Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

I haven't had time to post much lately, but I just have to talk ever so briefly about a concept that comes up every time I teach. "Musicality in dance then might be considered a measure or degree to which a dancer is receptive and creative in his translation or rendering of music through movement." --From Dance Advantage: Musicality in Dance . In The Burlesque Handbook , I talk about the importance of musicality and timing. It's the art of making it look as if your movements and actions influenced the music, rather than the other way around. One of my favorite film clips for performers to study musicality is The Skeleton Dance , a Silly Symphonies cartoon. In it the skeletons are timed so that not just their dancing but their actions take place according to the music. It appears as if the music is caused by their movements rather than the other way around. When Billie Madley did a workshop at The New York School of Burlesque, she described "horns c...

I don't know what I would do without the aptly named Gal Friday, burlesque star, pinup model, and Miss Coney Island 2009. She's a great girl in a pinch (and to pinch). You can take her anywhere and she can handle anything. She's charming, beautiful, and hilarious. And she's a fabulous performer with some fine, fine moves. She's saved my sanity in the middle of the night many a time, and I'm extremely fortunate to have her teaching at NYSB! I wish this was a longee instead of a quickie... Gal in the private NYSB space at the Slipper Room . How did you learn to do burlesque? I'm still learning to do Burlesque! That's the best part... I keep learning and evolving. I never want to grow up, I just want to keep growing up ! When did you start teaching within the burlesque community? About 3 years ago, at NYSB. What are some of your favorite acts to perform? This changes frequently. But at the moment I'd say Conquistadores, a newer act...

The extremely charming Larry Hoff hosted his morning show at the Slipper Room this morning, and Gal Friday and I were in there in full drag at 7 am. See the video here: WPIX News Blog

Celebrate This Holiday With 'Yule-A-Go-Go: The Burlesque Yule Log' The clip on the site shows NYSB associate Little Brooklyn talking about the DVD, as well as instructor Gal Friday doing her Yule dance. Gal runs our classes in Washington DC-- click here for more information about those classes . Above: Gal Friday at the Palace of Wonders . Photo by DC's charming burlesque photographer, Mowabby . CW11 has had burlesquers peeling in the wee hours of the morning before--here's a clip from last year's piece on Dr. Sketchy's: Truly Julie: Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art show

I had started this scrapbook blog , but it doesn't make sense to run two at the moment when I haven't had time to do one, so here's a scrapbook post for the holiday. Happy Halloween!! Julie Atlas Muz's feet backstage at Wanted! Wild Bandits of Burlesque. Gal Friday and Bambi the Mermaid backstage at the Slipper Room. Rudy balances on one finger on a strap-on dildo. Click to view larger.

It's Gal Friday! The Miss Coney Island Pageant of the Millenium is a burlesque of a beauty pageant with sideshow performers and burlesque dancers. The first one was created by Bambi the Mermaid, co-producer of the Burlesque at the Beach series, and of course she won, and received her crown while all the rest of us had a catfight on the stage behind her. Bambi now hosts the pageant with the Great Fredini every year, and the audience receives ballots and the winner is by audience vote. It's a real honor to participate. There is a talent segment (a series of burlesque numbers) and a gown competition. I wouldn't miss it! This year's pageant was a blast, with, among others, Legs Malone as a Siamese fighting fish and Fem Appeal as a gypsy fortune teller. Both of them were celebrating performance anniversaries--Legs two years, Fem three. We are so lucky in New York to have such a huge wave of new, inventive, fabulous talent! This year I'm particularly proud to an...