015 Face of Temptress

So many hoopers reached out to me who had gone through the same types of experiences. Someone skinnier and less skilled (or even in some occasions more caucasian) got the gigs over them. Even people who had been offered the same exact gig with the same company but in a different city also feel victim to sizeism discrimination. 

It hit me hard that there are still people out there in this world who think like this. I have surrounded myself with people who do not think this way. And maybe closed myself off to current prominent ways of thinking. Homophobia, racism, sexism, sizeism, they all feel like "isms" of the past. This experience showed me that they're still out there. In full force. 

Ironically, the same weekend as this gig I had entered myself into a Pin Up/Talent Pageant for my favorite store in San Diego, Temptress Fashion. This store has tempted me into becoming my most glamorous pin-up self on many occasions and I have dreamt of representing them as the "Face of Temptress" for about 5 years. Since I had always been at Burning Man or traveling the world when they had their pageant, I couldn't consider doing it until this year when the stars aligned. Their pageant was in February AND I had made a conscious decision not to travel internationally for at least a year. So it seemed to be my year! I competed in the pageant and I WON! Yup, right after almost being denied a job I was completely qualified for because of my body; I was celebrated and elevated to a representative position of a Pin Up company, because of my talent. Every single woman who entered the pageant was curvaceous and gorgeous. Every single one, when asked why they wanted to be a pin-up model said it was because the pin-up world encouraged women of all sizes to feel beautiful. 

My winning performance

All of this in the same weekend!

This experience has showed me even more how important Burlesque and Pin-Up culture is to me. Burlesque is full of superstar women who are absolutely rocking life and they're not a size two. Women who inspire me so much because of their talent, business sense, success, creativity and passion...still not a size two. For some women, particularly my students, I have a similar role in their lives. I dedicate my life to dance, performance, art, teaching, traveling, fulfilling my dreams, circus and genuine small business practices...and guess what...I am not a size two! I feel supported, loved and encouraged in the Burlesque, Hoop and Belly Dance communities for who I am. EXACTLY WHO I AM. Thank you to those of you who shared your personal experiences with me, how I have effected you positively through what I do. When you take the time to tell me, it gives me more inspiration to keep doing it!

At the Face of Temptress Pageant

When I first started performing Burlesque, one experience that I will never forget is a couple of women came up to me and said that they loved my performance because I am not a size two. They said they could see how much fun I was having being in my not-society-approved-perfect body, how sexy, confident and beautiful I felt. They said that if I could feel this way about myself on stage just as I am, then they could feel the same way about themselves! Huzzah! That's exactly when I knew what my purpose as a Burlesque performer is! And it has carried onto my purpose as a dance and Burlesque teacher as well. 

I want to say that sizeism can go both ways. There has been a huge anti-skinny movement lately that has left those size two ladies feeling slighted. I DO NOT believe anyone should be considered beautiful because of their dress size. As I said in the beginning of this post, what I find the most beautiful is EMPOWERMENT. Even though the song below walks the anti-skinny girl sizeist line, I still can't stop singing it and feel parts of it are a new anthem for me. Particularly this Postmodern Jukebox version :) Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top!

Click the image!

Sombra

Jumping from "sombra a sombra" as we walk down the street in the scorching heat. Shade is such a commodity here, a necessity for survival as a “chele” (slang for foreigner or light skinned person - slightly nicer then saying “gringo” - I think?) Eating frozen chocolate covered bananas, drinking Mexican Coke and “jugo natural” out of plastic bags. The locals turn the plastic bag (bolsita) up-side-down, bite off one corner and suck out the juice. It takes a couple tries before mastering the technique and not spilling sticky, sugary liquid all over yourself.

Las Penitas Beach...it's a tough life!

We have now been in Nicaragua for one month. On New Years Day at 6am, five of us got on a plane to Central America from London. It has been an amazing experience – one that I am already grateful I have decided to embark on, and we're only 1/3 of the way through it!

The amount I have learned in the last month should be illegal. Not only have I learned all kinds of new circus skills, I have also continued to grow my Spanish speaking ability and team living/working skills. I've never worked, lived, traveled, taught, cooked, eaten and performed with the same small group of people in a foreign country before this. Whoa! The whole thing is intense and beautiful for both its successes and challenges.

