“I've always loved angsty characters” - Guest Feature: Hana Li
Dallas-based burlesque performer, Hana Li showed work in our 2023 Virtual Screamtacular.
Hana Li is a sexy scientist in red pumps and white lab coat, holding a beaker over a table with other beakers and skulls. Photo by Dynamite Dames.
In this interview, you’ll learn all about Hana as a performer, from how they got their name and their first performance, to what they’re known for, and what they’re working on now!
Hana Li, Lab teched her way through striptease school - Early Burlesque Career
Who doesn’t love an origin story? Learn how Hana became the sultry, funny, multidimensional performer we’ve all come to know and love…
How did you come up with your name?
Hana Li was originally a penname from the days of Xanga, but it never caught on with my friends. I was super into cyberpunk and loved the mystery woman described in the lyrics of the ending theme of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, "Lithium Flower". "Hana" is "flower" in Japanese and Li is the chemical symbol for lithium.
It's also a Chinese name so I thought this was a perfect name to capture my Chinese heritage and nerdy side.
How did you come up with your tagline?
In college, my roommate made the cliche comment that she would probably have to be a stripper to pay for medical school, and one of our friends said he would then "lab tech [his] way through stripper school".
Several years later, I realized I was living this joke as a lab tech who took burlesque classes in the evening. It made for a great blog title as I began documenting the start of my performer journey, and it's a funny inversion of a cliche that is harmful to sex workers so I turned it into a tagline as well.
I changed “stripper school” to "striptease school" since I don't have club stripping experience.
What originally drew you to burlesque?
As a kid, I've always been fascinated by things that were taboo, and I noticed that it often included things related to feminine sexuality.
Being on the asexual spectrum (although I didn't know it at the time), I couldn't understand why people were obsessed with sex, but I sensed that you could harness power through it. So I've always been attracted to things like exotic dance and lingerie.
I happened upon burlesque through goth clubbing and finding lessons at a studio where I took belly dance classes. My interest further developed when I learned it was a huge part of Dallas history with Jack Ruby that people don’t talk about. Of course that led to me researching burlesque history, and learning that it’s always been diverse and women-run even in the Victorian Era made me want to be a part of it.
What was your first-ever burlesque act?
My solo debut, "Black Glasses", had me starting out in big black glasses and a Batman onesie trying to mimic sexy comic book poses. Then I strip through clothes referencing DC and Marvel heroes before sexily taking my glasses while in pasties... but then I can't see (because none of the movies ever factor in if the nerdy love interest has terrible vision and can't wear contacts) so I put the glasses back on.
It was a celebration of being an awkward nerd, which I still am, but I feel like my identity as a performer has evolved from this specific persona.
Hana Li crawls on the stage in a Batman costume and grey, leopard-print glasses. Photo by Michael Schulze
Hana’s work and Inspirations
How would you describe your aesthetic and the concepts/stories you explore in your performances?
I'm primarily a nerdlesque performer who likes inserting some commentary into their acts.
Initially I did cutesy numbers that poked fun at tropes and unsexy scenarios like waiting for a phone call or getting writer's block. However, I've always loved angsty characters so I started making more acts about trauma and identity, particularly as it relates to gender.
It’s helped me realize I am nonbinary, and one of my favorite things now is to switch between my burlesque and drag personas to capture this.
Who and What are Your Biggest Inspirations?
I became interested in burlesque when I learned about its history in Dallas and in the Asian-American community so I have legends like Satan's Angel, Tammi True, the Grant Avenue Follies, and Noel Toy to thank for getting me involved.
Then I found inspiration in present-day Asian performers, notably my fellow Taiwanese-Americans Shanghai Pearl and Calamity Chang. Seeing yourself represented does make things seem more possible. Stella Chuu and Tifa Tittlywinks were two early nerdlesque inspirations, and Brown Girls Burlesque and Brown RadicalASS Burlesque helped me realize I could politicize my numbers. Finally, Elle Ay'Elle/Damien Dupree is a direct inspiration for my genderbending and love of reverse stripping.
I get ideas for acts from my nerdy interests: anime, comics, gaming, J-rock, K-pop, and writing.
