So I received an email from a girl looking to move to Cincinnati from Indiana. She was inquiring about auditions. I immediately asked if she had seen us perform, and what her dance background consisted of. The response I received was:
"I have an extensive dance background. I'm trained in the foundations
(ballet, jazz hip hop, etc) I've performed burlesque, though not as
often as I'd have liked, and I'm training in pole dancing at an
intermediate /advanced level. I have seen a few videos on YouTube of the
group."
1) "Foundations" in 3 forms of dance does not an "extensive dance background" make.
2) So...no.
I then sent her our Expectations and Guidelines to look over before we went any further. This is what they consist of:
Cin City
Burlesque
Expectations, Rules and Guidelines
Revised – 8/22/2015
1.Group rehearsal time runs from 11-1on Sundays for groups,
plus additional time on your own to memorize your choreography. Ginger cannot spend those precious 2 hours of
group time trying to help you remember choreography – you MUST do that on your
own time. Girls must be available from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Sundays, if we need
to run long.
2. Girls must be on time and READY TO DANCE (i.e., shoes on,
warmed up, and mouths zipped) at exactly those times with NO exceptions unless
previously cleared with Ginger. For
every minute you are late, you will take the entire flight of stairs up and
down.
3. If you miss any Sunday rehearsals 3 weeks before a large
show you’ll be pulled from the group routines, and possibly your solo. This
includes tech (if you’re required to be there – singing numbers and/or group
numbers) and dress rehearsal
4. If you are slacking off in rehearsal, Ginger reserves the
right to send you home. If you are sent
home, it will count as an absence. Do not
bring your personal issues to rehearsal or performance.
5. You are expected to “check out” for every group number in
our arsenal. If we are working on a
number or numbers that you have already “checked out” of you may skip that
rehearsal without being penalized. You
will be required to come to rehearsal 4 weeks prior to dancing it at a booking
to “audition” it, and will, if picked to dance said number at that upcoming
booking, need to come to every rehearsal
leading up to said booking.
6. Every girl is responsible for purchasing and
maintaining/replacing as needed the following: 1 nude and 1 black pair of ballroom
shoes, 1 nude and 1 black pair of fishnets, their own RELIABLE brand of pastie
adhesive, eyelashes and eyelash adhesive, and bra and underwear for all
numbers. These things can be acquired over time, but MUST be acquired. This is
non-negotiable.
7. You are not paid for rehearsal time.
8. You are expected to do some of your own costume and prop
work, with the guidance of Ginger.
9. We will supply you with the “sparkle” for your costuming,
but you must apply it.
10. If you borrow a prop or costume from another girl or
from CCB, you must return it the following rehearsal unless told to hold on to
it by Ginger. For every rehearsal you
forget it, you will be charged $1 off your next paycheck.
11. You must be consistently available on Friday and
Saturday nights for bookings, knowing that Ginger will contact you ASAP when a booking comes in, and no later than 2 weeks prior to said booking.
12. ALL burlesque bookings (i.e., you strip, or use your CCB
name, the CCB brand or ANY CCB routines, including your solos) MUST go through
Ginger. If you book an outside gig, it
may NOT be burlesque in nature. It may
be belly, hoop, ballroom…but NOT burlesque.
If a “friend” or acquaintance wants to book you for burlesque for a
show, they MUST contact Ginger directly.
She will handle the booking. If
someone is requested by said booker, we will try to accommodate them as best as
possible.
13. Ginger will notify girls immediately when receiving a
possible booking via text. You are all
expected to respond yes or no, and she will determine whether or not to take
the booking depending on who is available.
If she books it, she will let you know where, when, what you’ll be
dancing, and how much pay you will receive.
14. You must answer all texts from Ginger within 24
hours. She cannot do her job otherwise.
15. Pay will vary from show to show. We only dance for free
for charity events. Pay is always based
on the number of routines you perform, and the type of routines you
perform. Solos pay the most, but group
numbers are what the audience remembers and loves the most. The more difficult and longer the routine,
the more the pay.
16. All payment comes through Pink Productions, LLC.
17. Ginger will always try to rotate who dances at bookings,
but only those who are stage ready get to go on. The more time and effort you put in, the more
likely you are to get booked, and the more money you’ll earn.
18. Ginger has the final say in who dances what for each
booking.
19. All choreography, music, costuming, and portrayals must
go through Ginger first.
20. Girls must be willing to go down to pasties and
g-strings, although not every number requires it.
21. Each girl must have at least 2 solos on the opposite
ends of the spectrum…i.e. one “classic” and one “neo”, one “fast”, and one
“slow”, one “silly” and one “sultry”. Etc.
