Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

My friend Colleen Scott  recently published her book Costumes of Burlesque and you need it!  It’s a gorgeous book! shows many costumes from the history of burlesque in vivid detail and gives context for the ways they were used. Since I’m involved in burlesque I’m very aware that burlesque costumes happen in layers, and this book does a magnificent job of showing all the details of those layers.  The stages of striptease are documented in fabulous step by step images that help readers visual the costumes in performance.  It’s such a fun technique! It also shows burlesque costumes as they really are, not just the gowns — though the gowns are there, in glamorous full color.  The chapters on neo burlesque illuminate the current scene with several  of its best known stars.  It’s an invaluable tool for studying burlesque, costume, theater, gender in performance, and the ways underground cultures affect mainstream fashion and vice versa.  And che...

Thursday, August 15, 2019 - 9:30pm New York's Newest Strip Cheese! https://www.coneyisland.com/event/folliesfromage2019 Hungry? Restless? Craving savory repletion? You need more culture in your life! Come see burlesque at its dairy best, starring the freshest cream of the crop of our scene. You will never see a grater show. Students of Coney Island's Master Class in Burlesque will perform 11 original debut routines! We've been keeping burlesque cheesy for over a decade now! This show is notorious for encouraging performers to create innovative and absurd acts on the fly. Featuring: Charlotta Burrata Darlina Extraordinaire Juno Stardust Lovey Boheme Miss Anne Mary Miss Ruby Pavlova Rocky Sourpop Tabby Twitch Tempest Whip Velvet DeLorean Zozo Smacks Hosted by Headmistress Jo Boobs Weldon Special guest stars: Miss Coney Island 2017 Tiger Bay Miss Coney Island 2019 Pearls Daily 18 to enter. 21+ with proper I.D. to drink. ...

There are a few people I've known in burlesque over many ups and downs, through all its changes, as we've watched changes both welcome and unwelcome in the art form we fell in love with over two decades ago. Desire D'Amour is one of them. I've been wanting to interview her for a long time, not only because she's one of the smartest, funniest, most passionate people I know, but because I often find her contribution to burlesque is under-represented. She's not one to promote herself on social media, though she can be found there; she just quietly, thoroughly, consistently, gets shit done. I'm excited for you to get to know her better! Jo Weldon: When and how did you get into burlesque? Desire D'Amour: I was a club stripper for several years. I had recently quit and started working in an office job, but I missed some things about stripping – picking music, creating the right costume, interacting with the crowd and, of course, being on the ...