This one comes courtesy of the studio I do aerial hoop (lyra) at. At the end of every term, they do a student showcase at the studio. Participation in said showcase is optional and you have to register for this. (There is partially a practical reason for this as you'll see below)
The studio itself is also really nice, inside and out. Part of the reason behind it is that the owner has a thing for vintage and pinup and she's also huge on creating a "safe" space where people can go and feel sexy for even just an hour.
For their showcase, there are a series of guidelines that you need to read beforehand and acknowledge that you have done so. Those guidelines include among other things that you need to remain sober before your performance (they cater for the showcase), you need to arrive with hair and makeup already done and you aren't to interact with the staff members outside of their scope (eg the person on the bar cannot stop to take photos of you). Well, those guidelines have now changed slightly due to the following incidents that occurred during the previous showcase:
- Someone spilled spirit gum on the carpet in the changeroom and didn't inform anyone. (Spirit gum was used to stick pasties on)
- Various spillages of food, drink and makeup across the backstage area.
- Someone left a hair straightener on which burnt a hole in the vintage carpet they had.
- Quite a few students wound up drinking alcohol BEFORE they were due to perform. It is extremely dangerous to be doing pole or lyra while under the influence (burlesque still has the danger of kicking/hitting someone), but these guys took it further by getting guests to give them alcohol or hassling the bar person. (A lot of the students were also involved in multiple routines)
- Showing up injured or sick without medical clearance to perform. (eg applying heat/ice or strapping on the night) The issue in this case wasn't the fact that they were applying heat/ice, it was more the fact that they were doing it without providing evidence that they were clear to perform and the studio was concerned about liability.
- Bringing a separate bag for every single costume they were going to be wearing on the night and hogging all the space in the change rooms. To clarify on this one, the studio sets guidelines each term for the costume to wear for the student showcase and leaves it up to everyone to purchase their own (allowing for budget, size etc.). The guidelines are based on your level for each class and are literally either a colour/print (eg black or leopard print, whether that's a bodysuit, leotard, bra and panties or a unitard is up to you) or theme (eg lace, fringing, leather) - that's it. Some people however, if they had multiple routines, were bringing up to four different outfits in, each in their own bag, PLUS shoes (lyra students either go barefoot or wear ballet flats, pole students may or may not wear stripper heels or heels in general while burlesque students typically wear dancer heels). Apparently the idea of packing smart didn't occur to them.
- Pre-show, there was also apparently an argument about allocations for the lyra hoops and the poles for each show (everyone gets allocated a pole or hoop for their routine on the night, particularly because you may not be performing with your classmates - you are told of this in advance). My guess is that they weren't pissy about the size of the hoop (if that's what happened), but rather they took offence to where it was located (that is, they weren't front and centre). Now you have to give your height on the registration form and the staff make the call on where you go.
So because of all of that, the rules are now:
- Zero-tolerance on alcohol period and no food backstage (diabetics/folks with low blood sugar are exempt)
- The only makeup/accessory items you can bring are a makeup compact, lipstick, bobby pins, hair elastic, hair ribbons/scarves, carpet tape (for pasties), pole grip, roll on deodorant, roll on perfume and they are only for touch-ups: emphasising the "You must arrive with hair/makeup already done," bit. These must all be in a zip-lock bag and will be subject to examination upon arrival. Any other makeup/hair products aside from those above get chucked out.
- You also cannot go in and watch your friends perform until you've finished completely for the night - you can only go in during interval.
The studio itself is also really nice, inside and out. Part of the reason behind it is that the owner has a thing for vintage and pinup and she's also huge on creating a "safe" space where people can go and feel sexy for even just an hour.
For their showcase, there are a series of guidelines that you need to read beforehand and acknowledge that you have done so. Those guidelines include among other things that you need to remain sober before your performance (they cater for the showcase), you need to arrive with hair and makeup already done and you aren't to interact with the staff members outside of their scope (eg the person on the bar cannot stop to take photos of you). Well, those guidelines have now changed slightly due to the following incidents that occurred during the previous showcase:
- Someone spilled spirit gum on the carpet in the changeroom and didn't inform anyone. (Spirit gum was used to stick pasties on)
- Various spillages of food, drink and makeup across the backstage area.
- Someone left a hair straightener on which burnt a hole in the vintage carpet they had.
- Quite a few students wound up drinking alcohol BEFORE they were due to perform. It is extremely dangerous to be doing pole or lyra while under the influence (burlesque still has the danger of kicking/hitting someone), but these guys took it further by getting guests to give them alcohol or hassling the bar person. (A lot of the students were also involved in multiple routines)
- Showing up injured or sick without medical clearance to perform. (eg applying heat/ice or strapping on the night) The issue in this case wasn't the fact that they were applying heat/ice, it was more the fact that they were doing it without providing evidence that they were clear to perform and the studio was concerned about liability.
- Bringing a separate bag for every single costume they were going to be wearing on the night and hogging all the space in the change rooms. To clarify on this one, the studio sets guidelines each term for the costume to wear for the student showcase and leaves it up to everyone to purchase their own (allowing for budget, size etc.). The guidelines are based on your level for each class and are literally either a colour/print (eg black or leopard print, whether that's a bodysuit, leotard, bra and panties or a unitard is up to you) or theme (eg lace, fringing, leather) - that's it. Some people however, if they had multiple routines, were bringing up to four different outfits in, each in their own bag, PLUS shoes (lyra students either go barefoot or wear ballet flats, pole students may or may not wear stripper heels or heels in general while burlesque students typically wear dancer heels). Apparently the idea of packing smart didn't occur to them.
- Pre-show, there was also apparently an argument about allocations for the lyra hoops and the poles for each show (everyone gets allocated a pole or hoop for their routine on the night, particularly because you may not be performing with your classmates - you are told of this in advance). My guess is that they weren't pissy about the size of the hoop (if that's what happened), but rather they took offence to where it was located (that is, they weren't front and centre). Now you have to give your height on the registration form and the staff make the call on where you go.
So because of all of that, the rules are now:
- Zero-tolerance on alcohol period and no food backstage (diabetics/folks with low blood sugar are exempt)
- The only makeup/accessory items you can bring are a makeup compact, lipstick, bobby pins, hair elastic, hair ribbons/scarves, carpet tape (for pasties), pole grip, roll on deodorant, roll on perfume and they are only for touch-ups: emphasising the "You must arrive with hair/makeup already done," bit. These must all be in a zip-lock bag and will be subject to examination upon arrival. Any other makeup/hair products aside from those above get chucked out.
- You also cannot go in and watch your friends perform until you've finished completely for the night - you can only go in during interval.
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