The Invisible Cabaret Podcast: Mental Health & The Arts

Ferrero Rochelle & Rosie Verbose are joined by professional dancer & burlesque artiste, Trixie Kixx! Trixie is a powerhouse queer woman with a passion for body confidence centred around how movement makes us feel, not what we look like. She regularly performs with House of Burlesque and teaches lessons in London and online. She's also a Queen Crystaller (read, the gateway drug for Rosie Verbose's stoning obsession, as discussed with Sammy Sparkles!). Join us as we chat about burlesque, practising body positivity/ body neutrality as a dancer, and more.

CW: discussion of weight & body image throughout

Keep up to date with Trixie on Instagram: @trixiekixx, and follow her work with House of Burlesque & Off The Rails Studios while you're at it! Trixie teaches a class every Tuesday at 8:10pm online and in the studio at Off The Rails (@offtherails.studio), open to all women.

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What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can Tweet us at @inviscabaret, DM us on Instagram or send us a voice message.

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Things mentioned in the podcast:

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Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

www.invisiblecabaret.org

This week, Ferrero Rochelle and Rosie Verbose are joined by multi-award-winning burlesque dancer and PhD student, Sammy Sparkles! This stunning performer joins us all the way from Perth, Australia, by the magic of the Interwebs to tell us tales of The Other Side, where lockdowns are scarce and Fringe Festivals are feasible... Sammy is currently pursuing a PhD in clinical neuropsychology alongside producing and performing as part of queer-femme burlesque troupe, Burlezque. What a babe.

Head to our Instagram to see what happened when we met her gorgeous puppy, Yoshi!

Find Sammy on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Full URL of the episode transcript here: https://invisiblecabaret.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/SAMMY-sparkles-TRANSCRIPT.pdf

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What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can Tweet us at @inviscabaret, DM us on Instagram or send us a voice message.

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Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

www.invisiblecabaret.org

Years of crushing finally pay off - our favourite mental health and sex-positivity icon, Reed Amber, joins us on the podcast! You may know Reed best from her work with Florence and the gang over at Come Curious, or from their podcast, F*cks Given. In this episode, we talk to Reed about her journey from hating to advocating: her body, therapy, social media, the works. From CBT to OF to IBS, we're DTF with Reed FTW. 

Plenty of 'adult' language in this one, you have been warned!

CW: OCD & intrusive thoughts (3 mins to 15 mins approx); suicidal thoughts (05:53 - 06:10); brief mention of psychosis (06:14 - 06:30); body image, dysmorphia (23 mins to 33 mins approx); brief discussion of SW (33 mins - 38 mins approx) with reference to trafficking (36:30 - 37:30) and fetishes (37:30 - 38:00); brief mention of death & bereavement (39:00 - 39:30).

Keep up to date with Reed Amber on Instagram, Twitter, OF and more. Find her work with Come Curious on YouTube and Instagram.

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What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can Tweet us at @inviscabaret, DM us on Instagram or send us a voice message.

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Things mentioned in the podcast:

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Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

www.invisiblecabaret.org

We hope you've stretched this morning, because we're chatting to performer, producer and Solid Gold fittie, Lena Mae Lenman! Lena is an irrepressible creative force, whose outlets include the Hundred Watt Club, photography (@lena_lenman_photography on Instagram) and 80s fantasy aerobic program, Solid Gold Fitness. She brings her bubbly personality to the podcast, as well as her long history of neo-burlesque performance, to inform a chat that ranges from dressing up to stripping off, and why laughing is the best of all ab workouts!

CW: societal ideas of weight gain and how it can impact on our mental health briefly touched on throughout the discussion - no body shaming but if this may be triggering for you, please be kind to your mind and put yourself first.

Find Lena Mae Lenman online on Instagram & OF.

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What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can message us on Facebook, Tweet us at @inviscabaret or DM us on Instagram (@invisiblecabaret)!

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Things mentioned in the podcast:

Some useful links for the mental health issues mentioned can be found on our website.

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Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

www.invisiblecabaret.org

Join us as we talk to the one-woman powerhouse, model/photographer/stylist/siren Sinopa Rin! Rin was gracious enough to pop her podcast cherry with Ferrero Rochelle & Rosie Verbose. We talk about the Internet modelling scene, life through the lens and regaining autonomy through self-portraits, among other ways Rin's creativity & mental health intersect.

Find Sinopa Rin online on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok & Patreon. Check out her photography at @LenaSelkinPhotography. 

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What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can message us on Facebook, Tweet us at @inviscabaret or DM us on Instagram (@invisiblecabaret)!

