Blue Jean, baby
When I was a rookie, the agents kept booking me with a huge feature of that time, Blue Jean. I was a bit of a brat, honestly, I came out of Fort McMurray, Alberta (the rough n tough, far Canadian north) with a huge chip on my shoulder, an attitude to match and a lot to prove. I feel like they were booking me with her in the hopes that I’d actually pay attention and learn a thing or two, or three lol some of those things would be to soften and humble. They saw a potential there but my brattiness was a deterrent I was a very good dancer, coming from a dance background and thought I was a lot better than I actually was LOL There’s a lot more involved in being a great entertainer opposed to having just good skills. I used to think, ” I should be the feature.” Yes, total bratty mentality in that regard but with drive and aspirations. So, I would be dancing my butt off, doing ALL the moves, handstands into splits, fancy spins, I really thought I was killing it! And I’d get some claps and shouts. Then Blue Jean would go on stage and get triple encores, money thrown everywhere and I just didn’t get it. How does she have them eating out of the palm of her hand like that and she doesn’t even touch the pole? She was wearing a red and white plaid shirt and cut off Jean shorts, so, not even a huge, embellished feature costume. Then after a few months, I finally broke down, realizing I didn’t know it all and still had a lot to learn, clearly, and I just asked her, “Can I pick your brain? I’m wondering, How do you do it? They go crazy for you as soon as you walk on stage. I feel like I’m working so hard and I get nothing.” She was so nice and sweet about it. She said, “Eye contact and smile. I make every man in the room feel like I’m dancing for only him.” I laughed and said, “No way, it’s not THAT easy.” She smiled and said, that’s the secret. So, my next stage show, I was ready and armed with this new feedback! I went out on stage, started dancing, looked at a customer in the eyes aaannddd felt so shy! I couldn’t do it. It was actually so hard for me! And smiiiileee…. omg, so hard. I couldn’t look at people and also, smile. I was so used to being a serious performer but really, probably looked more like a drill Sargent with my resting bitch face. So, I started to work on that. I would look at a customer and think of something funny to make me laugh, which, would lead into me smiling. Then, they would get excited, smile back and put money on the stage! I was like, “Wow, it really is that easy, once I get past this shyness. They don’t care about my handstands, they want to feel acknowledged.” It changed my whole show. So then, making eye contact and smiling is how I started my show. My first song would be spent courting the audience. This changed the game for me. I could go onstage after an entertainer doing amazing pole work or aerials and make triple the amount of tips just from that personal connection. And then, when I would do a fancy move, the audience would go even more crazy, even if 3 girls before me did the exact same move. That was the secret sause!
Another great piece of advice I received from Randy, my agent and huge mentor, pertained to Blue Jean, again, as well as Krissy Snow, another big feature of that era. I was competing in contests, making the finals but not placing. I was really taking it hard, beating myself up over losing. Randy said to me, “You know Blue Jean,” I said, “Of course! You book me with her every week!” He said, “She hasn’t won a contest yet, neither has Krissy Snow and both are two of the highest paid and most booked features out there. They’re so popular, they don’t need a title. Any title they could win would be a benefit to that title because of how much status and spotlight they had. Build a career so big that you don’t need a title. If you win a title, YOU will be giving that award a spotlight of recognition, not the other way around.” After that, Blue Jean, went on to win Miss Nude Canada but by then, it was as he said, she gave that title more recognition because she was already so big. Her career had greatly influenced and inspired my perception and shaped where I am today ✨️ There were a few others, like Lianna Cole but those 2 pieces of guidance completely changed my thinking and the trajectory of my career. I then started building a career so big that I didn’t need a contest title to get booked, I would get booked solely on who I was. This was also similar advice I was given from my music mentor, Bruce Levens, the owner of Greenhouse Studios, a well known recording studio that was home to such acts as Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and Nickel back, just to name a few. Bruce told me to strive to be bigger than my music. At the time I had an all girl group called, G-Force, that was recording and rehearsing at the studio. When he said be bigger than your music, it reminded me of be bigger than any title you can win. And that is how my career has been. I don’t win a ton of contests but will be the most talked about show and have cemented 14 years of a stacked booked schedule around the world. And for me, guaranteed paychecks and touring internationally is the best accolade anyone could attain because that sustainability is next level. Many features struggle to keep relevant with a steady booking schedule for 2-3 years before things start to fade out, let alone almost 15 years. So, I have profound gratitude for the mentors I had early on who shifted my mindset and helped me to have total vision, instead of just tunnel vision of where my career could go and how to get there.
