Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

Where to buy excellent nipple pasties? You are probably looking for pasties that can be applied many times, that stand up to use, and, if you want to twirl tassels, have tassels that twirl easily. The ones in sex toy stores or on Alibaba may not be knowledgably constructed with tassel-twirling or sturdiness in mind. Like lacy playsuits, they are great for photo shoots, but don't necessarily function and hold up under performance conditions. You need pasties made by people who know what's involved in a high-perofrmance pastie! Above: A video of me testing a leopard-print rhinestone pastie I made, to make sure the tassel-twirling attachment is operating smoothly. I often get asked where to buy pasties, and I always say that the best pastie makers have experience with burlesque. Either they are performers themselves, or they specialize in making costumes for performers. They understand the functions and rigors of performance, and they are inspired by the opportunities of innovativ...

Have you always wanted to get your hands on a pair of those glamourous feather fans? Now you can -- no experience required! Jo Weldon will put her fabulous fans right into your hands! She'll share a bit of the history of some of the biggest influences on modern fan dance, including Sally Rand, Noel Toy, and Jean Idelle. She'll also give shopping tips for buying your first pair of fans. She'll show you a wrist and shoulder warmup to get you started,  then you'll handle the big fans yourself! Note: though this post post from 2021, fan dance technique is also a part of our Essential Burlesque Series! Sign Up Now at http://www.schoolofburlesque.com Selfies with the fans are encouraged!

I made the headdress in this photo in just a few hours! I can honestly say that I made it out of things I had lying around the house, but that would be misleading because I bought these materials to make this headdress over a year ago. However, these are easy items to come by, and even if you're new to burlesque crafting, this is something you can do. Remember to let the glue in one layer of the project dry before you do the next layer. Take your time -- you don't have to make it as fast as I did -- and study the placement of items carefully.  I call this cringe crafting because I am doing everything a bit more crudely and carelessly than it would be done by an experienced professional maker, in a manner that would make skillful and sophisticated costumiers cringe. And yet, it works and is great good fun to wear -- I'm proud of this headdress, even though I know what it's not. You can see how much fun I'm having wearing it. The amazing costumes of burlesque are part...

The first time I saw this costume, it reminded me of one of my favorite feline femmes fatales, Belita in Invitation to The Dance ! I know Blaze from her volunteer work with the Burlesque Hall of Fame, and found out we share some inspirations, as well as our love for leopard print and the color red. Blaze is from Dallas. Texas, and has been performing for 8 years. She is the fiery redhead known as ‘The Red Rose of Texas’! An international award winning performer & costume designer, she’s garnered accolades such as ‘Most Classic’, 'Biggest Tease' and 2014's 'Evil Queen of Burlesque'! She is the seamstress behind www.RedRoseRegalia.com and has created costumes for performers all over the world. What was your inspiration for this costume? Aside from the love of leopard print, I came across several vintage photos of beautiful gowns and combined my favorite aspects from each! Here's a link to my inspiration post about it. Who made it, and how long di...

Ariel Helvetica's Leopard Print Burlesque by Jo Weldon I'm launching a new feature for this blog, in which I'll interview some of my favorite performers about their fabulous leopard print costumes. Please share and comment if you enjoy! Ariel Helvetica competed in the Best Debut category at The Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender in 2018 in a spectacular leopard costume, and I knew I had to get a closer look! The weekender's pageant features some of the world's most innovative and exciting burlesque, and the way this costume broke down blew my mind. Plus, LEOPARD! Above: Ariel Helvetica by Mike White. Above: Ariel Helvetica by Tom Gould. Who made the costume? Christina Manuge of Manuge Et Toi  www.manugeettoi.com  made the bra, corset, garter, panty and skirt! Misty Greer made the two sets of gloves and I made the hat.  What inspired you to choose it?  This costume got started in 2016, when I found the gold glitter leopard p...

While it may seem that this blog is fallow, it has spawned plenty of additional resources for The New York School of Burlesque! You can check out the NYSB Tumblr for tips, instructor interviews, burlesque costuming, photos, class and show announcements, and more! http://schoolofburlesque.tumblr.com/ You can also read Jo Weldon's Etiquette Articles for professional advice on how to create and improve your career in burlesque! http://pincurlmag.com/stage-kitten-etiquette See you soon!