In this interview Kitty Velour tells me about her upcoming Candy Box – Exotic Weekender event in Manchester, sharing tips to get noticed as a performer and stories from her exciting life.
About Kitty Velour
Kitty Velour is one of those icons you should follow whether you’re a pole dancer or not. Even if you’ve gone all Marie Kondo on your Instagram feed, Kitty’s profile sparks pure joy. A triumph of pastel colours, twerking, split drops and mermaids, Kitty is one of the pole dance community’s best role models. She’s a born performer who has been gracing the stages of the Underbelly in London, Edinburgh Fringe, Boomtown and others, bringing her unique style to cabarets in Asia and even to Patreon.
Read this post to find out about her upcoming event, her tips to get noticed as a performer and stories from her year on stage around the world.
What should we expect from Candy Box?
Kitty Velour: Well, I’ve wanted to put on my show for a while now, but was a bit scared to do it, because I’m not exactly experienced in event producing… but I guess you just have to learn by doing!
So Candy Box – Exotic Weekender is 2 days of workshops with some of the best exotic dancers in the world and a sizzling show of pole performers, including a mix of amateurs and professionals. It’s gonna be amazing! I have some other ideas for shows including pole dance and cabaret, so will definitely be doing more, but I want to get through this first one before I tell anyone about my future plans – it’s gonna be exciting though!Â
You’ve given me some great advice about getting myself out there as a performer (thank you!)… do you have, say, three pointers for my readers who also want to perform more outside of competitions?
Kitty Velour: I’m a big believer in chasing your dreams, so I always wanna give advice to anyone who has a desire to perform because I would have wanted that when I first started pursuing performing too. Okay, three pointers:
Go to shows! How can you expect to be booked for a show if you haven’t been to one? See it as research, and also a wonderful way to get inspired! Immersive yourself in cabaret shows, pole showcases and club nights.
Create a few acts of different routines! Try and be versatile as you increase you accessibility. For example, one pole act, one chair and one striptease routine. Film the routine, put a fab costume together and get some great photos taken (or just get a friend to take some on your phone to begin with). This is your performer package which you will send to producers over and over again. It’s super important!
Social media game is important: post consistently, be creative, interact with the community. Don’t be afraid to be personal and imperfect at times, people connect to real stories and struggles.
In one of your interviews with Peach Lee Ray you mentioned how social media is key to be noticed as a performer. Do you think this has changed with shadowbans and copyright, and if so how can newbies still get noticed?
Kitty Velour: It definitely makes things harder! Just means we have to fight back a bit harder. Keep doing social media, it might take longer with the current restrictions but it’s still worth it.
The best way to get noticed as a performer has always been to perform. Live shows will always be the most memorable. But social media just means you can access a wider audience, people you wouldn’t normally be able to show your work.
You’ve mentioned in the past that your style is inspired both by Dancehall but also by the time you spent working as a stripper. So many pole stars like you have similar backgrounds or quote strippers as their inspiration, yet the pole community still seems a bit wary to address the connection with stripping. Why do you think that is and how can we change it?
Kitty Velour: Oh really? I thought we were over the whole anti-stripper thing now for the most part. I think I live in a very pro-stripper bubble sometimes, maybe because I love strippers I probably attract other people who love them too, so I haven’t encountered much disassociation with exotic dancers recently.
I talk about stripping and strippers in my classes and workshops a lot too, I don’t think anyone who was in denial of the origin of pole would come to my classes to be honest, haha! I think the best way to change it – if you do come across it – is keep preaching the gloriousness of strippers and stripping! Keep telling people and spread the word.
What are your best memories of working as a stripper?
Kitty Velour: Dancing! I loved being on stage. I also loved watching other girls dance too. You learn a lot more than you think just by watching. I am super grateful for all the wonderful sexy shows I got to see! It made such an impression on me as a baby stripper.
You post some wonderful tutorials on Patreon. What made you start to use it and do you recommend it to other pole dancers/ teachers?
Kitty Velour: My boyfriend encouraged me to make online tutorials, without his amazing video skills and support it wouldn’t have taken off like it did. It’s a great way for people to learn from me wherever they are in the world, which I always thought was pretty cool! I would definitely recommend it to other dancers! It does take a lot of work though, all the filming, editing and advertising so it’s not for the faint hearted.
Last year you performed all across Asia and gave us all massive FOMO with your show clips. How did that come about and what were your best memories of the trip?
Kitty Velour: Again, it was my boyfriend, Adam, who suggested the trip! It was always his dream to travel across South East Asia, to go somewhere that is so culturally different to home.
Performing and teaching in Tokyo will always be one of my favourite things I have ever done. I researched so much to get those contacts haha, you have no idea!
I had a magical time teaching in Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines too! [Kitty is half Filipino on her mother’s side]. My little Filipino cousin, who is 3 years old, wanted to join in with all the twerking which was very funny! My Filipino family were incredibly accepting and supportive, it was true unconditional family love I felt there.