Trials and Tribulations... A Day in the Life...

I don't talk a lot about the difficulties with having an entertainment club in China because it is something we have to deal with on a day to day basis. Also, considering the tone I would like to express on this matter I have to be very careful about how I express myself, as I do live here and own a business. Blogs are blocked here in China for a reason, and there is a lot to be said reading between lines. There are tons of rules that need to be followed, or sometimes for the right people or right fee, they don't matter so much. Or sometimes, since there has never been anything like us to compare, they will just make up rules 'to protect the Chinese people.'

It does make me cringe when I think about just how unqualified whoever is 'judging' our acts is. Most likely it is someone who has never been outside of China, someone who probably resents foreigners, someone whose sole entertainment experiences hinges on circus acts and the CNY 'spectacular' that bores children to tears annually. But here we are, yet again, for what feels like the hundredth time (I've stopped bothering to ask 'When will it get easier?'), at the mercy of someone who is hopefully having a good day. Who, hopefully, has a sense of humor. Who, hopefully, is not terribly insecure or completely sexually repressed. Someone who hopefully can see that we already self- edit and go out of our way to abide by the Chinese law, while also entertaining the masses and obeying our own high standards of entertainment.

About 4 weeks ago an ex employee (Ex for some very good reasons that if I went into you wouldn't even believe) went to the cultural department and made a complaint that we were 'Too Sexy.' Oh yeah, and she gave them my passport number too. (a 'wtf' might be appropriate here). They sent spies, filmed the shows, took pictures, and we had to go in for an 'emergency' meeting two days later. Luckily we have a lot of the right kind of people on board and backing us (We wouldn't exist otherwise), and we are now just awaiting approval on the 32 acts we have submitted. We of course submitted our acts once before when we were opening, but the dvds were mysteriously lost (hence 'ex' employee), and anyways, Expo hadn't started yet.

So we are keeping our fingers crossed that tomorrow when they come back to us about which acts are approved and which ones aren't that they have left some in. We have already heard that we can't have water on stage. That underwear that looks like underwear should not be used (but if it is a costume it is okay... still trying to figure out what that means). No implied boners on stage (Can't we just argue that it was real and he couldn't help it? Comedy Sir, Comedy!) Whispers that drag is inappropriate (I've seen a lot of 'Inappropriate' drag, here and out there, and what we do, in one act, with one straight guy is far from it).

What is frustrating to me is the spirit in which we do these acts- Our audiences are adults, who have volunteered to come and expect to be entertained. You can go to disco clubs all over town and see girls with less on then they have on our stage. Kids can go on the subway and see filthy underwear ads all over. If you are official enough I hear there are places with fully nude dancing girls, not to mention the KTV's on every block.

We try to stay positive though, and also recognize that being here has forced us to be far more creative than we have had to be before. We also have new acts every week, and for that, They are going to have to work with us on since we will be submitting new video and acts weekly. Hopefully they begin to see that we have done all the hard editing ourselves, and what is left is something we have thought our way around and know that we have succeeded on a creative level while still conforming to the rules. Hopefully they'll get bored with us. We'll see.

Keep you're fingers crossed. I'll keep you posted. No one ever said burlesque in a communist country would be easy. (All right, I might have said it, but I take it back) ;)