Siren Santina is a burlesque
performer, educator, and producer from Knoxville, Tennessee. Miss Santina has
traveled throughout the country, performing at burlesque and vaudeville
festivals from coast to coast including notable events such as The New Orleans
Burlesque Festival, The Show Me Burlesque Festival, The New York Nerdlesque
Festival, and The Burlesque Hall of Fame’s “Movers, Shakers, and Innovators”
showcase. She made it reign as Queen of the inaugural Southern Fried
Burlesque Festival in Atlanta, GA and represented the United States at the
World Burlesque Games in London, England. Siren is the Co-Founder and Creative
Director of Salomé Cabaret Burlesque Revue, Lead Instructor of the Salomé
Cabaret Burlesque Academy, and Executive Producer of the Smoky Mountain
Burlesque Festival.
You can find her on her website at www.sirensantina.com and on social media (Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter) as sirensantina.
First things first, how did you get started
in Burlesque?
Kismet. I didn’t necessarily go out and pursue
burlesque. It came to me. I was an active participant in our local goth
subculture. When a promotor from the community decided he wanted to have a
burlesque performance as part of one of his special events, he started looking
for people from within the community that had stage experience or interest in
burlesque and pin-up culture. I was already known to him as a singer, and had
spoken to him about how much I enjoyed a visiting performer with burlesque
influence, so I ended up on his short list of folks to discuss the idea with.
The rest, as they say, is history!
What is the biggest misconception about
burlesque that you’d like to correct?
I think the most common misconception regarding
burlesque that I encounter is the art-form’s relationship to “stripping” as we
know it in today’s culture. Sometimes I encounter folks that consider burlesque
to be the synonymous with the type of dancing seen in modern-day gentlemen’s
clubs (i.e. “strippers” or “pole dancers”). I encounter others that are
staunchly opposed to the comparison of the two art-forms, implying that one is
better or worse than the other and that both are entirely different animals.
The truth is that the art-form exists somewhere in the middle. I believe it is
important to be aware of the art-form’s history. Burlesque dancers in the art’s
heyday WERE adult-industry entertainers. While their performances may have been
less risqué than those of today’s exotic dancers, they were no less a part of
the sex work industry of that time. I like to explain the difference like this:
“Strippers” are performing to the audience’s definition of seduction, a set of
unspoken standards often driven by the male gaze. “Burlesque Dancers” are often
performing to their own interpretation of the same thing, highlighting what
they personally find attractive or arousing about themselves regardless of how
it fits into society’s beauty standards. Are the two different? Yes, they can
be. I, however, don’t find them to be nearly as disparate as some people
describe.
Tell me about your first burlesque
performance.
My first burlesque performance was a bit of a “trial
by fire” experience. I began performing in 2006, while the neo-burlesque
movement was still relatively young. While there were developed communities
practicing the art-form in larger cities, the resources available to us here in
the conservative Southeast were extremely limited. There were no shows being
produced that we could attend for inspiration. There were no classes being
taught. We built our material based on written accounts of live performances
and clips of vintage stag films from the internet.
I had been approached about performing in
Knoxville’s first burlesque show based on my stage experience as a singer, and
it was my intention to provide live vocals while other more confident
performers disrobed. This was a common format of the vaudeville and variety
show striptease I had encountered in my research. When our big group act was
complete, the emcee started introducing each performer from one side of the
stage to the other. As each name was called, the performer ripped off an extra
part of their costume and took a bow for the audience. This improvised reveal
sent me into a panic. I was not prepared to take my costume off and I was
embarrassed by my size at the time. When my name was called, I made the split
second decision to follow the pack. I ripped my skirt off and braced myself for
the backlash of the audience. To my surprise, my plus-sized pantslessness was
met with applause and adoration.
I was approached by a multitude of audience members
after the show, many of which were also plus-sized or otherwise
unconventionally shaped women. All of them expressed gratitude and pride in my
participation, in my bravery, in my confidence. I realized in that moment how
important it was that I had taken off my skirt. Although I had felt terrified
and insecure I had sent a message to those watching that my body (and others
like it) was beautiful, desirable even, and deserving of sharing the spotlight
with those more closely resembling society’s ideal.
Tell me who/what inspires you from the
following:
Old School Burlesque:
I am inspired by the glamour of
old school burlesque in general. Finding recorded performances of classic
burlesque starts can be challenging. Many were never recorded, and those that
were have often had the original musical accompaniment replaced with jarring or
disconnected generic canned music due to copyright concerns. Jennie Lee,
founder of the Burlesque Hall of Fame museum, is a favorite based on her
contributions to the modern community. Candy Baby Caramelo was an inspiration
to me as well, as comedic, singing burlesque performers were not necessarily
the norm in the artforms heyday. I got to see her perform several times at the
BHoF weekender in Las Vegas and always found her campy shtick to be sexy AND
entertaining.
