BLACK ON BLACK, BUT -

- with some springy vibes underneath!

It might be minus a fucking lot right now, but the sun does warm during the day; everybody is determined that this is the last cold before spring sets in. We might get let down and disappointed on that one, but I did a little boost however and added some spring vibes to the otherwise over all black. (As seen before, I always associate spring with mint green and coral, mostly.)

And yes, I wear skirts in minus twenty C, as I have my tips and my tricks. It's the anatomy of dressing when really cold put into action!

PSYCHORAMA 2010

This weekend it's time for this year's Psychorama! Which will be great, but I've been the whole week ill and had a lot on my hands and on my mind so to be honest I'm stressed to death. We even have a photo shoot in between the evenings, on Saturday morning. Which I have to fix the outfit for still. And I'm sitting at work as I write (I wanted to say 'as we speak' but I'm not really talking to anyone here now am I :) when I'd rather be at home finishing my costume and rolling my hair.

But you know, no matter how much fuzz before it, no matter how tired, when I get to the venue and get my hair and face done I'm always able to relax just before performing and have a great time afterwards. And I know this will be the case tomorrow too. I have the night "off" on Saturday so I'll be able to enjoy the bands (there will be great such, on both evenings) and the other burlesque numbers in peace.

Here's sort of what I'll be doing tomorrow night:


For more info about Psychorama check out the event page and read our burlesque-blog's Psychorama post for line up's and such!

BURLESQUE AHOY!

A few great pictures from last weekend's terribly magnificent horror show! Which also was the hottest show of all summer, literally, it was like a lethal sauna (well, not that bad) backstage, on stage, in front of it.

Ghost trio by Itty Bitties' Jackie O'Lantern, Tinker Bell and Vera de Vil. Photo by Rik Stavale.

Bent Van Der Bleu goes Rocky Horror. By Laura Kansanen-Stavale.

Zombie Itty-Bitties! And a little different beach-boy than normally in the background. By Laura Kansanen-Stavale.

I thought I'd let you in on some upcoming gigs and events while I'm on it:
First we have Paljetti Puduaari, this week's Friday to Sunday. A huge package of workshops, panel discussions and shows, including a marathon of different versions of the Stripper. I'd love to do a very neo-thing on that but I might not make it.

If you're not feeling Helsinki you might want to pop by Tampere for the second edition of Burlesque Coctail, on Friday night.

Furthermore, we will once more be performing during the Art Goes Kapakka City bar -festival, this time together with drag artist Pola Ivanka, on Thursday Aug 26th at Manala.

Aaaaand, not to forget, Psychorama Psychobilly& Burlesque Festival Sept 10 & 11th and Helsinki Vintage party with Sweeet Jeena and her Sweethearts at Belly Saturday Sept. 18th. And our very own Bitty-fest in october. And a little trip to perform for a couple of minutes in Stockholm. And our bi-weekly burlesque course! And our t-shirts! And our book!

But more on those later. Phew!

FRIDAY 13th

Huuu huu huu shake and shiver it's Friday 13th!
...and shake and shimmy and shimmer too as tonight Sally's Chest of Mysteries Horror Edition takes place :)

We'll do our zombie-bikini routine ( a travesty on this classic number of ours) and also solo's and a spooky trio! I did not finish my 50ft woman number in time so I'll have to premiere that some other time. Quite nice actually so I can catch all other dances of the living dead instead, there will be plenty of performers tonight!

The event is at Semifinal and with good luck there are still a few tickets left t the door!

Photo above by Atelieri O.Haapala

CARS AND CHICKS AND CRUISING

"Oh, tires!"

Tomorrow, on Friday night, it's time for the first Helsinki Cruising Club at Nosturi.

It will really be a great happening but I mostly just feel like sleeping backstage until my turn is up; I've been going to work at 6:AM, then renovating after that, coming home late after which I've worked on a commission until midnight. Every day, the whole week. Needless to say, I am so very tired. I'm going to have to pin curl my hair and glue some sequins that've fallen off back on my outfit in between the ships at work tomorrow. Oh oh oh.

But then again I really want to try and stay awake before my show too as I want to catch the bands; Rob Coffinshaker (from the coffinshakers), The Barnshakers and Kim Lenz & Nick Curran.
Damn work, it calls at Saturday morning too.

