Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Missy Fatale presents……The Swinging Burlesque Boudoir

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Missy Fatale presents……
The Swinging Burlesque Boudoir
Burlesque beauties and hot rhythms from the golden age of jazz!

Friday 16th July, 2010 at Proud Cabaret
Luxury supperclub & Jazz piano from 7.30pm
Showtime! 8.30pm
Social dancing and late-night floor show 11pm – 3am

Prize for best dressed (and best-undressed)….

Sponsored by Kiss Me Deadly lingerie

Join Missy Fatale, London’s most formidable red-head, for a night of decadent jazz, vintage strip-tease and wild swing dancing.
July’s revue presents …gin-soaked strumpets, eye-popping Lindy Hopping, Marilyn Monroe and her fabulous cake, steamy -solo Charleston, flaming LP’s and fire tassels, singing sirens, champagne showgirls, French Mannequins, and a banana-shaking finale!

fatale

Miss Fatale

**Missy Fatale**
Missy is one of London’s most sought after burlesque stars. Devoted to 1930’s swing dance, audiences across the world have been captivated by her hypnotic performances, including the red carpet opening of London Burlesque Week and the launch of Kiss Me Deadly lingerie.
This sassy burlesque siren has her five-inch heels firmly rooted in the formidable era of the Femme Fatale. With a passionate love of all things swing and an addiction to shimmying, she intoxicates her victims with her dark mysterious eyes and bewitches with her hips.

Banbury Cross

Banbury Cross

**Miss Banbury Cross**
Banbury Cross is a true vintage beauty, oozing the sex appeal and glamour of Hollywood’s Golden age. “She is a real show stopper” and a figure that will make any man weak at the knees. Debuting at the infamous Madam Jojo’s in 2008, Miss Banbury Cross is has quickly become the shinging star of British Burlesque, and show no sign of slowing down.

This Blonde Bombshell, Pin-Up and Sex Goddess draws her inspiration from The greats of Classic Burlesque and the timeless style of Marilyn Monroe.

hagen

Laurie Hagen

**Laurie Hagen**
A burlesque performer, actress and star of the screen, Laurie Hagen was also one of Miss Polly Rae’s original Hurly Burly girls. Her cabaret mentor is the sensational Dusty Limits who took her under his tarnished wings at an early age, leading this drunken strumpet to the glittering heights of London Town’s cabaret scene. The lesson you will learn is not to cross this dazzling lady – especially when she’s been at the gin…

Ivy Paige

Ivy Paige

**Ivy Paige**
Ivy Paige is a modern day diva who’ll break your heart and rock your world. With her trademark red hair, her lyrics, music and stage presence, it is no wonder she has been dubbed “A singing sensation and burlesque star.” As a presenter, Ivy has a sassy and witty rapport and has entertained audiences across the globe. She has presented and hosted shows on The West End Stages, including Cabaret Nights, London Burlesque Week and supported John Waters (The creator of Hairspray) on his UK Tour. One thing is guaranteed – this “Burlesque Rockstar” will continue to break your heart and rock your world!

Swingcopation

Swingcopation

**Swingcopation**
Sensations of the London swing scene, Swingcopation have set the town on fire with their show-stopping lindy hop and solo Charleston routines! Authentic swing dance evoking the feel of 1930’s Harlem and the Savoy ballroom – they make the crowds cheer the hardest, and they don’t even take off their clothes….now that’s talent.

Tallulah Tonic

Tallulah Tonic

**Tallulah Tonic**
The gorgeous Tallulah Tonic is one half of the sensational singing duo Twin and Tonic, and our sultry stage kitten for the evening. This multi-talented songbird is inspired by the glamorous and sophisticated stars of the silver screen’s 30s and 40s hey day, and will blow your mind with her show-stopping legs!

Riddum ‘n’ Blue, and Boogie ‘n’ Woo with Fingers Wolfenstein on the 88’s (AKA the piano, for the uninitiated…)
Swing DJ Benjamin Cook will be hotting up the social dancefloor from 11pm – 3am. Bring your dancing shoes for some Lindy Hop, Charleston, shag, balboa, cakewalk, blackbottom or slow-drag!