Solos can be self-choreographed, or you must find time to get with
Ginger to work on choreo. You must
“check out” of your solo at least 4 weeks prior to using it.
22. Pink Productions, LLC
DBA Cin City Burlesque retains all rights to your stage name, character
traits, choreography, costumes, portrayals and images.
23. You will have one or two specific stage “looks” for hair
and makeup determined by Sugar Plum. You
must be able to replicate this on your own.
Sugar or Ginger can help you “check out” of this.
24. We use stage names only at bookings, and your friends
and family need to know they must do the same.
25. You are expected to work “Shot and a Kiss” at some
bookings.
26. During “downtime” at bookings, you are expected to mix
and mingle with the crowd, not sitting in the corner with your sisters, or
looking at your phone. You can post
photos online and update your status while backstage. No
wallflowers.
27. Be gracious to our fans (particularly our female
fans!). Be friendly and approachable,
but be PROFESSIONAL. Remember – we are
ALWAYS on stage!
28. Always carry your business cards.
29. No more than 1 drink prior to a performance. If at an appearance, no more than 1 drink per
80 minutes. Remember – we are a good
time, but we are NOT sloppy drunk college girls. You are on the clock.
30. Any friends or family that attend the show must
understand that you are there to work, not to hang out with them. They must give you space, and they must refer
to you by your stage name. If Ginger
thinks that you are neglecting your work because of your friends or family, she
will ask you to ask them to leave.
31. You will be provided one free CCB t-shirt. Some appearances will require that you wear
it, and some will require more of a pinup/rockabilly look. You are required to find suitable clothes to
be approved by Ginger for those appearances.
32. You will develop a Facebook page dedicated to your stage
persona, and keep it up weekly.
33. Pink Productions, LLC is not responsible for any
injuries sustained during rehearsal or performance.
34. RESPECT the reputation of Cin City Burlesque. We’ve spent years building it.
35. RESPECT the time and money Ginger puts into this to
allow you a platform to perform.
36. RESPECT your sisters. If you have a problem with one of
them, you are expected to sit down like grown women and talk it out.
37. RESPECT the people who hire us. Be professional, easy to work with, and
deliver what you promise.
38. RESPECT fellow performers. There is plenty of cattiness in this
business. It is NOT tolerated in Cin
City Burlesque. We may not love what
other people do, but you must be professional.
39. RESPECT our fans.
They are why we do this.
40. RESPECT the amount of blood, sweat, and tears it takes
to produce 3 minutes of magic onstage.
For every short solo you see onstage, there is likely 30+hours of work
that went into it. For every group
number? Try 60+. If you are in this for the money, you’re
barking up the wrong tree. If you think
this is a glamorous business, you need to get out now. This is HARD WORK. We dance through injuries and illness. We often have 10 different pieces of
choreography we’re working on at any given time. We spend hours hunched over a bra sewing on
fringe or gluing on crystals. You are constantly packing your costumes,
repairing them, and then repacking them, all while listening to your music over
and over again. You will take the same
piece of clothing off 67 times, just to straighten in back out, put it back on,
and do it all over again. This is the life of a burley-girl, and something
you’re choosing to take on of your own free will.
Her response was this:
"I'm sorry but your rules and guidelines are extremely strict and as a
solo performer, restrictive to my ability to perform outside of the
group, not to mention the amount of time you're asking for a performer
to be available with no pay. I don't really understand how you're
retaining members but it seems very unreasonable and unproductive as a
creative group. Thanks for your time anyway!"
To which I must say:
It's not a "creative group" I
run, but a business. The reason the business does so well professionally
both in performance and in generating income is because of these
"unreasonable" and "strict" rules. It is certainly not for everyone, and
the few performers who have left over the years and went out as solo
artists have stopped booking within the year. What you don't see as a
solo artist (particularly as a newcomer) is the amount of marketing,
choreography, costuming and booking the owner of the company provides in
order for each performer to be able to hit the stage and be paid well
for it. You're also getting FREE training with women who have been
professional dancers for almost 20 years...usually which we charge $75
an hour for. I know some truly INCREDIBLE solo artists that are making it on their own and I am in awe of how they're able to pull it all together. That being said, a newbie does not generally have the resources or know-how in order to make an actual living at it without some help. As a troupe, we have something special and specific to offer...large, well-choreographed production numbers. That requires a ton more time, work and money to pull off than a solo. I know this because I produce and perform both. The reward, however, is to be surrounded by an incredible family of women, with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and end up with a special and polished finished product, without the hassle of the performers doing the non-fun admin bullshit.
So cheers to you, Newcomer. I hope your solo career takes flight in every way you could possibly hope for. I'll be over here with my evil empire sippin' on a whiskey and answering emails.