Features and Getting Booked
In light of the many complaints and concerns coming from the feature community due to the lack of bookings, I thought I’d share a more in depth response. First off, yes, the economy has shifted and it has slowed things down a bit, however, this is the dynamic of our industry and it flows up and down and always has. That is a contributing factor for sure. But when I came down to the States 6 years ago, showgirls weren’t getting booked at all. Only a few would get bookings but they still had xxx credits. It was an adult film star monopoly when it came to feature bookings. I was actually told by other features that getting my visa would be a waste of money because I wouldn’t get booked as a no name showgirl in the U.S without any adult film credits……challenge accepted!
After receiving my approval for my work visa, I relocated down to Florida part time and awaited for the floodgates to open! I had both Danny, the agent from Centerfolds and Frank from Continental, tell me that there was a place for me and my crazy shows down here in the US and a lot of clubs would want me. At the time, Danny only had 3 bookings for me. So, I waited…and waited…and waited. I soon began to realize that my success would heavily rely on myself and what I could generate, not just from an agent. This was familiar territory for me, as I have booked all of my international tours and tours in Eastern Canada for the last decade. So, I had gone digging into my boxes, found every business card to every club manager/owner that I had been given to at different events over the 2 previous years and starting contacting them. I also signed on with Sinational Features, which wasn’t common at that time, as most features were exclusive to one agency. Yes, a no name showgirl who wa being unconventional with non-exclusivity and booking herself, as I said before, challenge accepted! Slowly but surely, bookings were coming in.
At each booking I went above and beyond with my shows, as I always had, whether there were 5 people or 100, you still get a full on, ’Janine Jericho,’ show. One club owner said that I was consistently great and that it wasn’t common. If the club was quiet, features would do a, ‘lazy’ show. But I learned back in Canada that when the club is quiet, is exactly when you really need bring it because that’s when management and the staff are watching. And my showprice doesn’t pro-rate to the crowd, it’s the same with each show, so, Ive always believed in giving my best every time. As a showgirl, I also had to build my following from the ground up. This included a push on social media for that city I was featuring in and walking around and meeting and greeting the customers who were in the club and giving them cards with my social media on it. Spending some time with them, so they’d be excited for when I came back and usually, they’d bring their friends in. Chatting and taking photos with the house dancers, inspiring them, giving a little guidance to those that asked for it and cross promotion on our social medias. This is how I grew my followings in Canada and Australia and knew it’d also work within the US. So, when I’d go back to a booking, it’d always be busy with more fans excited to me, which in turn, makes me even more excited to return. I had been rebooked at every booking I did for the following 6 years, minus the States that were closed during Covid.
It was a big effort to maintain a steady, back to back touring schedule and it was a combined effort of self generated bookings and working with the agents. It took me 5 months to figure it out but once I did, I had become one of the most booked feature showgirls consistently since coming down here, which was an amazing feat considering I was told that clubs didn’t book showgirls before I came to the U.S. Most clubs had been fed a thick diet of adult film stars, so, they weren’t interested in booking showgirls, who they claimed, didn’t have the same draw\following and the quality of shows were inconsistent from entertainer to entertainer. They said some showgirls were house dancers in a costume, why should they pay for that, especially when they have beautiful house dancers who were also great on the pole and PAYING THE CLUB to work there. They didn’t see the need for features. Even winning a major title or award didn’t seem to do much. I had seen many Miss Nude Worlds or Entertainer of the Year, with bleak touring schedules during their reign, when one would assume that such a huge title would guarantee a full year’s touring schedule. But I will add, other than the features complaining on not getting booked, there could be personal reasons for each entertainer and them choosing not to tour during their reign.