But back to the cars, here are some of our car inspired pictures from the Cruising shoot to get you in the mood. (Set up-and behind the scenes pictures were to be seen here as you may remember).
The pictures are taken by Marko Saari.

Lola.

Vera.

Tinker Bell.

Jackie.

We should make some "The Itty-Bitty Tease Cabaret-cards: Collect Them All!" don't you think?

A GREAT COMBINATION

-Cars and girls!

Last weekend, just before the rain came and the week-long heat ended, we drove out to a car club to shoot some poster pics for Helsinki Cruising Club.

HCC happens the first Friday of every month from June to September. Radio Helsinki plays great rockabilly and rautalanka (♥) all evening long while the cars cruise. I always tune in. The club itself afterwards is at Nosturi, with acts like Kim Lenz, Rob Coffinshaker, The Barnshakers (at the first club) and us - at every club! But more on that some other time.

Here are some behind the scenes pics, taken by Itty-Bitty Lola M.:
Itty-Bitties in Trashy Diva trixie dresses.

Vera De Vil.

Jackie O'Lantern has a mini Diana!

Oh, tires!

Pickaboo from behind my Taunus (which, although a great car, was not part of the shooting :)

Marko, the photographer. He's really good. He took these (<- click) for example.

Final results to be seen later.

VAPP-SHOTS

Some phone-pics and such* from Valborg (the holiday weekend that just went by).

Judging from the pictures you tend to be left with afterwards you'd think it's all about blowing those party-thingies (what are they called, really?), opening bottles and having lots of bubbly.

Well, that's what it is really all about.
In a lot of different places over two days.


*) Two are with Hipstamatic, the brownish ones were regular pics I photoshopped to get a kind of similar look.

WE'LL MEET AGAIN

It's great with a week off after two weeks of working and doing shows. And as usual, as summer is getting closer, more fun things happen and my social life is back in business - Eddi and I are going to see Cash-We'll meet again at Viirus tonight. Later meet up Ina & Mr.T at Sture Jazz.

The play isn't really about Johnny Cash, I'm not sure what it is about actually but it will be a lot of Cahs songs there. And the guy looks an awful lot like Cash!

TO TALLINN AND BACK

This morning I put on my blue bow shoes and bicycle dress and headed south with Eddi and Ina (who this time left her Mr.T at home).


We took the ferry across the Finnish Bay to Tallinn. ( It's not as serious as it looks :)


Eddi taking picures with his iPhone.


The result (hipstamatic for ze iphone. Works quite well, even though it gave me zombie arms here). The whole scenario to be seen here.


...And some more results. As you can see from me and Ina, the sub-theme of the day was taking photos.


The actual theme of the day was the Tallinn vintage and retro culture fair! Evergreens in Estionian, free Martinis and a lot of desireable furniture. I'll get in on that some more a bit later. You can also read more about the fair on Ina's blog.


Afterwards we went to Kompressor for stuffed pancakes and cherry juice (Cherry juice! That's something they don't sell at home!). And btw as you can see I cut the sleeves of the dress into cap sleeves as planned.


Mushrooms, blue cheese and garlic sour cream -they sure now how tho make pancakes in the Baltics! (and in Hungary too btw, even though different there).
I go to Tallinn about once or twice a year and have the pancakes at Kompressori on almost every visit. But I still always forget how to find the place, almost give up and then bump in to it by accident. Every time.




Coffee.



And then it was time to take the boat home. View from the window.


It was a fun day! (And we were almost colour-coordinated. Bring in the tuulipuvut! ;)

(my dress is vintage, the shoes from ModCloth and the small beret form Molla Mills, Eddis shirt is from VintageEija's and Ina's vintage dress is from Sivletto, if you're interested in those facts.)

GLITTER GRILL

Rik Stavale got some great shots from last week's shows, Jenny Woo's Glitter Grill!


The IttyBittyTease Cabaret goes indians; Running Bear.


Fiona played records, as usual. And that girl can choose her records well I tell you.


Bent Van Der Bleu. You can see him tonight at DTM both as Lola Vanilla and as Bent.

(Like mentioned before we'll be there too - Tinker Bell and I are doing a couple of numbers. The venue is part of Regnbågshelgen 2010; a LGBT weekend for Swedish speaking Finns. But of course you don't need to be Swedish speaking or gay to come, it's open for everyone :)


Bettie Blackheart's Russian Rose.


