A Course Complete

Saturday Night was a proud evening. Angela graduated from her Burlesque dancing course with a smashing performance at a wonderful venue. The event was in Riverside California, at a place called "Back to the Grind:, a coffee house during the day, but on this night the hottest burlesque club in the known universe.

Angela began this adventure over two months ago, but like all great accomplishments it's seeds were planted much earlier than that. They began at the now defunct Club Cherry where a young Angela was mesmerized by a particularly wonderful creature, Kitten De Ville, who danced there regularly. It was during many nights spent at that club, watching with glee as Kitten Danced as she does that may all that came to be this last Saturday possible.

In the years since that wide eyed young Angela did encounter the Kitten there was much watching and admiring from a far. Kitten now a seasoned and well established performer, decided to give back to the community and to women everywhere, and due to the work that they do, men everywhere as well. Kitten began offering courses in the Burlesque.

During the years in which she admired Kitten from a far Angela was on her own journey. One which gave her the experience and confidence to be open to the challenge that Burlesque dancing would bring. Enter into this report my brother, Devin. At this time Devin was commanding the keyboards in Shitting Glitter, the very same band for which I was playing guitar. Devin had become friends with Angela whom he had met through our dear friend Tiger. he was struck immediately by her and knew then and there that she was a keeper of a person. As their friendship grew he saw more in her than just a wonderful person and friend. He saw a talent and a rockin' body. He invited her to go go dance with Shitting Glitter. This concept had not occurred to Angela to be within the realm of possibilities, and on the first invitation she turned him down. A decision she has said she began regretting shortly there after, having always been interested in performance. She was perhaps a little to shy and embarrassed to ask for an opportunity. As she as the world turns Devin is tenacious, and not long after he asked her to dance yet again. Her first premiere at the palms was a good way to break into performance, a small crowd in an intimate setting. It allowed Angela experience in being in front of a crowd but in the much more comfortable group setting.


What would follow after that first show is a string over wonderful shows, each one seeming to build in momentum, for her and the band. It was also over this time that Angela and myself became friends and over this same period of time which I grew to be madly in love with her.

Angela learned not only dance and performance during this time, but also a fine art of costume creation. She began making all her own outfits, spending time and money on looking good.

After her involvement in SG ended she continued go go dancing at night clubs as well as planning her own dance troop. Last November she decided to take another bold step forward and enrolled in Kitten De Ville's class. It was a major commitment of time and money, but it was accompanied by a great desire to achieve.

Each Wednesday night beginning in January Angela commuted from Hollywood to Riverside, a stressful drive of freeway traffic. The worst possible time to in worst possible conditions. Faithfully she persevered. The temptation to take a few of the classes, meet her idol and call it a day must have seemed great, yet she never bowed to the easy way out. She traveled and she learned, more than she could have realised.

As the weeks wound on she began working on her costume, a fine creation all in white. To think that so much time could go into such a skimpy costume!

The final day, a debut performance was set to begin. Nerves began to build up. It takes a special person get up in front of a room full of friends and strangers and perform the art of burlesque dancing. The final week seemed to be nearly unbearable in anticipation. Angela did not back down.

Finally the hour approached. We headed to Riverside with our good friend and new neighbor Loren. Anticipation building the entire time.

Finally the sound of Mötley Crüe's "Wildside" ripped it's way from the speakers. Bursting out through the curtain came a transformed Angela Diamond. Like a fire cracker with short lit fuse. Immediately her energy took the crowd to a level where it hadn't been all night. I'm not saying this out of boyfriendly pride, though I was experiencing plenty of that myself, but as passionate though reasonably objective observer. The crowd physically moved forward and sizzled with a new found energy. Three minutes of beautiful expression and it was over all to soon for me and everyone else in the room.

So thrilling and amazing. We left later that night bursting with relief and pride and sense of accomplishment. I am so proud. Where this new avenue leads I don't wish to know, getting there will be so much fun that I can only do all I can to aid in moving forward.