Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

Hello Burlesquers! Whether you're creating your first number or your 50th, sometimes coming up with an idea you love is the hardest part of all. Often this comes from overthinking, so the exercise in this post can be helpful in reminding you that burlesque is supposed to be fun. After all, burlesque is, above all things, optional -- you don't have to do it at all! However, the beauty of it is that you get to come up with everything on your own: concept, music choice, costume assembly, and choreography. This is a fully independent art form you get to do solely for your own satisfaction. So if you're going to do it, it should be fun. For this exercise, take a notebook and write down the following: 1) Concept or theme 2) Music 3) Outermost layer of costume 4) Innermost layer of costume For instance: 1) Spring 2) Spring by Vivaldi 3) An earth colored robe with really long sleeves and flowered gloves that will start poking out 4) Flower pasties and a squirting...

Burlesque festivals are more popular than ever in 2024, and many times students ask me if it's too soon for them to go to a festival if they're new performers. It's never too soon! Festivals are a great way to discover performers, producers, and venues, and to meet new people. They are a concentrated networking opportunity that includes amazing shows and often with unique classes by headliners and locals. They’re usually expensive to travel to, but with this list you might be able to find some within driving distance, so you can get your first few festival experiences without a major investment. Remember to be yourself so you attract people who share your interests, instead of trying to impress people who intimidate you (and remember, sometimes getting intimidated by a person is something you do to yourself, not something they do to you – you are worthy of respect and having your art respected, at all times! Nobody is important enough to pander to or be insulted by). ...