Neo-Burlesque:
I am routinely inspired by the
innovation I see coming out of the neo-burlesque community. At this point there
is a long and established history, with documented examples of art-form
archetypes. I love seeing someone pay tribute to that history while applying
their own unique spin. For example, Iva Handfull is known for performing fan
dances to modern, electronic music. She uses the same traditional fan dancing
movements, but alters the speed and affect to fit the more modern
accompaniment. The result is a very different, non-traditional fan dance. I am
also completely enamored by performers who have mastered another art-form and
incorporate it into their striptease performance. For example, Mr. Gorgeous
with hand balancing, Midnite Martini with aerial silks, and Roxi d’Lite with
cyr wheel. I attempt to do that myself by incorporating my music talents into
stripteases with live vocal accompaniment.
What Non-Burlesque sources inspire you?
I am inspired greatly by strong female entertainment
personalities, particularly those specializing in comedy and/or music. Carol
Burnett, Lucille Ball, Bette Midler, Vicki Lawrence, and Julie Andrews are
particular favorites.
Do you make your costume pieces or buy
them/alter them?
I am the daughter of a retired Home Economics instructor
and professional costumier, so the majority of my costumes are hand made. Some
of my costumes are created to ready-to-wear bases, but all have at least some
level of unique hand-crafted embellishment that help them to illustrate the
creative vision of the piece for which they are created.
What is your favorite costume or piece?
My favorite costume piece is probably the tail skirt
I use in my turkey trot act. It is an unusual and unexpected costume element
that I collaborated with my mother to create. The skirt construction is based
on a common peacock costuming trope. I hand-cut every single feather in the
costume out of crafting felt, so it has a unique “elementary school theatrical
production” aesthetic.
What’s your favorite burlesque moment (This
can be past or present/yours or someone else)?
My favorite burlesque moments are almost exclusively
surrounding the “legends” of burlesque, the women and men that were performing
in the art-forms heyday that are still actively involved in the community as
mentors, teachers, and (in some cases) performers. Every year at the annual
Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender in Las Vegas, NV the organization holds a
panel where the attending legends speak about their lives and take questions.
It is always impactful in many ways to hear these incredible individuals talk
about their lives. Depending on the era in which they performed, their
experiences were very different. Some speak about the glamour of the stage,
others speak about the work ethic the burlesque lifestyle required. One message
that is consistent amongst them all is female empowerment. Even those that
performed only out of necessity to support themselves spoke about the
independence the work provided them. Burlesque, in its early days and now,
allows women to control how they present themselves to an audience, glorifies
the beauty of womanhood in all its various forms, and demonstrates the power
that women have to captivate… with as little as a ripple of chiffon or revealed
wrist.
The best piece of advice I ever received was from
one of the legends at this annual panel. She told those of us in the room “If
you can’t fix it, feature it”. Those words echoed in my mind as I later watched
her perform. Unable to walk or dance, she performed her act seated in a
wheelchair. Rather than treating the wheelchair as a restriction interfering
with her previous abilities, she utilized the chair as a prop. It might as well
have been Dita von Teese’s giant martini glass they way she lovingly slid her
legs across the arm rests to assist with her hosiery removal. She turned the
focus of the wheelchair into a celebration of innovation rather than a
hindrance or obstacle to navigate. I use that memory not only when facing
challenges in my burlesque performance, but also when facing challenges in my
day to day life.
What’s the funniest (or strangest)
burlesque experience you have had?
I think one of the funniest moments in my burlesque
career was rather early on. I was debuting a new act in which I sang a song
with some quite suggestive and inappropriate lyrics. I looked out into the
audience and was surprised to see one of my college professors sitting close to
the stage. As I walked out to great him, I heard a familiar voice. I turned to
find my mother as another surprise attendee to the show. The two of them ended
up sitting together, chatting about some of my collegiate vocal performances,
both excited that I would be singing in the show that night. When it came time
to perform I was extremely nervous. What would my professor think about my song
choice? Would the graphic sexual lyrical content embarrass my mother. I found
out near the end of the first verse, shortly after dropping my fourth or fifth
musical “f-bomb” when my mom screamed out in a moment of silence “THAT’S MY
DAUGHTER!!!” I couldn’t help but laugh, and neither could the audience. I did
them both proud that night, in a weird and awkward way.
Tell me about a time your act went
awry. How did you overcome it?
