The chaos of December, and of 2009 in general, is nearly over. So many amazing things have happened this year and I’ve been fortunate to meet some wonderful people and to travel to some amazing places. Let’s recap, shall we?
The year 2009 kicked off with a bang! The lovely Lady Vixen and I totally revamped Theatre de Fetiche and the hard work really paid off. Sometimes, the old addage ‘less is more’ is certainly true…
A lot of things happen in February. February 2009 was no exception. My courtship with Bootstraps began at the Eat Me, Drink Me show. As I edited the photos I took at the show, I knew it was love. This was also the month Theatre de Fetiche gained a lot of exposure. With the addition of Duchess Ophelia Cummings, we put together a small cabaret show, which received rave reviews. Lady Vixen and I were also the featured models for Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School…
Bootstraps Burlesque’s “Eat Me, Drink Me”
Naughty marionettes…
In my sketchy form…
March was devoted to ITALY!!! My awesome boi and I traveled to Tuscany to visit family. It was an incredible week packed with so many amazing experiences. This was also my first time on an airplane, ever. I didn’t die. I was grateful…
Shopping in Florence…
Posing in front of one of Cinque Terre’s five cities. The Mediterranean coast is beautiful…
At Leonardo’s home in Vinci…
The Pisa tower steps are grooved on the leaning side. It’s a tough climb to the top…
The views are amazing. This is San Gimignano…
April was filled with acting. Bootstraps was invited to star in a short film by local writer and director, Rebecca Peterson. We spent 12 hours on the set creating “Dirty Blonde,” which will one day (hopefully) live here. This month also saw Theatre de Fetiche’s last performance as a partner with discFUNKtional. TdF had finally become big enough to stand on it’s own thanks in part to a silly tribute to Madonna…
…and our colorful nature…
You can see both of these silly performances and some random video shots from TdF’s appearance at Dr. Sketchy’s, if you follow this link to the Pleasure Saucer… TdF on the Pleasure Saucer
Seems I was swamped during the month of May. Lots of Djing, including a trip to Augusta, Georgia for a guest spot at the monthly new wave event, Oblivion! This was also a busy month for Bootstraps, with a fundraiser for the Asheville Humane Society and hosting the Fight Night jello wrestling event at Nashwa. May also saw Theatre de Fetiche’s first appearance at the Vortex Cabaret…
Behind the decks at Oblivion!
Raising funds (and eyebrows!) at the Pinups For Paws carwash event. See highlights from this event by following the links…
The Pleasure Saucer episode 31
You can also see highlights from Fight Night at Nashwa Courtesy of Ask Asheville… This way be jello wrestling…
June was insane. Bootstraps was hard at work on our ensemble piece, Postcard Pinups, which was to debut at the Americana, Burlesque, and Sideshow festival. During this time we were also being documented for a photojournalism project being presented by UNC-Chapel Hill as well as planning a show for Legends night club in Raleigh, NC. It was tough, but hard work definitely pays off. These were two of the most amazing shows we’ve had. And during it all, DJ Drees and I found time to go to Chicago for the wedding of our wonderful friends, David and Jean…
At the studio working on choreography…
On stage at ABSfest!
Check out this photo documentary for a behind the scenes look at Bootstraps Burlesque. And, yes, that’s me at the start talking about what we do… The Art of the Tease by Kaitlin McKeown
On stage at Legends in Raleigh, NC!
J, Reagan Jones of IRIS, Dave and Jean, the happy couple, at Exit…
Those IRIS boys really enjoyed the wedding…
July is my most favorite month. TdF made another appearance at the Vortex Cabaret and Bootstraps put on our epic Postcard Pinups show during Bele Chere here in Asheville. And, it was my birthday. My real birthday… *giggle*
The flyer from the Bootstraps show…
Theatre de Fetiche are naughty little fembots…
It was totally my birthday… *grin*
August brought lots of fun times. TdF performed once again for the Hairspray crowd, pushing our boundaries with a singing and dancing extravaganza. I love to sing and felt it was time to feel it out. This was also the month we began the search for a new home for discFUNKtional, which ended with the Grove House, here in Asheville. DJ Drees and I were also added to roster at Scandals night club! This has been one of the highlights of my year…
TdF show flyer…
September brought the launch of Bootstraps Burlesque’s newly revamped website. After months of dragging our feet, the Professor and I took the reins and made it happen. I’m very proud of what we achieved. I also found time to perform with TdF at the steampunk event put on by John Lemuria and SPATS. It turned out to be an epic undertaking for TdF, but we had fun nonetheless. Oh, and I got to be a DJ at a rather epic birthday party. Just sayin’…
And I did it in those shoes…
It was Halloween all month in October! Dr. Sketchy’s moved to it’s new location, TdF and Queen April made appearances at Seduction Sideshow’s “Grotesque Burlesque” event, and Bootstraps performed in Knoxville, TN on Halloween night!
On stage at Grotesque Burlesque…
The injury I sustained while rehearsing with Sneaky for the Bootstraps Halloween show…
November was devoted to Dr. Sketchy’s. Sneaky McFly and I were the models and performers. Singing, dancing, and magic. The unfortunate sound circumstances at the club and the decidedly wrong music made for a mediocre performance, but we did what we could… *sigh*
The eye-catching Dr. Sketchy’s flyer!
And here we are in December. No performances this month, but no shortage of excitement with the holidays and spinning at the Grove House. This month has been about reflection and transition. I have two amazing boys in my life who keep me thoroughly saturated with love, happiness, and forward thinking, and who allow me to be myself without restrictions. I’m a part of two amazing performance troupes that satisfy my thirst for creativity and expression. I get to enjoy my passion for music on my terms. I’ve met amazing people and traveled to some amazing places. All of this made for a fantastic year and gives me hope for great new year to come.
In short, life is good and it’s only getting better…
