Cherry Sparkle Burlesque Interview: The Gorgeous G.I. Jayne

After an unacceptable period of silence on this blog, I break my fast from posting in a most enjoyable way, by interviewing the gorgeous G.I. Jayne, one of the army of dolls and guys performing with our local Cherry Sparkle Burlesque Company. Stay tuned to the interview to find out more about her as well as details about their next burlesque performance.

First of all, I’d like to thank you for agreeing to this interview, G.I. Jayne. And for your service with our armed forces. If you don’t mind, could you tell us more about your military service?

Sure! I have been in the Alabama Army National Guard for almost 7 years now. I joined right out of high school as a military police. At that point in time, I thought I was going to go to law school, so it seemed to fit as an MP. I was really girly in high school (cheerleading captain) and I had made a joke about joining. I actually got made fun of and told I could not handle the military, so I guess it started as me proving a point. Now, 7 years later and on my second contract commitment, I would not trade it for the world! It is definitely the best experience and I look forward to many more years of serving our country.

You went from captain of your cheerleading squad to a facing off against terrorists as well as military criminals. At this point, I’m thinking G.I. Jayne is the real Captain America. All you need is the costume. Not that I am complaining about the costumes you choose to use now. 😉

Obviously, your stage name references your military background but does it have anything to do with G.I. Jane, the Demi Moore movie about the first female Navy SEAL?

Haha! You are not the first to ask this. Actually, when I came home from basic, a woman that I considered my second mother made me a cake that said: “Welcome Home, GI Jane.” It became an inside joke then and I took to the name. When coming up with a stage name, I had a hard time trying to find something that suits me. After weeks of thinking, I thought back to that and decided that it was the perfect fit! But I love people referencing me to Demi Moore because she is so bad ass and it’s awesome that it is what comes to mind when people here it:)

Well, I think you qualify for all-American badass too. Cheerleader turned military police who performs burlesque on the side. I couldn’t write a better female action hero. Demi Moore could never hope to pull off that kind of a performance without a green screen and a stuntwoman.

How did you come to join Cherry Sparkle? And how long have you been a member?

I have been a member since December of 2013 (almost a year). My entertainment manager actually booked them at the bar I was managing at the time, The Crimson Tiger. I was very uncertain about what they did and was a little standoffish about having booked them. The night they came, we were packed! The audience was going crazy. They really showed out and had fun doing it. I knew that I had to be a part of what Kaitie had created. So I auditioned the very next week and was thrilled to be accepted.

And as they say, the rest is history, right? Having seen you perform onstage and then interacting with you offstage, I doubt I am the only one who is happy that you changed your mind about burlesque and Cherry Sparkle.

Did you have a background in dance, theater, or performance art prior to joining the company?

I do! I took ballet, tap, jazz, and many other forms of dance as a child. I was on danceline all through elementary school, and later became a cheerleader all through high school at a place where dance performances were taken very serious! Even as cheerleaders, our sole purpose and what we lived for were our dancing skills.

How would you describe your role in Cherry Sparkle Burlesque and your performance style?

I am known as more of a neo style dancer. I always try to bring something different to the table that people would not expect of me. In our last show, I actually did a little poi with glow sticks. That was ALOT of fun!

Given complete creative control and few limitations on budget, what song would you perform to onstage and how would you garb yourself for this performance of a lifetime?

There is one song I got really worked up over and have wanted to do forever, I just have to find the right venue that we perform at to make it work. It is a song by Five Finger Death Punch called the Wrong Side of Heaven. It is the ultimate military tribute but the video is truly what makes the song. If I could have it my way, I would do some kind of dramatic routine with a projector in the background playing that video. It is so touching. It would not be so much about me dancing, but for just a few minutes, everyone in the building paying respect to our fallen soldiers and the ones who continue to suffer. Of course I would have to have it complete with smoke and fire and all that fancy jazz just to make it even more awesome 🙂

That’s not only an exciting choice, Jayne, but also a heartfelt one. I’m sure my family and friends who have served would appreciate it greatly. After all, it was my cousin, a Marine combat veteran, who introduced me to that song and its stirring video.

Let’s take a moment to discuss your day job, when you’re not keeping America safe or raising our spirits with your stimulating performances. I hear that you are making the change from bartender to bar owner. Could you tell me more about your new business and when we can look forward to the grand opening?

I am! It is called the Darkhorse Saloon and it is located at 1113 Noble Street. We are very excited about it. My dad, my stepmother, and I are the owners. Our vision is for it to be more of a relaxed, chill out lounge that focuses on a lot of live music. We will have karaoke, open mic, and even free food during happy hour. We are set for a grand opening on Friday, October 10th!

What’s your favorite part of a burlesque show?

Definitely the variety of everything that we do and how it all comes together. It is about being comfortable in your own skin and loving the you that you are. I love seeing all of our hard work pay off. Show days are always the most fun because we are all a bundle of nerves and stressed to the max, but once we get on that stage it is a feeling like no other. We definitely have the best fans to always make what we do possible!

What’s your least favorite part of performing?

I guess just the nerves. There is not really anything I do not like about performing, but you always have that thought in he back of your mind of, are they going to love me or hate me? But if I did not get nervous before a performance, there would be something wrong.

Finally, when will we be able to see you onstage with Cherry Sparkle again?

We will be performing the opening weekend of The Darkhorse Saloon on Saturday, October 11; and I cannot wait to share my exciting weekend with all of these amazing girls. It is so nice to be able to share this moment with them and I look forward to seeing all of our fans in the audience:)

Well, I hope to share it with you. That’s one show and grand opening I don’t want to miss. And I hope our readers out there don’t miss out on it either.

Thanks again for sitting down with me for this interview. As always, it has been a pleasure. I appreciate what you’ve done for my nation as well as my morale. Keep up the good work on all fronts, G.I. Jayne. You’ll always have the support of this writer.