What Inspires Your Acts? Walk Us Through Your Burlesque Act Creation Process
Being a writer, I often treat my nerdlesque acts as fanfiction that expands on a character's story or a means to insert commentary on their depiction (like how Black Widow is often reduced to her sexy design).
Sometimes a show theme reminds me of a character or a song from a show makes me think “burlesque.”
I like to plan my choreography in detail, but drag taught me to leave some space for audience interaction. Despite being a cosplayer, I am not very crafty so I try to either commission my costumes or edit down the pieces to be more feasible to alter from thrifted materials.
What 3 Burlesque Acts are You Best Known For?
1. "Moonlight Serenade” is my Tuxedo Mask act.
I was specifically inspired by the live-action musical that has a woman in the role. The song is a jazz cover of the Sailor Moon theme with male vocals, and I thought it was a great way to incorporate the classic bump-and-grind I learned from Ginger Valentine, my first burlesque teacher.
It’s the closest I get to being classic while also making anime fans very excited when they hear the first couple of notes.
2. "Evolution of Donna Troy" is what I call a strip-reverse strip, inspired by two different version of Donna Troy/Wonder Girl.
I created the act specifically for a show honoring George Perez who had her undergo a makeover and change her name to Troia. I like the idea of combining a striptease and a reverse strip to demonstrate evolution, and it was a fun challenge to create a compact choreography.
Also "Wonder Woman Main Theme" by Tina Guo is badass so I get to tap into that part of me and be extra dramatic.
3. My all-time favorite act is "Son of Rage and Love".
It's an angsty, chaotic number set to "Jesus of Suburbia" from American Idiot on Broadway, which has male and female vocals. I end up switching from my drag persona Tony Fo-Hawk to Hana Li.
Tony represents the action sports-obsessed punk rock part of me, and the act reflects my gender journey. Burlesque has helped me be more okay with my body and get rid of some internalized misogyny, but I don't just want to be viewed as female.
The song switches back to masculine vocals at the end when I'm twirling pasties so it's a representation of the genderfluidity that is also present when I am Hana.
Hana Li kisses a red rose in a black tuxedo, black cape with red lining, and a top hat. Photo by Brandy Lynne Photography
What do you hope to add to the art of burlesque and that audiences take away from your work?
As a grey-asexual, I want to challenge the notion that "sexy" and "sexual" are the same. Burlesque is sexy, but I don't think it has to be inherently sexual for the person doing it. I like pushing the audience to experience emotions beyond titillation, and as an Asian femme, I want to subvert the sexualization I've been subjected to.
What’s something you’re working on now that you’re excited about?
A couple months ago, I brought two older acts to an out-of-town gig, and I enjoyed revisiting them even though I was stressing at how rusty I was. It got me resolving to go through all my numbers and pick out which ones truly represent me and are fun to do so that I can continue to improve upon them and present my best self.
I’m hoping this also helps me not get burned out.
Where can readers learn more about you and keep up with your work?
http://hanaliburlesque.blogspot.com/ for my blog, @hanaliburlesque on FB and IG
What current performers are inspiring you now?
I’ve always wanted to be badass as Miss Malicious (@miss.malicious), and her troupe, the Lollie Bombs, is the longest running neo burlesque troupe in Dallas.
Miss AuroraBoobRealis (@dawnsmind) is a co-founder Brown RadicalASS Burlesque and a wonderful educator on the intersections of dance, other art forms, politics, and wellness.
Danny Fox-Trot (@mxdannyfoxtrot) and Esmeralda May (@esmeralda.may) are two nerdlesque performers I love working with and watching. Their have such a large variety of acts and continue to add to their bags.
Flux Inqueerior (@inqueerior) is a fellow Asian enby who has inspired me to continue incorporating aspects of my identity into my performances.
Hana Li flexes their muscles with a smile, in a wide stance, wearing a blue and gold superhero-style costume with boots. Photo by Obscura Lux
Hana Li’s Burlesque Bio
When Hana Li's friend joked about lab teching his way through stripper school, she didn't know that it would be a reality. Since making her solo debut in 2014, this research assistant has enjoyed combining her love of all things nerdy and the art of tease, often with a good dose of androgyny. She is based in Dallas, Texas but makes frequent virtual appearances with K-Pop That Pastie and Cosplay Burlesque. She's also a writer and has published an article about one of her nerdlesque acts in Polygon.
