This is Burlesque on New York 1!

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I spent the past month moving, but I'm back! I've been posting articles and photos of burlesque for almost a decade now and I was going through some serious withdrawal these several weeks.



There is a great article and video from New York 1 right here:
The Pontani Sisters Bring Burlesque Back

The world of burlesque is booming. NY1's Stephanie Simon filed the following report on the revival of this unique genre of performing arts.
Variety shows, like the one at Corio in SoHo, are reviving the brazen, bawdy world of burlesque. One of the many popular neo-burlesque shows that have popped up in the city in recent years is Angie Pontani and the Pontani sisters in "This is Burlesque."...
Pontani originally wanted to be an actress, but thought it just was not glamorous enough for her.
"I was like, well I don't to be an actress because they don't get to wear head dresses and like rhinestone costumes, so that was unfulfilling for me," she said.

Read the article for lots of great information and links. In the video you can see Angie doing the number with which she won the Miss Exotic World title this year, a bit of Peekaboo Pointe bumping and peeling, Helen Pontani tap dancing, Murray Hill being himself, Dr. Lukki talking about the history and current state of burlesque, and Little Brooklyn doing her spectacular clown number.

You can also see Angie, Helen, Peekaboo, my new roommate Julie Atlas Muz, and me on an upcoming episode of Gossip Girl. We had a great time on the set, even though I was stressed out from my relocation and eating every doughnut in sight (which I am not supposed to eat). I totally died when Leighton Meester introduced me to the crew by saying, "That's Jo Weldon, and she's perfect."

This is Burlesque is a great example of a very specifically curated and developed Burlesque show. I'm thrilled for their success. Angie Pontani, along with Bambi the Mermaid, is one of the performers who most encouraged me to think of myself as a performer and to develop my own style out of my own background, and I'll always have great memories of performing with the Pontanis at Marion's.

Marion's Flyer

I am crazy about these sparkly holidays, so you can expect more holiday posts from me!

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of The New York School of Burlesque, for burlesquedaily.blogspot.com.

Comments

Malk said…
Congrats on the move and welcome back!
December 3, 2008 at 8:56 AM
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