Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

Obsessing over the dictionary definition of burlesque is a waste of time, but I'll still throw it down because I'm perverse like that: 1. A literary or dramatic work that ridicules a subject either by presenting a solemn subject in an undignified style or an inconsequential subject in a dignified style. See synonyms at caricature. 2. A ludicrous or mocking imitation; a travesty: The antics of the defense attorneys turned the trial into a burlesque of justice. 3. A variety show characterized by broad ribald comedy, dancing, and striptease. From answers.com . Spend a little time on the answers.com page linked above if you're a burlesque nerd--I know I am! Above: A burlesque of a talent show, from the movie Spring Breakdown featuring my Poehler, Parker Posey, Rachel Dratch, Amber Tamblyn, Seth Meyers, Sophie Monk, Missi Pyle, and Jane Lynch. When I'm teaching I often describe Saturday Night Live as a good example of burlesque in the tradition of the statem...

In recent news, claims have been made that Prince Charles was shocked to find that burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese actually strips (this story actually isn't true); that Representative Pete Sessions was was surprised to learn that the burlesque dancers at Forty Deuce take off their clothes (although this party did happen, I suspect he was not truly all that surprised); and that pole dancing is synonymous with burlesque . Whatever you make of all this, it's interesting that the idea of burlesque without stripping is so available in popular culture that people are suggesting that it could be surprising that burlesque performers are stripping. In a New York Times article , Dita Von Teese said the biggest misconception about burlesque is "that it’s about dancing around in hot pants with feather boas. Burlesque was about the striptease. The stars of burlesque took their clothes off, end of story, period." People occasionally ask me if they can do burlesque without str...