Burlesque dancer's tongue-in-cheek moves could win Mail's talent gig
A BURLESQUE dancer is promising to bring glitter and glamour to this year's Talent Trail contest.
Tarina Duffield can usually be found helping out shoppers at the customer service desk of Hull's Primark clothes store.
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From Primark's customer service desk to the stage, burlesque dancer Tarina is hoping to wow this year's Talent Trail judges.
But come the weekend, she dons corsets and feathers to perform as a burlesque dancer under the stage name Penny Feathers.
Tarina, 25, has entered the Mail's Talent Trail competition this year, which is sponsored by KC, and hopes to wow judges with her act.
If she goes through to the final, Tarina could stand a chance of wining the top prize of £1,500.
She said: "A lot of people think burlesque is smutty and something only men go and watch.
"But it is more about feeling confident and happy in your own body, and the majority of the audience are women.
"Burlesque means 'to laugh' and my acts are about bringing humour and are a bit tongue-in-cheek."
Tarina first got into burlesque after gaining weight while pregnant with her daughter Ashlee-Mai, now aged two.
She shot from a size 8/10 to 18 and her confidence was lost.
Tarina, of Huntingdon Street, west Hull, said: "My friend suggested a burlesque class to lose weight as lots of celebrities were doing it at the time.
"It was about being confident in my own body.
"I thought I'd go back to being a size 8, but now I'm happy being a size 14/16.
"The industry likes curvy women anyway, rather than a stick."
Talent Trail is open to anyone aged 16 and over.
Participants will perform at 1 of 16 heats, which start on February 23, in the hope of making it through to the next round.
Those who are successful will then get through to the semis and then the final, which is being held at Hull City Hall on May 17.
All proceeds from the event will go to the Mail's charity of the year, Dove House Hospice's Love You 2 Appeal.
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by Anna, Work
Tuesday, January 18 2011, 10:54PM
“At least she's got the confidence to show her assets off!
Better than being a Jeremy Kyle candidate.”
by Debbie, Goole
Tuesday, January 18 2011, 6:29PM
“I have seen Miss Feathers perform at numerous locations non have which have been "ameteur nights" she simply did a "few" classes for a confidence boost, and used her dance talents to progress on the circuit, i have seen her up and down the country since Jan 2009 and all performances i have witnessed have been really enjoyable and some "pee your pants" with laughter moments
there is many definitions for the word "burlesque" here is a few to add to others
1.A literary or dramatic work that ridicules a subject either by presenting a solemn subject in an undignified style or an inconsequential subject in a dignified style.
2.A ludicrous or mocking imitation; a travesty: The antics of the defense attorneys turned the trial into a burlesque of justice.
3.A variety show characterized by broad ribald comedy, dancing, and striptease.
v., -lesqued, -lesqu·ing, -lesques.
v.tr.
To imitate mockingly or humorously:
v.intr.
To use the methods or techniques of burlesque.
In theroy if you are "mocking something" you are intising the person watching laugh????
there are many definitions of burlesque.
and i work in this industry and you still can be a stick and HAVE curves!!...i think that what she was trying to make a point of....not just plain curvy girlies. i wish Penny the best of luck for this competition...
she deserves her place in this as well as the usual artists!!..its about time, someone different gets up there and has a go!...
i can see in Penny's defense she has ruffled a few "feathers" pardon the pun
good luck darling, we will be supporting you as always”
by steven, hull
Tuesday, January 18 2011, 4:11PM
“good on Tarina for entering BUT. why should she get a plug and free advertising. All the other people taking part in the TALENT TRAIL wont get this kind of coverage. or will they, COME ON HULL DAILY MAIL or should i say the writer of the article EMMA WRIGHT, BE FAIR AND PLUG EVERYONE”
by Susie, Hull
Tuesday, January 18 2011, 11:07AM
“Good luck to Penny! Good burlesque does take talent- it also takes imagination, hard work, skill and creativity.
Just a couple of things however:
Burlesque doesn't mean "to laugh", it derives from the Greek meaning "to ape" "to parody" or "to satirize".
The burlesque industry does not prefer curvy women over so-called "sticks", it welcomes and celebrates all body sizes and looks in men and women.What you do see is a certain vintage aesthetic in clothes, hair and make-up which differs from your modern looks.
Also- although performing can have the side effect of boosting one's confidence, proper burlesque is not an instrument for self-validation, or for boosting body confidence. Amateur nights and classes, maybe, but proper burlesque is about putting on a good show and entertaining your audience. Its a theatrical performance art. Whilst there has been a trend for the last few years for people to "have a go", take classes for fun, get up on stage to prove that they can and feel sexy (and there is nothing wrong with this per se), it is a mistake to conflate this with actual professional, talented burlesque performance.”
by Susie, Hull
Tuesday, January 18 2011, 10:48AM
“Good luck to Penny!
But Burlesque doesn't mean "to laugh", it derives from the Greek meaning to ape, to parody, to satirize.
Also, the burlesque industry loves women of all shapes and sizes, be they curvy or so-called "sticks".
And although you can take classes for fun and to boost your confidence, and perform amateur nights for the same reasons, burlesque is a performance art and a form of entertainment, not a form of self validation or a way to feel good about your body. Yes, it can have some good side effects in how you see yourself, but first and foremost its about putting on a good show for a paying audience, like any theatrical entertainment.
And yes, to be good at burlesque does take talent (and imagination, hard work, creativity....).”
by Doc Leroc, Hull
Monday, January 17 2011, 10:59PM
“Seen Penny strutting her stuff and was thoroughly entertained. Nothing short of a rollercoaster, pure talent from start to finish.
Can't wait to see more :)”
by Doc Leroc, Hull
Monday, January 17 2011, 10:55PM
“I've seen Penny doing her stuff, and it is nothing short of a rollercoaster, entertainment from start to finish.
Absolutely brilliant, can't wait to see her in action again :)”
by Anna Fux, Hull
Monday, January 17 2011, 6:52PM
“Penny is a wonderful artiste.”
by Kirstii, Hull
Monday, January 17 2011, 2:37PM
“Oh my. What is the world coming too? This ain't talent ha :)”
by Anna Fox, The Ringside
Monday, January 17 2011, 1:30PM
“Finally Burlesque is actually getting into the minds of Hull! Our burlesque night has been successfully running for 3 years now with both male and female acts. Penny is an extremely charasmatic performer, both on and off stage(!). She naturally engages an audience, and encourages them to laugh along with her.
Burlesque definitely needs more coverage, it's good clean fun with a twist of tease....
Good luck Fevvs! xx”