Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Farewell 2010, and thankyou!

As 2010 draws to a close I can't help but look back on the last year with a small amount of amazement at how far Peaches 'n' Gin has come. Here is a little look at the last year...

We kicked off the year a little late in April, with our "Burlesque Eggstravaganza", a show dedicated the fun and frivolity of easter eggs and bunny rabbits...naughty rabbits that is.





We then performed at the first Australian Burlesque Festival, which was an amazing experience. This is a snapshot of us backstage.



After the festival we took part in the Cabaret Fringe Festival for the first time, with our production, "A Burlesque Cabaret". It was a variety night with a real mish mash of acts.







In June, both Sapphire and I competed in Miss Burlesque Australia, where I was lucky enough to take part in the finals, earning myself the titles Miss Burlesque Adelaide 2010 and Miss Tassel Twirl 2010. It was a full on but fun experience. I blogged about it here.



August saw the grand opening of our Burlesque Academy, which is a constant source of joy for me, as I watch students master tricks of the tease, embracing their sensuality and feminity. Teaching burlesque is absolutely one of my favourite things to do! Next year is going to be a big year for the Academy, with a whole new set of classes in the works and shows especially for showcasing student performances. I can't wait!

Since August, we have had two shows, Belles of Burlesque, which I blogged about here, and Dear Santa, featuring performer and teacher Rosy Rabbit, which I blogged about in my last post.

As well as all these shows and performances, we have been kept busy with interviews with the press, performances at private functions, and pursuing our love of all things vintage!

Sapphire and I would like to extend a big thankyou to all those who have supported us. There are many of you who have supported us from the very beginning, and for that we are grateful. This year wouldn't have been so amazing if it weren't for all of our return audience members who line up for tickets at every show, and for all of our students who are a never ending source of inspiration. We look forward to celebrating the fabulousness of burlesque with all of you in 2011!

We would also like to thank all of our performers and support staff who have put their all into every show they have been a part of, Cara Louise, Rohan Watts, Joe Spades, Dave Salter, Jewel, Andrew, Caitlin, Emma, Enken, Ria, and all the ladies in Peach Blossoms. A special thanks to Ria, as she was one of the founding members of Peaches 'n' Gin. Whilst she has moved onto other things in her life, she has always been there to support Sapphire and I.

I would like to add a big thankyou to Sapphire, who's hard work and dedication is thoroughly appreciated. I'd also like to thank my parents, Kevin Godfrey, who is always there with camera in hand and a big hug for me at the end of every show, and Zalika Godfrey, who gives me honest and constructive advice and usually brings me chocolate backstage. Then there is my sister Jewel, and my boyfriend Jarryd, both who have encouraged me to continually improve myself and go after my dreams. There are also numerous friends, too many to list here, but you know who you are and I love you!



Happy teasing, see you in 2011!


Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque
Adelaide's dynamite duo!
info@peachesngin.com
Ph 0431 949 703
Got a question about Peaches 'n' Gin or anything burlesque related? Send us an email and we'll answer it here.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Dear Santa!

Our latest production, "Dear Santa", sold out both shows, with, once again, punters being turned away at the door. Remember to prebook your tickets folks! The star of our show was Rosy Rabbit, who is a Melbourne based performer and costume creator. It was such a pleasure having Rosy in Adelaide for the weekend. Her style of performance is very different from ours at Peaches 'n' Gin, and she brought a lot of glamour and glitz to the show. We find it hard to pull ourselves out of the cheesy and kitsch, so it was fabulous to have some slow, sensual striptease.


Photo by Darklight Photography.



Photo by Darklight Photography.




Photo by Darklight Photography.




Photo by Darklight Photography.



Rosy also taught some workshops whilst she was here, which I found very inspiring, and I know the participants did too. Rosy has such a warm and approachable personality, and her workshops were very much open discussions between herself and the students about many aspects of burlesque. I look forward to seeing her again at the Australian Burlesque Festival 2011, which will be announcing it's dates and venues soon! You can keep up with the news on the Festival on their Facebook page, and you can also follow Rosy at her blog.