Another agent reached out to.me and said he was booking me into a club in Vegas called, Sapphire, and they were one of these chains that didn’t believe in booking showgirls.. He told me to blow them away and show them why they should book showgirls, and so I did! Bumblebee made an appearance and they still talk about it to this day! After that, they opened their minds and began booking more showgirls. Things for about 2.5 years had improved and showgirls started to get booked more and more frequently.
Later on, I found out that some of the club owners I had reached out to about booking me had contacted the clubs I had performed at previously to see how I was as a feature. It was those great reviews that helped tip the scale in my direction and solidify those bookings at clubs that had never heard of me before. All of that extra ground work at each booking was paying off in ways I didn’t even think of.
Here I am now and for the first time in 15 years, have blocked off touring for Jan-May, except for something special, like an international booking, event or personal favor. My other income avenues are doing very well and I love waking up in my own bed, in paradise, every day. Before moving, I’d be home for 3 days before I’d get eager about going back out on the road. I start iching to leave, having had enough downtime lol I guess I enjoyed the momentum and perhaps didn’t love being at home as much as I had thought. I am so comfortable in my new space that I don’t want to leave! I’ve even pushed my May bookings back. So, needless to say, my touring days are actually winding down…by choice. I’m at a point in my career where I’m turning work away.
For the entertainers out there struggling, I want you to know that you can overcome this and you can fill up your schedule but YOU are going to have to put in the work yourself, in the business side of things. If you’re relying on an agent or a club owner that has a chain of clubs to keep you booked, you’re going to get stuck. You’ll have huge gaps in your schedule. It’s like putting all of your eggs in one basket. Once that tour is done, then what? There are thousands of clubs nationwide that you can reach out to. You also need to put in some of your own leg work on building up your following and getting your name out there. If you’re relying solely on the club to advertise you, once again, you could get stuck with a soft weekend. I don’t think the industry is over saturated. There are thousands of clubs. I think that the ones currently booking features are being extremely selective. They don’t want entertainers that are drama, have attitudes, dont have an appealing online presence and are rude to the staff and house dancers, they don’t want basic, you need to be able to offer something different to their beautiful and talented house dancers, they want interactive, no drug use-even weed and minimal alcohol, professional and on time, not blaming the club for things within your control…of course these may sound like no brainers but really think of yourself and how you are with each of these.
The industry is shifting and we need to shift with it. If you’ve always struggled to get booked, there could be reasons for that and you need to really investigate all avenues and ask why you aren’t getting booked and look at those who are and see what they’re doing differently. There needs to be some accountability on your part as well, as it’s not always the agents. At the end of the day the GMs and club owners have final say on who they want.
The Force Is Strong With This One
My light sabers for my Star Wars show have been quite a spectacle more times that I can count.
There was this one time when my light saber must’ve shifted in my hockey bag when being placed into my Uber and kept humming the entire drive. It sounded like a vibrator! I was dying in the back seat! Finally, the Uber driver turned down the radio and said, “Do you hear something?” I burst of laughing and said, “Yes, it’s my light saber.” He started laughing and replied, “Light saber?” Giggling back trying to talk, I said, “Yep! From Star Wars, you know? The Force is strong during this Uber drive!”
My light sabers have also turned on in the airport line up waiting to check in. I just pretended to not hear the hum for a few minutes to see people’s reactions…that was my entertainment for the morning. Then I walked up to the counter, opened my bag, whipped out my light saber and turned it off.
When crossing the border once going into the U.S., the customs officers came in after searching my car and told me that I could get into trouble for having lethal weapons. I started laughing and said, “You found my light sabers!” The officer said, “Yes, they turned on as we were moving stuff around.” ? At least they had a sense of humor about it!
