I just have to make this post happen, though. Thanks to all the performers, the producers, volunteers, and audience of the show, and congratulations to the winners!

Best Debut

Perle Noire
Image from Perle’s myspace

Best Duo

Jewel of Denial and Kat Bardot
Image from Jewel’s myspace
Best Boylesque
No photo or web link at the moment, but I’ll find one! Send one if you have one!
Sin Jyn
Best Troupe

Peak-a-boo Revue
Photo from the Revue’s myspace
2nd Runner Up for Miss Exotic World

Trixie Little
Photo by me
1st Runner Up for Miss Exotic World

Lux La Croix
Image from Lux’s myspace
Miss Exotic World 2008

Angie Pontani
Photo by Whitney Ward

And thanks to our judges, Catherine D’Lish, Lily Burana, Lisa Kereszi, Grant Philipo, and Viva La Fever! The performers were all outstanding and they had quite a task.

When I get home I’ll post more photos. In the meantime, search on flickr for “exotic world” and “burlesque hall of fame,” and you should see some fabulous shots!

Article by Lucida Sans

Most college Greek societies require creepy hazing rituals or at least four kegs for anyone to take their top off; Alpha Psi Ecdysia needs only to schedule a meeting. That’s because Alpha Psi Ecdysia is not a sorority, but the official burlesque troupe of SUNY New Paltz—one of only three burlesque troupes on an American college campus and the only one to operate out of a public university. A.P.E. was born this Spring, when new-girl-in-town Lucida Sans (that’s me—hi!) realized that her sexy and talented classmates–including a champion hula hooper, a fire dancer, a girl with a sexy lobster costume and nowhere to wear it, and some of the most badass coeds you’ll ever know–had no outlet for their fabulosity.

Alpha Psi Ecdysia had a few events and field trips during the early part of the semester, but it didn’t really exist until Jo Weldon came to teach an all day workshop on campus.

“Jo made a bunch of young women feel totally comfortable about jumping around topless in front of full length mirrors, and that’s pretty remarkable. I couldn’t stop saying, ‘JO IS LIKE, MY HERO. WHEN SHE SAID (insert Jo quote here), I WAS LIKE, I LOVE YOU.’ I’m still more excited about what I did Saturday than anything I’ve done in a while.”–
-Gemma Stone, SUNY New Paltz ‘09

“Thank you so much Jo for taking time out of you exciting, busy life to do this workshop for us! I want to personally thank you for letting me be comfortable and feel sexy in my own body without feeling dirty or guilty. I never really truly embrace my body because by society’s standards I am not the ideal picture of sexiness, I’m considered fat and out of shape. You let me embrace the inner ‘me’ and finally feel 100% comfortable in my own body. I felt sexy and desirable for the first time in my life. I by the way, was dying to tell you that when I was a little girl, I also wanted to be a stripper. I thought that it would have allowed me to be sexually validated. Like, men would always desire me if I was a stripper. But, being introduced to burlesque made me desire me. I honestly did not want to keep my shirt on after it came off. I was proud of my body and I was proud of the sexy me. I was in Catholic school my entire life and I would never have even considered doing anything like this, my stripper thoughts alone were scandalous, but I am really happy that I had the opportunity to participate in this. For the first time, I felt at home and in touch with who I truly am.” –

-Virago Sadine, SUNY New Paltz ‘11

The founding troupe and its corresponding debut show formulated organically after the workshop, and by the following month we were papering the town with flyers for our upcoming show. Though we’d experienced no prior opposition to our work, things got a little “The Night They Raided Minsky’s” once we began advertising. A well-meaning theatre professor began pulling individual performers aside to urge them to reconsider their involvement, explaining that she worried they would be viewed as “stripper-trash” and that she was uncomfortably seeing “[her] girls” in this manner. Other professors expressed concern about the performers’ safety and reputation, and were shocked to find that every “what if?” scenario they envisioned had already been considered by the troupe; most were relieved and impressed to find we had already planned precautions for such scenarios—others remained adamant in their opposition.

The biggest shock to the troupe’s system occurred less than 24-hours before the show, when I received a call from the venue telling me that local authorities had ‘gotten hold of’ our posters and were trying to scare them into canceling the show. In spite of the venue’s cabaret license, the police department was looking for loopholes within the local law with which to persecute the company and venue. I received threats that I would be arrested and the venue would lose its liquor license, should the show go on as planned. The venue stuck behind us and vowed not to cancel the show, but asked that we tame the show by wearing no less than full-back panties and bras at all times.

While stage manager extraordinaire Shari Griswold contacted the performers to tell them to be prepared for such changes, I went to Village Hall to petition the issue. After lengthy meetings with various authorities and tireless efforts from myself and others, it was good ol’ Gypsy that saved the day. As soon as the building inspector realized that we were talking “burlesque, like in the musical Gypsy” and not lord-only-knows-what-she-had-imagined, the issue was dropped entirely. The show went on the following night—pasties and all.