The other big highlight at "Dear Santa" was seeing our students the Peach Blossoms making their debut performance. They put a lot of hard work into their routine, and I know there were a few pre-show jitters backstage, which they managed to shake as soon as they hit the stage. Sapphire and I are incredibly proud of them, and look forward to seeing them perform in our student showcases, which we will be starting in the new year.


Photo by Darklight Photography.



Photo by Darklight Photography.




Photo by Darklight Photography.



As well as performances by Rosy and the Peach Blossoms, Sapphire and myself premiered some new acts, as well as brought out some old favourites.


Photo by Darklight Photography.




Photo by Darklight Photography.




Photo by Darklight Photography.




Photo by Darklight Photography.


Sapphire also performed a saucy act with Joe Spades.


Photo by Darklight Photography.


My favourite routine to perform was a duo with Dave Salter. I had so much fun with Dave on stage. Re-enacting the love affair between Mrs Clause and Rudolph was a magical moment.


Photo by Darklight Photography.



Photo by Darklight Photography.



Photo by Darklight Photography.


Of course, we couldn't do it without our regular cast members, Cara Louise and Rohan Watts, who have been with us since the beginning. Their entertainment skills are astounding!


Photo by Darklight Photography.



Photo by Darklight Photography.



Photo by Darklight Photography.


We'd like to thank our official photographer, Darklight Photography, as well as John Rothe Videography for capturing the event on film. A big thankyou also to Emma, Caitlin, Andrew, and all the other Nexus Multicultural Arts staff who are always so supportive and helpful. We can't wait to once again be on the Nexus stage again for our Adelaide Fringe season of "Burlesque Upon A Time". You can expect to see lots of story time sauciness.

Happy teasing!


Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque
Adelaide's dynamite duo!
info@peachesngin.com
Ph 0431 949 703
Got a question about Peaches 'n' Gin or anything burlesque related? Send us an email and we'll answer it here.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

"No comment" dahling

Well we certainly have been receiving quite a bit of media attention lately! With our upcoming show Dear Santa, we have been creating a stir amongst the press!

Our students, the "Peach Blossoms", as well as myself and Sapphire Snow brought some glitz to the pages of the City Messenger this week, accompanied by a fabulous interview with Sapphire Snow.



The "Peach Blossoms" also graced the pages of Adelaide Confidential, in the Advertiser, accompanied by interviews with our headline artist Rosy Rabbit and Peach Blossom Amity Nightingale.



You can also read the article online here.

And as if that wasn't enough, Sapphire Snow can be found in the next edition of Kryztoff Magazine, and I will be appearing in the Jan/Feb edition of Marie Claire magazine.

If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you better head over to Venuetix and pick up your tickets for Dear Santa!

Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque
Adelaide's dynamite duo!
info@peachesngin.com
Ph 0431 949 703
Got a question about Peaches 'n' Gin or anything burlesque related? Send us an email and we'll answer it here.

Monday, November 29, 2010

I'm back!

Hello ladies and gentlemen!

I'm BACK! Exams are over, I've been on a sweet dancing holiday, and I'm swinging into some really fabulous events and projects. I'm not going to be able to catch you up on everything I've been up to, but I will try and fill you in on some of the gossip!

Firstly, as you can see, I din't die from the stress of exams, but actually came out feeling fairly confident. This is the end of my undergrad and I am one step closer to making dancing and other manner of fabulousness my full time occupation. I celebrated my sweet freedom by taking a dancing trip to Melbourne for the 10th Melbourne Lindy Exchange, which is a huge swing dancing event, where hundreds of swing dance enthusiasts converge on Melbourne for 4 nights. I won't go into too much detail, as I'm hoping to revive my Lindy blog The Lunar Lounge, which has been dead for a while. On the Saturday night though, there was a USO ball at a hangar at Essendon airport, and there were some fabulous costumes. Sapphire and I love a good dress up.



In honour of my excitement for this theme, the last class I taught at the Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque Academy was a military theme to everyone's favourite Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by The Andrews Sisters.. Here are some pics to get you saluting!



