Full Name: RunAround Sue
Age: 30
Currently Residing: Red Hook
Currently Listening to: NPR
 Did you ever know a person who could radiate a room with their smile or make the gloomiest day filled with laughter and good stories? I do...her name is RunAround Sue and she is, well to say the least, she is quite a sparkly personality. Susan is probably one of the kindest most vibrant people I know so when she told me she was doing burlesque, I thought to myself, "How fitting."
I checked out a Sugar Shack show at Lotus and I was very impressed. I have seen other acts in the New York area and to tell you the truth there is a difference between girls in their underwear prancing about on stage and voluptuous women who finesse an audience with real talent and performance...we're talkin' singin', dancin', improv, and magic, people! It really is a SHOW and one to be seen. It is a show which represents the art of burlesque and you know me...I love authenticity!
How did the Sugar Shack begin and your life as a burlesque dancer?
I had gone to a few shows and thought it would be a lot of fun, but the guy I was with at the time wasn't cool with it. When we broke up I thought, "Fuck you man, I'm taking off my clothes!" Ha - no really, I felt liberated in a lot of ways so I signed up for a workshop which I felt would be a really gentle transition into something I found to be a little intimidating. Sugar Shack began when my natural tendencies to be in control merged with my desire to perform.
I was at a show with my now partner – Lady Satan and she said, "I think we should  start a troupe together." I then got a call from the owner of the KGB Bar. He had just read an article Clay McLeod Chapman had written about me in the KGB Bar Lit mag and invited me to do a show at one of the theaters in his building. It was a rather grand undertaking for a novice, but I couldn't turn down the opportunity. We've learned a lot about producing since then and have a couple of monthly shows. The name Sugar Shack actually came from a guy on the subway. I was riding the F train home with my friend, Ward Howarth, and some older urban man said, "Honey you look like you were born in the Sugar Shack." So, I sort of took that and ran with it.
What do you love most about burlesque?
There are a couple things that really get me going. The first is the nature of how I spend my time. When I'm putting together a number I get to listen to great music, wear fun clothes, play with makeup and dance. I also love how legit it all is. When you're watching a really good number you feel like you're part of something, like you're getting an honest insight into what that person enjoys or thinks about. I think that's one reason other people really appreciate burlesque as well – the dancers aren't conforming to some idea of what they need to do to please you or entertain you, they just put together something that inspires them – real women doing numbers about things which they have real opinions or to which they have real responses. You know what I mean? It's engaging when people have honest dialogues about what turns them on, and every good burlesque performance is just that. And of course – THE TEASE! I've been a tease my whole life and it's great to be in an environment where it's not only appropriate but desired.
What vintage dancer do you love most and which new dancer do you feel is a great influence?
 I love classic fan dances and for that you have to thank Sally Rand. I've seen a few videos of her performances and she moves so artfully it's hard to see that she's actually wearing a flesh colored body suit. There are so many talented girls in the scene today – women who have been doing this for years and they have really perfected their craft. Just to name a few? Well, I think Nasty Canasta is a fucking genius – not only sexy as hell, but smart and often pretty ridiculous as well as her partner – Veronika Sweet is definitely one of the hottest performers I've seen ( www.sweetandnastyburlesque.com). Watching Ruby Valentine is like dreaming and I'm always floored by Little Brooklyn's numbers.
How do you go about picking costumes and themes?
Not to sound like an arty jerkoff, but I work pretty organically. Last month I was performing with the DisGraceLand Family Freakshow in Philly. I was sharing a hotel room with a few other dancers and while we were getting ready one of them played the Everly Brothers' song, "Love Hurts" and I knew I had to do a number to it.
Another number started unbeknownst to me, years ago when I found a beautiful Grecian gown in an abandoned building in Long Island City. What was I doing in that building? Well – I don't think that's relevant to the article, but sometimes the music inspires you and sometimes the costume. And of course, your own psychology plays in there as well. I have a number I do to Social Distortion's "Ball and Chain" and it's all about the disillusionment that accompanied my broken engagement and another number to Ray Charles' "Night Time is the Right Time" where I play a dying cockroach turned into an angel –and that's just about growing up as a poor little girl in rundown apartment complexes infested with roaches.
How did you come up with Runaround Sue?
