Today we’d like to introduce you to Eva la Feva.
Eva, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started belly dancing in college -. I loved feeling in control of my body and learning about the history of the art form. I began performing belly dance acts in variety shows and quickly got hooked – and often I would perform in burlesque shows alongside circus, sideshow, and and other variety performers.
As I began to watch more burlesque performances, I was drawn to it the performers who were telling stories and creating performance art. I loved the larger-than-life characters and that the performers could be funny, weird, theatrical, or something other than sexy. I liked how clever the performers could be in planning costuming that could advance a plot line. I started to experiment with costuming that evolved over the course of the act, and slowly began creating burlesque acts.
When I moved back to Chicago in 2011, I began working full-time and performing 3-5 nights a week, and soon began producing regular events of my own. Eventually, I was able to quit my day job and focus full time on Feva Pitch Productions, an event production company that I formed in 2016.
Burlesque has taken me across the country and enabled me to meet so many amazing people, I’m looking forward to seeing where it takes me in the years to come.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s never smooth road nor is it ever a straight path! I think a lot of artists (myself included) struggle with impostor syndrome or are haunted by the word “enough” (“Am I doing enough?”).
With the amount of performing I do, I also struggle with occasional injuries which can be incredibly demoralizing. When you’re working full-time as an independent artist, you don’t have sick leave or paid vacation, so you learn to improvise and figure out creative solutions. My “Dashboard Hula” act was actually an act I created when I had hurt my foot and wasn’t able to walk around easily (let alone dance in heels). To compensate, I created an act where I was a dashboard hula doll dancing to changing radio stations – but in the act, I stay standing on a small podium in flip-flops to accommodate my injury.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Feva Pitch Productions is an event production company specializing in burlesque/nightlife entertainment. I work with venues and clients to create highly curated, themed events featuring a diverse group of performers. Chicago is rife with talented artists, and last year I was able to provide work for over 100 different artists.
Currently I’m producing a few regular events:
— The Clipper Cabaret: Burlesque and Variety Revue (every first Tuesday at the California Clipper)
The Clipper Cabaret features silent-theatre style vaudeville skits that introduce pop-up burlesque/variety performances every 20 minutes (sponsored by Hendrick’s Gin).
— SIP After Dark: Live Jazz and Burlesque (third Fridays at Southport and Irving, co-produced with Brooklyn Britches)
SIP After Dark is an intimate evening of live jazz music, pop-up classic burlesque performance, and featured performer-inspired Suerte Tequila specials. Featuring live music by Brooklyn Britches and The Whispers.
— Red Light Special (coproduced with Gutter Glam Entertainment)
An electric and eclectic weekend nightcap, Red Light Special is a body-positive, queer-friendly dance party with long-form gogo sets.
— Quarterly Burlesque Revue at Found Kitchen and Social House (Evanston)
Burlesque performances in Found’s intimate Salon space.
This year, I’m one of the co-producers for the Burning City Neo-Vintage Entertainment Festival, coming to Uptown the last weekend of July,
What were you like growing up?
I was always creating something – writing and directing movies, writing books, or sewing clothing. I played soccer for 11 years before discovering dance. I was called overly sensitive and I lived in my imagination most of the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: fevapitchproductions.com
- Phone: 5738811691
- Email: evalafevaburlesque@gmail.com
- Instagram: @evalafeva
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eva.lafeva
- Twitter: @evalafeva
Image Credit:
Greg Inda, Kriss Abigail, Virginia Harold, Avanse, Greg Inda, Jeff Millies/Pez Photo, Caitlin Ruby Miller/Ruby Images, Hannah Dunsirn
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