When the Claws Come Out
“Instead of killing them with kindness, torture them with success” – David Goggins
Recently I’ve had 2 dancers who were dealing with negative, spiteful attitudes from other dancers within the industry, reach out to me for guidance on how to deal with these things. Both ladies are awesome entertainers with some successes under their belts, one in particular, is a rising star and slaying the Exotic dance scene. Very popular with audiences, winning awards and loved by some industry heavy weights. The bullying began once she started winning contests and was booked for her first feature week. In one instance, when she walked into a changeroom there was a comment written in permanent marker on the wall saying, “So and so is an escort and is sleeping with the agents.” She also had other people making degrading comments about her while she was within earshot in the changeroom…you know, HIGH SCHOOL SHIT! lol When we worked together, she said, “You know Janine, I try to be nice to everyone and treat everyone with kindness but it just doesn’t matter. Should I stop making such an effort to be kind? Is it always like this? Is it really this lonely at the top?”
I giggled and replied, “Welcome to the big girls club! You are now on a different playing field and are ruffling some feathers. Congratulations! This is not a bad thing. You are achieving success, and some people will feel threated by that but NEVER let that change you, being kind and a great performer is GOLD in this industry. Don’t allow them to make you jaded. It doesn’t matter how nice you are to everyone you will still be the villain in somebody’s story, so just be the hero in your own. Don’t stop being kind but don’t be afraid to create a boundary when one is needed. And NO, it’s not lonely at the top if you bring ‘your people’ with you. Your vibe attracts your tribe. Be clear with what kind of people you want to surround yourself with and you will connect with them. And sometimes, the toxic shitheads will maneuver their way into your circle-moths are attracted to light. But when the first red flag appears-LISTEN! And don’t ever beat yourself up for trusting the wrong the person and having rose colored glasses. Those qualities are tremendous and rare, just dust yourself off, cut the ties and move on.”
The best thing about success being the sweetest revenge, is that once you are having success, you are so damn happy that you don’t even give those negative Nancys a 2nd thought. They may have fueled your motivation in the beginning, giving you something to prove but then, are no longer are on your mind….but you are on theirs, as they watch your socials like a hawk. at one point, those haters might even start turning into your biggest fans. You won’t even be in a place where you spare a thought about them but there probably isn’t a day that goes by that they don’t think about you. How powerful is that. That’s why success is the sweetest revenge. And when I do hear the odd garbage talk about me by someone, my response is, “So what. Awesome! Good to know that they still think of me and I’m so relevant to them. Who are they again?” It has zero weight on how I feel and most certainly doesn’t penetrate my self worth or my ‘Awesomeness’ armor.
I have said more often then not, “I don’t get bitter, I get better and better then colossal!” For me, when someone is gossiping, I’m not really paying attention about who they are gossiping about but why and where are they on their journey to be spewing such stuff. Sometimes people need to feel popular, approved of, special or they just aren’t in a happy place. Happy, successful people don’t go around hating on others and trying to destroy them, they are too busy being happy and successful!
Online is such an easy place for cyber bullying to take place, I call them keyboard warriors. There was an incident where an entertainer I had adored and vouched for down here in the US, who used a lame excuse to create a hate train of online comments and bullying towards another dancer, that was completely unprovoked and unwarranted. As I watched this unfold, I was appalled and so disappointed. I decided to sleep on how I was going to deal with this episode. I really, REALLY wanted to stay out of the drama….but this dancer that was being ganged up on is someone I’ve mentored AND I just don’t agree with this bullshit behavior! As a mentor and veteran, I felt like I needed to lead by example and do something about this. It is fortunate that the dancer attacked is my girl and we’ve had many talks about dealing with people and situations like this and that she is so strong. If this were a woman who wasn’t so strong and/or struggled at all emotionally/mentally, the consequences to such bullying could be fatal. I myself, have gotten into it with people online and the one thing I’ve learned is that you can never argue with someone irrational and committed to their way of thinking about you. You can’t argue with crazy! Waste of time. So instead of jumping on the hate train newsfeed, where I’d probably just go back and forth with a lot of the minions of the attacker (there was an entertainer that did stick up and say something on that feed and that’s exactly what happened), I decided to post on my own social media my disdain for such acts and then went out of my way to help elevate that entertainer’s career by landing her an Australian Feature Tour, which isn’t easy to come by. Not going to engage with the peanut gallery and waste my valuable time, instead, I uplift and help elevate this dancer’s career even more. This entertainer went on to win a big award in the US after this. Yay, success!
