Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

Yahoo! AM New York's photo of me performing my Sherry Britton Tribute number at the Mother's Day Show at the Highline Ballroom. Above: Me in the suit Garo made for my "Show Business" number, performing in my Striptease How-to video . In honor of the premiere of Garo's show, I'm rereleasing this interview, which was also published in Alarm Press magazine. In a recent post , I described how many burlesque performers collaborate very closely with designers, and named corsetier Garo Sparo as one of our favorite collaborators. Happily, Garo consented to an interview and allowed me the honor of taking some photos in his studio while he fit me for the "Parade of Muses" in his Sparkle and Cinch Fashion Show coming up on February 6. Can you give me a little history about Garo Sparo? How did you begin designing? What do you like most about it? I grew up around design. My grandparents were experts in bead-work and lace making. We always h...

In a recent post , I described how many burlesque performers collaborate very closely with designers, and named corsetier Garo Sparo as one of our favorite collaborators. Happily, Garo consented to an interview and allowed me the honor of taking some photos in his studio while he fit me for the "Parade of Muses" in his Sparkle and Cinch Fashion Show coming up on February 6. Can you give me a little history about Garo Sparo? How did you begin designing? What do you like most about it? I grew up around design. My grandparents were experts in bead-work and lace making. We always had sewing machines in the house while I was growing up. I began learning clothing construction from a Native American costume designer in Long Island when I was 11, which led to designing my first dress at 14. My teenage years were spent making hats that were sold in local shops and night clubs and making clothes for myself and friends. I think what I enjoy most about designing is that it ...