I have worked as burlesque artists since my late teens. I take off my clothes through a carefully curated and theatrical five minute performance. What I do is no different to stripping, in fact it is exactly what I do. Burlesque is a female dominated and created industry. I do not wish to stand upon the shoulder’s of the industry pioneers before me, I kneel at their (often stilettoed) heel. It’s not something I trained for nor have I been pushed into, I stumbled upon through the heavy metal scene in Sydney (where I am originally from) in the late 2000s. It became a vehicle for expression at its most raw, liberating and potent. I am a CIS gendered, effeminate, gay man and this allowed me to be so without shame or persecution. Industry standard for acts are five minutes and take months to prepare. I always start with a concept that’s based around a mundane ritual (dressing, walking, waiting, etc.) and then insert an amplified expression of my identity into it. I work with a team of peers and professional to develop these acts and they take months to realise.

Since commencing my studies in 2017 I chose to not work during semesters and limit touring to the allocated time-off. Though I work with a team of people to realise my performances, I am self managed, directed and produced. The burlesque industry is unique in that the majority of performers work this way also — you have to be independent in your performance practice and you have to learn to do everything. The industry is split into three sectors: private, corporate, and ticketed. Each sector has its own pricing and not all performers work across multiple, most keep to one. I work across all three, which means each act of mine has three variations to account for the difference in operation between each sector. For example, though it pays best, it’s not safe to work in private without confirming the the name/number of security prior. Corporate usually will not provide a space for you to get ready, so you must turn up ready. Ticketed is my preferred, though it’s not easy to be booked on a premium production. 

I am so incredibly lucky to do what I do and it has afforded me the most extraordinary opportunities and ‘voice’, none of which I take for granted. I never forget the privilege I am afforded to have done what I’ve done and to be able to keep doing it. This is my performance practice — It is complex but yields me the utmost creative freedom and liberation. It has also pushed me to assess my practice continually as I cross and collaborated across many disciplines and boundaries. It’s an asset to understanding, developing and communicating. I have spent the past three and a half years trying to see opportunities of intersection with this and fashion through my studies, mostly identified through later stages of studio through creating documented media. I see this as the ‘wearer’ and not the ‘maker’.