Do you pronounce your name Ruh-Vee-Nuh or Ruh-veh-nuh or Ray-vee-na? We have been going over this for the last couple of days, everyone says it differently. How do you pronounce it?
A:
I am amazed by how often I get this question, because I thought most people had heard of the city of Ravenna, located in Northern Italy on the Adriatic coast. (It was the capital of the Western Roman Empire from 409-476, after all!) But I guess not...
My name is pronounced "Ruh-veh-nuh." (Or, "Ra-VEN-na", emphasis om the VEN.) But my friends call me "Venna." :-)
Q:
So you're “The Little Girl Who’s ALL Grown Up", but I didn’t think you looked that short on stage. How tall are you?
A.
Perhaps you were simply deceived by my BIG personality. ;-)
Of course, when I’m on stage, I’m also higher than the audience, and I don't usually wear shoes with less than 3 inch heels...
Maybe this shot of me and George the Giant will put things into perspective:
Then again, since he's 7' 3", maybe not!
To answer your question, I am 4’ 11” tall. (Or should that be, short?) While I am quite petite, I’m also built like the proverbial brick shithouse...
My measurements are 36–24–35. My pants size is a 0 or a children’s size 12, I wear a size 2/4 on top (or a Small), and generally dresses are a 2 or a 4 (depending on how much room the designer planned for the bewbies).
Oh, and my shoe size is 5 ½.
Now... are you going to buy me some more clothes?!
Q:
How often do you perform?
A:
On average, I do 5 or 6 shows per month, mostly in the Seattle area. I also perform regularly in San Francisco and Los Angeles, a couple of times per year in New York and Las Vegas, and travel to other one-off gigs across the country... so, if you haven't seen me perform yet, what's yer excuse?!!!
Q:
I want to be a burlesque performer! Can you give me some tips on where to start?
A:
Yes!
If you are in the Seattle area, I would strongly encourage you to take Miss Indigo Blue’s classes at The Academy of Burlesque. If you are not in Seattle, find someone near you who teaches the ol’ bump & grind, and get studying!
If there are no burlesque classes near you, do what I did before I discovered Miss Indigo: take any and all dance classes you can, and watch all the burlesque footage you can find. My Miss Exotic World Pageant DVD is practically worn out!
The next thing to do is to attend as many burlesque shows as you can, and pay close attention to everything – the music, the costumes, the facial expressions. Find out if there are any amateur nights or other events you might start out with. There is nothing like stage experience to develop your skills as a performer, so get out there and shake your stuff!
Q:
How do you get your pirate pistols to shoot flame and smoke like that?!
A:
You mean, like this?!
A lady never reveals her secrets... ;-)
(But I'll give you a hint: I did have a little help from Larry Fuentes, Special Effects Coordinator of the NBC TV show, "NCIS" (Naval Criminal Investigative Service).
Q:
Do many striptease performers use boogie woogie to dance with?
A:
UPDATE: I had previously posted a response about boogie woogie and my love for Professor Longhair, which was basically a long-winded way of saying "No." But now I can change my answer to "Yes"! I love the song "Pucker Paint", as recorded by Hollywood Combo - so I'm creating an act for that song. Watch for it at a venue near you soon!