The first ten days we were at Las Penitas beach which is about a 30 min bus journey outside of León, the city we are living in now. We stayed in a house on the beach with hammocks and a beautiful yoga deck, right on the sand. The beach was pretty much deserted the whole time we were there. It's definitely an undiscovered paradise. Or maybe just not tourist season? The water was warm, the sun bright, the beach empty and the waves quite intense. One of my favorite memories from swimming in that sea was our last day there before we left for Granada. The whole team was in the water for one last family swim. Jake had the idea that we do our group dance routine from our show. We did it, stage placement changes and everything, while the crazy waves crashed on us, giggling all the while.

 7 person - 2.5high!

Those ten days were packed full of some of the most learning I've ever done. We had an amazing tropical fruit breakfast together every morning. After that we would take turns leading sessions for each other. We played lots of amazing games. We played improv games, name games and just plain ol' fun games! We taught each other our own specialty in Spanish to get us ready to do so with the kids. Highlights include learning staff from Aileen Lawlor, diablo from Jake Holland and acro balance from Tilly Twist – all in Spanish! Our initial group acro sessions left me high as a kite. I learned to base a 2.5 person high pyramid with all 7 of us, and am now doing it in the show we perform multiple times a week. I also had to teach hoop to the team that week in my version of "Spanglish" which was a good way to break my fear of doing so, and get me ready with important words for our projects.

We also came up with our show in those 10 days. I am extremely impressed with what we came up with. It is a 10 act show with 7 performers, some of which had never performed together before. It's about 40 minutes long and includes a group ball juggling/clowning act, a group dance routine, a staff trio, a 4 person poi routine, a diablo trio, a Magical Realism act (in which I belly dance, there is an Isis wing dance, contact ball juggling and floating wand), body percussion, rope walking, a club juggling trio, a hoop trio (Bags, Tilly & I – hoop juggling and multi hoop tricks!) and finally a group acrobatics routine to finish the show.

The dance routine was a concept that I came up with at bootcamp. We were brainstorming

Performing our dance routine

about the show and trying to see if we wanted a narrative or theme for it. It came time for Aileen, Penny and I to create the dance routine before we had decided on a story. I was confused to as to how we could choreograph a dance without an obvious concept to work from. I was talking to Bags about it and he said something along the lines of, “Can't it just be for the purpose of fun?” That got me thinking. What about a dance routine in which the theme is in itself dance. An homage to popular culture dance crazes! So I proposed the idea to the team and everyone seemed quite keen. It ended up with Jai Ho (Bollywood thanks to Penny), Madonna's Vogue, a cheesy/clowning ballet to the Sugar Plum Fairy (I made tutus for the boys to wear and us ladies lift them up for a leap :) then it goes into 80s hip hop choreographed by Aileen to MC Hammer's 2legit 2Quit, after is the beloved Gangnam Style which was a big hit EVERYWHERE in the world apparently, Thriller by Michael Jackson, the Macarena and finally the Harlem Shake – the Harlem Shake is an opportunity for us to freak out crazily with no real choreography - organized flailing. In between each song is a robot-battery-dying moment where we all loose energy and regain it before the next part.

El Berrilete

There were definitely moments in rehearsing these pieces in which the team as a whole was skeptical – were we going to look good doing this? Were people going to get it? Laugh? Love it? Hate it? Ahhhh! Not many of the team consider themselves dancers, but primarily circus performers. There were several times in which I wasn't feeling good about this contribution. But the test came in our first show at Sonflora (a Swiss funded project for kids who have domestic violence in their homes) in the Las Penitas area. They absolutely LOVED our dance routine! They laughed and cheered :) Since then we have performed it in every show and have received masses of positive reactions. One of the other participants at the El Berrinche Ambiental Festival in Granada saw a message in it – that everyone can and should dance their own unique way. Which I love. Yes, that is SO the message! Not only have the audiences loved the dance routine, we have also started teaching it to the kids. They have expressed the most enthusiasm about it out of anything I have taught them so far. Screaming “Otra Vez!” (Again!) after every time we run it. It was the most fun (and the most sweaty) I've had teaching here in León at El Barrilete.

HERE are our pictures from Bootcamp and Granada.

Dancing w/ the kids at El Berrilete

El Barrilete is an after school program for kids who's parents can't give them help with homework – usually because of their work. Lots of them are extremely poor, living in conditions of abuse and/or drug addiction. They go to El Barrilete to get help with homework and eat lunch. We go there everyday for 2 hours to play games with them, teach them hoop, poi, staff, dance, acro balance, body percussion, juggling and diablo. We have now been there for about a week and a half. We have 2 more weeks with them and are planning to put together a show with them at the end – to perform all of the skills they have learned with us. I have created some serious bonds with these sweet kids! I love them! They are extremely eager to see us everyday when we show up at the school. Hearing them say “Valentina! Valentina! Mirame!” (Look at me!) every time they get a new trick down just melts my heart.

