Weekly Burlesque: Got Pollys?

A Costume Fitting at Garo's
A Costume Fitting at Garo

The longer I’ve performed, the more serious I’ve gotten about dedicating a pair of shoes to a costume and not wearing them with anything else, no matter how strong the temptation.

Once you cannibalize a costume for another costume, you begin the descent into costume hell — “Is the whole costume in the bag?” is not a question you want to be asking in a dressing room right before a show, or even on the subway on the way to the venue.

Weekly Burlesque: Tribute Numbers

BOB and Ruby at the New York Burlesque Festival | Photo by Kitty Kowalski
BOB and Ruby at the New York Burlesque Festival | Photo by Kitty Kowalski

Every year at The Burlesque Hall of Fame Striptease Reunion, several performers bring numbers constructed to tribute their favorite superstars of classic burlesque. Sometimes they are recreations; sometimes they are simply inspired by and include elements of movement, costuming, and/or lore associated with those performers.

Weekly Burlesque: Book Review, Vintage Hairstyling

photo by Jo Weldon
Vintage Hairstyling by Lauren Rennells

I am pretty lame about my hair, seriously. When I was in high school–I had curly hair in the 70s, not a good thing–I hated my hair as only a high-schooler can. It took me years to learn to just tolerate it, and when I worked in strip joints I was constantly flinging it around so no one could really tell what it looked like. Now I rely mostly on hairpieces, and if I’m not wearing one, my hair is usually what I call “put away,” in a ponytail or bun.

Weekly Burlesque: Burlesque Hits Comedy Big Time!

The Hysterical Festival is a celebration of fearless female humor launching in New York City in Fall 2008. Showcasing the wide range of ways in which women are hilarious, we aim to both entertain and break new ground for women in the comedic arts.”

Weekly Burlesque: Tease-o-Rama Abstracts

Photo by Jo Weldon
Photo by Jo Weldon

I have been flat on my back with a horrendous flu since I got back from Tease-O-Rama, and this is the first chance I’ve had to post some photos. Although I got a lot of sharp sort of journalistic photos, at the moment I’m in love with my grainier, more impressionistic stuff. So I hope you enjoy a few of those.

Weekly Burlesque: Interview with Kitten on the Keys

Photo credit Becca Henry
Photo credit: Becca Henry

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Kitten on the Keys at Tease-O-Rama and Exotic World many times, and she is one of the most endearing people on the scene. She’s fierce and funny, and has incredible glamour and style. I’m performing with her this coming weekend at Tease-o-Rama, and I can’t wait!

Weekly Burlesque: Jo Weldon’s Signature Number

Performing at the Heavens in Seattle. Photo by Chris Blakeley.
Performing at the Heavens in Seattle. Photo by Chris Blakeley.

I found a video of me performing my International Lover number at the Zipper Theater in Shelly Watson’s Interarts Variety show. It’s the same number I performed in Margaret Cho’s Sensuous Woman show. Although I’ve performed it in a few cities, I haven’t yet done it at festivals because it’s seven minutes long, and most festivals have a 4 or 5 minute rule.

Weekly Burlesque Interview with Jen Gapay

With the New York Burlesque Festival almost upon us, this seemed like a great time to nab a quickie interview with producer / entrepreneur / all-around hottie Jen Gapay! Jen is the owner of Thirsty Girl Productions, which produces the NYBF with the Pontani Sisters, and I’m happy to have a chance to tip my pastie to one of the most charming and hard-working producers in the scene. What would we do without her?

Weekly Burlesque: Waxie Moon!

I adored Waxie Moon the minute I met him. He is one of the people, along with Indigo Blue and Paula the Swedish Housewife, who makes Seattle feel like my home away from home. And he’s in the news!