dance – DailyNightmare

Krampus Ball Ypsi 2014

A shot early in the evening when the dance floor wasn't packed — A shot early in the evening when the dance floor wasn’t packed

Let purists quibble that 2014 Krampus Ball Ypsi, held last night at the DreamLand Theatre, happened too long after the Feast of St. Nicholaus (December 6th) when the Krampus traditionally run free. There is NO better way to prepare for the shortest day of the year, than to dance the night away at a debauched masquerade. This was the first Krampus Ball that Elsa and I attended, and we were delighted top to bottom, start to finish.

I wish I could say that my dance floor photos were intentionally blurred to protect the naughty from Santa’s wrath, but truth is I couldn’t keep from shaking my ass long enough to take a good shot.

As befits the Krampus tradition, dancers took turns getting spanked. Here, a marionette Krampus scourged one of the naughty, which blended a deliciously perverse Punch and Judy element into the already twisted tradition. Throughout the night, the Dreamland Theater’s cast of marionettes performed. Make no mistake: puppets party hard.

But the highlight of any masquerade is the costumes. I’d worked on my costume all week (as I blogged about here) and Elsa dolled herself up good with her corset and Theatre Bizarre fez.

I was extremely glad to see others had indulged their creativity.

The costume contest allowed contestants to shimmy and shake during the judging phase. But in the end, the golden baton went, appropriately enough to a Krampus — complete with basket of bad children.

At midnight, the festivities reconvened outside led by a locally familiar torch-bearer.

A brass band performed as we paraded to a mystery location, behind a traveling screen of shadow puppets. These monstrous outlines of light and shade seemed particularly appropriate for such near Solstice revels.

On and on, into the night, into the wilds, we danced.

We arrived at a secondary party location complete with fire barrels, more shadow puppets, and brass band music.

The party was still going STRONG when Elsa and I strayed back to reality, sure of only one thing: We’ll definitely be back for Krampus Ball 2015.

Learning to Tease with Luna Legare

Last Tuesday in the basement of Bona Sera, Ypsilanti, local burlesque star Luna Legare taught me a thing or two about stripping in public. Sure, there were shimmery gloves, sparkly costumes, and dance music, but lessons of the new burlesque are more focused on the power of directing attention with a look and a smile and about being in control of what and when you chose to reveal.

At the “Tuesday Tease with Luna Legare,” beginners and novices mixed with experienced dancers like Cruel Valentine, Kitt Y. Bourree, and Felina Mistemper. I purchased a pair of classic black evening gloves, which were stretchy and sexy and fun to wear, and helped me look the part.

We limbered up with some stretches, much like any other exercise class, although with an emphasis on graceful movement. Then Luna led us through some basic showgirl poses, which are a bit like ballet positions. Luna also demonstrated the many alluring methods to take off gloves. The classic one-finger-at-a-time technique, then supplemented with a spread hand builds tension and excitement, but there are other options. Teeth can be used to bite the tips, but bare them to prevent lipstick stains. As we became acquainted with a few simple steps, Luna played tracks to get everyone in the mood.

After practicing our dance moves, we watched some more experienced performers. Luna and a couple students from Ann Arbor Aviary (where Ms Legare regularly teaches 7 week long burlesque classes) rehearsed the routine they will perform at next Saturday’s showcase event. We also had a chance to watch a dancer do a try-out performance for a burlesque competition which was taped for submission to the show.

This was the second low-stakes, drop-in class that Ms Legare has taught at Bona Sera, and future events are scheduled for the second Tuesday of the coming months. I was a little nervous to start, but the class had a good sense of camaraderie and friendliness. Burlesque has a body-positive, gay-positive, woman-positive vibe, and I felt very welcome. I thanked Luna as I left, and she said she hoped I’d come back next time and to bring a few girlfriends. If you are interested, let me know. And don’t forget your gloves.