Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

Burlesque signs have always rocked my world. As a child, every time I saw a burlesque sign on a lounge I got an illicit thrill, imagining women of impossible repute removing stockings with a knowing wink. I could picture the heavy lashes, the big hair, the chiffon robes. I was mesmerized. As a teenager, I was excited by the signs on strip joints in Atlanta. I knew that the Domino Lounge was one of the last of the old school burlesque venues in town, but the contemporary signs got me riled up with promise—one day I’d be of age, and I’d know where to go by the signs. A favorite was the sign for Tattletale’s, of “Girls, Girls, Girls” fame—a delicate outline of a nude woman’s hip drawn from the back, her weight on one leg, her hand relaxed at her side, based on this line drawing by Picasso: Later they had to take it down, since it incorporated Picasso’s drawing without permission. Bad strip joint! But good taste. In the early 1980s I had started working in those clubs. One of the...

Pink Light Burlesque is a program to provide free classes for breast cancer patients and survivors, provided by The New York School of Burlesque. December 4th is our first-ever showcase, featuring students and instructors of this program. The show will be dedicated to our friend Diane Naegel, who was hoping to perform as part of the project but lost her battle with breast cancer due to complications on September 25. Our hearts go out to her and her friends and family, and to all others experiencing the same struggle. The proceeds of the show will benefit You Can Thrive , Sloan Kettering, and the operation of Pink Light Burlesque . Sunday, December 4, 8-10.30 pm. The Wild Project 195 East 3rd Street New York, NY 10009 Contact Jo Weldon at pinklight@schoolofburlesque.com School of Burlesque Phone 212.561.1456 Wild Project Phone 212.228.1195 Buy General Admission Tickets Tickets are $10, $15, and $20. Visibility is perfect from all seats; lower prices are furthest ...

I've had this interview for awhile and have been trying to write the perfect intro for it, and I give up. She's just too awesome. I am so thrilled to have this woman as an instructor at The New York School of Burlesque, and that's that. Above: Veronica Varlow and me with David Byrne at the Bowery Hotel. Why not? How did you learn to do burlesque? When I first saw burlesque, it was as if I was spying on an ancient and secret rite of women to claim the power in their own sensuality. I was awe-struck that first night I stumbled upon this world of burlesque in 2000 at the Slipper Room. That little corner of Orchard and Stanton became my version of church which I visited weekly to worship the power and beauty of the performers there. At that point, I was learning. I was an eager pupil to learn the movement of confidence, to learn the slowness of sensuality, to learn the power of being unafraid. I was a bystander for 3 years. A witness to the world I longed for. ...