In my interview with Peeled, the documentary, they asked me if since Vayda’s death, had I noticed a change within the industry. Vayda Kiss, was one of the most sweetest souls you’d ever meet and was an amazing entertainer. Though I don’t know her full story as to what lead her to take her own life, I do know that she dealt with some bullying from other dancers. Not saying it was the reason but I’m sure it didn’t ease the pain she clearly was going through. I actually hesitated for a minute. I had a flash of the ‘mean girls’ clique. But then thought of this industry 10-15 years ago, opposed to now and the truth is, the sisterhood is stronger and continuing to build and grow. When I look at the ladies in the industry right now, there are so many kindred spirits, so helpful, genuine. In my last few contests, you wouldn’t believe that we were competing against eachother because all the ladies are helping eachother with their shows. My answer to that question was, “Yes, there has been a change within the industry since her death. The sisterhood IS stronger and I believed that dancers such as myself, have been catalysts and leading by example” I do feel that I am continuously beating this drum of uniting women and building eachother up, not tearing eachother down. I even coined the hashtag #yesyouCANsitwithus demonstrating inclusion opposed to exclusion.
Yes, there are still going to be some ripples in the pond with people who don’t get along but it is way better now than when I first started dancing! Boy, the stories I have! And I will share! When I first started dancing, it was cut throat, it was a, “Fuck around and find out,” mentality.
I’ve also heard someone gossiping about another dancer, saying the same old same old: slept her way to the top. Bahaha! I think these types of things are often said about successful women. They need to sleep with someone to get ahead and/or some sort of accusation to discredit their character. Typical things said about women in hopes of destroying their reputation. I don’t take anyone’s word for it, ever. I need to see the video footage with my own eyeballs. Actually, with most accusations, I need to see it to believe it. There needs to be a, ‘For sure this person said or did this.’
You can’t sleep with the public and in the entertainment industry, it’s all about cultivating a fan base. If a feature is successful, being booked consistently, winning contests in different organizations, has a high showprice, invited to headline events…that comes from HER. And if she has a connection with a man in our biz, who the f$%^ cares?!!! That’s their business. He is not going to make her career. Maaaaybe a dancer has won a contest or an award from being involved with the right man at the right time but that doesn’t guarantee a successful, sustainable, CAREER. That’s going to come from her. There are entertainers who have won titles and still weren’t booked.
So, for the ladies out there feeling the heat from the peanut gallery, move through it and then move up from it, flying so high those opinions have no weight with you. Allow them to fan your flames. Fly so high that when you do look down, they just look like ants. You can laugh and add onto those rumors about yourself, keep them focused on you. No such thing as bad publicity. Keep talking shit, you’re making me famous! When there was another entertainer slagging me on Instagram, my followers increased by 200! I didn;t care what she was saying, I thought it was awesome that her fans were becoming mine!
Keep reaching, keep focused, keep happy, keep kind, keep humble and keep believing in your dreams. You will be the one living them, just don’t get distracted by the haters, that’s exactly what they want.
SPONSORED BY CLUB VIXEN!
Hi friends,
I have been Proudly sponsored by Club Vixen in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia!!! I am thrilled by this as this venue is amazing! I met the club manager, Scarlett Rose, along with her staff while I competed at the Exotic Angels competition last year and their positive energy was outstanding! I actually posted about them on my social media as I was so impressed with how they supported all of the competitors and were such a delight to be around.
Not to mention sexiness overload!! I cant wait till I go there later in the year to feature at their club. Please *Like* their Facebook page, Club Vixen and follow them on IG @scar.hilton
WILD VIXEN’S MAG FEATURE
Hi everyone, I am being featured in this month’s issue of Wild Vixens Magazine!! You can buy a digital copy after Feb 11h, 2018 at www.vixensmedia.net HUGE thank you to Lewi Young for considering me ? We go waaay back to when I came back to the dancing industry after a long hiatus and worked at the Crazy Horse in Adelaide, Australia, my very first booking back in the game! I’ve always adored, Lewi and we have the same sense of humour. I am happy to see his evolvement within the industry with his publications and honoured to grace the pages of this issue ?
