Rockabilly-Online

Hello everyone, and happy 2011!  I hope your holidays were fabulous.  As for me, I finished out the year with a bang at the House of Blues in Houston, Texas in a show called “Stripping Through the Ages,” presented by Ruby Revue.  Before I tell you about that though, it’s a new year and I’ve got a new plan. I won’t call it a resolution, because I don’t want to jinx it.  But every Tuesday, I will bring a new tale for your amusement.  We’ll call it, “Ruby Tuesdays”, eh?

Mid go-go move (I call it "the stewardess")

Now for the “history lesson.”  In this epic show, played to a sold out house, each decade from the 1930s to the present was represented with maximum glamour and aplomb!  I chose the 1960s, a costume of candy pink fringe, and a swingin’ Tom Jones tune.  I threw lollies into the audience, I ponied, I shimmied… I nearly hyperventilated.   I was sandwiched between Black Mariah’s sizzling 1950s tribute to Bettie Page, and Coco Lectric’s 1970s homage to Teena Marie and the flashy glam of disco days.

Black Mariah's "Bettie" gets hot!

Well, there are hazards in every profession, and burlesque is no exception.  You know how actors often say, “break a leg,” to each other before a performance instead of saying “good luck?”  Well in burlesque we sometimes say, “pop a pastie!” in the same manner.  It seems that the House of Blues was occupied by a ribald and mischievous ghost that night, because THREE ladies in the show had pasties literally go flying off during their numbers!  That was half of our cast.  I did not lose any pasties, but I did lose an earring.  So now you may be wondering… what happens when a burlesque dancer loses a pastie onstage? Those little bejeweled disks which at once call attention to the bosom and preserve ones very decency!  It can be handled several ways…

The one time I lost a pastie, I was doing a fan dance and I simply covered up the exposed region with my fan. Unfortunately, I couldn’t feel the draft signaling that my bosom had poked between the feathers and was not concealed at all.  Then there was one of my colleagues who, after having one pastie fly off during her number, simply flicked the other one off as well and continued on au naturel.  At the House of Blues show, each pastie malfunction was handled with utmost grace, whether by coyly covering up with a feather boa, or by placing a hand where the pastie should have been.  The crowd of course, goes wild every time.

Ruby Joule, Coco Lectric, Frenchie Kiss, Ginger Valentine, Elisa, Black Mariah

We survived the “House of Flying Pasties” this time, and will be back to deliver more historical va-va-voom in the near future.

Till next week, xoxo – Ruby Joule

Ruby Joule is a burlesque performer, go-go dancer, pin-up model and bonne vivante based in Austin, TX. She is a founding member of The Jigglewatts Burlesque and strives to seek out new adventures in Showgirlhood!

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For all inquiries please contact: info@thejigglewattsburlesque.com or visit Ruby’s Home on the Web.