The troupe performed its debut show—Alpha Psi Ecdysia: Touched for the Very First Time—at a local piano bar on Friday, May 2nd. Amazingly, the only nervous person backstage was me. The performers remained professionally calm in spite of technical and house management difficulties that turned me into an utter wreck in the minutes before showtime. 120 people squeezed into the 70-seat venue, and 100 others were turned away. In spite of some technical difficulties, the show—which featured fifteen soloists, two group numbers, four go-go dancers, and live music by Anton Jackov and The Threesomesters—was pretty fucking fantastic.

At the show’s end, the place erupted with sexual joy, devolving into a fabulous dance party that lasted until the bar kicked us out. The audience response was incredible, and gained APE a bevy of beautiful new performers (far more than we could ever book in a single show!). Most fulfilling was receiving emails from students like Lizz Guzman, who wrote: “Each and every woman (and man) who took the stage embodied beauty, sexuality, femininity and a great sense of feline fun. I was so excited to see so many different types of bodies, types of acts…you all really captured the beauty of the female form. […] I think that every woman in the audience learned an important lesson about being sexy and being confident from all of you.”

Performing burlesque has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for the women and men of APE; everyone loves finding new ways to experience music, experimenting with performative sexuality, feeling beautiful and sexy, laughing at the sacred, bonding over bedazzling, and so much more; the same stuff every burlesque performer loves. Unique to APE is the excitement of seeing performers courageously claiming and expressing sexual identities they’ve only begun to explore, and sharing that exploration with the audience; or the thrill of seeing a girl who has never undressed for anyone—even a lover—removing her bra onstage to delighted screams; or a performer’s mother—trepidatious since day one—crying with pride by the end of her daughter’s act; or a performer changing her thesis topic to account for her newfound passion.

As founding members perfect their acts in out-of-troupe performances throughout New York State, new performers have joined the group and begun their exploration. APE has existed for less than four months, and already I can spend a morning teaching incoming freshmen about burlesque and the troupe, the afternoon rehearsing new acts with first-time performers, and the night seeing seasoned APEcdysiasts perform in Hudson, Albany, Brooklyn, and more. SUNY New Paltz is learning that burlesque is an exciting and vital performance form, academic pursuit and tool for personal growth. With six themed, full-length shows planned for the coming academic year, thirty six student participants, and continued support from the university, Alpha Psi Ecdysia plans to continue its productivity as long as there is interest.

Alpha Psi Ecdysia will reprise Touched for the Very First Time at Rififi (332 E. 11th) on Thursday, June 5th at 10pm. Learn more about the gang at http://www.myspace.com/AlphaPsiEcdysia

End of Lucida’s Article! Go to the show and see what all the excitement is about!

I am amazed by this story, the way I was amazed when I was on the Sex Workers’ Art Show Tour and I saw all the different groups that brought us to the campuses. When I was in college there weren’t groups like this. Of course I went to business school and I might have missed something that was going on around me, but I don’t think so. I think there really is a lot more openness to this kind of playfulness and exploration than there was when I was their age. I’m so happy to see it!

In just a few hours I’ll be leaving for the Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend in Las Vegas. Many of my students will be there. I was thinking about this last year–many of them are the age they’d be if I’d had kids in my twenties, and many of the legends performing and speaking at the show are of the age to have had me in their twenties. That makes me just about the definition of a middle-aged stripper. Who would ever have thought being a middle-aged stripper would make for such a great life?

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of The New York School of Burlesque, for burlesquedaily.blogspot.com.

Here’s an announcement from the Burlesque Hall of Fame
‘May 12, 2008, Las Vegas, NV - The Burlesque Hall of Fame and The Keep A Breast Foundation are pleased to announce the opening of Breast Defense: Glamour Girls For Early Detection, an exhibition of one-of-a-kind plaster molds cast from the busts of such legendary burlesque icons as Tempest Storm and Tura Satana (Miss Japan Beautiful, Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!), as well as modern day neo-burlesque and pinup sensations Immodesty Blaize (Miss Exotic World 2007), Michelle L’amour (Miss Exotic World 2006, America’s Got Talent), Jami Deadly, Kittie Klaw, Sabina Kelley and Heidi van Horne and many, many others.
‘Customized by today’s most exciting contemporary artists–including Amy Sol, David LaChapelle, Derek Hess, Elizabeth McGrath, Gary Baseman, Iggy Pop, Jerry Misko, Kat von D, Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), KRK Ryden, Mark Mothersbaugh, Mitch O’Connell, Tim Biskup and Hi-Fructose co-publishers Annie Owens and Attaboy–the casts will be on display at Downtown Las Vegas’ The Fallout Gallery from May 23-June 28, 2008.’

