Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

Where to buy excellent nipple pasties? You are probably looking for pasties that can be applied many times, that stand up to use, and, if you want to twirl tassels, have tassels that twirl easily. The ones in sex toy stores or on Alibaba may not be knowledgably constructed with tassel-twirling or sturdiness in mind. Like lacy playsuits, they are great for photo shoots, but don't necessarily function and hold up under performance conditions. You need pasties made by people who know what's involved in a high-perofrmance pastie! Above: A video of me testing a leopard-print rhinestone pastie I made, to make sure the tassel-twirling attachment is operating smoothly. I often get asked where to buy pasties, and I always say that the best pastie makers have experience with burlesque. Either they are performers themselves, or they specialize in making costumes for performers. They understand the functions and rigors of performance, and they are inspired by the opportunities of innovativ

Shopping for your first pair of feather fans can be confusing! Let me put your mind at ease. I’ll make a separate post about building your own fans. This post is written to help you understand what you’re looking at when you’re shopping for a pair of constructed fans. Also, this post is only about feather fans, so it won’t discuss silk, paper, or other kinds of fans. Common Feather Styles: Marabou Marabou, when talking about fans, is a special type of down feather – the soft feathers that lie under the firmer, shinier feathers of birds such as geese and the actual marabou stork. The marabou you’re likely to encounter is often from turkeys. It’s often used as trim – the light and very fluffy boas you often see used on the hems of nightgowns, for example, or in rows on the hems of fine dressing gowns such as those made by Catherine D’Lish. Below are some links to marabou fans: Standard 11-12 inch fans: https://www.etsy.com/listing/688901986/marabou-feather-fan-12-x-20-many-colors?ga_orde

Have you always wanted to get your hands on a pair of those glamourous feather fans? Now you can -- no experience required! Jo Weldon will put her fabulous fans right into your hands! She'll share a bit of the history of some of the biggest influences on modern fan dance, including Sally Rand, Noel Toy, and Jean Idelle. She'll also give shopping tips for buying your first pair of fans. She'll show you a wrist and shoulder warmup to get you started,  then you'll handle the big fans yourself! Note: though this post post from 2021, fan dance technique is also a part of our Essential Burlesque Series! Sign Up Now at http://www.schoolofburlesque.com Selfies with the fans are encouraged!

I made the headdress in this photo in just a few hours! I can honestly say that I made it out of things I had lying around the house, but that would be misleading because I bought these materials to make this headdress over a year ago. However, these are easy items to come by, and even if you're new to burlesque crafting, this is something you can do. Remember to let the glue in one layer of the project dry before you do the next layer. Take your time -- you don't have to make it as fast as I did -- and study the placement of items carefully.  I call this cringe crafting because I am doing everything a bit more crudely and carelessly than it would be done by an experienced professional maker, in a manner that would make skillful and sophisticated costumiers cringe. And yet, it works and is great good fun to wear -- I'm proud of this headdress, even though I know what it's not. You can see how much fun I'm having wearing it. The amazing costumes of burlesque are part

This is a rough draft video I made in the studio a few months ago. I thought it might be helpful to some followers who’ve taken my boa class, found this concept worked for them, and want a refresher! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPv3_Jtbw_E&t=28s