Don't let her petite height fool you... there's so much energy and talent here that you won't believe your eyes!
1) Can you share with us a bit about your background and any info about your ethnic heritage?
Like most Black Americans, I don't know what the hell is going on with my heritage! I know that on my mother’s side we are descendants of sisters from Africa who were slaves in Mississippi and bore children with White slaveowners. And on my father’s side I thought I was Cuban but then I found out that I had a completely different grandfather than what I was raised to believe. And apparently he's Asian. But my last name is Scottish! What the hell?! I'd love to be able to get more information about this.
2) Are there many artists that inspired you to become the performer that you are today?
There are SO many artists that have inspired me! As a child and teenager (and still today) I slept, ate, and lived dance and theater. My earliest inpirations were Shirley Temple, Bo Jangles, The Nicholas Brothers, and Savion Glover. Obviously I'm a tap dancer!
There are a few modern and ballet dance pieces that blew my mind and brought tears to my eyes as an impressionable youngster. I remember watching Revelations by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and feeling a powerful connection to my ethnicity through movement, and I will never forget experiencing Elizabeth Parkinson's Pierrot solo with the Joffrey Ballet set to Prince's Purple Rain. It was one of the biggest eye opening and sou-shaking moments of my life. Countering those interests my parents are total children of the 70's-80's so I was constantly exposed to Prince, Vanity 6, Michael Jackson, P-Funk, Rick James, etc. My father is a musician and my mother is a radio personality and actress so I think performing is pretty much in my blood whether I would've chosen to pursue it or not.
3) What kind of artistic disciplines do you master (dance, drama, etc)? Are you self-taught or did you follow specific courses?
I began studying jazz, tap and ballet at age 5 and took classes about 5 days a week up until high school. I started working in theater professionally at the Municipal Opera when I was 11 and that really pushed everything into high gear. It was a very rigorous schedule and required a lot of discipline on my part, but I don't ever feel like I missed out on life. The stage was pretty much my entire life and that was my decision, not my parents’. In middle school I decided I was fed up with dance and would become a jazz musician instead haha! I took up trumpet, piano, and vocal lessons and actually got really good at the trumpet! I miss it.
4) What can one expect when attending a Jeez Loueez performance for the first time?
Well you can definitely expect to be entertained! I like to dish out the humor and cheekiness along with the sex appeal. One of my favorite things about burlesque is that it allows me to be versatile. You might see me tap dancing in a gay bar on Thursday, singing a power ballad while having a cocaine meltdown on Friday, or handcuffing an audience member to a chain fence and covering them in whipped cream on Saturday.
5) Are we wrong but… why isn’t there more women of color working as burlesque entertainers, alternative models or fetish stars? Or is there finally some evolution?
I can only really speak from the burlesque point of view but I think this is a common misconception! While we may not be as visible to the naked eye in these communities, we are out there! I've been researching Black burlesque performers around the country for a few months now (for my blog "The Juke Joint" - shameless plug!) and I'm finding that the numbers are definitely growing. I think what needs to happen first is that the burlesque world needs to be brought to the Black community. There aren't many people of color in the audience and one of the reasons is that these shows aren't produced at venues that cater to that audience. It's not a bad thing, just something that hasn't happened yet (at least in Chicago anyway). But we are on the verge of a revolution and I can feel it! Troupes like Brown Girls Burlesque and Harlem Shake paved the way in terms of the "new burlesque" movement and amazing performers like Perle Noire, Philly Caramel, and Alotta Boutte are internationally recognized for their talents and contributions.
6) Would you be willing in the future to do a shoot wearing usual fetish fabrics like latex, rubber, leather, etc.?
Hell yeah! I've been thinking about it a lot lately actually and I'm really interested in Shibari. It's incredibly beautiful, sexy, and vulnerable.
7) What can you tell us about your Internet webshow The 8th Degree?
I co-host the soon-to-be-television-phenomenon with Anthony Carasa aka Tito Bonito. I always describe it as a show where we talk about whatever the fuck we wanna talk about-excuse my language! We talk about what's going on in the world and our lives, and we love featuring local artists and organizations. We dance, we do skits, we talk shit about people, it's great! Monday nights suck and we just want to make yours a little more enjoyable.
8) Tell us about all the steps required when you’re creating a new stage routine (costumes, music, choregraphy, etc.). Is there a team around you or are you 100% in charge of production/creation?
Oh how I WISH I had an entire creative team at my disposal! However I do have Tito as my official music mixer. It's very freeing and challenging to be your own director, choreographer, designer, editor, manager, etc. There's no one telling you what to do and it's usually all up to you. Most times I'm moved by a piece of music: the drums, the bass line, the rhythm. Then comes the concept and costume. Or it can be the other way around! With my Flashdance tribute number the movie was obviously the first inspiration, then I worked with Tito on mixing the song, the choreography came last, and the costume was a piece of cake!
9) Fellow burlesque performer Red Hot Annie is also a Siren… what can you tell us about working with her?
I love Red Hot Annie! She's one of the producers of Vaudezilla Productions, the troupe I'm a part of. She's been a huge part of my burlesque career as a mentor and giver of wise advice. In a short time she's managed to become a national name as a performer, make-up artist, and festival producer and seeing her success has really pushed me to keep upping my game. Plus, she's a damn good time!
10) Can you claim that there’s a thin line between your private life and your modeling/performing activities?
My number one rule is that Jeez Loueez is NOT a character! I don't separate my off-stage self from my "burlesque self". Sometimes I think of my performances as being a public version of my inner monologue, but in the end what you're seeing up there is going to be the same person you run into at the grocery store or the bus stop. I don't ever feel like I can come home hang up my hat and stop being Jeez Loueez. It's just who I am. But with more glitter and wigs.
11) Do you go through a strict gym/diet routine or are you just one of the blessed who can stuff herself with anything and still look spectacular?
Hell to the no. Working out is the devil, who does that?! I prefer my strict regimen of dancing like a maniac every day and eating all the Ben and Jerry's I can handle without passing out from a brain freeze. Really, I was blessed with a ridiculously fast metabolism but that's paired with an intense dance schedule. Plus my parents are teeny tiny! I seriously think me and my dad wear the same sized pants.
12) You must promise to come visit us in Montreal soon, can’t you? :D
That would be the most amazing experience ever! I hear wonderful things about Montreal :) I probably need to get a passport...