The Candy Gram: Panache La Plume

In our ongoing Q&A series --"The Candy Gram"-- we ask the same quirky questions of burlesque's various performers. If you want to be added to the mix, drop us a line at kellydinardo AT gmail DOT com. Today, say hello to Panache La Plume.

What is your hometown?
Portland, OR

How long have you been interested in burlesque/performing?
I guess I've always been intrigued by the glamor and naughtiness of vintage pin-up girls, show girls, and burlesque queens, but I never dreamed I'd have the opportunity, much less the courage, to act out my glamor girl fantasies. When I discovered Miss Indigo Blue and her Academy of Burlesque, it looked like so much fun I said, "Why not?" and decided to enroll in the Burlesque 101 class as a 50th birthday present to myself. It took me another year to get up the nerve to actually do it, but I'm so glad I did! My class just happened to be the subject of a musical documentary called A Wink and A Smile by Seattle filmmaker Deirdre Timmons, which recently premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival. It was an amazing project, which sort of threw me into the local burlesque scene. I've gotten to perform about a dozen or so times since.

How many pairs of pasties do you own?
Five and counting. Indigo Blue made my first pair ~ feathery green puffs, and I made the rest ~ flaming feathers, studded leatherette, baby blue puffs and denim with big red buttons. I haven't tackled tassels yet.

What are your three favorite songs to perform to?
Old jazzy stuff ~ Pearl Bailey's El Rancho Grande, Coleman Hawkins' Organ Grinder's Swing, Georgia Gibb's Kiss of Fire.

What three items could you not live without as a performer?
False eyelashes. A good mirror. A stiff drink.

Who had the biggest influence on your career?
Miss Indigo Blue and The Shanghai Pearl - two ladies with incredible energy and imagination!

Who is your favorite burly queen?
No favorite, really. I admire everyone from Gypsy Rose Lee to Dita Von Teese.

What is your favorite item of clothing?
My leopard-fur jacket. Made in the '50s, unearthed in the '80s, worn ever since ... and always in style.

What's the last movie you saw?
Death at a Funeral on DVD and You Don't Mess with the Zohan at the theater. Stupid, but I'm kinda hot for Adam Sandler.

What's on your must-see-TV list?
Antiques Roadshow. Old sitcoms - I Love Lucy, Dobie Gillis, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie. And Seinfeld reruns.

What book is on your nightstand?
Two library books: a delightful biography of Diana Vreeland and a surprisingly dry biography of Andy Warhol.

If you could go anywhere for vacation, where would you go?
I'd time travel to 1920s Paris so I could hang out with artists and lovers in Montparnasse.

If you could have any superpower, which one would you want? Why?
Teleportation. I always say I'd like traveling a lot more if it wasn't for the *traveling* part, so that would come in handy. Oh, and then I really could take that trip to Paris!

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