My profile at the London Burlesque Festival website

Ok everybody! I don't remember ever asking for something like this, but I need your help now! If my profile page at the London Burlesque Festival website gets 300+ likes I will get extra publicity in their website, which is something I could really use! So if you have an extra minute please click on the link below and like my LBF performer page, no registering needed nor any further actions! thank you so much <3

(and of course, feel free to share too!)

Pepper Sparkles

Jazz History Through Times & hairstyling

Today and tomorrow in Kulttuurikeskus in Espoo! This is a very special event organized by Clyde Wilder (New York, USA), Malin Grahn and the Helsinki Traditional Jazz Dance Company, that presents the story of the slaves of West Africa in their journey to the States and the dances that developed influenced by the culture they brought with them. You will be treated to a wide collection of different dances and styles, including African mask dances, charleston, lindy hop and blues. Check the facebook event page for more info!

Both Clyde and Malin have plenty of years of experience in the field, having studied in the States from the very sources, and having also researched these dances and the culture related to them in depth. Malin teaches in a few places in Helsinki, and they will both be performing together with Malin's students. 

left: the girls at the HBF13, picture by Atelieri O. Haapala
costuming by Anni Laanti and Fiona Timantti
right: Malin Grahn and Clyde Wilder, picture by Nuppu Linnavuori,
dress by Anni Laanti

I first met Malin about a year ago at the Vapriikki Vintage event in Tampere (which is happening this weekend!), when I styled her hair and that of three of her students that were teaching and performing charleston in that event. Since then I have had the pleasure of helping her with hairstyling a few times, and I will be doing so again today and tomorrow, together with my dear friend the modist and stylist Fiona Timantti (who is also one of the dancers). 

left: 1920's style hair at Vapriikki Vintage 2013
right: 1930's style hair for Malin, dress by Anni
Laanti and makeup by Miia Magia

New Burlesque season officially open!

It was so nice to finally get to perform again after the Xmas break! We had a rather special private show with Thee Dizzy Daisies yesterday, we performed our latest group act Aurora Borealis (the first time with the three of us instead of two since we premiered it in the Suomi Burleski Gaala last October) for the birthday of a friend of Gigi, and our audience consisted of only two people! :-D

But you rarely get such a crazy audience and I have to say that it was a great pleasure to perform for them since they were screaming already before it started! 

We were getting ready before they arrived, when I suddenly noticed something was sticking out of my costume: a pin in a rather "sensitive" area! I have been wearing this costume a few times already and this was the first time I notice it, so I guess I should be glad I noticed it before I hurt myself :-D

the dangers of burlesque!

Happy girls with the headpieces that amazing Finnish Milliner Fiona Timantti made for our Aurora Borealis act <3

the gals <3
picture stolen from Sandy

And home early after the show! It was pretty cold in Helsinki yesterday (well, only -8C, but very windy!) so it was funny to put all the crazy layers of clothing back on after the show, and with all the makeup still on! Definitely not used to wearing makeup on weekdays...

(and in case you had never seen me with the hair "undone" and you were wondering, it's actually waist long)

my current favourite winter hat!
yellow <3