Tickets
Advance show tickets £8 (More on the door)

Social dancing only (after 11pm) £5

3 course Supperclub & show £25 with Missy discount (email HQ@missyfatale.com for reservations)

BUY TICKETS ONLINE

24/7 Ticket Hotline: 01224 443377

For info call 07771 393 347
www.proudcabaret.com Tower Hill
Proud Cabaret No.1 Mark Lane (Corner of Dunster Court and Mark Lane) London EC3R 7AH

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Swing Patrol rocking the Royal Albert Hall…

Monday, July 12th, 2010

What a great night we had at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday! It was just amazing to see such a huge and legendary venue filled with Swing Dancers. We’re SO proud of our two dancing teams, the Traffic Jam crew and the Happy Feet girls, who really pulled it out of the bag. Take a peek at their performances here…

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Sharon Davis, shopping in Korea…

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

We just had to give a shout out to this post from the fantatsic Swing Fashionista blog of Sharon Davis’ recent shopping trip in Korea. If you’re wondering where dandy’s went , it was clearly to Korea! This snap was from a stall labelled Great Gatsby, a Korean brand. I look at this and dream whimsically of age before the invention of flip flops, sweatpants and elasticated waist unisex jeans. Guys…we want to see more of this style! Hot.

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Jazz on the Green this Sunday….

Friday, July 9th, 2010

In case you hadn’t noticed the sun is out and we’re feeling summery. So in that great British tradtion of running to park and lying there all day with a beer why not get yourself down to Newington Green for a spot of Jazz on the Green?

To support the local area Swing Patrol will be attending this event and dancing and handing out flyers. It will run from 12.30 to 3.30pm and feature The Brass Volcanoes.   As the old saying goes, only mad dogs and Englishmen bask in the mid day sun. Buck the trend and come and dance instead ;) The lovely Ashleigh is in charge of picnic location and would love your support!

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For more informtion check out www.newingtongreen.org.uk

Caravan Palace here we come…

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Psssttt….don’t tell anyone but we’ll be at the Secret Garden Party this year.  Yes, rehearsals have been underway and planning is a go-go for an exciting array of classes and performances at one of the UK’s best small festivals. Among the acts performing are Caravan Palace and we’ve been getting very exciting about the prospect of swinging out to them in a field in Cambridge shire. Swinging out to electro-swing?! I hear you cry. Yes! That’s right. And just in case you thought it couldn’t be done, take a look at this amazing performance form the Ninjammerz at  with the very same Caravan Palace at Festival de Jazz de Montréal.

Next challenge…swinging out in wellies. Oh dear…
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In Full Swing? You bet we are…

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Shhh…don’t tell anyone but we’re dancing at this! It’s going to be great ;)

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How I learned to stop worrying and love the Shim Sham…

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

It could be worse...

Since I started dancing, I have witnessed few things that divide beginners like the Shim Sham. The moment the first few bars of Jimmie Lunceford’s ‘Taint what you do’ kick in…the room seems to instantly divide into two camps;

  • People with big grins, enthusiastically arranging themselves into lines.
  • Panicked looking people searching for the nearest darkened corner.

The fact is that some people just love routines. I guess the feeling you get from dancing in a big group is always just a little bit brilliant. It reminds you of watching old musicals as a kid, the ones where everyone just spontaneously bursts into song and dance. I wonder how many people secretly wish London were just a little bit more like the opening scene from Austin Powers.

And then there’s the other camp; people who have a memory like a sieve and find it impossible to remember what’s coming next. People who prefer to be lead and don’t want to have to go it alone. There are also the people who are just too self consciousness to enjoy it. These people are often, but not limited to, beginners.  If you’re one of these people, the Shim Sham probably represents 10 phrases of hell. In your head, you’re fumbling through the steps looking like the drunken uncle at a family wedding. From my experience, there are some people who look like they were born to dance the Shim Sham. And then, there are some people who look like they can’t wait for it to finish.

I am currently heading into the ‘dancing like bambi’ phase of my Shim Sham career. However, I’ve decided to embrace it. I used to hate the Shim Sham. Mostly because I am impatient and I want to be good at everything right away. But secondly because I have a memory like a gold fish, the attention span of a toddler and, at times, the coordination of a drunk. But then I thought about it, and here’s what I came up with…

  1. Isn’t it great to dance a routine to a song that’s actually good? That song is great fun! I mean, when I think of all the songs I know that have routines, I think of family weddings, Saturday night by Whigfield or Aga Doo by Black Lace.  Not great moments in musical history. However, anyone who has witnessed such scenes will know how a routine can imbue even the most rhythmically challenged with a truly strange sense of confidence in their dancing abilities…
  2. Isn’t it also fun to be in control? Learning to lead and/or follow is probably one of the biggest challenges for a new dancer. If it does anything, learning a routine tends to drastically limit the opportunities to make a tit of oneself. At least with the Shim Sham you have;
  • Something you can practice by yourself – no partner needed.
  • a welcome break from that perpetual worry about what the lead or follow is going to do next!
  • Rows of people to hide behind ;)

But also…it’s just dancing, it’s supposed to be fun. It’s an art form, it takes a long time to learn and trust me, you’re never going to improve watching people enviously from the bar.  So here’s an idea…Next Swing Pit…join me…I will once again be competing for the title of ‘lamest Shim Shammer.’ Maybe you can knock the crowns off my head?  Don’t be afraid to bust out your best beginner Shim Sham complete with forgotten breaks, fluffed kick ball changes and screwed up  Shorty Georges.  It’s all part of the fun.  I’ll be easy to spot, we’ll be the ones having a lot of fun being malco-ordination personified. Embrace the chaos. The only rule is…you can’t win the title more than four Swing pits in a row, that just means you’re not trying :)

By the way, if it helps, the Shim Sham was originally called “Goofus” and was done as a comedic farm dance to a song called Turkey in the Straw. Try taking it seriously now.