Here’s a picture of me with my casting, taken last year in downtown Las Vegas:

The inevitable caption: “Hey, my eyes are up here!”
I took this photo in the hotel room where the casts were set to finish drying:

It looks maybe a little spooky, yes, but it was a fabulous, heartfelt, wonderful day. We were asked to suggest some artists we’d like to paint our casts, and I was keen on Liz McGrath because, obviously, I LIKE her work; but also because she does dioramas, and I once saw this picture of breast implants that had been removed from someone after a few years and that looked like they had terrariums in them, and now I always imagine my implants as mini-ecosystems, and that made me think of Liz’s dioramas. So I was picturing the inside of my cast being decorated rather than the outside, which just goes to show you how the mind works sometimes.

Check out the awesome pictures on Keep a Breast myspace!

About Keep A Breast: The Keep A Breast Foundation,, is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to help eradicate breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support. Through art events, educational programs and fundraising efforts, we seek to increase breast cancer awareness among young people so they are better equipped to make choices and develop habits that will benefit their long-term health and well-being.

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of The New York School of Burlesque, for burlesquedaily.blogspot.com.

BEST DEBUT:

Clams Casino
Evie Lovelle
Gal Friday
Fanny Tastic
Frenchie Kiss
Kitty Twist
Lola Bel Aire
Magnificant Liberte Belle
Mimi First
Perle Noir
Ruby Valentine
Tatah DuJour
BEST BOYLESQUE:

Hot Toddy
Sexy Mark Brown
Sin Jyn
BEST DUO:

Cafe Con Leche
Gravity Plays Favorites
Jewel of Denial & Kat Bardot
Syrens of the South
Tease for Two: Lily Verlaine and Miss Indigo Blue

BEST TROUPE:

The Amazing Knicker Kittens
Foxy Tann and The Wham-Bam Thank You Ma’ams
Peek-A-Boo Revue
Sinner Saint Burlesque
Twilight Vixen Revue

MISS EXOTIC WORLD:

Adonna Vichet
Amber Ray
Amber Topaz
Angie Pontani
Bambi the Mermaid
Bunny Love
Charlotte La Belle Araignee
Inga Ingenue
Little Brooklyn
Lux LaCroix
Ravenna Black
Sparkly Devil
Trixie Little
Violet Eva
Vivienne VaVoom

From the Burlesque Hall of Fame Yahoo Group

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of The New York School of Burlesque, for burlesquedaily.blogspot.com.

As such, we are hosting our infamous Battle of Burlesque talent searches in conjunction with the glossy great. Battles will take place in London (late June) and Edinburgh (Early August) to do just that.

Participants will be pre-selected to ‘do battle’ and will be chosen from three regiments:

1. Bizarre’s Ultra Vixen’s and Ultra Vipers
2. Ministry of Burlesque’s Movers and Shakers
3. Regional champion’s nominated by agents and promoters

More details to come shortly!

Bambi the Mermaid, for many years the co-producer of the BOTB series, has created some outrageous theme shows there, and one of my favorites so far was the Blacklight Spectacular. She begins planning some of her theme shows years in advance, and they’re just not like anything else.

All photos courtesy Norman Blake.

Bambi Represents the Blacklight.

Velocity Chyalld does Badass Blacklight Burlesque.
Also amazing was Amber Ray’s second number featuring her with Muffinhead, in which she came out covered with balloons filled with neon paint, which Muffinhead popped until she was covered with the paint. I can’t even begin to describe Bambi’s number with her giant snailshell.

Right now we’re gearing up for the new season, and I’ll be presenting the students from my Coney Island Master Class there, as well as producing a show about breakfast cereal. Snap, Crackle, Strip!
The Great Fredini, Co-Producer of BOTB.

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of The New York School of Burlesque, for burlesquedaily.blogspot.com.

Amber Ray, Professional Sensationalist.

Me, pulling out an old strip joint number for the occasion.

Julie Atlas Muz goes radioactive.

Viva and her CanCan troupe, ‘A French Fling’ (comprised of ultra bendy, cart-wheeling, back-flipping leggy ladies), were involved in helping Gok’s participants feel great about showing off their pins too.

Tune in to ITV1 on 9th April to see the high kicking action.

Immodesty Blaize - Miss Exotic World 2007

The applications for the Miss Exotic World Pageant are up! Click here to get one.

Click here for little history of the Pageant.

As you may know, Kittie and I were judges at last years event and it really is THE premier event of the burlesque calendar in terms of size, performers and fun. Just check out these exclusive MoB videos from last year:

Day Two - The Pre Party
Day Three - 50th Annual Striptease Reunion
Day Four - The Miss Exotic World Finals

Please note that the deadline for applications is 15th March 2008 and you will be notified by 25 April as to whether your application has been successful or not.

Can a British burlesquer emulate the achievement of Immodesty or will the crown be returned to the USA?

It all depends on you!

Veronica Lashe

Vegas gets bumpin’ April 10-13. Throughout January, you can head over to the site and vote for who you’d would like to see compete. The top six contestants get to perform at Viva Las Vegas with the audience deciding on the winner.

One of the contestants, Veronica Lashe, dished on the Candy Gram. We’ll feature more contestants in the coming weeks. If other contestants and performers would like to be featured in the weekly Q&A, drop me a line at KellyDiNardo AT gmail DOT com.