Genre Defying Tips For Playing With Fire From Lipstik Inc.

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From DJhere Saturdays at On Broadway circa '02 to Aubergine parties throughout '05 and '06, and now every weekend night at the Ivy Hotel, anyone who's anyone in the San Diego nightlife scene has witnessed the provocative modern dance moves of Lipstik Inc.

But what you may not know is Lipstik Inc. is more than a team of genre defying go-go dancers, it is the top female-run performer management and nightclub marketing company in San Diego, and a major player in the redesign of the new way downtown does business after dark.

As a weekly club-going member of the Seduction Thursday crew, the strikingly original style and graceful aesthetic of the Lipstik ladies is now part of my every Thursday evening.

As I glide down the Envy stairs I expect to see flawless dancers seemingly floating about the subterranean club, performing new flirty themes and playfully using the art of sexual tension to their interactive advantage.

But I never knew the power of the Lipstik mark until I sat down one on one with The Mels - Meli Charman and Melanie Blakely, Executive Producer and Producer, respectively, and lead Lipstik dancers.

With a casual stroll and insouciant vibe, The Mels appeared two beautiful San Diego women enjoying a care-free spring afternoon. If it weren't for the toned bodies (and you thought Madonna's arms were strong), rhythmic jaunt and almost-poetic body language, it'd be hard to believe The Mels nightly seduced club-goers with risqué productions dressed in little more than body paint and bold accessories. It's important to begin with the fact that although Lipstik Inc. is a club act, these ladies will never be caught clad in bootie shorts and stacked boots.

The Mels nearly popped out of their chairs to communicate their passion against the genre restrictions of the go-go (yes, the image in your head is what we're referring to). The Mels come from hardcore house and electro parties and raves deep within the underground Nor Cal club scene. The norm was Adidas pants, bikini tops and tennis shoes; never bootie shorts, and especially never boots. And though you'd never guess this background, their homegrown roots are still very much alive in San Diego. On the style transition to the downtown go-go scene, Melanie remembers, "I straight up got fired from a club because I refused to wear the boots."

Downtown discovery
The long road painted in Lipstik began at the Gaslamp Mardi Gras block party in '02. Meli had finished her assigned go-go set, but was still moved by the music. Though out of the limelight, Meli and friends started their own freestyle routine near the DJ stage and in no time Meli and crew (later Lipstik partners) attracted a huge circular crowd around them, awe-struck by their hard rhythm.

It was this night that DJhere Productions discovered Meli and saw the unrealized potential in her vision of what dance is and what club dancing can and should be. Meli, and eventually Melanie, along with Cynthia Carnavajal and Linda Vargas (now DJ Kiss) hooked up with DJhere and began taking their hard freestyle dancing to the stage in On Broadway and Aubergine, as well as various DJhere parties. On the side, they also challenged the limits of go-go (sometimes without consent) at Belo, Thin, Decos, Red Circle, Confidential, W Hotel, and many more.

Lipstik launch

While dancing their way to fame in San Diego and beginning to brand Lipstik Inc., The Mels became involved with marketing and promotions for DJhere. Melanie took control over much of the promotion company's e-blast marketing while Meli took note of the on and off line branding efforts. Before long, ideas began to spark, "We wondered why there weren't successful female promotion companies," Meli shared. "We then realized an entire nightlife market was untapped."

DJhere allowed Lipstik Inc. to promote one area of the Aubergine venue during their event. "Our promotional success was obvious and DJhere agreed," Melanie remembers. "The entire area was full of lesbians, which made it clear the crowd came specifically for us."

Sparks continued to fly as Lipstik Inc. tapped the lesbian nightlife market in Hillcrest, while still maintaining the straight edge in Gaslamp at the Ivy Hotel. The Mels pioneered girly guerilla marketing by collecting email addresses all over San Diego on palm pilots and squeezing marketing and promotional efforts into their already-packed go-go schedules. But after a while, Melanie says, "DJhere gave us the reality of numbers - it really isn't that simple to fill up a club."

In late summer 2007 as the Ivy Hotel was finding its niche in the San Diego nightlife scene, Lipstik Inc. took a definitive business turn - returning to its roots of hard rhythm and freestyle passion. In the wake of the Ivy transition from an LA-based alternative production company to a new style, The Mels wrote out a new business plan taking Lipstik Inc. to the next level.

Sharing a desire for something new in nightlife entertainment, the Ivy Hotel and The Mels found a common ground, and have been immersed in a positive partnership ever since. You've seen the Lipstik dancers at the Ivy Hotel every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. But what you don't know is Lipstik Inc. is the powerhouse production company behind all entertainment at the Ivy.

From talent to choreography, themes, hair, makeup, costuming, practice, and production, Lipstik Inc. handles it all - and still finds time to play with fire. Like previously mentioned, it's very important to realize the Lipstik crew (14 ladies and 1 lucky man) is not a group of go-go dancers. While there may be bootie shorts (only in thematic context), there will never, ever be stacker boots - and the dancing will always defy the genre, matching a contemporary modern vibe, with provocative undertones.

"Most clubs have the go-go dancers working in three 30-minute sets, dancing on separate stages," Meli explains. "We work a fluid set all night, interacting and dancing together, always playful and always leaving the crowd wondering what we'll do next."

Get that go-go image out of your head - it's a fleeting fad that dominates San Diego no more. If no one else, The Mels are making sure of that. Melanie defends, "We are expanding our style and changing the expectations of club dancers. We want you to walk into the Ivy and be blown away."

Throughout the night the Lipstik dancers switch up the style between choreography and freestyle. Says Meli, "We always have full production with an opening choreographed act every 30 minutes that is on theme and sets the tone for our freelance." An example of an opening act is the famed fire act that you seriously have to see to believe.

Aside from slight costume and balance mishaps (see: missing nipple tassels and jumping wigs), Lipstik Inc. has grown from a few impassioned hardcore house dancers to the first successful female-run entertainment and production company in San Diego. Expect body painted bathing suits and other flirty themes at day parties atop Eden this spring and summer.

Think you have what it takes to be a Lipstik dancer? Head to Envy within the Ivy Hotel on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 6:30pm for the next round of auditions. Being a part of Lipstik Inc. isn't just about dance skills - you have to make the cut from head to toe, and have the right personality for the currently flawless team bond.

Video produced by Drive-In Studios. View the player in full-screen here. Drive-In Studios is the exclusive production house for Baby Genius. Drive-In Studios is a multimedia production house located in the heart of the Gaslamp, creating everything from print media to training videos to corporate demos to live event coverage. For a complete list of services, please visit drive-instudios.com.