Laura Knight
‘Newington Green Suzy Q Faker’

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Glamour and fast feet at the London Swing Festival 2010

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Two weeks later and we are still day dreaming about the great times we had at the London Swing Festival! And it’s worth noting that we are all set to go again from May 26 to 30 2011! Get it down in the diary now!

In the meantime take a look at these stunning photos (courtesy of Kim Sheard Photography) of the Saturday night baland marvel at some of the fastest feet in London…

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LSF…we came, we saw, we…erm…slid?

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Those of you unfortunate enough to miss the first London Swing Festival missed a whole load of great competitors in a whole load of amazing rounds. But by far the funniest, had to be the inaugural London Swing Festival Heel Slide competition! Yes, we’re serious. Check out the final heats…apparently, if you’re not falling over, you’re not trying hard enough :)

See you next year?

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Burlesque beauties and hot rhythms from the golden age of jazz!

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Missy Fatale presents…

The Swinging Burlesque Boudoir

Burlesque beauties and hot rhythms from the golden age of jazz!

Friday 18th June, 2010 at Proud Cabaret | Luxury supperclub & Jazz piano from 7.30pm

Showtime! 8.30pm | Social dancing and late-night floor show 11pm – 3am
Prize for best dressed (and best-undressed)….

Sponsored by Kiss Me Deadly lingerie

Join Missy Fatale, London’s most formidable red-head, for a night of decadent jazz, vintage strip-tease and wild swing dancing.
June’s revue presents …1930’s freakshow burlesque, Lindy Hop aerials – apache style, the birth of Venus, hot solo Charleston, classical piano striptease, Chap Hop, singing sirens, and a banana-shaking finale!

fatale

Missy Fatale

**Missy Fatale**
Missy is one of London’s most sought after burlesque stars. Devoted to 1930’s swing dance, audiences across the world have been captivated by her hypnotic performances, including the red carpet opening of London Burlesque Week and the launch of Kiss Me Deadly lingerie.
This sassy burlesque siren has her five-inch heels firmly rooted in the formidable era of the Femme Fatale. With a passionate love of all things swing and an addiction to shimmying, she intoxicates her victims with her dark mysterious eyes and bewitches with her hips.

01

Chrys Colombine

**Chrys Colombine**
Chrys is an international burlesque starlet, pin-up model, and a classically-trained pianist . She has graced and headlined stages all over the world, and has featured in many major publications such as French Playboy, and Glamour Italia. With the ethereal looks of a fairytale princess, and a number of stunning, unique routines she is a truly charismatic performer. She is also the only burlesquer who plays classical piano and strips at the same time!

Mr.B The Gentleman Rhymer

Mr.B The Gentleman Rhymer

**Mr.B The Gentleman Rhymer**
On a one-man mission to introduce Hip-Hop to the Queen’s English, Mr. B is delighted to present Chap-Hop.
Having spent the best part of a decade bringing some manners back to popular culture, this dopest of fellows will entertain and amuse you with his ingenious stylings. Aiming to dazzle with dignity, Mr. B takes to the stage with his Banjolele and stiff upper lip to perform ditties of pipe-smoking, high society, Cricket and sexual misadventure, as well as some more well-known pieces from the world of Hip-Hop, re-worked in true Chap-Hop fashion. Watch him in action here

jojo

Mood Swings

**Mood Swings**
This dynamic duo presents the flagship dance of the swing era – the Lindy Hop! Complete with high-flying aerials, fabulous costuming, and buckets full of charm. Their combined experience specialises in vintage and eccentric dances from the 1920’s – 1940’s, reviving popular dance crazes and steps from the Jazz age, then adding their own unique twist.

Tallulah Tonic

Tallulah Tonic

**Tallulah Tonic**
The gorgeous Tallulah Tonic is one half of the sensational singing duo Twin and Tonic, and our sultry stage kitten for the evening. This multi-talented songbird is inspired by the glamorous and sophisticated stars of the silver screen’s 30s and 40s hey day, and will blow your mind with her show-stopping legs!

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