VIS: Very Important Stripper

This weekend has been a weekend to rule all weekends. For some folks it lasted longer than others, and I envy them deeply, but sometimes reality just gets in the way.

I suppose I should clarify. This weekend was the 10th Annual New York Burlesque Festival. However, being the burly-q baby that I am, this was my first. Naturally, my mind was blown. I've been to plenty of burlesque shows by this point, but most of them are only about an hour long and have no more than five or six performers. But to multiple nights with dozens of performers from all over the globe was nothing short of orgasmic.

I was the seal. Seriously, I was.

On Friday night, Lucky Charming was blessed with the incredible opportunity of performing alongside Toronto's Wrong Note Rusty at the Premiere Party at Brooklyn Bowl. I adored Rusty from the moment I met him at the Boylesque Festival in April (we bonded when he recognized my Incoqnito necktie) so to have him ask me to do this number with him was amazing in itself, but for a newbie like me to have a chance to appear on the stage at the NY Burlesque Festival... the excitement is beyond description.

The evening was hosted by Scotty the Blue Bunny, whom I had an interesting moment with in San Francisco when we sat a table away from each other at a diner and had an awkward stare-down. I, of course, knew who he was, even without his bright blue spandex and bunny ears, but how was I to know he recognized me as well? But we got to do a proper meet-and-greet this time around I found him to be beyond delightful.

My duties as a performer ended fairly quickly, but on Saturday night I headed out to B.B. King's for the Saturday Spectacular with my homeboys Teddy Turnaround, Matt Knife, Cubby Haul, and Go-Go Harder. While Friday's show included a sizable handful of male performers, Saturday was chock-full-o-boobs. But they were some of the finest boobs in the world, so I'm really not about to complain. And the entire evening was wrapped up with a full-monty strip by Tigger! So really, everyone wins.

But you know how the story goes...After the show, it's the After-Party. And what an after-party it was! Imagine a gigantic flock of burlesque performers in all their glittery garb just cutting loose on the dance floor... It's a beauty to behold. But the most exciting moment was in the midst of the dance craze, when I was surrounded by all these wonderful artists. I saw how happy everyone was, and how much love and respect was going around the room. No shade. No animosity. Just love. And I thought "Holy shit. This is my crowd. I belong here." These moments happen a lot around these people, but everytime I get that feeling, it's like it's brand new all over again.

In short, this event was exactly what I needed to help me fall in love with New York City all over again. I saw some astounding performances, met some new wonderful and sexy humans, and reconnected with some old ones that I hadn't seen recently. Now I'm just biding my time until next year, when Lucky Charming is ready to take the festival stage. Brace yourselves ;)