Category Archives: Berlin

An evening with the BSC and the ELSC! Life drawing with strippers!

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Sasha Diamond for East London Strippers Collective by Suzanne Forbes August 24 2020I was so excited about the first IRL/streaming hybrid session of the Berlin Strippers’ Collective life drawing!

The model was Akynos, an incredible Berlin talent who I love to draw. And then, The East London Strippers’ Collective Life Drawing group announced that Sasha Diamond was their model, for the same night!

And I have been wanting to draw Sasha, an amazing teacher and performer, for ages! That’s Sasha above, in rainbow wig and outfit. She has the best moves! Life drawing with strippers is wonderful because pole dancers are incredible, graceful athletes.

Akynos for Berlin Strippers Collective x Sketcherei 2 by Suzanne Forbes August 24 2020Luckily, the time difference meant I could almost be in two places at once.

I “went” to the Berlin Strippers’ Collective/Sketcherei session first, arriving virtually via Zoom to see artists gathering in the really cool new venue. Even virtually, it was wonderful to see Alexandra and Chiqui!

Akynos for Berlin Strippers Collective x Sketcherei 1 by Suzanne Forbes August 24 2020Akynos danced in a halterneck jumpsuit and I made a series of loose sketches.

It was wonderful to be able to draw dancing in an actual club again!

Akynos for Berlin Strippers Collective x Sketcherei 3 by Suzanne Forbes August 24 2020The music was excellent too.

Thanks so much to Akynos, The Berlin Strippers Collective, Sasha Diamond Pole (she has a website coming soon here) and the East London Strippers Collective!

Here is how you can follow and support Akynos: her Instagram, performer website, Patreon, Youtube and SW mutual aid organization.

And as always,

I am so grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support lets me keep documenting international performers while I work safely at home.

The very last Poke House and House of Presents in Quarantine (for now!)

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Pansy for Pansys House of Presents in Quarantine Aug 18 2020 by Suzanne ForbesPansy didn’t put on any drag for the last night of House of Presents in Quarantine.

She just appeared as herself, hot and tired after spending the day – GETTING PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN GERMANY! And there is other great news for the HoP crew.

Live, in-person Drag shows begin again at beloved Queer Berlin institution Monster Ronson’s on September 8! You can get tickets (they must be bought in advance and there are stringent protocols to follow) here.

House of Presents poster Fall 2020So the digital drag shows that have helped to support the incredible, intersectional cast of the House of Presents and Gieza‘s Poke House have come to an end.

As much as I have loved these shows – they have been so crucial to my sanity and that of so many others- I know performers need a stage and these beautiful creatures can’t thrive without an IRL audience.

I want the Queens and Quings and Drag Things of HoP and the Poke House to do what they love most! Pansy and Gieza plan to stream the IRL shows, and are working on how to do that, so I look forward to seeing these some of these amazing folx return to their home stage.

I am incredibly grateful to Pansy and Gieza for the work they did these five months, providing a virtual community and psychic anchor when so much else in Berlin was shut down.

Gieza Poke final Poke House in Quarantine Aug 18 2020 by Suzanne ForbesGieza Poke wore a Sacred Heart crown I made for her final digital show!

She came by our flat one more time to collect raffle prizes, and I gave her a box of mermaid jewels to give away to Berlin’s queer community. I have loved being able to contribute value to the Berlin Queerconomy this way!

If you look here, under the VIDEOS tab of Gieza’s twitch account, you can see so many incredible Quarantine performances.

Gieza Poke in Sacred Heart Crown by Suzanne Forbes on Aug 18 2020Here’s Gieza in her crown!

It was actually August 18, the date wasn’t updated! You can see us babbling supportively in the chat. I showed up for every single show!

 

I am so grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support lets me keep documenting Berlin’s international, intersectional performers while I work safely at home.