My acts have gone awry on several occasions. I love
to create authentic, organic performance experiences and structure my material
in a way that leaves room for improvisation. My performances are tailored to
each specific audience and their unique energy and response. For the most part,
when something doesn’t work in an act the way it is supposed to it creates an
opportunity for me to react in real time and add completely unplanned elements
to my performance. Some of the most magical moments of my career have happened
in those situations.
Other times stage accidents haven’t been so happy.
Relatively early on in my burlesque experience I gave a performance in which I
severely injured myself. Part of the act included me cutting through some fake
blood capsules that were bandaged to my wrists atop of steel safety plate. For
this particular performance I had forgotten my safety plate at home.
Thankfully, one of the other performers was able to secure me a solid metal
guard and I continued with my act as planned. When I approached the stage
effect in my act, muscle memory took over. I glided the knife through the blood
capsules as usual, but then felt a snap. It took my brain a couple of seconds
to understand what had happened. The blade had slid off the side of the plate and
cut through the side of my arm. I looked into the audience and yelled “I cut
myself!” The audience roared with applause, thinking it was all part of my act.
I screamed again, “No, really. I cut myself. Does anyone know where the closest
hospital is?” I then proceeded to step out into the audience and directly into
the car of a front row volunteer. I headed to closest emergency room and
endured the most awkward medical experience of my life.
Needless to say, that act has since be retired and I
now teach a class to help students safely navigate performances and respond to
unexpected challenges as they arise on stage.
What’s your favorite move?
My favorite moves are the old standard bumps,
grinds, and peels. At burlesque’s height in popularity, stripteases were
performed to accompaniment by a live band. Musical elements, particularly those
performed by the percussionist, were used to accent the dancer’s movements. In
today’s burlesque performances, which are often accompanied by recordings, the
reverse can be applied. Bumps are perfect for quick percussive accents, grinds
for repeated motives, and peels for long legato melodic elements. I use these
choreography elements intentionally to emphasize musical cues and parallel
compositional elements, effectively creating that same collaborative effect
between myself and the music that was present in traditional performances.
Do you have any other extracurricular
activities besides burlesque that might surprise someone?
I am a classically trained singer, originally
focused on choral performance and direction. I occasionally belt out an operatic
aria for a burlesque show, but more commonly use that skill to incorporate
showtunes or jazz standards into my performance. This year I have also started
to experiment with drag performance, focusing on gender illusion and
exaggeration. This allows me a platform to express my femininity in a way that
depends more on my general appearance and mannerisms than my actual physical
form. It has been a similarly insightful experience of self-discovery.
What do your family and friends think about
your burlesque?
I am lucky to receive a great deal of support in
regards to my burlesque. My mother attended my debut performance, collaborates
with me on costume design and construction, and frequently suggests songs or
concepts for performance. I have been doing this for such a long time now, most
of my closest friends have become part of the burlesque community themselves –
either as fellow performers, producers, or dedicated fans.
Do you associate the body-positive movement
with your work, or is it simply burlesque for the glory of burlesque?
I definitely associate the body-positive movement
with my work. The neo-burlesque community does such an amazing job of
glorifying performers, regardless of their size, age, gender expression, or
personal interpretation of what is sexy. One of the most fulfilling parts of my
personal experience has been teaching and mentoring new performers and
observing their journey to the stage. Watching as students discover their best
assets and ways to creatively showcase them is an inspiring experience. As each
performer’s confidence builds, so does my love of the art-form.
What one piece of advice would you give to
rookies thinking about trying burlesque?
My advice to a new performer would be to remember
that BURLESQUE IS SUBJECTIVE. There are quite a few highly opinionated voices
in the burlesque community at large, and sometimes those voices can be
discouraging. The most appealing aspect of this art-form to me is the creative
control that each individual performer has, and it is important to remember
that in the end there is no right or wrong way to perform burlesque. Yes, take
feedback from your peers. Yes, learn from your mentors and take their advice
into consideration. But also, create art that YOU find fulfilling. Don’t let
another person’s idea of what burlesque is or isn’t determine how you express
yourself on stage.
Is there something you would like to add
that I’ve not asked?
No, I think you covered A LOT. I’m so excited to see
you embarking on another project! Things have changed in our group dynamic
since you left. If you ever feel inclined to stop back by and see if you’d be
interested in stepping into the occasional performance, PLEASE DO!
Will you tell us where we can see you perform?
You can see me perform regularly with the Salomé
Cabaret Burlesque Revue. Show schedule and ticketing information is available
at www.salomecabaret.com
Thank you so much for taking the time,
Siren. I want to say that not only are you an excellent performer, you are one
of the most welcoming audience members I’ve ever seen. Your face watching
others at work whether they be rookies or pros is always one of appreciation
and pride. That is a rare thing!