Watch this video!

HERE are the pictures from our month in Leon. And to the left is the video Aileen made of our time there!

Before coming to León, we spent a week in Granada at the El Berrinche Ambiental Festival. It was held at the beautiful Casa de las Botellitas (House of the Little Bottles) – and it's just that. A house painted in multiple bright colors, lots of beautiful graffiti, glass bottles in the walls and a wonderful training space. This organization, The Escuela de la Comedia y el Mimo, teaches local children from the barrios performance skills and they are serious little circus badasses! We got to see them perform their show which included fearless group acrobatics, juggling, poi, clowning and even a story!

Hooping w/ the kids in Granada

This circus and performing arts festival was conceptualized around the ideas of recycling and Earth preservation involving performance artists from around the world – mostly from Central America. We took and taught workshops with the artists and local children. We slept in hammocks and performed twice. We paraded down the streets of Granada, to the Casa de Tres Mundos, the main square and spot of various shows that we watched and performed in. When we performed there, Jake set up a high line on the building and walked it with no safety! It was the highest line he's walked sin safety and quite a scary/inspiring thing to witness. We also performed inside the Mimo y Comedia Cafe that the Escuela works with often. It's a beautiful space with a large outdoor courtyard that serves as the stage. I had the opportunity to perform a belly dance solo at the Cafe. I don't think there is very much belly dancing here, though they do lots of latin dancing which has much cross over with the isolations in belly dancing. It got a huge response, especially from the kids. Two little girls followed me around for about 30 minutes after I got off stage, they just kept staring at me and asking me questions, quite endearing. I was astonished by the thriving circus scene represented at the festival. It makes me wonder what other corners of the world are pulsing with the life of circus! You can see the video from our week in Granada here.

Performing w/ Bags & Tilly Twist

After Granada we came here to León to start our project with El Barrilete. We settled into our house here, it has been nice to have roots down in one place. Everyday we get into a “camioneta” (truck) to take us to the area Guadelupe where El Barrilete is. It is literally a truck with a cover over it, 2 benches and lots of people. Sometimes the drivers are crazy as they rush and lurch down the streets. It's always an adventure - packed full of locals - I often find myself hanging on for dear life with our circus equiptment!

A highlight from León are the museums Bags and I visited. One, a Contemporary Art Museum called Foundatión Ortiz Gurdián showcasing Central American artists. I really enjoyed the interactive pieces. We made a spyrograph drawing from an installation of perfectly balanced objects. We also went to a museum of Nicaraguan Legends and Myths. We had a one-on-one tour in Spanish and a translator who told us all about these myths we have encountered here but didn't understand yet. It was fascinating and I am intrigued to learn more about them. Lots of stories come from Spanish colonization and interaction with the native people. Some highlight issues in the culture – a woman who turns into a pig to follow her cheating husband around and catch him in the act, a dwarf that steals children from the rivers if their parents leave them there alone, a Day of the Dead carriage of skeletal horses and people representing how the Spanish settlers would cart around dead bodies of the indigenous people.

Bags & I Juggling 

We have had some memorable shows since we've been here in León as well. We performed at a bus terminal in a half built concrete box with columns in the center, sharp pointy pieces of metal jutting out of the top, trees overhanging and a corner that had definitely been used as a bathroom once or twice. When we showed up I was skeptical to say the least. Picturing myself doing group acrobatics, standing on Bags' shoulders in a twohigh, juggling and dancing in that space seemed impossible. It was the most challenging space I have ever performed in. But we figured it out. Adapted our show, bent back the pieces of sharp metal and absolutely rocked it. There was one kid in the audience who had clearly been sniffing glue. This is a common problem in Nicaragua. The glue makes them high and takes away their hunger, making it easier to survive starvation. It was quite sad to see. Lots of organizations that we're working with here, like Las Chavaladas, take in children with glue addictions and help them get back to a healthy, happy life. We work with these organizations to teach kids like this circus skills - giving them confidence, fun playtime, a hobby to be passionate about, a way to connect with others, maybe a calling in life.

