For the purposes of this article, we'll start Todd Davidson's day at night. On this particular night, Todd is dancing at Charlie's as part of FurrLesque, the hirsute dance troupe which builds upon the rich tradition of burlesque, giving it a manly makeover. A self-professed lover of dancing ( as his college dance resume will attest ) , Todd gladly joined up with his friend Rick Heintz, the founder of the troupe. "He had created several successful events in Chicago, and was looking to do something different. We started in February, 2011, rehearsing in backrooms of bars and a couple art/theater company spaces. Our first show was at the grand opening of 'Out in Chicago' at the Chicago History Museum. We had a blast, and have done about 20 shows since then here in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and Saugatuck."
When Todd is rested up from dancing the night away, he plies his trade as a real estate agent for Jameson Sotheby's International Realty, working from his home office in Rogers Park. He started selling in 1993, when he went to work for his roommate at a small developer company. After five years, he was promoted to sales manager and rode the real estate wave into the 2000s, becoming a full-time realtor in 2003. He is always plugged in to his job, whether at the home office, in the car or just on the run.
Davidson has had to make some adjustments in the ever-changing economic reality. "The market was great until around 2005, when I noticed too many mortgage scams going on, and people doing interest-only mortgages. I sold the condos I owned so I had money to live on. The market continued to drop and in 2008 it hit rock bottom." Consequently, he has taken on a side gig, helping to remodel other properties for sale. "I and most other realtors have had to work over 60 hours a week, seven days a week for years, and have even taken second and third jobs to survive."
We end our day with Todd roughly where we began: at a FurrLesque rehearsal at an art space in Wicker Park. This innovative performance group is heating things up ( and creating change ) as we head into the cold months. "We are gearing up for a busy winter season and are always adding numbers and refining the show. Our mission: To encourage the acceptance of any male body image."
See www.facebook.com/furrlesque to keep up with all the furry exploits.
THE STATS
Name: Todd Davidson
Age: 44
Neighborhood: East Rogers Park right now, but also loved living in Andersonville and Lakeview.
Job title: Realtor, remodeler
Relationship status: Single and open to whatever happens.
Hobbies: Biking, beach, gym, friends, family, movies, music
Favorite restaurant: "I have a lot of favorite restaurants, but hardly get to go due to lack of funds. I go to Big Chicks every Monday night for the food and friends."
Favorite gay bar: A tie between Big Chicks, Sidetrack and Charlie's