Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

" In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few."   ~ Shunryu Suzuki Roshi Above: Former students performing at a Coney Island USA benefit. http://www.youtube.com/embed/gsJ3vZ_uJfM " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> Direct YouTube Link Above: Students kicking ass on an MTV news piece with Angel Pai The truth is, sometimes I get very burned out on some aspects of burlesque. When people argue about who should be allowed on which stage, and who is bringing down burlesque, and who does and doesn't deserve credit for what, the discussions can really take the wind out of my sails. I prize audacity, enthusiasm, and sincerity above Big Art, or anything that starts to become capitalized in the many ways that things can be capitalized for possession of some real or imaginary field: financial, cultural, artistic, academic, etc. Who did what first? Who does what the best? What's real burlesque? Who ...

In October we did a couple of pieces about the New York School of Burlesque with MTV Iggy and one of their hosts, the charming Angel Pai. Here she is onstage at the Slipper Room, practicing a chair routine I taught her: Photo by me. I loved working with her and the other people involved with the shoot--all so young and lovely and so excited about their work, and so respectful of our work! You can see the first installment, featuring some of the performers from the NYSB student showcase in October: null | MTV Music Burlesque on MTV Iggy Video sent to me by the gorgeous and talented Viola Da Gamba . Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of The New York School of Burlesque , for burlesquedaily.blogspot.com .

Above: Veronica Varlow. Photo by Greg Brophy. New York School of Burlesque's Spellbinding Burlesque creator and teacher, Veronica Varlow, will be on MTV's Made today at 1 pm! Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of The New York School of Burlesque , for burlesquedaily.blogspot.com .