Another memorable show was a street show set up by Las Chavaladas. It was literally in the  middle of the street, blocked off by trucks parked in the road. A massive sound system was set up and hundreds of people in the audience. We collaborated with a group of Salsa Stilt Walkers, called the Zanqueros who we met at the festival in Granada. Since we met them, we have been participating in skill exchanges. They teach us salsa and we have taught them circus skills and belly dancing. It is an amazing link to have made since they want to set up a permanent social circus program here in León. They are such a nice group of people. It really helps our Spanish and makes me feel like I'm a true resident of this country, being friends with the locals! For this show, the Zanqueros did their salsa stilting act at the end of our regular show and then we all rocked out a fire set. It was amazing how our tiredness before the show was turned around by an exhilarating performance into excitement and energy.

Group Acro Pyramid!

One last show of note was held in the large central square in the middle of León last weekend. It was a collaboration between us, the Zanqueros and El Nido de Las Artes (a group of circus performers from another town here in Nicaragua, Estelí). All three of us did a two hour show which included juggling, dancing, clowning/comedy, diablo, poi, hoop, contact juggling, clubs, rope walking, group acrobatics, salsa stilt walking and of course a fire jam at the end....all of the things!!! An amazing conglomeration of our combined talents and oh what an experience! 

I am so grateful that I have decided to do this project and I can't wait to see what else is in store for me during the next 2 months. I want to thank everyone who has donated to help me do such important work. I also want to let everyone know that I am still fundraising the rest of the money needed to do this project. You can read about my fundraising campaign here. Thank you!

My First Year of Burlesque Festivals

On the way to Vegas!

The Hoop Unit Goes to BHoF
June 2013

As if it were even possible, somehow my drive and dedication to my art has been increased by attending the Burlesque Hall of Fame. I have been given even more courage to do what I do, to the extreme. There is no reason to hold back. No reason to fear that anything I do is too crazy, silly, sexy, out there or wild, because it's not. After what I saw performed on that stage, NOTHING I do can be too out there. There will always be someone who is more flamboyantly ridiculous or fabulous than me :) How awesome is that? It's comforting to know there are so many people out there like me that are completely obsessed with Burlesque. I have never been surrounded by so many people that are that into it! I felt like I was definitely a virgin at the Burning Man for Burlesque Performers. I also feel like I have found yet another place to call home.

Seeing so many performers embrace their unique selves through fashion, costuming, performance, movement, dance, theatrical concepts and of course creative strip tease has really encouraged me to BE MYSELF to the fullest extent of the law. I can't wait to see what my brain comes up with after this!

It was a true celebration of the human body, in ALL of it's forms. Men, women, small, large, young and old got up on that stage and owned it! There really is no time in this life to be ashamed of what you got. Own it!

On the big stage!

My favorite night of performances was Thursday, the “Movers, Shakers and Innovators.” These were the alternative acts that fit nowhere near classic. The more and more I surround myself with Burlesque, the more I start to formulate an opinion of what I prefer. And it's clearly anything that involves circus or outside-the-box concepts. When you've seen lots of women take their clothes off on stage, after awhile it just becomes ass and titties. And then some more ass and there are another set of titties. I want something different. Something radical! Thursday gave it to me and I will never forget it. Jett Adore came onstage with the largest pair of feather fans I have ever seen in my life! I mean they were gigantic! Lolli Hoops, my Hoop Burlesque sister from the other side of the country, did a hilarious Mary Poppins Hoop act. She rocked 4 hoops and nailed it! I was extremely proud of her :) Other highlights of that night include Gilbert de Moccos of Japan, Miyuki Divine & Raven Virginia and Russell Bruner.

The Hoop Unit at BHoF

Friday was the Legends showcase. The groundbreaking ladies who paved the way for us 40+ years ago got on stage and brought it! It was inspiring to see older women still rocking the stage. It gave me a different perspective for my future. Not only were they owning the stage but the audience loved them! This is reality right here. We all age eventually and it is a beautiful thing. Not to be ashamed of or scared of. It is to be celebrated! The reverence for the women who started the Burlesque movement is endless. I love seeing the respect and adoration for our previous generation.