I actually got that name from my dad. I didn't have an alarm clock in high school – just my dad. He would come into my room in the mornings and sing me awake. He always stuck to old 50s tunes like Chantilly Lace, RunAround Sue, Susie Q. So, I always had a special place in my heart for those songs. Then it turns out I grew up to be the kind of woman always on the run. By the time I was 25 I had traveled cross country over 10 times-often by myself. It got to the point where the first question my dad would ask me when I called him wasn't, "How are you?", but "Where are you?" So RunAround Sue just made sense to me.
Where can we see the shows?
Sugar Shack puts on a monthly dance party – NYC's ONLY Burlesque Dance party actually, in the tiki lounge at Niagara on 7 th and A. We have an artist salon going on in the back room and DJ Jess (www.indierotica.com ) on the tables. That show is called Shaken and Stirred and is the first Wednesday of every month. We also do a more traditional show at Lotus ( 35 Clinton St.) the third Saturday of every month.
In the warmer months, I produce a show at the Habana Outpost (www.ecoeatery.com) in Fort Greene. That spot is really beautiful – outdoors, and eco-friendly.
Do you feel the resurgence of burlesque is just a trend and what does it mean to you?
 I feel like burlesque is gonna be sticking around for awhile. It's been around for centuries in one form or another and will just keep going regardless of how visible it is in the scope of the general public. There is a really welcoming community behind the scene and the girls involved have more heart than ego when it comes to performing and I think that's gonna help keep it all afloat. Whenever I start to get overwhelmed I remind myself that I don't do burlesque to get stressed out, I don't do it for the money – I do it to be creative and to get involved in the world a bit.
What has been your most fun show? What are some challenges when doing a show?
When it comes to performing I've found a big challenge is keeping the number simple. New performers put too much stress on creating something really spectacular and it takes awhile to have the confidence to just bring yourself to the stage and be there. I think in the last year I've created about 17 numbers of which I really only feel good about 2. At first I would debut a number, be disappointed at the results, and think the solution was to recreate. The trick is taking it easy and enjoying yourself. My numbers and styles will evolve as I grow as a performer and that won't happen till I relax and pay attention to what I'm doing on the long term.
Challenges with producing a show are bringing in a wider audience and keeping the money coming in. Again, I don't do it for the money, but simple logistics make it clear that you gotta bring in something for the venue to keep bringing you back. Also, the audience base is starting to expand but for awhile it seemed like it was the same people passing around the same tips. I think with the popularity of girls like Dita Von Teese and with the Bettie Page movie that came out recently, burlesque is becoming more mainstream and that should help bring new people in.
It's also been a challenge to bring something new to the form – there are a lot of great shows out there: Starshine Burlesque, Wassabasco Burlesque and they've really got it down. And variety acts – there aren't enough of them. Of course a show filled with engaging burlesque girls is gonna be a lot of fun, but I like to see some other acts mixed in as well. There are some great magicians like Albert Cadabra and sideshow performers like the crew from Coney Island and mixing in these guys with burlesque performers harkens back to the old vaudeville days and I really enjoy it.
I've gotten a lot of bad burlesque shows...shows where these girls are not emulating what true burlesque is...how do you feel Sugar Shack is portraying burlesque?
I think the danger comes when the performers begin to loose control of the show.  There are some reputable venues like the Slipper Room run by non-performers and performing there is definitely an honor. But, I have heard of new venues opening up with body type restrictions and I find that a little disheartening. Burlesque is great because it is so much fantasy backed up by so many types of real women with unique personalities and different body types. I find that really exciting and I think it creates an environment where the audience comes to join in on the fun, not to critique the dancers' right to perform. I'd hate to see that diluted for commercial purposes, but maybe there is room for both.
The bottom line for me is the heart of it all. If you go to a show and the performers are pretty new at it, of course it wont be the same as seeing the great contemporary dancers like World Famous Bob, Jo Boobs or Dirty Martini – but everybody starts somewhere and if the girls are putting their heart in it, I'm gonna enjoy it. With Sugar Shack I like to mix them all up. If a new girl shows up at a performance and seems really sincere, more than likely I'm gonna book her. And of course, for my own growth and enjoyment I do my best to bring in established performers as well.
Cat Woman or Cheetarah?
What about Hawk's girlfriend from Buck Rodgers?
To learn more about Sugar Shack and RunAround Sue visit her My Space page. If you get a chance to check out the show...please do because it's definitely worth it. Sue will charm the pants off of you!
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