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Things mentioned in the podcast:

Some useful links for the mental health issues mentioned can be found on our website.

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Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

www.invisiblecabaret.org

Ferrero Rochelle & Rosie Verbose had a fascinating time chatting to burlesque performer, Hoxton Cabaret producer & founding member of Cybertease (a pioneering online strip club), Victoria Rose! She shares some of her experiences of how mental health, creativity and s-x work all intertwine (sorry about the censorship, blame the Internet 🙇‍♀️). We're so grateful Victoria took the time to educate us on what it's like working in the s-x industry in general, and particularly her perspective on being a SWer with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Find Victoria Rose online on Instagram, Twitter & OF.

Full URL of episode transcript here: https://invisiblecabaret.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/VicRose-transcript.pdf

CW: this episode is not graphic, but we are talking about SW throughout, so we do touch on themes around s-x and the dangers involved. There's also some coarse language from the start.

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Things mentioned in the podcast:

Some useful links for the mental health issues mentioned can be found on our website.

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Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org

Happy #WorldBurlesqueDay! We're celebrating with this bonus episode in addition to your usual Friday fare, to talk to the day's creator, Sapphira. Sapphira is a performer, musician and entrepreneur who also runs the Ibiza Burlesque Festival and always has several arts- and mental-health-themed projects on the go. We chat about bringing burlesque and clubbing together, her love of piano, and how finding her personal expression through burlesque helped her heal from an oppressive background.

Find Sapphira online: @sapphiramusic on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. She's also on LinkedIn. You can find out more on @worldburlesqueday on the same platforms. Join in with the #BoogieInBoots Challenge on Instagram or TikTok!

CW: descriptions of religious trauma from 8.55 - 16.10ish; brief mention of institutionalisation & psychosis (around 10.35 - 11.05); small, happy discussion about pregnancy (23:45 - 25:20).

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What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can message us on Facebook, Tweet us at @inviscabaret or DM us on Instagram (@invisiblecabaret)!

***

Things mentioned in the podcast:

Some useful links for the mental health issues mentioned can be found on our website.

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org

Oh BOY, do we have a treat for you. It was such an honour to go deep with the ridiculously talented icon that is Lilly SnatchDragon. Lilly is a multi-award-winning Neo Drag Queen Burlesque Performer, co-founder of The LADS Show and the all-Asian cabaret collective, The Bitten Peach. Quite a few trigger warnings for this one as things do get raw and real, but this just gives us more reason to love the CRAP out of her. As the kids would say, a queen who talks so openly and honestly about mental health? We have no choice but to stan.

Find Lilly online: @lillysnatch on Instagram & Twitter. You can also keep up with latest show news on Facebook.

CW: extensive conversation about experiences of racism (especially first 23 mins) & PTSD throughout; suicidal ideation (25:13); grief, bereavement,  cancer, death of a loved one (27:50 - 34 mins); brief mention of vomiting (29:56 and 33:18); Atlanta shootings (37:38 - 37:50).

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Things mentioned in the podcast:

Performer/producer & Crazy Ex-Girlfriend superfan, Lucy Dickson, joins us to chat about her experiences as a queer artist and activist with BPD/ Emotional Dysregulation Disorder. We talk about taking back narratives in and through musical theatre, kissing girls, Spoon Theory, ableism, having therapy over Zoom and much more. Stay tuned for a special Pam-themed gratitude segment.

Find Lucy online: @lucysayssmile. Her production company, Queerly Productions, is @QueerlyProd on Twitter. You can watch the show, Sinqueerly Me, on YouTube!

CW: brief mention of suicide (28:30 - 29:15); BPD conversation is from 19 - 33 mins. Also please note there's a minor spoiler for Crazy Ex Girlfriend at the 22 min mark! Skip that minute if you're on Season 1.

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Things mentioned in the podcast:

The Soul Sista Showgirl has entered the chat!

Find Demi online: @demi_noire on Instagram; you can also watch some of her acts on YouTube and then tip her on PayPal! The next live show Demi will be participating in is the House of Burlesque 'Feminine Divine' show on 2nd April; details here. You can book for her BurlyCon session on 24th April here.

Some useful links for mental health issues mentioned in this episode (e.g. body dysmorphia, panic attacks and phone notification anxiety), along with full episode notes, are available on our website.

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What are you grateful for? You can message us on Facebook, Tweet us at @inviscabaret or DM us on Instagram (@invisiblecabaret) whenever you want to #GetGrateful.

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Things mentioned in the podcast:

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Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod, available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org