Saturday was our big night! The competition! 3 full months of rehearsals for the troupe and 3 years of anticipation for me was finally coming to a head. To say we were nervous was an understatement. Performing Burlesque for 800 other Burlesque performers is no joke! It's such a niche community that the people within it are what support it. It is starting to branch out and get support from the mainstream as it becomes more popular but for the most part, Burlesque performers support Burlesque. I haven't been as nervous to perform since I was featured on Showtime's LiveNude Comedy in 2008. It was a live taping of my newly created Hoop burlesque act (I had only been hooping for one year at that point) for a national television show. It was the most nervous I had ever been to perform. Fast forward to backstage at the Orleans Casino theater for Burlesque Hall of Fame 2013 and THAT has become the most nervous I have been to go on stage. BUT WE ROCKED IT! You can see the video here. Sure, the performance wasn't perfect. But heck, it was close enough for me. It was a very challenging routine for 4 people to nail flawlessly. I am extremely proud of us. We worked so hard! We trained, made our costumes and fundraised through Indiegogo so we could afford to get out there. I consider the whole project a complete success and I am so grateful to Sarah, Jessica and Madison for making it such a priority. Also, to everyone who helped support our Indiegogo campaign, THANK YOU! We couldn't have done it without you.

After the show w/ Lolli Hoops!

Some of the competitors on Saturday that really stood out to me was Laurie Hagan in the debut category for her reverse Burlesque act. Her music was in reverse, her dancing was in reverse and so was her striping! It was a completely original take on the classic idea of reverse Burlesque. I loved Midnite Martini's act for the Queen title in which she had feather fans on her gloves. How she was able to strip with feather fans on her fingers will forever baffle me. Imogen Kelly (last year's Queen) from Australia performed her farewell performance. It was absolutely breathtaking. Her dress had a manipulatable hoop inside of it that changed shape as she moved. It ebbed and flowed, the performance brought tears to my eyes. In the end we didn't win our category but I wasn't really there to win. I was there to share and to inspire...and to be inspired! I was there to express my vision of Hoop Burlesque Fusion and entertain the crowd in a hopefully unique way. I already know what I want to enter with next year and have been thinking about it, plotting it, ever since! Bwahahaha. I am determined to take home a title at some point in my life. It will happen!

Sunday we got some pool lounging in and saw the Icons & All Stars show. I was awesome to see Roxi D'Lite perform live. I have been watching her videos for years! She did a Cyr Wheel strip, it was amazing. The strength that woman has! Jeez! Catherine D'Lish AND Dita Von Tease ended up showing up which was a huge surprise for the audience. It was Dita's first time attending BHoF! Michelle L'amour was ridiculously sexy as well. I mean wow!

You can see more pictures from our adventures in Vegas here. 
A documentary style video of our adventures in Vegas will be ready soon!

Valentina Goes to the New Orleans Burlesque Festival
September 2013

I just got back from an adventure at the New Orleans Burlesque Festival and I am still

reeling. The first night I was there I performed in the Mondo Burlesque Show at the Harrah's Casino. It was an amazing show to be apart of! The stage was beautiful and big, just how I like it! The crowd was right there with me as I pulled off most of my tricks! Yeah I had a few drops but for some reason when I pulled off the trick I had attempted (and dropped) the first time, the audience cheered even louder. It's something I talked about in my "Performance Skills for Hoopers" workshop this summer on the US Tour. Sometimes an audience likes a drop and a recover more than pulling off the trick perfectly the first time. It makes you seem more human as opposed to a magical hooping super hero. Also, you tried again and succeeded which makes your perseverance commendable and the audience got to go through some adversity with you, you all prevailed! Woohoo! I have to listen to my own advice, try again, put on a big smile and try not to get discouraged when I drop a hoop on stage. Overall I am happy with my performance and happy with the response I received from the audience and other performers at the festival. 

On Saturday I walked around Jackson Square and the French Market Quarter. There was some awesome shops, flea markets and farmers markets. It was a rainy day but I didn't let that stop me from being a tourist. The Saturday night show at the House of Blues was spectacular! My favorite acts were Kitty Bang Bang's Pink Panther act (she came out of a huge trash can!), The Acromantics, Russell Bruner & Pink Lady and The Ruby Revue ended the night with a large group number which was beautifully choreographed and executed. I loved Kitty Bang Bang's "F**k You" attitude and absolute silly humor. It was like she knew that what she was doing was ridiculous (taking off our clothes for an audience is ridiculous, btw!) and the acknowledgment of that made me giggle. When I found out she's from the UK it all made sense, as I seem to have an obsession with British culture. The Acromantics did an amazing acrobatic comedic Burlesque number. It made me think of Bags and all of the fun acro stuff we did over the summer. Russell Bruner & Pink Lady did their silly Little Bo Peep act. 

