(Dick leading the 2002 Mermaid Parade. Photo by Jo Weldon)
I’ve been conducting a series of interviews with Dick Zigun, and I’m going to give you just a taste of what we’ve been discussing. If you’re a fan of New York burlesque, you might find the timeline interesting; if you’re not a fan, you may at least finally understand why New York Burlesque is so far from being simply recreationist.
Dick attended Bennington and earned his MFA from Yale. I won’t go into his entire biography here, but a sense of his academic background is useful when considering what he does now as the Artistic Director of Coney Island USA, which he formed as a not-for-profit in 1980.
The organization has since then been successfully executing their stated mission: “The purpose of Coney Island USA is to defend the honor of American popular art forms through innovative exhibitions and performances.The distinct mission of Coney Island USA is to operate a multi-arts center offering museum and theater programming, thereby leading the cultural revival of a downtrodden but historic landmark neighborhood. Through an imaginative and innovative approach combining the performing and visual arts, Coney Island USA seeks to revitalize the community from which it takes its name, attracting international recognition and visitors while providing low-cost services to a mass, working class New York City audience, including the young and the old, the art and the family oriented. Coney Island USA interprets the past and experiments with the future of American popular culture and offers a growing panoply of arts events and exhibitions rooted in the traditions of P.T. Barnum, vaudeville and Coney Island itself.” (From About Coney Island USA.)
Dick is a passionate supporter of burlesque, sideshow, and the art of the tattoo. His influence on the development of burlesque as we now experience it in New York is unmistakable.
(The sign at the Sideshow on Friday nights. Photo by Jo Weldon.)
In 1981, the New York Times ran an article about the legacy of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. La Guardia was a compelling person in many ways, but among burlesque aficianadoes he is best known for closing down burlesque houses in the late 1930s. [If you are interested in this story, the NYT website has a spectacular archive.
Do a search for burlesque and you’ll find articles dating back a century and a half. I’ve bought many of them, so if you’re considering whether one is worth paying to read, email me about it and I’ll let you know. One of my favorites, from 1955, is titled “Burlesque Plan Grinds to a Halt.” Buy that one.]