Dublin Core
Title
Rummy Rose Oral History Interview
Description
Rummy Rose defines herself as a Burlesque performer, producer, costumer, and hair stylist. She describes Burlesque as being the art form of striptease. The difference between stripping in a strip club and stripping in Burlesque varies depending on venue and local laws. Rummy’s style of Burlesque is grounded in rock and roll music, and in heavy metal music.
Rummy describes the Portland Burlesque community as being diverse in terms of various styles of performance art, from classic Burlesque to neo to metal. She estimates the audiences for Burlesque tend to be more female than male.
She goes into detail about the connection between heavy metal music and Burlesque. She explains how she became involved in the dance troupe, Sign of the Beast, with creative partners, Rocket and Vera Mysteria. That dance troupe began producing a quarterly show, Metalesque, which evolved into a Burlesque Festival called Metalesque Fest, attracting performers and audiences from across the United States. Rummy explains at length the business aspects of producing a festival.
Rummy briefly comments on traveling to perform at festivals in other cities and the logistics of that. She then describes a typical week in which she juggles all her work and artistic responsibilities. She has around ten acts in her Burlesque repertoire and she explains her creative process, citing music and costume as driving forces in that process. She acknowledges the importance of being aware of the pitfalls of cultural appropriation in act development.
To promote racial diversity in the shows she produces, she and her co-producers give an early and free application process to POC performers. She acknowledges that Portland is a mostly White town, and states that it’s important to take action to develop diversity in representation onstage. She highlights how empowering Burlesque is for women, as it promotes body acceptance and body confidence. She tells about the conversations and efforts her dance troupe makes to be more inclusive for performers who need accommodations due to physical challenges. Rummy celebrates Burlesque as an empowering and inclusive art form.
Rummy describes the Portland Burlesque community as being diverse in terms of various styles of performance art, from classic Burlesque to neo to metal. She estimates the audiences for Burlesque tend to be more female than male.
She goes into detail about the connection between heavy metal music and Burlesque. She explains how she became involved in the dance troupe, Sign of the Beast, with creative partners, Rocket and Vera Mysteria. That dance troupe began producing a quarterly show, Metalesque, which evolved into a Burlesque Festival called Metalesque Fest, attracting performers and audiences from across the United States. Rummy explains at length the business aspects of producing a festival.
Rummy briefly comments on traveling to perform at festivals in other cities and the logistics of that. She then describes a typical week in which she juggles all her work and artistic responsibilities. She has around ten acts in her Burlesque repertoire and she explains her creative process, citing music and costume as driving forces in that process. She acknowledges the importance of being aware of the pitfalls of cultural appropriation in act development.
To promote racial diversity in the shows she produces, she and her co-producers give an early and free application process to POC performers. She acknowledges that Portland is a mostly White town, and states that it’s important to take action to develop diversity in representation onstage. She highlights how empowering Burlesque is for women, as it promotes body acceptance and body confidence. She tells about the conversations and efforts her dance troupe makes to be more inclusive for performers who need accommodations due to physical challenges. Rummy celebrates Burlesque as an empowering and inclusive art form.
Creator
Rummy Rose
Source
Oregon Burlesque Performers Oral History Collection (OH 49)
Publisher
Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries
Date
January 20, 2020
Contributor
Laurie Kurutz
Format
Born Digital Video
Language
English
Type
Oral History
Identifier
oh49-rose-rummy-20200120
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Interviewer
Laurie Kurutz
Interviewee
Rummy Rose
Location
Portland, Oregon
Original Format
Born Digital Video
Duration
0:37:42
OHMS Object
Interview Format
video