Video Portfolio Collaboration

Check out this awesome Cristina's Angels video portfolio - put together by my fabulous friend DaBomb!

I won it by entering her running blog contest on Glamour Bomb. Simply leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered into a drawing to win a spot as her Featured Artist and a custom video portfolio of your own work!
You can also commission her to put together a video portfolio, if you don't want to rely on the luck of the draw.

DaBomb is a powerhouse of creative energy. Beyond her Glamour Bomb blog (which features art, fashion, crafts and more), she produces Burncast, the popular podcast that explores the Burning man Community (drink!), makes awesome playawear, hats, dreadfalls and other funky accessories, as well as selling vintage items through her ArtFire and Etsy shops.

The delicious music was created by another talented friend of mine, Pumpkin (a.k.a Los Angeles DJ Nick.the.Neck). I knew his brand of sexy, moody electronic grooviness would work perfectly for my Angels.
I told him I wanted something like "a cross between the sultry stuff on Massive Attack's Mezzanine album and sassy cabaret striptease music".
I couldn't really imagine what that would sound like, exactly, but it seemed like a good concept. He whipped together this track with astonishing speed, and it was perfect!

You can hear more of Pumpkin's original music here. He is also involved in a bunch of other amazing creative endeavors, including the unique performance troupe The Wandering Marionettes, L.A.'s own freaky circus; Cirque Berzerk, and underground DJ collective and party people Pocket Underground.


Learn More About DaBomb:
http://www.glamourbomb.com/2009/10/featured-artist-cristina-mcallister.html?utm_medium=pingfm&utm_source=twitterfeed
http://shop.glamourbomb.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=9048

Learn More About Pumpkin:
http://soundcloud.com/pumpkin
http://www.myspace.com/pumpkinsounds
http://wanderingmarionettes.net/
http://www.cirqueberzerk.com/#/circus
http://www.pocketunderground.com/

Swingin’ Pasties from Gothfox and some Nipply History

…and I don’t mean the meat pie kind!
Gothfox offers unique made-to-order nipple pasties, many of them featuring “easy-twirling” tassels (also handmade!), which are “*magically* placed in an eyelet” to facilitate smooth swinging.
Gothfox is owned and operated by Loretta Jackson, a retired burlesque performer with the experience and craftiness to design tempting, as well as sturdy pasties for personal and professional use.FYI- pasties are, indeed, pasted on - using spirit gum, eyelash glue, latex adhesive or double-sided toupee tape or Fashion/Flash tape.
Please also note that Gothfox's pasties are not just one-size-fits-all. Four sizes, gently cupped to conform to femenine curves, ensure a perfect fit for every body - measured not by the size of the breast, but the areola.
Gothfox offers a wide variety of shapes, colors and designs, embellished with rhinestones, feathers, shimmery/sparkly/patterned fabrics, bows, lace, trims, tassels and more!

Of particular note are these gorgeous peacock-feathered pasties, the whimsical stripy-goth Beetle Juice pasties, the elegant Lo-Pan's Desire pasties, and the out-of-this-world Star Trek insignia pasties. Phasers set to stun, Captain!
So what's the deal with these saucy, sticky little tit-toppers, anyway?
Well, I did a bit of poking around and here's what I found out.

In early burlesque and striptease performance, revealing costumes were often preferred over blatant nudity. Dancers wearing strategically-placed seashells or sparkles enticed the audience with the promise of exposure, but left the details to their imaginations. Of course, topless shows were also popular, so whether to reveal or conceal the titillating tips of their tempting tatas was up to the performer.
In the Roaring 1920's, burlesque - a form of entertainment that included satire, performance art, bawdy comedy and erotically-charged dance performances, flourished. Around this time, the term "strip-tease" first appeared, and the art of tantalizing the audience by slowly removing clothing became increasingly popular.
This of course, freaked out the moralists, and restrictions were placed on just how much naked flesh could be shown. These codes made exposing the female nipple in public against the law, and pasties became a required costume element.This did little to dampen anyone's enthusiasm, however.
The barely-there coverups merely served to enhance the mystique of the forbidden nipple.
Early stripper Carrie Finnell is credited with adding tassels to pasties and pioneering the art of tassel-twirling. Is is said that she had such control of her bountiful breasts that she could twirl the tassels at different speeds and in different directions with such panache that her breasts were compared to propellers readying for lift-off.
Dancers skillfully turned what was supposed to be a limitation into yet another enticing weapon in their erotic entertainment arsenal.

