Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

This is a little stream of consciousness here, but while we're talking about SNL, let's show one of my favorite holiday clips from the show: And while we're talking about Dick in a Box: Me and Ron Jeremy from a shoot for the cover of the Village Voice, 2004. I actually was acquainted with Ron (NOT like THAT) before the shoot, from my Cathouse days. Tonight my students will be doing a showcase , performing numbers based on any holiday but Christmas. I won't be performing, but you can see my Christmas number here: Some people get lemons and make lemonade with a little sugar and a lemon squeezer; I get coal and crush it into diamonds with my, ah, box. Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of The New York School of Burlesque , for burlesquedaily.blogspot.com .

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...