ABC Double D's of Burlesque: All Hail the King!

We were so excited to dish with the current reigning King of Boylesque Matt Finish about everything from the necessity of swarovskis to whether or not men should compete in the Best Debut category at the Burlesque Hall of Fame. Read on for all the juicy details!

Photo by Jones Photo Lab

Do you think burlesque and boylesque are inherently different? Should BHOF consider allowing male identifying performers to compete in Best Debut?

Oy, what a question! I think of boylesque as a category of burlesque. When I’m asked what I do, I am a burlesque performer doing boylesque. For me they’re synonymous. I’ve have heard a lot of discussion about the differences between burlesque and boylesque having to do with gender presentation and so on but they aren’t mutually exclusive.

Photo by Jones Photo Lab

I don’t believe there’s a need for a Best Debut competition for boylesque performers. The main reason for this is there simply aren’t that many of them compared to the women (yes, I know, female presenting- what a mouthful). It’s difficult to discuss that further without really picking apart the gender politics of burlesque. Shouldn’t the boylesque performers have to go through as many stages as the debut and MEW competitors to get there? Are they held to the same standards as the MEW performers (No they aren’t). Eventually I think it will happen as the boylesque community continues to grow, but I’m not certain that currently there’s a large enough pool of competitors to support a Debut and King competition. The average Mr. Exotic World competition features only 4 performers versus MEW which has approximately a gazillion.

What has been your favourite experience as the King of Boylesque so far?

By far the best moment for me was seeing my parents right after the competition. They came to BHOF for one night just to see me perform. I know that a lot of performers have complicated relationships with their families so I feel very fortunate that mine have been supportive since day 1.

Matt onstage with his parents at
Red Hots Burlesque in San Francisco

Every time I talk to my mom about headlining a festival or even just performing in my own local show she always tells me how proud she and my father are of me. I had a lot of support from friends and fellow performers on my way to BHOF but having the support of my parents helped the most.

Any projects you can’t wait to work on?

You’re asking for all of my secrets! That’s okay, I can share. My favorite ballet has always been ‘The Afternoon of A Faun’ and I’m developing a new act based on Nijinski’s choreography. If you haven’t ever watched it I really recommend it.It gets pretty dirty at the end.

Photo by GLIU Photo

How do you find balance?

I don’t. I’m very, very lucky that my day job keeps me in a dance studio so I have plenty of time to work on performing as well. I giggled when I saw Bazuka Joe’s ‘Nose the Rhinestone’ challenge because I thought about how much I’d have to cut back to do 30 minutes of work a day. I think that a lot of burlesque performers can relate.

I do have one day off a week where I’m not teaching and usually not performing and I like to spend it out vintage shopping or going out to eat. Sometimes I even clean my house!

Do you have any advice you would give to up and coming boylesquers who dream of one day wearing the crown?

Photo by Bob Debris

Oh, gosh! Yes, I do. If you really want to win, you’ll have to sacrifice. Whenever I’m sweating over making a costume piece or editing my music or spending all that money on Swarovski crystals (and yes, they NEED to be Swarovski – NOTHING ELSE IS LIKE A GODDAMN SWAROVSKI STOP LYING TO YOURSELVES!) I always ask myself ‘Do you want to win?’ Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it can actually be no. I say the same thing to my troupe-mates in Don’t Blink Burlesque when it comes to rehearsing or investing in a new group act.

I don’t just mean have a pretty costume. You need to hone every skill you have and possibly learn some new ones. Better dancing, costuming, acting, editing, and visibility as a performer can only help you on your way. If you really want to win, you need to invest in yourself more.

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