Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

I've packed my Godzilla costume. I have no idea if the lizard is going to make it in decent condition, but it's getting on that plane! Above: Godzilla in the Mojave at Exotic World. Photo by Whitney Ward. I actually have a real Godzilla head mask, but it's not as funny. "The Best of The Best in New Burlesque" Announces TEASE-O-RAMA 2008! Presented by Zumanity™ – The Sensual Side of Cirque Du Soleil In Association with Hustler Hollywood Good Gals Inc. and BUST Magazine The Brightest Stars in the Glittering Galaxy of burlesque return for "The Best of The Best in New Burlesque!" Jaw-dropping entertainment by night, "How to" classes by day! See the show this year—BE the show next year! WOW!!! NEW THIS YEAR: Tease-O-Rama is proud to partner with Zumanity™, The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil®. See a special performance from the sexy and seductive Las Vegas production of Zumanity™ at our Friday night showcase in San Francisco...

Costuming plays a unique theatrical role in burlesque. It establishes the character and tone of a piece, but even more interesting to me is that the manner of its removal can dictate the entire choreography of a number. Elements that almost instantly call burlesque to mind, such as feather boas, opera length gloves, and of course pasties, combine in a way to make burlesque costuming distinctive and irresistible to fans of glamour. If you go to Atomic Todd in Las Vegas, you can see many of the amazing costumes from burlesque's golden era, collected by Dixie Evans. Many burlesque performers really raise the bar when it comes to costuming. Dirty Martini works closely with David Quinn ; Bambi the Mermaid and Bunny Love , among others, have elaborate costumes made by Garo Sparo . Although few of my costumes are very elaborate, I make most of them myself--probably the only aspect of costuming on which I raise the bar is in making tails, but I have yet to cover one with rhinestones. ...