Cruel Valentine

02/13/2023

Recording Now Available: Burlesque as Industry: The Business of You! with Cruel Valentine!

In our first workshop for our Business Basics January series, Cruel Valentine discussed the industry of burlesque and key things you need to know to stay sharp and succeed in the business of sparkle. Topics covered included: negotiations, knowing your rights and responsibilities under contracts, protecting your work, passive and alternative revenue streams, best practices for accounting and record keeping, business structures, touring tips, and more!

About the instructor: Cruel Valentine (they/them) is an award-winning, international burlesque entertainer, adult performer, do******ix, stripper, public speaker, and artist. Valentine holds a BA in Musical Theatre Performance and an MA in Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago, a certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University, and they’re currently pursuing their JD at DePaul University College of Law. Their teaching credits include many university workshops and panels, spanning topics such as performance, business, s*xual health, s*x worker rights, and more. To hire Cruel Valentine for a consultation, email [email protected].

Visit https://tinyurl.com/DTA2023BurlesqueIndustry to rent this workshop for $20 for 24 hours or buy it for $25.

Accessibility information: Accurate closed captioning is available in Vimeo.

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The DisabiliTease Academy (DTA) is the only school of its kind. It brings accessible, virtual classes to performers, producers, and their allies in the burlesque, drag, cirque, cabaret, and movement arts communities. Learn more at www.disabiliteaseacademy.com.

[Image Description: Green patterned background with two rectangles with gold borders in the center. Above the rectangles, gold lettering reads "DisabiliTease Academy". The left rectangle has a photo of Cruel Valentine, a light-skinned Black performer sitting on a stool in a venue, leaning their left side and arm on an ATM. Their rainbow and black hair is pulled up into a long, wavy ponytail. They are wearing a dark body suit and gold heels. The right rectangle is white and has lettering reading "Burlesque as Industry: The Business of You! with Cruel Valentine". Underneath, gold lettering reads "Recording Now Available!"]

01/03/2023

I am so pumped for tomorrow! We’ll be talking about establishing, building, and protecting your business and brand in the performing arts. It’s going to be a great time! It’s virtual, so you can join from anywhere in the world! See you tomorrow at 7pm central!

TOMORROW - Burlesque As Industry: The Business of You! with Cruel Valentine!

Cruel Valentine (they/them) is an award-winning, international burlesque entertainer, adult performer, do******ix, stripper, public speaker, and artist. They are currently pursuing a law degree at DePaul University College of Law. Their teaching credits include many university workshops and panels, spanning topics such as performance, business, s*xual health, s*x worker rights, and more.

In this course, we'll discuss the industry of burlesque and key things you need to know to stay sharp and succeed in the business of sparkle. Topics we'll cover include: negotiations, knowing your rights and responsibilities under contracts, protecting your work, passive and alternative revenue streams, best practices for accounting and record keeping, business structures, touring tips, and more!

Please have a pen and notebook or a device handy for taking notes! Also, this class is not a lecture, so please bring your questions. If you'd like to submit any questions or topic requests in advance, please email [email protected].

Join us on Wednesday, January 4 at 7pm Central on Zoom for this 90-minute workshop.
Get your tickets for $25USD at https://tinyurl.com/BurlesqueIndustryDTA2023

Can't make it live? No problem - it'll be recorded! You can either buy a ticket now and watch the replay later, or wait until we announce the replay on our social media and in a future newsletter.

Accessibility information: Automatic captioning will be available. Recordings will have accurate captions available.

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The DisabiliTease Academy (DTA) is the only school of its kind. It brings accessible, virtual classes to performers, producers, and their allies in the burlesque, drag, cirque, cabaret, and movement arts communities. Learn more at www.disabiliteaseacademy.com.

[Image description: This image shows Cruel Valentine, a light-skinned Black performer sitting on their knees in an inflatable pool that looks like an ice cream cone, surrounded by dollar bills. They have a powerful expression on their face while their right hand is throwing $20 and $100 bills at the camera. Their hair is rainbow and black and is pulled up into a long, wavy ponytail, and they are wearing a dark body suit. The DisabiliTease Academy logo is in the top, right corner.]

02/16/2022

Good morning! Have you been wanting to come to a Noire show, but haven’t felt like you know the proper protocol? Swipe for the lowdown, and come see us Friday night! and moi will be shaking it for you all night, and ticket proceeds are going to this month! Let’s do this! Sanctuary the Club dōt ćôm!

02/14/2022

Happy Valentine’s Day to Me and your môney. You know where to send it. Those who don’t send today of all days and this month of all months risk excommunication. 😌⛓💓 ******ix

02/10/2022

See you at on Saturday, babes! So pumped to kick it with you. Starring , , Alex, , and moi! 💕💕💕

02/08/2022

Spent part of yesterday in a really fun session, and this was one of the instruments of torture. So glad the U.S. Constitution is finally good for something!

02/05/2022

I’m crying over how beautiful this bouquet from is! nominated me to receive one as a part of Asrai Garden’s Spreading Joy initiative, which honors Black Chicago organizers and essential workers. It was such a huge surprise and I love it so much. Rosie, thank you for being such a great friend and really seeing me. I appreciate this gift so, so much, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Love you.

Be sure to visit AsraiGarden.com to learn more about their work and find out how to nominate someone to receive a gift through this program!

02/03/2022

Hello, world! It’s been a busy time at my house as of late because we just adopted two kittens from our incredible friends at ! Meet Kira and Gator, y’all! Kira is in the dark blue collar and leopard outfit and is sweet little softie, and Gator (short for Instigator) is in the royal blue collar and pink outfit, and is super playful and a prankster. They love to have wrestling matches, tornadoing around the room chasing each other, and eventually cuddling when they’re finally tucker themselves out. Both kittens are adjusting super well and seem energetic, lovey, and happy. Swipe through for adorable pictures that will make you squee if you have any semblance of a heart. 😌

These two have brought so much love and joy to us already! We’re still in the quarantining phase, so they haven’t met their big sister Tawnta (who we also adopted from the Catcade) just yet, but we’re excited to make those introductions soon and we’ll definitely be sharing updates on once everyone is acclimated.

We absolutely LOVE The Catcade. Their cat cafe is wonderful, and they’re an amazing organization to adopt through. They work so hard to give love, support, medical treatment, and forever homes to kitties who otherwise likely wouldn’t have a chance at life. Please consider donating to help them with this mission. You can also support them by making a reservation at thecatcade.org to hang out in their lounge and play with the cats! They’re also following very strict masking, vaccination verification, and capacity limitation protocols, so we were able to safely and comfortably visit the space. Make sure you make a reservation in advance, otherwise you’ll likely be left in the cold. And of course, if you’re looking to inject some love into your home, they’re a great place to adopt from! Again, whether you just want to visit the kitties, are looking to adopt, or just want to throw them a few bucks, you can visit thecatcade.org for more info!

01/22/2022

What a treat! I was just added to the killer lineup for ’s show tonight! TTRPG & A: A Co-Op Cabaret is going down at tonight at 9:30pm. Limited capacity, vaccine proof and masks mandatory. The lineup is absolutely killer, and I can’t wait to see everyone’s tributes to their favorite games. Come soak in the s*xy and nerd out with us!

01/21/2022

Wanted to share this throwback picture today in honor of the legendary . What a fu***ng icon. Here’s me as Eddie in a burlesque tribute show several years back. Rest well, man.