In her own words, she is a Little Blonde Psycho. A mix of Marilyn on the outside, Bettie Page on the inside. But in my mind, she is cooler the the other side of the pillow…even with her jockstrap fetish, lol. I was able to get her to sit down in the hot seat to give us a little more insight into Burlesque’s wild child entertainer.
Jack Nickelz: So I guess the first question would be what got you into dancing?
Cheeky Lane: Animal instinct, hormonal changes.
Jack Nickelz: Before you started doing Burlesque, what styles of dance did you enjoy doing?
Cheeky Lane: The really awkward, no rhythm kind. Sometimes I can’t even make eye-contact with myself when I dance in front of a mirror.
Jack Nickelz: What got you into Burlesque dancing?
A series of unfortunate events. And peer pressure. I’m just kidding. Kidding!! Daniel–make a footnote that I’m being ironic!
Jack Nickelz: Did you know much about Burlesque before you started doing it?
Cheeky Lane: Not at all! But once I got into it, I dug up and read the shit out of its history.
Jack Nickelz: For those who don’t know…what is the burlesque dancing experience like?
Cheeky Lane: For me or for them? I can only speak for myself as everyone’s experience is different.
Ridiculous
Challenging
Thrilling
Highest of highs
Lowest of lows
Glamorous
Not so Glamorous
Addictive
Irrelevant
Jack Nickelz: Now Burlesque dancers do some amazing routines and costumes. What have been some of your favorites to do?
Cheeky Lane: One of my favorite acts is my “London Ritz” act. It’s based on a Roald Dahl short story, HIS version of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. When Ali Baba discovers that the magical words “Open Sesame” can open any door, he decides to have some fun and goes to the London Ritz Hotel. There, he says, “Open Sesame!” to open the doors of the hotel rooms to find posh and people of high class doing weird and naughty things (most of them were also naked).
My act is a hotel and every window and door opens to reveal titillating things.
Jack Nickelz: Who are some of the other burlesque dancers that you admire?
Cheeky Lane: All of them.
Jack Nickelz: Why do you think the world of Burlesque is slowly moving back into the spotlight?
Cheeky Lane: No need to ask why, it’s happening right now. Just feel it, baby.
Jack Nickelz: Does it get on your nerves when people confuse what you do with strip club dancing?
Cheeky Lane: This question is posed as if my default stance on strip club dancing is a negative one. GURL, have you actually seen what strippers can do??!! The athleticism and the hustle, those skillz. At some point in my life, I’m gonna definitely get in on that action.
I think the general remark I hear is, “Yes you are taking your clothes off too, but what you do is more artistic.” So my stripping is more pretentious. Cool.
I mean, you can take an “artistic” avant garde shit in real time at an exhibit in MoMA (probably) and people will or won’t confuse THAT with low-brow shittin—-you know what Daniel, I’m not sure where I’m getting at with this one, but there’s something there. Readers figure it out.
Jack Nickelz: Now some of the Burlesque dancers that I’ve talked to have gotten into pin up modeling. Is that something that we will see you do?
Cheeky Lane: No, I’m actually into male modeling. That one’s no joke. I like wearing hot men’s gear more than women’s lingerie. Give me a jockstrap over garter belts any day!
Jack Nickelz: As a Burlesque dancer you have self confidence in your own body image. Have you always had that confidence?
Cheeky Lane: Unfortunately I was born human, which means having absolute confidence in my body all the time is just—impossible.
I’ve never NOT loved my own body though. It’s the only one I have. So I don’t see the point in being down about it. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Though I will say that I’ve always found validation through other means aside from physical appearance. (Translation: I had to become great at other things–art and academics–to get attention because I was a chubby kid).
Jack Nickelz: When you are getting ready to do a routine, what do you do in order to get yourself ready?
Cheeky Lane: I dilly-dally for about an hour alone in my apartment. Mostly wondering in aimless circles trying to find my pants.
Oh wait! Or are you talking about not just pre-show, the WHOLE process?? Lots of hard, hard work (choreography, costuming, conceptualizing, self-loathing).
Jack Nickelz: What are some events we should keep our eyes on in order to see your work?
Cheeky Lane: My home is the Slipper Room. I’m there often and if not performing, just hanging out. I perform at lots of places all over NYC at any given time, so fans can follow me on twitter (@cheekylane) for updates on shows.
Jack Nickelz: Thank you for doing this. Is there anything else you would like to say to the fans and readers?
Cheeky Lane: I don’t actually think I had a point with that stripping and shitting analogy from Question 9. I think I just wanted an excuse to type out “avant garde shitting” and “low-brow shitting”
It felt good.
For more on Cheeky Lane, check out:
https://twitter.com/CheekyLane http://instagram.com/cheekylane
https://www.facebook.com/CheekyLaneNYC/
Photo credit: Ben Trivett, Natasha Gornik, Adrian Buckmaster
