Today we’d like to introduce you to Gigi Noree
Hi Gigi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I consider my aerial journey as a pandemic hobby gone too far. I’ve always been completely enamored with burlesque and circus, but neither seemed like something I would be able to do myself. During lockdown, I decided to get my first hoop and started watching tutorials and messing around in my kitchen to keep myself active and happy. When things started to open up, two things happened:
1) I went to Believe Fitness in Playa Vista and started taking regular classes with Melissa Hellewell – she made it fun and safe to be bad at something new and encouraged me to keep working.
2) At the same time, I was going to my talented musician friend Courtney McKenna’s amazing shows. My favorite became TR!PTease, hosted by Lola Boutée of The Dollface Dames. I got to know some of the regulars and performers, and they rekindled a love for burlesque.
One truly lovely burlesque-performing opera singer, Lavinia Vale, got my Instagram and saw my at-home lyra videos. She insisted I perform in her Ukraine Relief Fundraiser show. She was so supportive and insistent. Being backstage with that cast solidified everything: this is something I CAN do, and even better, with wonderful people.
I talked with Lola Boutée and she agreed to have me join the TR!PTease cast, and I’ve been working in the gorgeous LA Burlesque community ever since!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been more highs than lows! It’s a dream to get to do any of this at all, but there are a few realities and pitfalls I’ve wandered into.
One difficult element is of course money. This work is expensive and doesn’t pay as much as you might think! From costumes, training, apparatuses, and even travel, I’m spending almost as much as I bring in. This would be impossible if I didn’t have a day job that offered me living wages and flexibility to get to shows on time. That’s not the case for most of the performers I’ve gotten to know; surviving as a full-time performer in Los Angeles is incredibly difficult.
On top of that, there isn’t a clear agreed-upon rate for a lot of this work, nor is there consistency between venues, producers, etc. on what they expect vs. what they offer. We’ve all been offered “exposure and tips” for gigs, and nobody knows what rate to expect if we’re not collectively transparent. There’s also inequity: my friends have been offered less than me for the same gigs, and we talk about it. I’m part of a few community groups online that are working towards better transparency and standards for all of us.
Another tricky area is perceived competition – the idea that there isn’t enough space or work for everyone – and people orient to that in different ways. Whether it’s the shape of your apparatus (beyond just Lyra, Silks, Hammock, and Trapeze, there’s a world of beautiful shapes and odd tools you can perform on), the music you choose, characters and icons you’re inspired by, or even just color schemes in your costuming… it’s easy to find you’ve stuck your foot in it.
Two months into my performing journey, I was accused of copying a performer that I looked up to. I didn’t know it, but I’d been hired by a producer as her replacement for a cult movie event. Despite never having seen the other performer’s act, we both costumed ourselves as the character, used the character’s song from the film, and used the same prop from the movie. It ended up causing a big issue – I got calls at my day job, I heard from the venue that they’d been threatened, and the producer considered pulling me from the show. Suddenly my name was out there in the Burlesque community… for stealing.
I was so new and didn’t know what to do. I had support from the cast and ended up performing in the show. Still, I didn’t know if I would be welcome in the community… but then I met more performers who helped me orient around the experience. They helped me see that it’s normal (and even celebrated) that we are inspired by similar icons — so many of us are theater kids from the same generation, have the same hobbies and interests, and share the same cultural touchstones. While there’s always going to be someone who claims they did it first or did it best, you can never actually own an icon unless you originated it.
All of this still comes to mind and informs my approach every time I agree to do gigs with iconic characters – which is my jam. I’ve done Little Shop of Horrors, Hocus Pocus, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Wizard of Oz, Repo! the Genetic Opera, Big Fish, Cry Baby, Scream, Star Trek, and even Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. At first, I found myself shying away from my favorite characters for fear of being accused again, but I’m getting past it.
There are plenty of folks with excellent and established acts for any cult icon! But icons are iconic for a reason: they’re rich with inspiration. Where did I land with all of this? Love what you love, and let your style and integrity be the backbone of what you create. And when others are on the same wavelength as you, collaborate!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m very lucky to be in this work without taking it “too-too” seriously. It’s fun to create with others, so I work a lot in duo and trio acts with so many different lovely talented folks. I create things that appease my inner child, rather than my adult tastes – that’s why I do so much with cult movies, but also classic circus, goth, and fantasy. I also work as a trivia and games host, which sometimes leaks into different events. I love building an immersive experience beyond an act or two and looking for ways to get others involved, which means collaborating with other aerialists, singers, actors, and/or burlesque performers to paint the bigger picture together.
This work is a fantasy, and it should be fun first. I respect other artists and the work itself, but I’m here for the joy of it. That’s why my performance name is Gigi Noree, a play on words meaning “Good Game, No Rematch.”
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
What’s good for your neighbor is good for you too, so be generous with your time, knowledge, and goodwill whenever it’s safe to do so. Working with people who believe the same means you’ll all go farther!
The great thing about LA Circus and Burlesque especially is that there are so many people who are the blueprint: Vixen DeVille, Blanche Bourgeois, Vita DeVoid, Max Moxie, Melissa Hellewell, Chanel Samson, Tas Al-Ghul… they all exemplify high-quality work while caring about and building up the community.
Pricing:
- Solo Performances: $400+
- Duet/Trio Performances: $600+
- Party/Atmospheric Aerial: $250+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lnk.bio/gigi.noree
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gigi.noree
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550984997524
Image Credits
The photographers asked to include Instagram as well, please. Thanks!
Vita Devoid: @vitadevoidphotography
Priten Vora: @masterppv
Fabien Photo: @fabienphotography
Flying Lion: @flyinglioncabaret
Annie Jeeves/Cinematic Red: @ajeeves09
Alexander Brazie: @xelnath
