Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

https://youtu.be/-VZC3suTGZg “If you want to enjoy your community, be willing to find inspiration in your generation, the generations before you, and the generations after you. Respect works best as a two-way street. If you don’t respect the pioneers of your art form, you’re setting the standard for disrespect of pioneers and setting yourself up to become a has-been when the new breed after you accomplishes things and establishes themselves. If you don’t respect the new breed, you’re setting the standard for exclusivity and alienation and setting yourself up to become a has-been when the new breed after you accomplishes things and establishes themselves. Be secure in yourself, respect everybody’s ambition and accomplishments, and live and work in the present. “And finally–yes, somebody is always ruining burlesque. It’s been ruined a million times. Histories of burlesque usually detail its demise — over and over and over. Your perception that burlesque is being destroyed is accura...

I'm thrilled to present an interview with the incredible Lola Love! She became Executive Director at BurlyCon in 2018, but she had been contributing more than her share of initiative and hard work before that. We are lucky to have her and I can't wait for you to get to know more about her. Jo: When and how did you become interested in burlesque? Lola Love: I didn’t discover burlesque until 2003 or 2004. Believe it or not, living in rural Hawaii, I stumbled across the suicide girls because I was at a friends who was watching it. I think it was a documentary. I remember thinking it was really cool and I was super intrigued. I was a new mom at the time and I didn’t immediately think “I want to do that” but it was filed away in my brain and I knew it was an art form I was curious to learn more about.  What is your performance experience? I’ve been performing since I was a kid. I was a cheerleader and danced throughout high school.  As an adult I continued to dan...