Less Talkie, More Shakie

Okay, okay, I know.  I've been on hiatus.  What can I tell you?  When I said I felt like a zombie, I meant it.  I had my first day off in weeks on Monday, and now my body is revolting against me.  I'm fighting a pretty horrible head cold, and my only hope is that it doesn't settle into my chest.  (Don't you love when you've been pushing yourself for weeks and weeks, and then you finally get to rest, and your body says, "I'll show you for not taking better care of me.  I'll make you sick!  Ha-HA!!!")

SO.  I owe you updates.  But be advised, this is being written in a NyQuil-induced haze, so maybe we should just pretend this never happened...

In 50 words or fewer, here's a shakedown of the weekend (or, if you are the Dowager Duchess, and are confused as to what a weekend is, then perhaps we should just move on.  ALSO:  if you are not watching Downton Abbey, you must forthwith and anon!!!):

Friday Girls Night Out:  Dinner, Drinks, and Burlesque show (more on that below)
Saturday was work in the AM, and then couch potato for the duration of the day
Sunday:  worked for Jesus (my choir sounded FANTASTIC, by the by), Zumba with my good friend JoAna (which thoroughly kicked my ass--I'm STILL sore), and SuperBowl shenanigans with Amanda et al (Madonna?  Try again.  Kelly?  Was amazing.)
Monday:  I DID NOT MOVE FOR 12 HOURS OF BLISS.  Until I got sick.  Then I didn't move because my head was pounding too much to allow me to.
Monday:  Zumba again, haircut (or as I like to call it, cheap therapy), and then work.

Okay.  On to the Burlesque show.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, really--I mean, OTHER than Christina, Cher, and Stanley OF COURSE--but what we got was pretty incredible, considering this is small-town North Carolina we're talking about (other North Carolinians might disagree, but after living in Memphis?  This is small potatoes.)  The host troupe wasn't wonderful; their Vaudevillian shtick needed serious work--or, as one patron put it, "Less talkie, more shakie!".  But the acts that they brought in were amazing.  The highlights were definitely the two women who pole danced--but not in a "I'm putting myself through med school and my father doesn't know that I work nights" kind of way.  More of a "I have serious core strength, muscle control, and grace--I'm a dancer, I just use different props.  And my leotard is really just a thong and some pasties, but you know, semantics" kind of thing.

Also?  There were two women who danced that were easily over 250 pounds, up on stage in their Altogether in front of God and everybody.  But you know what?  No one cared.  Because they OWNED that stage.  They owned their bodies, their sexuality, and their confidence.  The audience was hooked.  That might have been the most empowering part about the show.  The other great thing was that this was actually a fundraiser for the Sherri Denese Jackson Foundation, a domestic violence prevention organization here in North Carolina.  They offer free workshops to the public, including a Safe Teen Dating seminar, victim services like outreach, counseling, and even relocation services, and public safety and self-esteem classes.  They do pretty amazing work, and I'm happy to report that the two Burlesque shows sold out and were in such high demand that the troupe offered an encore performance this weekend just to accommodate everyone.  This means SDJF raised tons of money, got their name out into the community, and women from all over the country got to flaunt their stuff for the cause.

Some might call Burlesque a detriment to modern-day feminism.  My parents were both confused as to why a domestic violence prevention foundation would partner with a group whose purpose is to objectify women.  I think, however, that Burlesque allows women to express their sexuality, explore their womanhood, and defy societal and cultural norms regarding how women "should" behave.  They weren't taking their clothes off for profit (at least, not for their own profit), but rather--dare I say it?--for their art.  I know, that's an over-generalized, touchy-feely, granola bar answer.  But I think it's true.  We may be the daughters of Hillary Clinton and Gloria Steinem, but that doesn't mean we can't be sexual AND independent all at the same time.  Here's to owning yourself, your body, your sexuality, and your mind.  Less talkie, girls.  More shakie.