After the show I had an amazing time getting to know some of the performers from the

festival at the after party. I have a major crush on Gogo McGregor and Dr. Sick. Confetti Eddie was fun. I love David the Pope of Burlesque and Saphire Snow from Australia was a total sweetheart! Her bubbly personality backstage was very much appreciated by social butterfly me :) Vicky Butterfly's act in the Mondo Burlesque show was very cool. She had LEDs and El Wire in her flowy costume which made for an epic effect on stage. Oh and I forgot to mention that El Dorado (who has only been doing Burlesque for 5 months!) did the first ever ice skating Burlesque act (as far as I know!) It was beautiful!

On Sunday I went to the park with Kimberly, my friend who I was staying with to see a live funky jazz band. We ran into a few hoopers on the way in and ended up hooping and dancing with them the whole time! It was such a serendipitously perfect occurrence. I love that carrying a hula hoop around automatically makes you friends wherever you go! We hooped under the huge beautiful trees on the cool grass and I thanked the universe that I'm alive.

The Courage to Ask for Help, Counting Your Blessings & Diving Into the Unknown

The Courage to Ask for Help

As I sit on the brink of my biggest dreams and projects getting ready to unfold, I reflect. 2013 is almost half way over! Wow, that went fast. Pretty much all of my 2013 has been spent in anticipation of this moment. Or the moment I'm about to experience actually, The Burlesque Hall of Fame in Vegas and my US Tour with Bags. I have been planning, organizing, promoting, creating, communicating, working and dreaming about this tour since December of last year. 6 months in the oven! This project has been baking real good :) And it's about to be ready for consumption! It's the oddest feeling to about to be doing something you've spent the last 6 months thinking about. I just want the next few weeks to happen already!

They are going to zip by! I know it! In about a week I will be driving out to Vegas with 3 amazing women to compete in the Best Group Category at the Burlesque Hall of Fame. We are SO excited! We have been working extremely hard to get ready for this. I launched a crowd-funding campaign to help us afford this expensive endeavor, and we made our goal! Thank you to everyone who contributed or helped spread the word about our campaign! It was the first time I have launched such a project and I have to say it was an amazing experience. It made me think about the concept of asking for help. It's hard to ask for help. I know I struggle with it. Something inside me tells me I'm supposed to seem as if I can do everything, all of it, on my own. That's just craziness! That mixed with my own notion of...if it's going to be done right, I have to do it myself. Silly! I watched Amanda Palmer's Ted talk "The Art of Asking" and was so inspired by her courage to ask for help. That video is definitely worth a watch! 

Not only did I put myself out there in a new way to ask for help financially with BHoF, I have also asked dozens of hoopers to help us with our tour. We will be hosted in about 20 different cities this summer! That is a lot of hosts! I have hosted countless hoopers over the years in San Diego and I have also been hosted in Canada and the UK. I know what it takes to host a touring workshop instructor, it's no small feet! Organizing the space rental, spreading the word to your local hoop community and managing sign-ups. Hard work but totally worth it! I wrote a blog post on The Hoop Hub about the benefits of hosting and taking workshops from out of town hoop instructors. It brings in outside inspiration, grows your community, creates a bond within your community, generates revenue and allows the host to network and pay it forward. 

I hope that my Indiegogo Campaign as well as my tour has inspired you to have the courage to ask for help! Sometimes dreams are so big that they take the greater community to manifest. I know that both of these impending projects are bigger than any other dream I have attempted to bring to fruition. That's why they required collaboration on a larger scale. Dream big! Ask for help! One of the most satisfying things I do in my life is help people's dreams of performance come true. I alter people's life-paths by providing empowering performance opportunities, and it feels great!

Counting Your Blessings

On the news with The Hoop Unit as 1950s hula hoopers

April might have been one of my most exciting months to date! I got to do a few gigs with Anahata at the Figueroa Hotel in downtown LA, taught some awesome hoopers private lessons (including Kana from Japan!), The Hoop Unit performed at Lucidity Festival, I was flown to the Bay Area to perform at the Vaudeville Festival in Tracy, CA, I performed on a yacht for The High Seas Tease, Ninja Hoops from Oakland came to town for workshops AND we were featured on San Diego Living's morning news show to talk about Hooping as a tool for health. Whew! 

The Hoop Unit at Lucidity!

