Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday the 13th! But you’re lucky today because I have a tip to share…

It’s great to interact with audience members! But only if they want to interact with you.

Some people love it when a performer comes up to them and makes them a part of the show for a moment. Some people loathe it. They may not want to be singled out, be the focus of attention, or be touched.

I’ve written before about not touching performers without consent, but the reverse is true as well. When I was at the RVA Burlesque Festival, the host, Ego Von Hubris, laid down the rules, as a good host does. One of them was “Consent is mandatory!”, which I though was simple and concise.

If you are going to interact with an audience member, follow the first rule of stage combat — make eye contact so they know something is coming. And read their body language. If they drop their gaze, or look uncomfortable, move on to someone else. It doesn’t matter if it’s something as chaste as offering them your finger tips so they can help remove your glove,  if they don’t want it, find an eager participant.

At a recent show, Devastasia was doing crowd work and mashed some people’s faces into her cleavage. She came up to one audience member and registered the look of panic instead of anticipation.  So, she stepped back and shimmied instead. Everyone was happy with that.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.