Red Flag, Green Flag: Safety Considerations for the Burlesque Industry

Frankie Fingerling is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Amiskwaciy waskahikan (“ah-miss-kwa-chee wah-skay-gun”), colonially known as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. No matter the medium, their art helps them process their own lived experiences and trauma as a non-binary Chinese person navigating life in a predominantly white, conservative province. They are inspired by their late grandfather who was an oil paint artist in Hong Kong and the Philippines, as well as QTBIPOC art from around the world. By trade, Frankie is a researcher and curriculum developer, which informs their current artistic practice as a burlesque performer and producer, and lifelong journey of learning and growth.

Panels:
The Virtual Reality: A Panel Discussion About Virtual Burlesque Shows (Recorded live in January, 2022)

Red Flag, Green Flag: Safety Considerations for the Burlesque Industry (Recorded live on June 25, 2022)

Red Flag, Green Flag: Liability Concerns for the Burlesque Industry (Live on March 5, 2023)

All The Way Mae is a queer, non-binary, white, disabled, Autistic burlesque performer and producer living on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. They have performed across North America, served on the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival board of directors in 2010 and 2011, produced dozens of burlesque shows from the years 2007-2013, and recently celebrated a return to burlesque in 2021. Producing under Twisted Tassels, All The Way Mae creates shows that aim to uplift performers from different marginalized groups and intentionally create safe, supportive spaces and community.

In their non-performer life, Mae works as a counsellor with an extensive background in disability supports, crisis management, and conflict de-escalation, all of which inform how they approach working with others in their productions and as a performer. They are drawn to the creative expression of burlesque, the potential for a supportive community that it offers, and its inherently political nature. As an openly Autistic performer, All The Way Mae hopes to increase visibility of neurodivergent performers and advocate for ND-safe performance spaces.

Panel:
Red Flag, Green Flag: Safety Considerations for the Burlesque Industry (Recorded live on June 25, 2022)

This energetic eghadāni monelīn is hungry for the waves of change. She regularly holds space for important conversations around equity and decolonization within burlesque and the performing arts to foster safer spaces for performers of color and performers from marginalized and underrepresented identities. Always on the go, Cherry is the producer of House of Cheek Productions, co-producer and Diversity Coordinator of the Isle of Tease Burlesque Festival, Youtube sensation at Cheeky Burlesque, and a frequent community builder within Lekwungen Territory (Victoria, BC). There is no slowing down for this Tāłtān Temptation!

Panel:
Red Flag, Green Flag: Safety Considerations for the Burlesque Industry (Recorded live on June 25, 2022)

Coming to you from unceded Fernandeño Tataviam, Gabrieleño/Tongva, and Chumash land (colonially known as Los Angeles, CA), this queer and curvy performer hypnotizes crowds across the country with their golden voice and bumps and grinds. They are an award-winning neurodivergent queer plus-sized second-generation South Asian-American Muslim cosplayer, model, and performance artist originally from the NYC Metro area (unceded Munsee Lenape land).

Tas wields her art as a form of social activism designed to explore the varied (and sometimes conflicting) facets of her identity, with the intention to challenge expectations related to these facets, specifically: intersections of race, sexuality, and heritage. She is a core cast member of the Old Hollywood-style variety show Babylon Cabaret and also SoCal’s only all Asian cabaret The Jade Follies, as well as the 2015 and 2017 California Burlypicks Master of Singing, earning her the monikers of “the sultry and seductive South Asian siren” and “The Bengal Bombshell.”

Additionally, Tas has been a Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusivity Consultant for over a decade and holds a B.A. in Psychology as well as a Masters in Clinical Social Work, in addition to several certificates and over 15 years of field experience.

Class:
Don’t Get Cancelled with Tas Al-Ghul (Recorded live on July 16, 2022)

Panel:
Red Flag, Green Flag: Safety Considerations for the Burlesque Industry (Recorded live on June 25, 2022)