People are always asking me- "What do you prefer most? Designing costumes or dancing?"
BOTH!
And if I can work on a project that allows me to do both, I'm in heaven.
A good example of this was when I toured with electro singer Peaches in 2011 on her Australian east coast DJ tour. I was not only one of her dancers, but also designed and made her costume, and co-designed and made all of the costumes worn by the dancers.
Making costumes for rockstars, dancing as part of their show, and wearing my own designs
Is. My. Favourite. Thing. In. The. Whole. World.
In early 2011 I teamed up with a very sexy pole dancer from Melbourne by the name of Agent Cleave, and we started performing together as
"CLEAVE & DALY"
GLOBE-TROTTING GLAMOROUS GROTESQUE GOTHIC GO-GO DANCE DUO
BOTH!
And if I can work on a project that allows me to do both, I'm in heaven.
A good example of this was when I toured with electro singer Peaches in 2011 on her Australian east coast DJ tour. I was not only one of her dancers, but also designed and made her costume, and co-designed and made all of the costumes worn by the dancers.
Making costumes for rockstars, dancing as part of their show, and wearing my own designs
Is. My. Favourite. Thing. In. The. Whole. World.
In early 2011 I teamed up with a very sexy pole dancer from Melbourne by the name of Agent Cleave, and we started performing together as
"CLEAVE & DALY"
GLOBE-TROTTING GLAMOROUS GROTESQUE GOTHIC GO-GO DANCE DUO
CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR VIDEOS:
DANCING WITH PEACHES AT WEBSTER HALL NEW YORK 2011
DANCING WITH PEACHES FOR LOVEBOX FESTIVAL. LONDON UK. 2011
Agent Cleave and I are both wearing the HAIR CAPES that I made for us.
Agent Cleave and I are both wearing the HAIR CAPES that I made for us.
DANCING WITH PEACHES AT SUNSET SOUNDS FESTIVAL, AUSTRALIA 2011.
ALL COSTUMES MADE BY JESS DALY
JESS DALY & AGENT CLEAVE TOUR THE WORLD!
MAY- JULY 2011: I've spent the past two months touring the globe with my partner in crime Agent Cleave, swanning through New York City, Berlin, Amsterdam and London. I worked on a number of costume projects, and together with Agent Cleave as duo CLEAVE & DALY we covered the crowds in hair, feathers, blood and glitter.
In New York City we continued our collaboration with Candian songstress Peaches, getting down and dirty at Webster Hall and Rockbar as part of her DJ tour. Part of our time spent in New York included a sejour care of the fabulous hospitality of artist collective & warehouse/theatre extrordinaire "House of Yes" in Bushwick, Brooklyn. We not only stayed there but also performed, created costumes, networked and above all made friends with and were inspired by an incredible group of set and costume designers, musicians, circus performers, dancers and performance artists of all sorts- a heavenly crew of fabulous people.Speaking of heavenly, Agent Cleave and I also found our fellow kindred spirits in the form of the Zand Collective. A gorgeous crew of NY vogue goths; such beautiful and talented performers, dancers, musicians and artists, who adopted us into their bejewelled world with open arms and showed us the glamorous, the fabulous, the box, le bain; la vie en noir.
What a city.
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| Agent Cleave & I with Peaches, Webster Hall, NYC. Photo Santiago Felipe |
In Amsterdam we got our hairy zebra's on and danced amoungst the babes at queer club UNK, and in London performed at art party Glossy, then finished the tour with en epic finale- joining Peaches & a crazy circus of performers for her
DJ set at Lovebox Festival.
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| DANCING WITH PEACHES AT WEBSTER HALL NEW YORK 2011 |
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| Me livening the crowd up at Trash, Webster Hall, NYC. Dancin with DJ Jess, photo Santiago Felipe |
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| NEW YORK PHOTOSHOOT BY SANTIAGO FELIPE |
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| NEW 2011YORK PHOTOSHOOT WITH SANTIAGO FELIPE |
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| BERLIN! VICE PARTY SHOW: PEACHES, AGENT CLEAVE, MIGNON AND ME! |
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| SHOW AT "KINGSIZE" BAR, BERLIN |
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| Me post-gig at Kingsize, Berlin. Wearing fabulous satin wings care of DJ Bronson Hawkins |
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| Cleave & Daly rock the hairy zebras. Onstage at UNK, Amsterdam |
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| 2nd performance in the window of White Trash bar, Berlin. Wearing my newly made pvc and studded go-go costume. |
"STRUNG OUT"
MELBOURNE WEEKLY QUEER PARTY
After returning to Melbourne from our WILD WORLD TOUR, Agent Cleave and I performed several times at the "queer rock social" aptly names STRUNG OUT!Heavy metal go-go dancing, and gothic pony costumes; we were a hit.
