this is the seventh episode of the "it's always about race: a performance art podcast by frankie fingerling", featuring special guest takeover host mel vee x (a.k.a. blaq velvet)!

mel vee x (she/they), aka blaq velvet, is a spoken word poet, burlesque performer and visual artist based in mohkinstsis (moe-kinst-sis) aka calgary, alberta on treaty 7 land, the homelands of the blackfoot, tsuut'ina (sue tin-ah), stoney nakoda and metis region 3 nations since time immemorial. velvet has been a professional artist for over seven years and has shared their work locally and nationally, on pages and stages of all kinds. accustomed to centering black and equity seeking voices as a cornerstone of their work, taking a bipoc-only burlesque class in 2018 inspired velvet to explore the art and power of telling stories with their body; stories which are often silenced, demonized and dismissed. since then, blaq velvet has slithered, sashayed, and shimmied across stages embodying the joy, beauty and resistance of living in a black queer neurodivergent body (and popping a petty ass pastie or two along the way). smashing all your little notions about what black women and femmes can do, come and get some of this black velvet...if you please.

listen to mel vee x (a.k.a. blaq velvet) share her take on the past, present, and future of black burlesque!

this is the sixth episode of "it's always about race: a performance art podcast by frankie fingerling", featuring special guests sepia jewel and dahlia kash!

sepia jewel is an ageless treasure born with a smoldering demeanor. in 2016, sepia jewel took the burlesque scene by storm. she quickly became an award-winning international burlesque performer. at 55 years old she was looking for something to help her thrive again. after taking a hiatus from dancing, modeling, acting and clothing design she found her joy again in coco l'amour's burlesque class. in less than 2 years her first student solo "endangered species" became a signature act. sepia is a 2017 nudie nubie's san francisco winner. she was on fire in 2018, capturing the fresh face feature international at the vancouver international burlesque festival, 2nd runner-up at humboldt burlesque festival, and also bared her soul at the burlesque hall of fame's movers, shakers and innovators showcase. former member of bless your heart burlesque. she was a co-producer with twirlisha devine of showgirl sunday dinner podcast. her captivating vulnerability is why she is known as san diego's seductress of slay! she has been leaving trails of glitter on stages worldwide. sepia has used her sewing skills that her mother taught her at a young age to create dazzling costumes. she was a dancer and costume designer for the san diego ebony elite's. little known fact, sepia was in a singing, rapping group in the 90s that was signed to epic records. this lyric she penned from her rapping days says it all, "mother nature did a hell of a job on me!"

dahlia kash is known as the mocha mae west for her quick wit and sultry moves, and she is no wallflower!!! she's the producer of portland's melange: a queer and poc variety show, as well as mischief: a melanated variety show, and solo endeavor, the rock show both in olympia, washington. bay area raised, and pnw based, dahlia has been shakin' it up and down the west coast and beyond since 2013. this queer fat femme is gonna rock your world!!

listen to sepia and dahlia share about their introductions to the world of burlesque, how their art has been impacted by spaces created by and for black, indigenous, and people of colour, and some nuggets of wisdom for navigating bullshit.

this is the fifth episode of "it's always about race: a performance art podcast by frankie fingerling", featuring special guest vita nova!

vita nova is known for her electric stage presence and signature sass. she is ever ready to enchant audiences with her unapologetic sexuality and comedic charm. vita is south africa's first official queen of tease, as crowned at the baby grand burlesque festival in 2019, and has won three consecutive titles. she co-founded, co-produced and directed redress burlesque — the first show in south africa that exclusively starred brown burlesque artistes, creating new opportunities for representation and aiming to establish new performance models within the south african burlesque scene. a slow-burn supreme, vita nova is a powerhouse of possibility.

hear vita talk about about her experience being crowned once (or thrice) and how she's establishing new performance models within the south african burlesque scene.

view full transcript for episode 5 of the "it's always about race" podcast

this is the fourth episode of "it's always about race: a performance art podcast by frankie fingerling", featuring special guest bebe bardeaux!

bebe bardeaux, affectionately known as “the doll of d.c.”, has wowed audiences all across the nation from coast to coast. bebe took home the 2019 golden smile award at the golden legends champion challenge and the #1 top prize at the 2018 washington burlypicks competition. she was nominated for the 2018 new york burlesque festival’s hottest freshman award and the 2018 best of gay dc best burlesque performer award. bebe is a published burlesque historian and author of the forthcoming book, shake queens. she’s also been featured in several leading pinup magazines.

listen as bebe shares stories about her natural fit as a burlesque performer along with the many trials of researching and documenting burlesque history on her own time.

view full transcript for episode 4 of the "it's always about race" podcast

this is the third episode of "it's always about race: a performance art podcast by frankie fingerling".

frankie talks accountability in burlesque!

frankie fingerling (they/them) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in amiskwaciwâskahikan, colonially known as edmonton, alberta, canada. no matter the medium, their art helps them process their own lived experiences and trauma, as a non-binary chinese person navigating life in a predominantly white, conservative province. they are inspired by their late grandfather who was an oil paint artist in hong kong and the philippines, and queer racialized art from around the world. by trade, frankie is a researcher and curriculum developer, which informs their current artistic practice in burlesque and lifelong journey of learning and growth.

view the full transcript for episode 3 of the "it's always about race podcast"

this is the second episode of "it's always about race: a performance art podcast by frankie fingerling", featuring special guest bea lissima!

bea lissima has been gracing stages across turtle island for 15 years. hailing from moh’kins’tsis (colonially known as calgary, alberta, canada), this pearl of the prairies has performed at the burlesque hall of fame weekender in las vegas, the asian burlesque festival in new york city, and the wiggle room in montreal, and that's just to name a few. she combines her unique identities into her art-form to create an experience that shares empathy, passion, and excitement. she also mentors black, indigenous, and people of colour burlesque artists and co-produces "g-string", a show that pairs live music with burlesque. she is the filipinx quoting malcolm X, the peak of feminine mystique, who's serving looks while reading bell hooks. if the body knows the score, she's definitely winning.

listen as bea shares stories about falling into burlesque, finding her community, and just how meaningful bipoc spaces are for racialized artists like her.

view the full transcript for episode 2 of the "it's always about race" podcast

this is the first episode of "it's always about race: a performance art podcast by frankie fingerling".

frankie fingerling (they/them) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in amiskwaciwâskahikan, colonially known as edmonton, alberta, canada. no matter the medium, their art helps them process their own lived experiences and trauma, as a non-binary chinese person navigating life in a predominantly white, conservative province. they are inspired by their late grandfather who was an oil paint artist in hong kong and the philippines, and queer racialized art from around the world. by trade, frankie is a researcher and curriculum developer, which informs their current artistic practice in burlesque and lifelong journey of learning and growth.

find out about frankie's first steps into burlesque and get some insider info on the creation of their very first burlesque solo!

view full transcript for episode 1 of "it's always about race" podcast

have you heard? frankie fingerling made a podcast! find out what to expect in the first season ;)

frankie fingerling (they/them) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in amiskwaciwâskahikan, colonially known as edmonton, alberta, canada. no matter the medium, their art helps them process their own lived experiences and trauma, as a non-binary chinese person navigating life in a predominantly white, conservative province. they are inspired by their late grandfather who was an oil paint artist in hong kong and the philippines, and queer racialized art from around the world. by trade, frankie is a researcher and curriculum developer, which informs their current artistic practice in burlesque and lifelong journey of learning and growth.

view full transcript for "it's always about race" season 1 trailer