Dublin Core
Title
Cali Kid Oral History Interview
Description
Cali Kid describes Burlesque in the late 1990s to early 2000s as a theatrical performance art form coming from a Punk Rock + retro artistic aesthetic, similar to the 1990's interest in swing dancing, Tiki scene, Lounge scene, and space age cocktail music. He details the style of the events he produced, citing his artistic influences and producing partners, from Cirque du Soleil to Penn & Teller to Nancy Sinatra. He celebrates the fluid creative scene at the time and how he reveled in it, while simultaneously building it through creating these themed performance events. He says. "you would see The Avengers and The Dead Kennedys, but then you would see some guy just reading weird poems, or juggling, or, you know, whatever, like an old Ed Sullivan show, but, weird."
He further explains that Tease-O-Rama Burlesque was a political act in that it created community and gave a space for the weirdos to express themselves creatively. Tease-O-Rama was never about sex, Cali Kid explains. It was about women's power and about capturing the woman's view of herself. It was about the interpersonal relationship between the performer and the audience, it's about the art of the tease and subtlety. He further states that live theatre is the most important art form today, in that it creates community and connection in this technological world.
He further explains that Tease-O-Rama Burlesque was a political act in that it created community and gave a space for the weirdos to express themselves creatively. Tease-O-Rama was never about sex, Cali Kid explains. It was about women's power and about capturing the woman's view of herself. It was about the interpersonal relationship between the performer and the audience, it's about the art of the tease and subtlety. He further states that live theatre is the most important art form today, in that it creates community and connection in this technological world.
Creator
Cali Kid
Source
Oregon Burlesque Performers Oral History Collection (OH 49)
Publisher
Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries
Date
December 20, 2021
Contributor
Laurie Kurutz
Format
Born Digital Video
Language
English
Type
Oral History
Identifier
oh49-kid-cali-20211220
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Interviewer
Laurie Kurutz
Interviewee
Cali Kid
Location
Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon
Original Format
Born Digital Video
Duration
1:17:04
OHMS Object
Interview Format
video