"VANITY"
SIRENS OF SIN @ RED BENNIES, MELBOURNE
A foray into the world of obscure fetishes, Agent Cleave and I created a performance piece as part of the “Sirens of Sin” burlesque and performance art event held at art deco nightclub Red Bennies.
Our sin was VANITY.
Our bodies encased in white lace.
Our faces masked.
A conceptual take on the vices of vanity, we explored themes of fetish culture, and created a homage in part to the great Leigh Bowery.
All costumes, styling and choreography by Jess Daly and Agent Cleave.
The 7 Deadly Sins from Red Bennies on Vimeo.
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"V DENTATAS"
2007-2011
PHOTO JONNY KIRK. COSTUMES & STYLING JESS DALY
The V Dentatas was a dance duo formed by myself and dancer Sian Reid, and we performed together from 2007 until early 2011. We began dancingin the Melbourne bulresque scene, performing with local bands and DJ's and then toured with the Big Day Out tour nationally around Australia for several years as part of the Lilyworld stage. As well as dancing with Peaches, and touring to the UK for Glastonbury and Lovebox festivals,
We initially concepted short performance works, revolving around themes of gender and feminism, subverting traditional forms of burlesque. Then created dance routines and performances drawing on both our previous training across a wide range of dance forms, from jazz, hip-hop to african. Sian was the PR extrordinaire, I made and designed all the costumes, and together we co-directed and choreographed.
WATCH OUR VIDEOS HERE:
OUR SHOWREEL.
EDITED BY DANIEL KOERNER
DANCING WITH PEACHES ON HER AUSSIE DJ TOUR 2011
PEACHES & V DENTATAS NEW YEARS EVE COUNTDOWN AT FALLS FESTIVAL
PERFORMING AT "THE CAVE" ART PARTY FOR:
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
VIDEO BY DANIEL KOERNER
2010 V DENTATAS UK TOUR- GLASTONBURY & LOVEBOX FESTIVALS
2010 was a big year for V Dentatas, following the success of their performances on the Big Day Out festival tour, performing at the Lilyworld, and then with Peaches. To dancing at Moomba, Boogie Festival and then with Scattermusic Sound System at Golden Plains festival.
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| PHOTO JONNY KIRK. STYLING & COSTUMES JESS DALY |
At Glastonbury we danced for bands and DJs on the Dada stage, in the Shangri-La, as well as dancing in our day of the dead costumes...in a cage! Thats right the Snake Pit club there has a whole cage to dance in- so much fun!
Lovebox saw us perform at the Bearded Kitten stage, lots of fun, our Robot/Space Explorers dance was a big success- everyone loves a good spandex leotard with built in lights
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| PHOTO JONNY KIRK. STYLING & COSTUMES JESS DALY |
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| PHOTO JONNY KIRK, STYLING, MAKEUP & COSTUMES JESS DALY |
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| SIAN AND JESS DJ-ING AT "WOW" CLUB, MELBOURNE |
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| JUNGLE TOPS & HARLEQUIN HOTPANTS 2009 PUBLICITY SHOTS BY PAULA DELLEY |
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| DANCING FOR DJ'S SCATTERMUSIC SOUND SYSTEM |
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| WITH COMEDIAN PAUL MCDERMOTT, DANCING AS PART OF THE COMEDY FESTIVAL GALA 2010 |
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| QUEEN OF HEARTS COSTUME ALICE IN WONDERLAND PUBLICITY SHOTS BY PAULA DELLEY |
BIG DAY OUT FESTIVALS 2009, 2010, 2011
AS "V DENTATAS" SIAN REID AND I TOURED WITH THE BIG DAY OUT FESTIVAL 2009, 2010 AND 2011
AS PART OF THE LILYWORLD STAGE. ALONG WITH DUCKPOND, LARRY& HEAVY G, IT WAS THREE YEARS OF PSYCHADELIC AWESOMENESS,
DANCING WITH BANDS, DJS AND ENTERTAINING THE MASSES!
WE SHARED THE STAGE WITH SOME INCREDIBLE BANDS, MET AND DANCED FOR PEACHES, GOT FLOWN AROUND AUSTRALIA AND HAD THE TIME OF OUR LIVES.
BELOW ARE SOME PICS FROM VARIOUS YEARS
ALL COSTUMES DESIGNED AND MADE BY JESS DALY
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| DAY OF THE DEAD COSTUMES |
WE MET PEACHES WHEN SHE CAME TO GUEST DJ AT THE LILYWORLD STAGE
WE DANCED WITH PEACHES FOR HER GUEST DJ SET, SHE THEN INVITED US TO COME DANCE WITH HER FOR HER LIVE SET, AND WE GOT TO WEAR THE "TRANIMAL" COSTUMES WORN IN HER "TALK TO ME CLIP"!
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| SIAN, PEACHES, ME |
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| SIAN AND ME AS PEACHES "TRANIMALS" |
LILYWORLD
PERFORMING OUR "DAY OF THE DEAD" SHOW
BIG DAY OUT SYDNEY 2010