Nowadays, with toplessness once again prevalent in the "exotic dance" industry, pasties are generally considered old-fashioned. Luckily, with the recent explosion of neo-burlesque preformers, the true art of striptease is once again being appreciated, and pasties are an essential element of the seductive restraint that sets it apart from the less artful bump-and-grind of most modern stripping.

The Queen of Trees

I caught this documentary on PBS last night and my mine was blown!
I love nature documentaries, but I confess that when I saw what this one was about – a type of fig tree in Kenya, Africa – it didn’t immediately intrigue me.
How exciting can a tree be, anyway?

I was soon to find out that the sycamore fig tree is the center of an incredible ecosystem that involves everything from microscopic parasites to elephants, and in between…insects, birds, monkeys, bats, fish, crocodiles, and more!

The life cycle of this amazing tree is vitally intertwined with that of the minuscule fig wasp (small enough to fly through the eye of a needle), that is its sole pollinator. This mind-boggling symbiotic relationship – mostly taking place INSIDE the fruit, is beautifully filmed using innovative techniques, not to mention plenty of patience.
A sample of this incredibly intimate filmwork can be seen here.
More behind-the-scenes info on how they achieved these amazing shots and the work that went into this production can be found here.
Beyond the jaw-dropping revelations of the wasps’ adventures, there’s the aphid-herding ant “security force” that drives off animals harmful to the tree, drunken butterflies, parasites upon parasites, sap-squirting cicadas, latex-stealing bees, hornbill birds who seal themselves into the tree’s trunk, tiny, a spiny pink mantis, a giraffe with impressively nimble tongue and monkeys munching fruit, licking sweet sap, catching inebriated butterflies and feeding the fish in the river below.
And that’s not even all of it!

This film had me captivated and awed all the way through. It made me reel in wonder at the phenomenal variety and ingenuity of life, and how complex and amazing the intertwining of different species can be.

If you happen to see it listed, I highly recommend watching!
It is also available on dvd.
A short, introductory clip can be seen here.
More info, including some videos, photographs and related articles can be found here.

La Llorona

I’ve been working on some freelance projects lately, and one of my favorite albums to work to is the soundtrack from the movie Frida. One particular song has been haunting me…in the best way - a song called “La Llorona”, performed on the soundtrack by Chevala Vargas.

Listen as you continue reading – you can find the song here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gQ31m4Yt0s&feature=related

“Llorona” is pronounced: “Yorona” (the double “L” in Spanish denotes a “y” sound), and in Spanish, it means “weeping woman”.

La Llorona is a figure from South American folklore; a beautiful woman who drowns her own children, and upon realizing what she has done, kills herself (or wastes away out of grief) to become a mournful spirit.

There are many versions of this tale. In some, the woman (often named Maria) is vain and promiscuous and kills her children because they interfere with her wonton ways.
In others, the childrens' father neglects Maria, but dotes on the children and she slays them out of jealousy.
In another version, she falls in desperate love with a man who will not accept her children and she kills them in a desperate bid to win his love.
But in every version, after drowning her offspring, she realizes the horrible act she has committed and goes mad with grief and regret.

La Llorona is a cautionary tale; warning of tragic results should a woman deny her primary role as mother, betraying her first loyalty to her children for the love of a man.

The weeping spirit also serves as a boogeyman to frighten children and keep them safe.
The ghost, wasted but still beautiful, with long black hair and a white gown, walks along rivers or near bodies of water, crying: “My children! My children! Where are my children…?”
Naughty children who are out after dark, near the water unsupervised are likely to be snatched away by the mad, desperate spirit.

The song “La Llorna” is one of Latin America’s most popular folk songs, and many artists have recorded versions of it, including American folk singer Joan Baez.

Chevala Vargas’ rendition (recorded when she was 85) is particularly haunting. Her voice has a rough and edgy quality that beautifully expresses the mournful, tragic atmosphere of the story.