I have a few publications coming out soon, all from three different industries!! Woot woot! Triple Crown ? Fitness~Pin Up~Exotic? I will keep you all posted as each one is released and available. I also have a calendar and a book in the works!
Helllllo my peeps!
Hello to all my loyal peeps who have been patiently waiting for me to share some more dancing adventures with them! I’ve been all over the map…once again and have had been caught up in a whirlwind that took my career to even greater heights over the last year. Have met a lot of amazing and interesting people along the way and have had many more reasons to love my job. So, I have been journaling my stories and will post them every few days. Happy to be back up and sharing! Hoping to get the vlogs up at some point but one step at a time 😀 Other big titles I’ve added to my library lol are MISS NUDE UNITED STATES 2015 (yes, this Canadian gal went down to the United States and won their title!! I will most definitely be an excellent ambassador of the crown, proudly representing the Can-Am connection. I was also awarded the CANADIAN ULTIMATE FEATURE ENTERTAINER AWARD for 2015!! This for me, is the highest and most prestigious achievement award that there is.
Being recognized for building such an amazing and successful career had me feeling overwhelmed with deep appreciation and am still elated 🙂 Being a feature performer is so much more than putting on a fancy costume and dancing around on stage and to have been validated with the contribution I have made within this industry is outstanding.
VOTE FOR ME!! The Ed Awards!
Hi peeps! I’ve been nominated for Club Favourite Of them Year for the Ed Awards taking place at the Gentlemens Expo in New Orleans in August!!! Please go and vote for me!!
www.theedawards.com/register
Prepping for 2 Big Comps XD
Blogs are a little behind do to no internet connection for 6 weeks! Blah! Gonna have to wait till I’m in writing mode to jot down some stories and THAT I have from my last tour. I’m currently 2 days out to my next fitness competition, some of you have seen me start to lean out and eating chicken breasts I carry around with me lol but am feeling AMAZING! The carb depletion process was a breeze, easily maintained my energy and physique is definitely my best package yet! It’s been a joyful journey this time and have really in-joyed the process. It’s a different organization I’m competing with so it’s exciting.
Also prepping for Miss Nude Canada in a few weeks and THAT also has been SO much fun, designing and creating my shows! 😀 Putting my best breasts forward! lol Doing contests is an opportunity to excel and expand your shows and create the ultimate performance. Had a blast working with all of the wonderful people I’ve been connected with and have had SO much fun all along the way and excited to see my vision unfold on stage. Even have my hot sister coming down to help me with the show…she may even get on stage 😀 And really excited cuz it’s in Calgary during the Calgary Stampede….save a horse 😉 Gonna break out my cowgirl hat for this one! I haven’t worked in Calgary so am looking forward to something fresh.
Have two new shows added to the collection… XD
It’s not the steps that matter but the path. And the path will take care of itself when you keep focused on your destination 🙂
All Over the Map…And Even More Craziness Added To That!
From Quebec City to Hanover to T-Bay to Montreal and am now here settled in Winnipeg for at least a couple of weeks lol traveling wilbury is to say the least! And some adventures along the way, of course, from freaking out on a Dj, (something I don’t do often, I always try to avoid conflict, keep a somewhat pleasant and easygoing work environment for the week and work things out if an issue does arise BUT sometimes people don’t respond to the high road of communication and resolution, they need the feisty freak out to get the point!) to learning what a ‘plus’ club was, to a triple shooting, to getting thrown out of my motel, to almost being stuck in Montreal then a lil miracle happened, to landing in Winnipeg where I was on stage performing a show no less than 20 minutes after arriving and then 11 shows the following day, just to turn things up a notch. Pheeew! As I’m dabbing a little sweat dripping from my forehead lol I do see a vacation in my very near future…
Yep, got into a scuffle with a dj, for a brief moment the bitch switch was turned on high but then we worked things and all went well for the rest of the week. All over effin smoke. I don’t like their smoke machine, I feel sick directly after my shows that have had it. He kept blowing smoke on my shows, every one, even with me telling him before I’d walk on stage. It’s one thing to be kind and want to create an enjoyable work vibe for the week but at the same time you do need to stand up for yourself when someone’s crossing your boundaries and just being blatantly disrespectful. He then would say, “It’s water based, it’s not even smoke, it’s a mist,” “How about I DON’T care if it’s coming out your butt, I don’t want it!” Why do I need to explain myself? Seriously….WELL, then I spoke with the owner after a show where he once again put the smoke on and the dj happened to walk up behind the owner and I just freaked out.
