This has been a busy, busy summer season for Miss Siren Santina.
June:
I returned home from beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada (see previous blog entry) and quickly hopped back onto the local scene by offering a free Salome Cabaret performance at Urban Bar the very next weekend. The Urban Bar is one of my very favorite places to perform in Knoxville, Tennessee. The bar owner is very loyal to his regular customers and never charges a cover for entry to the venue. It is highly unusual for a burlesque troupe to regulary offer free performances and I am thrilled that we have a local venue that allows us to do this. It is great to give our regular crowd a break on entrance fees and we always win over a new audience member or two that accidentally stumbles upon the show at their favorite watering hole.
July:
In July I headed off to the mile high city for my first trip to the Colorado Burlesque Festival. I was shocked and amazed by all of the local talent in that area and very discouraged to hear of the battles they have to fight in defense of their artform. Despite their hardships they put on one hell of a show and I was so proud to be a part of their Opening Night Gala. I was also blown away by World Famous Bob's amazing self-confidence seminar, which completely changed my outlook on my body, my art, and my peers in this beautiful burlesque world. I got to share this incredible experience some wonderfully beautiful and inspiring women. I doubt any of us will never forget what we learned in those special two hours with Bob. I also encountered for the first time one of my now-favorite striptease sisters, Miss Baby Le Strange. She is one HOT hotdog!
I headed straight from my Denver diversion to neighboring Nashville, Tennessee for Music City Burlesque's "Dirty Little Secrets" ode to pop culture. The ladies of MCB always amaze me and this experience was no exception. Lux-O-Matic's tribute to Slash was stellar. One Chance Fancy and Bebe McQueen performed like pros! All the girls were so friendly and inviting. I love our Tennessee twins!
Finally, near the end of the month we had an opportunity to perform at home again. This time was especially exciting however because it was Knoxville's edition of Grab My Junk!!! Jonny Porkpie brought his burlesque game show to our regular stage! With him he brought Clams Casino, a personal favorite of mine, and won over a horde of screaming southerners as well as one super text message obsessed awkward dancer. 
August:
This coming month looks to be as busy as the two previous, with visit from Virginia's brightest burlesque stars and a trip to New Mexico on the calendar. What a wonderful summer!

I've just returned from the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Las Vegas, NV and have decided to devote more time to my personal website in an effort to keep my new-found burlesque buddies informed on my activities.

My time at BHoF this year was unlike any of my experiences with the event in the past, for a couple of reasons. The first difference was that I travelled alone to the event this year. I'm pretty comfortable travelling alone, but have never really felt it was my preference. In this case, attending the event by myself encouraged me to network more than I normally would have. I made a number of new friends and strenthened bonds with peer acquaintances. I may have to make it a point to travel alone to these types of events going forward.

The second difference experienced was the thrill of performance. I have been attending from the audience perspective for a number of years and finally had an opportunity to trot (or more specifically, turkey trot) across that great big, expertly lit stage! I was so very honored to be performing for an audience comprised of some of my all time idols, including the burlesque legends and former Miss Exotic World titleholders. I even got some Las Vegas in The Las Vegas Sun and on Las Vegas Review-Journal TV !

While some things about this year's trip were different many other things were exactly the same, like the caliber of performances during the weekend's plentiful showcases. A bevy of "new" legends graced the stage this year and boy, did they put on one hell of a show! Judith Stein (Gran-Beaver) was an instant audience favorite with her comedic costume and smokin' hot body, while Camille 2000 knocked off socks before bumping or grinding by emerging from under the stage on a hydraulic lift. Talk about making an entrance!

Check out my facebook albums to see the photographic evidence of my escapades. What a fantastic experience!