Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

Burlesque Submitted by Tanya Cheex!

This article has some photos of Dita that allow you to get a real eyeful of just how detailed and fabulous her costumes really are! Dita Von Teese Promotes Book, Does Dance Below is a picture I took of her at Tease-O-Rama. You can't see as much detail, but her chair is covered with the same rhinestones that cover her gown, gloves, and shoes, as well as the spines of the feathers in her fans. Red is my favorite color and I was in heaven watching this! When I was backstage I exclaimed over the chair so much I think she thought I was kidding, but it's true...that kind of detail, even though it's not the focus of my own style, is something I really enjoy seeing when I watch Dita. It's museum-quality stuff. Just in case you don't know, most of Dita's costumes are created and designed by the fabulous two-time Miss Exotic World , Catherine D'Lish .

'One of the most influential critics of the 1920s and 1930s was H.L. Mencken. He created the expression Bible Belt to refer to the ultra conservative South and while bootleggers reached auspicious heights as booticians, the middle class was reduced to the booboisie. So in 1940 it was a Baltimore stripper that asked him to come up with a unique word to raise the tenor of her profession. Georgia Sothern wrote to Meneken, "I am a practitioner of the art of strip-teasing...there has been a great deal of...criticism leveled against my profession. Most of it...arises from the unfortunate word strip-teasing, which creates the wrong connotation...if you could coin a new and more palatable word to describe this art, I and my colleagues would have easier going. I hope...(you) can find time to help the...members of my profession." 'Ms Sothern was already a phenomenon all her own. Ann Corio describes her performances in the book This was Burlesque(1968): ...

Margaret plays so many roles in the Sensuous Woman it's hard to keep track! Here are just a few.

I love this article! It's not actually about Immodesty, but she plays a part in this woman's charming story. 'A 'PAINFULLY' shy postwoman dressed up as a burlesque artist to raise money for needy children....Through the intensive training of her two mentors, Immodesty and dancer Wayne Sleep, shy Sharon was steadily transformed into a burlesque dancer.' Postie's risque role for charity Immodesty Blaize. Photo by Mike Albov.

Diana Yanez Ryan Heffington Selene Luna Ian Harvie There are some more in Margaret's blog: http://www.margaretcho.com/blog/

Here's a youtube clip from the episode I worked on. The woman they flash on in the first few seconds at the club is me.