{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"REUPLOAD w\/ Preface: #7: A Series of Tangents w\/ Attica Wilde (2018)","description":"1 hour, 4 minutes (Released: February 26, 2018 \/ Recorded: February 3, 2018) In this episode of WEBurlesque The Podcast, Viktor Devonne interviews Attica Wilde, a New Jersey based producer and burlesque performer. Attica Wilde passed away in March 2026 in a senseless act of violence.  We re-upload this episode in her memory, reminding us to remember her energy, style, and hope for the future. Attica starts off by talking about her own humble beginnings as a performer and how she can\u2019t get rid of the video evidence entirely no matter how much she tries:  \u201cI wasn\u2019t even supposed to perform; I was supposed to be a stage kitten. And the week before, [the producer] was like \u2018Hey, so I have an opening, come up with two acts.\u2019 And I already kind of had one with a giant coffin because I never do anything small, so I said ok and I did them and they still exist on the internet.\u201d Along with being a producer and performer, Attica is also a burlesque teacher. She goes on to talk about some of the tips she gives her students and how she is tired of everyone doing acts to the same old burlesque classics: \u201cDon\u2019t always pick the obvious choice. I tell that to my students a lot\u2026 If it\u2019s an obvious choice that you\u2019ve already seen someone else do\u2026 It\u2019s really hard\u2026 as a newbie to be like let me reimagine this completely.\u201d From there, Attica recounts her time as the producer of the classical review Smoke and Mirrors and why she decided to go in that direction when it was created and what led her to eventually realizing she wanted to get out: \u201cAt the time, it felt to me there was a gap to what we offered here in Jersey in terms of styles of burlesque\u2026there wasn\u2019t really any classical here\u2026 I thought that was the easiest way to make my mark\u2026One of the many reasons [my show] Smoke and Mirrors isn\u2019t around anymore is that I found it very confining\u2026and I didn\u2019t have room or space to be more creative or to cast the more creative or weird out there things.\u201d Attica is recovering from back surgery and is slowing getting back into performing after having to recover. She recounts why she had to get the back surgery in the first place and why it was so hard to receive the care she needed: \u201cI was in a car accident and I had cracked one of the disks in my L4, L5, like almost in half\u2026it\u2019s the lowest part of your spine\u2026 it was one of those quiet injuries where no one believes you are actually injured because you can\u2019t see it\u2026. I had the surgery after about a year and a half of trying everything else because I was 27 at the time and [the doctors] were like \u2018You are too young for back surgery.\u2019\u201d With all these experiences behind her, Attica finishes the podcast by reflecting on what being a burlesque performer means to her and where she sees the artform going. Society has made many strides in the past few decades, but she admits to still being insecure in her identities:  \u201cThere is an implication to being a burlesque performer and talking about it. Now, I generally don\u2019t run in circles with people that don\u2019t get it or who cast shade or look down on me for it because I just don\u2019t have time for that in my life. However, the fact that we are having more politically toned shows more obviously speaks volumes to where we are at right now and I see them all the time\u2026 [Despite the more widespread acceptance] I still have feelings of not being queer enough in queer spaces. I\u2019m currently dating a girl and seeing a trans person and I\u2019m still not queer enough because most of my relationships have been straight passing.\u201d ","author_name":"WEBurlesque the Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/weburlesque.libsyn.com\/website","html":"