The Andrews Sisters rally the troops. Image sourced from here.




Image sourced from here.




Image sourced from here. This link actually has an awesome article about women working unorthodox jobs in wartime.


There are some very exciting things coming up this month, including our next show "Dear Santa", starring burlesque sensation, Rosy Rabbit! I'll be blogging a little more about her later. This show is set to be a cracker (haha! Bring on the cheesy Christmas puns!), with a wide variety of acts.



Rosy Rabbit will also be teaching workshops while she is here, and I am very excited about that! The Adelaide burlesque scene is quite small, and I think an influx of some fresh talent and technique is going to be fabulous. You can find out all the details about the show and the workshops on our website. You can also get more information by email info@peachesngin.com or phoning 0431 949 703 or 0402 273 745. You can buy tickets from Venuetix.

Peaches 'n' Gin also have some other exciting projects and productions coming up, and I also have some individual awesomeness to pursue, but you'll have to wait to hear about it!

Until next time,

Happy teasing!

Luna


Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque
Adelaide's dynamite duo!
info@peachesngin.com
Ph 0431 949 703
Got a question about Peaches 'n' Gin or anything burlesque related? Send us an email and we'll answer it here.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Ciaow, for now

...or, Luna is slightly freaked out by her exams.

Not sure how many people actually read this blog, but just thought I'd let you know I'm taking a little hiatus from blogging over the next few weeks or so. As some of you may know, this is my final year and exams are looming scarily ahead. So once they are all over I will be back with a vengeance!

We have a new website in the works, so keep your eyes open for it!

Happy Teasing,

Luna



Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque
Adelaide's dynamite duo!
info@peachesngin.com
Ph 0431 949 703
Got a question about Peaches 'n' Gin or anything burlesque related? Send us an email and we'll answer it here.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Interviews

I was recently interviewed by ShoGo, which is a great online resource all about shows happening in Adelaide. I chatted about Miss Burlesque, Nexus, our upcoming show Dear Santa and plans for the Adelaide Fringe.

READ THE INTERVIEW HERE

And in case you are a perusal procrastinator like myself, here are some tidbits I've come across recently:

An interview with The World Famous *BOB* by Lillie McSmith on Lemondrop, click here to read the interview. It is a very inspiring read.

An interview with Australia's own Miss Kelly Ann Doll by Britt Warner on The Neave Online Publication. I've had the pleasure of meeting Kelly Ann and she is a lovely person and a truly inspirational perform. So much sass! Click here to read the interview.

Happy Reading!

Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque
Adelaide's dynamite duo!
info@peachesngin.com
Ph 0431 949 703
Got a question about Peaches 'n' Gin or anything burlesque related? Send us an email and we'll answer it here.

Sapphire in Holland

Sapphire Snow is having a grand old time in Holland!







Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque
Adelaide's dynamite duo!
info@peachesngin.com
Ph 0431 949 703
Got a question about Peaches 'n' Gin or anything burlesque related? Send us an email and we'll answer it here.

Academy follow up: Vintage Hair and Sexy Chairs

Hello ladies,

Sorry I've been so busy lately that it's taken me a while to do a follow up of our recent classes at Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque Academy, so I'm combining the last two weeks!

Vintage Hair

Sapphire took us through some vintage hair techniques, and I know a lot of you left feeling a little frustrated! Don't despair, it just takes patience and practice. Soon a vintage do will become your 5 minute throw together and everyone will think you are pretty spiffy! To get you inspired, here are some of my favourite photos of vintage dos-just a few (click on the links below the images to see their source). For inspiration, typing "vintage hair" or "pin up hair" into Google images will bring you hours of perusing entertainment.


Image sourced here



Image sourced here



Image sourced here


There are a lot of online tutorials which are incredibly useful. Here are a couple you can play around with.

This works for shorter hair:



A more in-depth tutorial:



And this gal has stacks of awesome tutorials, I recommend watching them all!



Just remember everyone is different, and different methods work for different kinds of hair. It's a good idea to get a grasp of the basics and then adapt styles to suit your own hair, rather then rigidly following a particular style. At least, that's what I found works for me. There are also a lot of books on the matter, a search on Amazon will turn up many.