When he apologized later to me, which was a nice gesture, he said he’s never seen me get angry like that before….yes, and we both don’t want me to angry like that again or there’ll be some knuckle sandwiches given out! Dukes up, baby! JOKING Honestly, I don’t like wasting my energy on getting angry or creating an uncomfortable work atmosphere. I let things go and brush the small things off but I will remember when it comes time to tip the dj at the end of the week.
Next drama..and These Are the Plays Of My Life…or better yet, As My Stomach Turns.. ha ha ha I was SO excited to go back to Montreal for the grand opening week of Studio 300 and THEN there was a triple shooting! No, I wasn’t there, and no, it wasn’t some sort of scuzzy biker bar lol It actually was quite beautiful, very modern and classy and the staff was amazing. It really was too bad that happened there. Though I have to admit, it is the worst stage I’ve ever danced on-stainless steel and aluminum everything! Brutal! It was I was in Ice Capades! But the show must go on. Suck it up and make the best of what I’ve got. They wanted more of audience participation show (basically go out into the audience, interact with them, bring them on stage and whip them LOL) and I don’t mind having fun with the audience but I LOVE putting on my show, too, so it was a double edged sword that way.
It felt weird being in a full out Viva Las Vegas showgirl costume and going off stage to interact with the audience. Being flexible and adapting to new places goes with this type of career if you want to take it to a global level where you’re performing around the world. Different things work for different cultures and audiences. I’ll embrace a new environment and try to incorporate their style of doing things, if I like it and feel comfortable I’ll continue, if not, I’ll move on. It’s that simple. I need to be the right fit for a place and they need to be the right fit for me. As much fun as interacting with the customers is and I do enjoy making it a part of my show, I didn’t like it being the entire show. I am a showgirl at heart and do need the balance of performing. It was a little too much interaction for me and not enough show but then again, that stage was a bit of a nightmare to perform on so what to do when you’ve got lemons……make lemonade! 😉 More like paintonade-did paint and water shows to my heart’s content.
The shootings of course were all over the news and many stations reported that it was gang related, locals that lived by the bar were in upset and wanted the bar gone, it was chaos. In most cases the bar would be closed down but they had a hope that maybe they’d recover and the police couldn’t revoke their liquor license so the club went ahead and continued with the grand opening week. There was a heavy police presence to make people feel safe (yeah right, it didn’t help, if anything it kept people away! Not that anyone would want to come to a club that just erupted in gunfire anyway.)
“But this is normal for Montreal,” is what I was told-well, no thanks then. I didn’t end up finishing my week there, of all places I ended up in Winnipeg, which was such a blessing in disguise and a nice Christmas present to receive. And to add to the chaos I ended up being asked to leave my motel in Montreal cuz pets weren’t allowed and I had my lil pooch with me. At that point I knew I just needed to get the heck out of there; too many red lights. So I made a couple of phone calls and Winnipeg was eager to have me come finish off my week there. After dealing with the chaos it was a pleasure to come back to my familiar, enthusiastic audiences and have received more boxes of chocolates than I know what to do with! (a few pounds later…lol But loving every decadent bite :D) My family is quite small and spread out from one side of Canada to the next, so I just work through the holidays and it was going to be quiet. It was SO nice to be in a place where I have so many familiar faces in my audiences, the holiday spirit energized the city and peoples warmness and generosity was abundant, it made me feel at home 🙂
That’s one thing I always teach peeps: Be attached to your ideal outcome but not to the process of gettin there cuz many times what appears as obstacles or blocks could be blessings guiding you towards what u really want in a better way. Be open to surprises or changes that detour ur road from A-B. On your detour u may see many other vistas and could even change your destination to something greater that you would’ve missed…happy I ended up here, afterall. Dealing with the drama wasn’t what I wanted, what I wanted was to have a funfilled, prosperous week surrounded by joyful people to get me through the holidays, maybe even move out of my Grinchness a little…well, that’s the outcome I ended up receiving 🙂 Wasn’t my ideal path to get me there but I guess it needed to be a big chaos to move me the heck out of Montreal pronto to where I was supposed to be and being in Winnipeg at this time was for my highest good and THAT’S what counts in the end.
