02/22/2012
When Hot Rods and Heels announced its plans and starting taking performer applications back in October of 2008, the Dallas “scene” was very different than it is now. There was no Viva Dallas Burlesque, no Broads and Panties, no Dallas Burlesque Festival, and no Invasion Car Show. In Austin you had Texas Burlesque Festival and Lone Star Round Up, but nothing in Dallas. What there was in Dallas (with few exceptions like the notorious Lollie Bombs) was a group of gals who were performing burlesque sporadically, pin-up modeling when they could (with exceptions of those from Dallas who made it big like Angela Ryan & Dayna Delux), artists making really rad stuff geared towards the pin-up community, and of course- folks who loved their own hot rods. I had a light bulb moment at a local bar and it seemed like a really good idea to get all of these niches within a subculture together for a huge party and have a hell of a good time and entertain the public at the same time. While in the beginning the planning, booking, and organizing phase was super rocky, and I made a ton of mistakes, the Hot Rods and Heels team managed to put on a hell of a show with a more than sold out crowd, and everyone had a stellar time. The event brought people together, performers networked and became familiar with the opportunities in Dallas, and it gave way to more and more shows. The pin-up models got to know photographers, clothing designers, and vendors in the area, and were able to branch out from there. The very first Hot Rods and Heels also went to prove, perhaps most importantly, that if a clueless schmuck like me could pull it off- anyone could. And they did.
The evolution and growth of Dallas’ vintage community has been astounding! There is at least one burlesque show every single weekend, and Dallas is also home to the biggest burlesque series in Texas- Viva Dallas Burlesque. No matter what form of burlesque you are looking for there is a production company for you. From the glitzy and classic, to the ultra neo-burlesque performance art, to the hip-hop infused, you can now easily find it; and thanks to David Cornell & Jerry Fedora- the events are now neatly organized into one well run website. The allure of seeing performers from all over the state in one place was huge in 2009- when Hot Rods and Heels first hit the stage. Now, in 2012, many burlesque shows feature out of town performers, out of state, and even international. There is now Dallas PinUp, a pin-up boutique on Main Street in Dallas that has attracted the attention of every mainstream magazine and newspaper in Dallas. And lastly, there is a huge classic car show known as The Invasion which converges on the Deep Ellum neighborhood in September, and features super cherry hot rods from all over the state and beyond.
Would all of these things still have happened without Hot Rods and Heels? Of course, it was the natural evolution of the culture, but it does leave me asking- Is there still any validity to Hot Rods and Heels in the current market? Even things that we were the first in the state in- including the public in deciding who should win titles including “One to Watch” and “Performer of the Year” (a title that encompasses a performer’s body of work for an entire year- not just a single performance), is not unique. Like Hot Rods and Heels, Dallas Burlesque Festival incorporated online voting to include the public in the decision making process for the first time this year.
In addition to the Dallas events scene changing; I have changed as well. In 2008 I was a fledgling producer trying to put together one show per year and a pin-up photographer using my home garage as a studio, praying I would one day make enough money to have Raman as a side dish, rather than a main course. For 2012, I have 18 shows on the books with Viva Dallas Burlesque and Cirque du Burlesque, as well as owning and operating Dallas PinUp, which is home to my pin-up studio Through the Looking Glass, not to mention acting as editor of Pin Curl Magazine. I have stretched myself thin.
Will Hot Rods and Heels return in 2013 (provided the Aztecs weren’t right)? I honestly don’t know, and I am open to either possibility. A show like this should get bigger and better every year, and by year four be a flawless spectacle that leaves everyone thrilled and delighted, and I’m afraid I just can’t pull it off this year. That’s where you come in. Here’s one of the tricky parts to hosting an event like this: finding the perfect venue. What is perfect for the performers and the burlesque show portion of the evening isn’t fantastic for the car show, and vice-versa. The other major hurdle is sheer “man” power. It takes a lot of money and time to put on an event like this, and only the audience can decide if it is all worth it. For Hot Rods and Heels to be the amazing annual event I always wanted it to be, it’s going to take a huge team with a ton of dedication to the project to put in a whole lot of hours. The team should be made of strong influences in all three communities- the hot rod circuit, the pin-up model circle, and the burlesque industry. If Hot Rods and Heels is to continue, it’s going to take not the financial bail-out of Wall Street, but an emotional bail out- a real coming together of a fearless, dedicated, and hard-working team to put this endeavor on and make it the bad ass event that it should be. It’s going to take one hell of a team on the inside, and one hell of an eager audience on the outside. If this doesn’t happen, I am immensely grateful for the amazing years we had, and if it does happen, one thing is certain- It’s going to be one hell of a show!
Sincerely,
Shoshana
