ABC Double D's of Burlesque: boylesque

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.

Start From The Beginning!

You might also want to read

B is for Boylesque! from the ABC Double D's Book!

Things to Consider Before You Apply to That Next Burlesque Festival

Whats going on around here?

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Men can do it too!!

Although burlesque is traditionally considered a female art form, boylesque is a genre within the genre. Boylesque generally refers to male presenting theatrical striptease! Boy oh boy, do we love our boys!! This art form displays extreme amounts of versatility by allowing performers to display exaggerations of femininity, masculinity or sometimes both at the same time! Just like burlesque, there are no boundaries and acts can range from dramatic to acrobatic! The introduction and popularity of boylesque can be seen as one of the key differences between the revival and the golden era of burlesque. Today hundreds of male presenting performers proudly strip and strut alongside their burlesque sisters. Several boylesque festivals have appeared across the globe in locations including Seattle, Vienna, and New York.

Exerpt from the book The ABC Double D's of Burlesque

Composition

In Burlesque performance, composition is one of most important elements of the stage performance and the basis to any art!

The artist or performer uses colours, lights, props and gimmicks to guide the viewer eye through exploring the piece. Extreme high and low contrast mix will always make things pop forward and tend to attract the eyes first. Different stage formations of either props or performers that are closer amplify the effect in either stage or page.

Actions and follow trough

Actions, lines of motion and gestures inspire eye flow, Dancers will throw moves, props and their sassy garments towards the crowd using body parts and facial expressions creating solid defined lines of action harmony.

Follow through is about the physics or the world around us, the speed or impression of speed in the extreme pose given by the model or drawing. It can also give illusion of weight in different kinds of fabrics.

You must master these elements to create lasting effect on viewer, a solid combo of formation and lines of actions will captivate the audience to flow the story or sequence that you have defined