ps A ‘plus’ club in Quebec is where anything goes…as in, you can get whatever you want in the private dance room. My agent told me I was to only do my 2 feature shows per night and to not be on the floor selling posters. Now, I don’t judge, I just go into a place where I am contracted to do my shows, perform and leave. It’s none of my business what goes on behind those doors cuz I’m not the one behind them. It does come to a bit of a surprise though, when you’re not used to seeing that or hearing about it. Geeze, in Manitoba a private show is on a side stage and the customer has to be 3 feet away! And a ‘private dance’ in Quebec is $20.00 and $40.00 in Manitoba! SO different everywhere! But each place has their system and I have mine….on the big stage! Well, nighty nite peeps and I will get caught up on my blogs and even have some photos to post 😀
Shout Outs
Hello All,
This blog is all about extending an immense THANK U to a few special peeps who have in one way or another showed some kindness and generousity to me over the last little while here in Oz. The gorgeous, Katey, who on my birthday got me a cake and brought it out onto the stage during my show with all the other dancers. It’d been a couple years since I’ve celebrated my birthday or even had a cake due to traveling so THAT was amazing and tasty! Wanted to make a mess and rub it all over my body BUT my desire to eat it was much greater! lol A BIG thanks to Robert, Kaye and Chloe who completely spoiled me with chocolate (definitely the way to my heart) a BEAUTIFUL silver necklace from A&C Diamond Store, a rhinestone tiara fit for a queen, a key shaped picture frame, (the key to their hearts te-he-he) a silver, metal make up case and a rhinestone key-chain. Definitely made me feel like royalty and SO special-warm fuzzies all over from all that getting spoiled!
Miss Kellie and PTree for always being so enthusiastic and building me the BIGGEST and BEST houses made out of tipping dollars! LOVED how on my birthday not only did their house take up half the runway on the stage but they started a trend, and everybody joined in! They even got the shy boys going! I absolutely love my job as an entertainer and putting on a show but I love it even more when the audience becomes a part of show 🙂 That IS the Ultimate experience. Connecting and changing the energy in the room where everybody is having fun.
Matt, the bartender, who’s bringing me in home cooking!! THAT is my favorite!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thx to Mr. Mike for the new laptop, special delivery. YAY!
Lindsay, who will be featured in an upcoming blog, who has been helping me with learning some more advanced and intricate pole moves, soon to be brought to the stage. SO excited! As a performer I believe that there’s always room to grow and evolve and this is an area I’ve wanted to challenge myself in for a while now and a challenge it is!! Been battered and bruised by my hot dates with the pole but no pain, no gain, right…. The new pole moves are incredible and a fun addition, right next to bondage restraints soon to come 😀
The Beautiful Sydney Fox, for the little jar of Vegemite lol now I’m a true Australian!
Of course, lots of appreciation for my friend Candie, who takes good care of me and who gave me a bouquet of one of my most favorite flowers, white lilies. Their scent filled up my flat and added so much beauty to a place which at times can be a bit dark.
I have been truly blessed here in Oz with some of the most playful, kind and generous people one could meet and I appreciate ALL the lovin! Thx for making it a special and fun birthday for me this year. xx
Another BIG THANK U to Nikki for bringing me in another beautiful bouquet of white lilies!! My favorite 🙂 Flowers in general really are one of my most fave things; I used to grow roses…the only thing I could grow! lol Everything else would die but my roses. Just brightens the day! Her floral design company is Show It Floral Design in Adelaide, Australia if you need any arrangements!
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