Dandy Pie Oral History Interview, August 27, 2021

Interviewee: Dandy Pie
Interviewer: Laurie Kurutz
Interview Date: August 27, 2021
Location: Eugene, Oregon; interview conducted over Zoom.
Duration: 0:34:23
 

Mistress Dandy Pie introduces herself as a wild performance artist and a Burlesque performer. She defines Burlesque as an art form that marries all aspects of performance. She explains she does performance that is creepy and shocking and gorey. Her nick-name is “The Queen of Creep.” Dandy Pie loves Burlesque because it’s a wide-open art form where she can express herself in any way she wants. She views Burlesque as sex work, or education, in that it’s a performance art that helps performers and audience alike deal with sexual/sensual issues.

Dandy Pie explains how the Burlesque performance scene in Eugene-Corvallis was growing pre-Covid pandemic, with a wide variety of performers and types of shows. She cites the bar, Spectrum, as being a very supportive Queer and Trans performance space. It was at Spectrum where she expanded her skills by researching and presenting Burlesque history. With her husband, she produced events showcasing old horror films. She stated the Covid pandemic brought all that community to a halt.

Pie credits BurlyCon as being a giant convention that provides fantastic learning experiences. She volunteered as part of the planning team for BurlyCon.

Dandy Pie cites Burlesque as being a force for social change, and describes her dance roots in the dance form La Bomba, which came out of oppression and was an act of resistance. She describes one of her acts that reflects that resistance to sexual abuse in the patriarchy. She credits Burlesque with providing a space for people to grow as artists.

Dublin Core

Title

Dandy Pie Oral History Interview, August 27, 2021

Description

Mistress Dandy Pie introduces herself as a wild performance artist and a Burlesque performer. She defines Burlesque as an art form that marries all aspects of performance. She explains she does performance that is creepy and shocking and gorey. Her nick-name is “The Queen of Creep.” Dandy Pie loves Burlesque because it’s a wide-open art form where she can express herself in any way she wants. She views Burlesque as sex work, or education, in that it’s a performance art that helps performers and audience alike deal with sexual/sensual issues.

Dandy Pie explains how the Burlesque performance scene in Eugene-Corvallis was growing pre-Covid pandemic, with a wide variety of performers and types of shows. She cites the bar, Spectrum, as being a very supportive Queer and Trans performance space. It was at Spectrum where she expanded her skills by researching and presenting Burlesque history. With her husband, she produced events showcasing old horror films. She stated the Covid pandemic brought all that community to a halt.

Pie credits BurlyCon as being a giant convention that provides fantastic learning experiences. She volunteered as part of the planning team for BurlyCon.

Dandy Pie cites Burlesque as being a force for social change, and describes her dance roots in the dance form La Bomba, which came out of oppression and was an act of resistance. She describes one of her acts that reflects that resistance to sexual abuse in the patriarchy. She credits Burlesque with providing a space for people to grow as artists.

Creator

Dandy Pie

Source

Oregon Burlesque Performers Oral History Collection (OH 49)

Publisher

Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries

Date

August 27, 2021

Contributor

Laurie Kurutz

Format

Born Digital Video

Language

English

Type

Oral History

Identifier

oh49-pie-dandy-20210827

Oral History Item Type Metadata

Interviewer

Laurie Kurutz

Interviewee

Dandy Pie

Location

Eugene, Oregon; interview conducted over Zoom.

Original Format

Born Digital Video

Duration

0:34:23

OHMS Object

Interview Format

video