Ms. Vargas is quite a character herself.
Born in Costa Rica, she suffered from blindness and polio as a child, afflictions which she claims were healed by shamans.
At the age of 14, she ran away to Mexico to seek her fortune, and became quite successful in the 1950’s and 60’s, touring Mexico, the U.S. France and Spain.
She was, in fact, a contemporary and friend of Frida Kahlo, and they seem to have shared a penchant for non-conformist behavior. It is said that in her youth, Chevala dressed as a man, smoked cigars, drank heavily, carried a gun and seduced women in her audience with the romantic ranchero songs intended to be sung by men.
At the age of 81, she openly admitted to being a lesbian, and has become a beloved icon to Latina lesbians.


La Llorna lyrics (Spanish):

Todos me dicen el Negro, Llorona
Negro, pero cariñoso
Yo soy como el chile verde, Llorona
Picante, pero sabroso

Ay de mí, Llorona, Llorona
Llorona, llévame al río
Tápame con tu rebozo, Llorona
Porque me muero de frió

Si porque te quiero quieres, Llorona
Quieres que te quiera más
Si ya te he dado la vida, Llorona
¿Qué mas quieres?
¿Quieres más?

English:


They all call me the black one, Weeping Woman
Black, but loving
I’m like the green chili, Weeping Woman
Biting, but delicious

Woe poor me, Weeping Woman, Weeping Woman
Weeping Woman, take me to the river
Cover me with your shawl, Weeping Woman
Cause I’m dying of cold

If because I love you, you want me, Weeping Woman
You want me to love you more
But if I’ve even given you my life, Weeping Woman
What else do you want?
You want more?


Now, go back and watch the YouTube video of the song, and if you haven't seen Frida, rent it!


Sources and more info:
artwork by Diana Bryer
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/HC-WeepingWoman1.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4853301
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Llorona
http://www.afterellen.com/People/2005/1/chavelavargas.html

Review of Cirque Berzerk: Beneath

There are many ways to describe Cirque Berzerk’s new show “Beneath”: artful, dark, lush, moody, decadent, striking, romantic, absurd, twisted, stylish, engaging…I could go on.
But one thing that really struck me about this unique theatrical experience was its pure sensuality.
This show is HOT! Dangerously hot - decadently, daringly, delightfully sexy!

From the delicately decaying Dames Deceased burlesque numbers to the balancing contortionist performing a “private dance” for an entranced patron… from the breathtakingly beautiful, homoerotic aerial straps performance to the trapeze couple attempting to seduce the heroine into a “threesome”, this show sizzles with erotic undertones, overtones and a rich, creamy middle of dramatic sexual tension!

One of the most riveting acts was the dance of a drowned sailor and his lover, who bereft, threw herself into the sea to join him in the afterlife. I’m not even sure what you would call this performance – a combination of contortion, balancing, dance, acrobatics, kama sutra…? These two beautiful people intimately entwining and wrapping around each other, caressing, lifting, holding, sliding…the passion palpable, the connection electric…!
I have to admit, I found myself getting a bit hot under the collar!
This show is a feast for the senses. It’s visually stunning – the ambiance, costumes, choreography are all fantastic. The music (original compositions performed by a live, in-character band) is a perfectly mad and marvelous accompaniment to the action. The smell of fog juice and kerosene, the taste of kettle corn and cocktails, the contrast of the cool evening air and the dense, murky atmosphere of the tent are all sublime.

Beyond the big top pageantry of the show itself, the Cirque Berzerk experience includes food booths and a picnic area adorned with arcane, fire-spurting contraptions. The over-21 area features a small marketplace of unique items, and a rockin’ bar with vintage pinball machines and live performances by delightful burlesque band Vaud & the Villians. The pre, intermission and post-show party is almost as much fun as the circus show.
In fact, I’m thinking about going down there next weekend, just to get a drink and see the band, which does not require a ticket.

In the meantime, I'm already working on new pieces inspired by Cirque Berzerk's delicious style!

If you are anywhere near the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend you check out this unique event. Shows run through the end of July, and their big top tent is set up at the Los Angeles State Historic Park in downtown L.A.
Info and tix here:
http://cirqueberzerk.com/
*Photo by Curious Josh - check out his fantastic Cirque Berzerk photo gallery!