It’s that time of year again when the ten wonderful women selected to compete for Miss Exotic World, Reigning Queen of Burlesque face my pre-pageant interview. This year, the contenders were sent twenty questions, composed of a question contributed by each of them and some additional questions from previous Miss Exotic World title-holders. Today, the mesmerising Medianoche shares her answers…
21st Century Burlesque Magazine Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2014 Coverage is sponsored by Fancy Feather.
Your signature style in three words: Playful energy and transformation.
Previous BHoF Weekend appearances (and awards, if any): I competed for Best Debut in 2012 alongside incredible performers from NYC and across the world!
The act you will be performing: I’m bringing my Underwater Blues act that won ‘Queen of Burlesque’ in New Orleans. It’s a glamorous, classic routine that is very close to my heart.
What did you want to be as a kid?
As a kid I wanted to be an entomologist, paleontologist, architect, fashion designer, children’s illustrator, jeweller, knot theorist, and many, many more…
What is your earliest memory of rebellion?
Reading books under the covers with a flashlight after my bedtime. But haven’t we all?
If you could pick celebrity parents (alive or dead, any era) who would they be?
I’m stumped. I’d say Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, but those are really just celebrity crushes.
What is one thing most people do not know about you?
I do pin-up illustration in my spare time.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Bacon! It improves most foods by 42% (this is science).
Is there a rock/music star that influences you? If so, who is it and how do they influence you?
I’m more influenced by music than I am by the artists who produce it.
What is integral to your creative process in burlesque?
Music! An act for me is just a costume until a piece of music dictates its journey. Most of my numbers start with a piece of music and grow organically from there.
What do you want people to remember most about your performances when you are dead and gone?
The electricity that ran through their limbs and overcame their bodies while I was onstage. That inexplicable feeling called duende…
How long does it take for you to get into hair and makeup for a show? (Don’t lie, we all know you’re a diva… we all are, darling.)
I put my hair in wire rollers the morning of a show, so that’s about fifteen minutes, and before a show I’ll spend about forty-five altogether doing makeup and brushing out the curls. I can do it in twenty but I do like taking my time and having a cocktail with my prep!
Do you have any traditional pre-show ritual that you do to calm your nerves or bring luck?
Before big shows I like to enjoy a hot bath and stretch. Right before going onstage I do have a private mantra that calms me; also looking in a mirror if possible, making eye contact with myself, and with double-guns saying, ‘You got this!’
‘I like to get up to a fair amount of hijinks on the road; what is your favourite tour story?’
During a recent trip to Palm Beach, our ever-charming MC persuaded the hotel staff to let us and our fellow dancers into the hot tub room after hours. We snuck in some champagne bottles and had a delightful midnight soak!
For whom you would like to perform if you could pick anyone, and why?
I would love to perform in my hometown in southern Spain! There’s no burlesque there yet, but a girl can dream…
Old school or new school?
Genuine school.
What is your competitive strategy?
Tossing beads onstage… just kidding! I’m planning to do my best and have an amazing time. The rest is up to fate and the judging panel!
You’ve imagined yourself performing at the pageant and doing a GREAT show. And then suddenly, they are placing that tiara upon your head. What was it about you, your show and your performance that put you in first place, and how have you been preparing to make that fantasy a reality?
If I won, it would be the product of an energetic and sincere performance. All I hope is to be able to transmit my sheer enjoyment into the hearts and nether regions of every person in the audience!
If you are selected as this year’s Miss Exotic World, what will you try to accomplish to make your mark on the title and how do you plan to distinguish yourself?
I would love to join recent queens in transforming the title into an even more international achievement. Doubly representing NYC and Spain will be a challenge, but I’d be honoured to imbue the title with that hybrid and quirky flavour.
As Queen, how would you consider using your title to spread the word about The Burlesque Hall of Fame and Museum?
I would love to start a burlesque school in Spain someday. There is little to no awareness of the rich history of burlesque, but a thirst and a depth of culture that should definitely be unleashed on the world!
Find out all you need to know about the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend here…
Visit Medianoche’s website…
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