Jackie O'Lanterns Volcano. I bet it would be an even more popular number this week right? (Not perhaps if you, like Jackie, had a flight booked though...)


Lola is not your everyday kind of 'chick'; "There's something Wrong With Lola" as Screamin' Jay Hawkins (almost) sings it.


And that's me doing the "knee-number", partly to this song, but it starts out slower as something of a parody on fancy and "look-at-me-I'm-so-hot "burlesque.

Btw every now and then I you ask me questions about how I started with burlesque, short version among the answers here.

IL EST TEMPS POUR QUELQUE NOUVELLES BURLESQUE

The Itty Bitty Tease Cabaret goes French nouvelle vague

Photo : Frej Linna

Time for some burlesque updates again.

1. Seems my body recents 60's pastiche go-go dancing. Like last time, I am ill again now that it's time for the No Milk Today club! Eye- and throat infection. Damn. But if you're around town you still have time to get down to Lepakkomies (which means Batman btw for those unfortunate with no knowledge of the Finnish language :) and watch the other girls shake. And oh yeah dig the band too of course. They start at 22:30.

2. In between death and revival, on Easter Saturday, it's time for the Blues Trash Cabaret club at Bar Loose. As usual, with great guests! By this I do not only mean us, but also Reverend Beat Man! I will do a new number, but that means I need to get my act together. (As in catch up on missed time due to being ill and as in stop being ill to be able to do so :)

3. There will be a new burlesque club at Jenny Woo first Wednesday of the month, starting April 7th; The Glitter Grill. On the menu the first night, apart from us, also a whole lot of boylesque!

4. Tinkerbell and I will perform at Regnbågs helgen 2010, the rainbow weekend for swedish speaking Finns, at DTM April 17th. It will be slightky queer and very quirky! New versions of old numbers.

Also keep you eyes open later this spring and summer for a Club Wanted revival, Helsinki Cruising parties... but more on all that later!

BURLESQUE BACKSTAGE

Kalani.

Make up.

Posing.

Last week I performed at the launch party for an on-line casino that just landed in Finland. Held a ta place I might not perform at or visit on a normal night, I was warming up for Miss Exotic World 2009 Kalani Kokonuts from Las Vegas, and it was fun. Where the burlesque I (we) do is perhaps more funny and tongue-in-cheek her Vegas style was more about glitter and glamour, but I think it's a good thing to give the audience various slices of the burlesque cake. And Kalani was such a darling!

NO MILK TODAY

If you're in the mood for some good vibes and groovy music why not head over to Lepakkomies for the No Milk Today club tomorrow? The Girl Watchers play 60's pop, garage and surf and everything in between and we throw in some retrolicious go go dancing - the Itty-Bitty Tease cabaret SHAKE!

EDIT : There will be No Milk For Me to shake today as I have taken on a nasty stomach virus and had to forget about both lindy hopping and go go dancing for tonight. Damn!

OFF AND AHOY ONTO GALACTIC OCEANS

The Itty Bitty Tease Cabaret space ship crew on yesterday's burlesque fesival Time Machine party.


I've sewn the dresses for us girls. We also had a bunch of patches made for us in the spirit of Elvis' TCB!
The Itty-Bitty Tease Cabaret SHAKE!

THIS PICTURE DOES NOT MAKES MUCH SENSE AND IS REALLY NOT RELATED TO THIS POST BUT WHATTHEHELL

Photo by Mirva Thil

Now, on Saturday 6th, it's time for the third annual Helsinki Burlesque Festival! We won't be performing this year as we were on stage last year, and to be honest it bugged us quite a lot in the beginning. But considering a night without stress, a chance to see all other acts and to be able to concentrate on ones outfit for the evening we thought it might not be so bad after all. The theme being Time Machine the Itty Bitties are going on a retro-futuristic journey on galactic oceans - as long as my sewing machine can make it in time!

If you don't have a ticket for the festival there's another venue I'd like to recommend; the 2nd Blues Trash Cabaret! Unfortunately we had to say no to performing there, and I feel a bit sad to miss Messer Chups and Last Calls. But while Messer Chups will play here again I doubt we'll ever see the grand old lady Satans Angel twirling fire in Helsinki once more!