Lucidity was amazing! Our performances were different than any I have ever experienced. We were slated to do a renegade performance of our new Space routine at the main stage in the middle of the crowd at midnight on Friday night. Earlier that evening we looked at the main stage and wondered how we were going to work our way into that massive crowd! We were certain people would give us room when they saw a dozen girls all in the same spacey outfit coming through with glow hoops. We got ready and rehearsed a few times at our camp. Even that caused a scene! This routine is different because it isn't set strictly to music with counts like all of the other numbers I've choreographed in the past. It has a lot of partner work that's more loose. We set off from our camp as a caterpillar (each person's hoop looped on top of the person in front of her) and snaked our way over to the main stage. I was in the front and waved our train all over the place! The reactions we got from people were amazing! When we got to the main stage just after midnight, the music was off! Turns out the person who booked us forgot the music ended at midnight, duh! Well we didn't let that stop us! We set up and did our whole routine anyway and allowed a crowd to form around us. It was interactive and spontaneous. I loved it! We did the same thing a few more times in various places around the festival. Pretty much wherever we felt like...at a silent disco (people all wearing headphones listening to the same music), at the Spin Cycle camp, etc. I am usually performing on a stage and it is very planned out. This was the exact opposite! It is so nice to have opportunities to switch it up every so often!

Performing at the Vaudeville Festival in Tracy, CA

One of my favorite shows I have EVER done was at the Grand Theater in Tracy, CA for their Vaudeville Festival w/ the Fishnet Follies Burlesque Revue. It was in a huge, beautiful original theater from the 1920's! The stage was amazing, the cast was epic and the show was spectacular. I really enjoyed being surrounded by such beautiful Burlesque stars in a venue that was truly worthy and deserving of our talent! The night that I arrived in my hotel room, after driving from the airport in my rental car (all of which was provided by the festival who hired us) - I laid in bed and counted my blessings. I was feeling so grateful! I thanked everything that I could think of. I started with the things that were closest to me and the gig I was doing. Thanking Mynx, the festival organizers, etc. then I started moving outward and thanked everything in my head that I could think of, getting as far away as the moon, stars, mother earth, trees...everything! Naming them all off in my head. Thank you "fill in the blank." I can't stress enough how important it is to carry gratitude with you through your daily life! It is the only way to move forward.

The High Seas Tease

The High Seas Tease was definitely one for the books! I danced with my snake, Manasa as well as performed my 4 hoop routine. It is the first time I have done a summersault on a moving yacht while hooping on my foot :) I am always up for a challenge and I love firsts! The Bourbon Dames Burlesque will be producing another amazing event on June 7th at Sunset Temple: Rack of Ages. I am really looking forward to performing to one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs. It's one that I have wanted to dance to for years! Don't miss it!

Ninja Hoops came to San Diego to teach 2 days of amazing hoop workshops! Wow! My brain was all full and melty. I loved it! Thanks to Zach and Marria from Oakland for making the trek down to teach us your amazingness!

Ninja Hoops Workshop in San Diego

The weekend after Ninja Hoops were in town, I went to Colorado to participate in the Spin Summit. This was my second year teaching and performing. It was a really good time for reflection because that event last year was the start of my huge self-initiated life change. I got to sleep in the same exact bed I slept in last year and think about  all that I have experienced since then. I got to compare my current self with my past self. Something I noticed was how much more comfortable I feel inside myself. I am so much more ready to be me. And nothing else. No one else. Just me. I also feel much more empowered within my potential as a hooper and circus artist. I have grown a lot as a hooper in the last year. I can feel how much I have pushed myself to grow. 

Diving Into the Unknown
I like details. I thrive on organizing and planning them out. Something about my tour that is both scary and exhilarating is how unfathomable it is. I can't fathom all of the details. It will be for 3 months and it will mostly be in places I have never been. There is A LOT of unknown factors. No matter what I do now to prepare as best as I can, there is no way I can know everything. I'm freaked out and excited at the same time. I think this must be the reason I'm doing this. I'm in a phase of my life where I am pushing myself into the unknown, the uncomfortable, the unfathomable. I think if you're not scaring yourself, you're not really living your life to the fullest. Scare yourself. Just a little bit. Get out of your comfort zone and grow! I am also pushing myself into a place of discovery about what I really "need" to survive. Putting everything back in storage, and packing up only enough for a 3 month adventure in a car is going to put the idea of "need" into perspective!

What's Coming Up!
Rack of Ages - June 7th at Sunset Temple

Bags is coming to teach!