Just remember, practice makes perfect!

Sexy Chairs

This week I took the Academy ladies through a saucy chair routine. Remember if you are going to do a chair routine you need to have a solid, sturdy chair that is not going to fall over or twist when you try and do something fancy on it. Second hand stores are a great place to find sturdy, unique chairs. I recommend McKay's Mart on Unley Rd, they have fabulous bits and pieces. But there are many fabulous stores around.
Here are a few of the clips I mentioned in class, to get you off your arse! (or back on it, as it were....)



Mein Herr in Cabaret...my absolute favourite of all time!
I can't embed it so click here to watch the video

And here is one from Australia's own Sugar Blue Burlesque, based in Perth.



Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque
Adelaide's dynamite duo!
info@peachesngin.com
Ph 0431 949 703
Got a question about Peaches 'n' Gin or anything burlesque related? Send us an email and we'll answer it here.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Final thoughts

It's taken me a while to get everything about Miss Burlesque, so I apologise for just one last post! So here are the results from the competition!

MISS BURLESQUE AUSTRALIA 2010 is Rita Fontaine!




Photos by Dominic Kieler


First runner up....Briana Bluebell!


Photo by Dominic Kieler


Second runner up...Clara Cupcakes!


Photo by Michael Kery


Other titles at the competition:
Entertainer of the Year - The Strawberry Siren VIC

Miss Showgirl Couture - Peachey Dream VIC
Miss Congeniality - Ruby Right TAS
Miss Bump & Grind - Amelie Lulu QLD
Miss Fantastic - Flavella L'Amour SA
Miss Pin-Up - Becky Lou TAS
Miss Elegant - Ginger LaMinge WA
Miss Bunny Licious - Sapphire Demure SA
Miss Revival - Ellashaye D'More QLD
Miss Classic - Danica Lee NSW
And I came away with............Miss Tassle Twirl!



The show was of such a high standard, and I think without the rigid judging criteria given to the judges it would have been very difficult for the judges! Apparently it was very very close, and I'm not surprised. I was really impressed by everyone's professionalism and willingness to help one another. It was such a fabulous experience and I was just happy to be there. I think next years competition is going to be even tougher, as I think a lot of performers were waiting to see what it would turn out like (as this was the first year). I'm able to compete again next year, and it was such a fun experience I think I will! Thanks to Jac and Cass for running the event, and everyone who supported me! Especially my lovely boyfriend Jarryd who listened to me obsessing about the show for hours, as well as talking about it for hours afterwards. Obviously not everything goes to plan, but overall it was lots of fun and full of awesomeness.

Being the mischevous minxes we are, Clara Cupcakes and I decided to hold our own crowning ceremony in the bus after the show....

Becky Lou : Miss Boobalicous (she seriously has the most amazing boobs on the planet)
Ruby Right : Miss Sweet 'n' Sour (she seems all sweet but then comes up with weird zombie acts!)
Ginger LaMinge : Miss Mingearama (she made herself a ginger merkin which made an appearance in the final group performance).
Peachey Dream: Miss Smallest Chin (erm...inside joke)
The Strawberry Siren: Miss Plague (she was drastically sick and had to be quarantined)
Danica Lee: Miss Congenial Chaffeur (for helping everyone out by running us around, so nice!)
Ellashaye D'Amour: Miss Sunshine (if you've ever met Ellashaye, you'll understand!)
Sapphire Demure: Miss Rude Head (erm...another inside joke)
Clara Cupcakes: Miss Hump-a-lot (no explanation needed really)
Briana Bluebell: Miss Mess-a-lot (she bathed in a bath of glitter on stage that ran into the audience...lol!)
Amelie Lulu: Miss Herpes (for spreading the herpes of the craft world, glitter, all over the hotel)
Flavella L'Amour: Miss Sexual Innuendo (she handles a giant snake on stage, need we say more?)
Luna Eclipse: Miss Assles
Rita Fontaine: well, she already has an amazing title...who'd want another?

Now I'll finish with my favourite photo from the show, by Dominic Kieler.




Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque
Adelaide's dynamite duo!
info@peachesngin.com
Ph 0431 949 703
Got a question about Peaches 'n' Gin or anything burlesque related? Send us an email and we'll answer it here.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Miss Burlesque Adelaide takes on the final! The Show part 3!

Continued from part 2...

Peachey Dream (Miss Burlesque Melbourne) was also a wonderful person to meet. She has a witty sense of humour and many brilliant attributes. She is studying like crazy as well as forging ahead in the Australian burlesque scene, and I heart her! Her first show had her as a naughty but nice Alice in a Wonderland of booze glorious booze, and a teacup mysteriously appearing from her mouth! In her second show she was a stunning mermaid in a shell who suddenly discovers her feet.


Photo by Michael Kery



Photo by Dominic Kieler


Becky Lou (Miss Burlesque Tasmania) will always be fabulous in my eyes for introducing me to "Clitter" and for helping me develop my assle infomercials (haha private jokes are awesome!). She is also the sexiest woman I have ever met and I think I might have embarassed myself by telling her this repeatedly (I'm not a crazy stalker Becky I swear!). Playing an alley cat in her first show she made old banana peels and dead rats look sexy. In her second show she introduced us to her "twins", which are found on the most creative costume ever. I want puppets on my boobs!


Photo by Michael Kery



Photo by Getty Images


Clara Cupcakes (Miss Burlesque Western Australia) and I go back a long way. Ok, not so far back, but it feels like it! A woman of many talents, Clara is taking on the burlesque scene with a hula hooping, tassel twirling fury. She flew straight from the New York Burlesque festival to compete, lugging a stack of 30 hoops with her! I miss her and her crazy cupcake beanie! Her first show embodied a hula hooping fembot (Austin Powers anyone?) and her second show had her as the creamy filling of a giant cupcake. Love it!




Both photos by Michael Kery


Briana Bluebell (Miss Burlesque New South Wales) is a lovely lady witha bright and cheerful personality. Her costumes are stunning and so is she! I didn't get to see her first show, but I do now it included a lit up runway and "Highway to the Danger Zone" so I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it when I see the video! I did get to see her second show, and let me emphasize show. It was incredible! Giant ancient egyptian props adorned the stage, as well as hunky egyptian manservants. Briana then bathed in a pool of gold glitter. It was pretty spectacular.


Photo by Michael Kery



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Photo by Getty Images


Ruby Right, also known as Ruby Wrong, is Miss Burlesque Hobart. I didn't get to see either of her acts! I think she was on right after me or therabouts, so I wasn't hanging in the wings watching. Such a shame, because her acts sounded fabulous. Her first show seems to have involved baking and some strategically placed cupcakes, and her second act as a gore fest of zombies and sequinned intestines. Can't wait to see the video!




Both photos by Dominic Kieler


I am very happy to say that The Strawberry Siren (Miss Burlesque Victoria) was able to perform, after falling ill the day before the show. We stuck her in quarantine and she emerged a full of burlesquey goodness. I didn't see her first show, but her second show, a lyra piece, was absolutely breathtaking. I had a perfect view of the stage and it was absolutely stunning. Strawberry is also a lovely person to be around, very down to earth and humble. I hope to work with her again soon!


Photo by Getty Images



Photo by Dominic Kieler


And lastly...there's me! I feel pretty good about my performances, though they probably weren't the best. A combination of nerves and freezing cold back stage had my legs pretty wobbly, but I'm fairly happy with how I performed! I performed my "Lady Luck" act, which is fast becoming my favourite. I think I actually performed this better in the heats! I also performed a classic piece inspired by the myths of the east that were floating around in the 20s and 30s, using my favourite prop, my sword.




Photos above by Michael Kery





Photos above by Dominic Kieler


See part 4 for the results and my final thoughts on the competition!

Peaches 'n' Gin Burlesque
Adelaide's dynamite duo!
info@peachesngin.com
Ph 0431 949 703
Got a question about Peaches 'n' Gin or anything burlesque related? Send us an email and we'll answer it here.