More info: http://rackofages.eventbrite.com/

Show Variete - June 7th at Queen Bee's
More Info: http://queenbeessd.com/

Del Mar Fair Performance - June 9th at the Del Mar Fair
More info HERE

Double Hoop Workshop w/ Bags in San Diego! - June 13th at Dance Place San Diego, 7-9pm, $40
More info: http://unityhoops.com/events/bags-uk-hoop-workshop-san-diego

OB Spin Jam and Farewell Party! - June 14th at the Saratoga Greens in OB
More info HERE

UK Hoopers Invade LA - June 15th at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Pasadena w/ Bags, Kenna Hoops & Gail O'Brien
More info: http://unityhoops.com/events/uk-hoopers-invade-la

Hoop Dance as a Tool for Empowerment

Ninja Hoops Badassery

Since my last post I have experienced some serious up's and down's, as per usual. It's been the theme of the past year. Consistency in mood is a thing of the past. Instead I am feeling intense highs - super elation, true gratifying experiences, exciting opportunities - and equally intense lows - confusion, betrayal, disappointment, emotional mood swings, harsh realizations about myself. It feels like this Saturn Return is still holding strong. As I make my way into my late 20's and see the dawn of my 30's closing in, I experience super-charged downloads about who I am and what is important to me. I feel a serious break with my past-self and an opportunity to create my new present/future self. That opportunity is always there but for some reason, at this time of my life, it's very apparent. Change is good, right? Bags said that when you initiate change on your own, it makes you more flexible and ready to deal with change when it happens without your consent. I like that outlook. 

Check out the Spin Summit!

The future is truly shining bright! I am ecstatic to have some tremendous opportunities ahead. I will be performing all over California in April, including at the Lucidity Festival in Santa Barbara, an exciting burlesque show in San Francisco with Mynx D'Meanor and onboard a yacht (!!!) for the High Seas Tease. Just to name a few! Ninja Hoops from Oakland will be gracing us with their presence teaching workshops in San Diego the weekend of April 27th & 28th. You do not want to miss that!

Then I am off to Colorado to participate in the Spin Summit! I am so excited to be going back there this year! I will get to teach, perform, play, share and connect with amazing flow artists in the beautiful rocky mountains. If you are interested, check out their amazing instructor line-up. The tickets are incredibly affordable for all of the epicness you get to be apart of. 

Hello Vegas! Are you ready?

Shortly after that I will be heading to Las Vegas to compete in the Best Group Category with my troupe, The Hoop Unit at the Burlesque Hall of Fame! This is a dream of mine that I have had for 3+ years! And it's finally happening! Woohoo! (<--- insert that "Manifestation...Hoop Dance as a Tool for Empowerment HOORAY" here!) I have applied to be apart of this event since 2010 and am honored to have been accepted in the running. Needless to say, my life will be consumed with preparation for such a HUGE opportunity. I better start rhinestoning NOW! My life can't be completely

Travel through Time and Space on June 14th!

consumed by it though because not only will I be preparing for that, I will also be producing a show June 14th in San Diego! The Time Machine Show will take the audience on a journey through time and space with Tribal, Circus and Burlesque fusion performance art! We even have a Tardis! And Bags, the male hooper of the Year on Hooping.org from the UK, will be performing an epic Dr. Whoop act! This is the second time in 2013 I will have an international headliner. I think I am seeing a pattern :) There is also an out-of-state performance happening from Caterina Suttin (If you don't know who she is yet, you're about to! This woman is taking the hooping scene by storm!) and my number-one Burlesque inspiration, Kristina Nekyia, will once again be gracing my stage! I am beyond stoked to be having her back!

Epic Road Trip!

If that wasn't enough. And if that didn't get your head spinning into a frenzy of excitement, I am ALSO planning a 3 month cross country road trip/workshop tour "Dreaming Circles" with Bags starting in mid June and ending after Burning Man and the Lake Tahoe Flow Arts Festival. I get to live in my car, camp and stay with amazing hoopers all over this beautiful country with the Male Hooper of the Year who also happens to be my lover and has a British accent :) Not only does he speak British to me and make me feel like I am imbued with Super Hooper Powers (juggling has become an obsession and I blame it on him) he is also vegan and pretty much holds every quality in a human that I want from a lover at the moment. How did I get so lucky? LIFE IS SWEET! If you live in any of these 20 cities, or know people who do, please spread the word! I am excited that I get to visit cities like New York and New Orleans that I have never been to (I will be in New York on my 28th birthday!) and I am excited to be spinning fire with the UK Fireworks Collective at Burning Man this year. Yes, I am an honorary Brit. Yes, I am obsessed with British culture and pretty much wish that I am British. I'll admit it.