JULY 19 CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT 167 ORCHARD ST, LES.
JULY 20 CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT 440 LAFAYETTE ST, GREENWICH VILLAGE.
SOLD OUT!!
Click here for information about the July/August series.
Learn the moves that make burlesque so much fun! You'll be shimmying, peeling, and rocking it right on the stage of a venue that has been devoted to burlesque for almost a decade. Learn AUTHENTIC burlesque! Teacher Jo Weldon has learned directly from the ladies who performed during the golden age of twentieth century striptease.
Links will take you to descriptions of classes with various dates. Only the dates on this page are part of the series. You may not be entitled to makeups or date changes; since classes sell out, that doesn't work.
Email us to be notified when these classes are offered singly.
You do not need to be a performer or planning to perform to take these classes. This series is suitable for beginners, as well as for experienced dancers or other types of performers curious about the language of burlesque.
This 6-section class starting June 15 features:
June 15 4-6 Classic Moves of Burlesque with Tassel-Twirling
There is also a Classic Moves class offered separately at 1:30 pm, click here to register for this class only.
All other classes in this series run from 2.30-3.30.
June 22 2:30-3:30 Stripping Out of Street Clothes
June 29 2:30-3:30 Fan Dance Basics
July 6 2:30-3:30 Chair Dance Basics
July 13 2:30-3:30 Strutting and Walking
July 20 2:30-3:30 Glove and Stocking Peel
Class series Includes Pastie-Making Book and instructions.
Series only. You may not register for the above classes separately, although you can check back to see when they are offered separately. This is due to limited quantities of space, sightlines, and props, and is not negotiable.
SOLD OUT
For more info on our payment policies, Click Here.
You will receive a certificate for completion of the series.
Just to give you an idea of what there is to learn, you'll begin with Classic Moves.
Learn the sexy shimmy,
the tantalizing glove peel,
the devastating bump n grind, and the dazzling tassel-twirl
from an internationally recognized striptease expert
with decades of performing experience.
Boas, gloves, shimmy fringe, and pasties will be provided.
This class is for women only.
You'll get the basics of the history of burlesque and striptease as
an artform, plus you'll hear plenty of stories of how Jo learned each move from
each amazing performer. There will be information on costuming,
getting gigs, the history of the Burlesque Hall of Fame and burlesque in Coney
Island, where to see burlesque shows in NYC, and more!
You'll learn techniques for twirling nipple tassels to the left, to the right, in, out, one at a time, and on your back!
This is a great way to learn to structure a costume and
compose a burlesque number.
LOCATION: 167 Orchard St at Stanton (The Slipper Room). For directions from your location, visit hopstop.com.
By Subway
The F / V train is the only subway near us. You'll want the 2nd Avenue stop. Make sure you're at the front of the train if coming from uptown, or the back of the train if coming from Brooklyn. More Directions
See the School of Burlesque on CBS Sunday Morning:
See video of Jo Weldon teaching Julie Chang to peel gloves:
Truly Julie at Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art Show
See video of Jo teaching an audience member to twirl tassels during the Sex Workers' Art Show:
Teacher's Bio:
Jo Weldon was recently a featured performer in Margaret Cho's variety show, the Sensuous Woman. She served as coach and consultant on the Victor Victrola episode of Gossip Girl. In 2007, the Village Voice named her Best Teacher in their Best of New York issue in Arts and Entertainment. In 2006 she was voted Best Burlesque Teacher and Mentor at the New York Burlesque Festival, and in 2005 she was voted Best Bump N Grinder. She is the judging co-ordinator for the Miss Exotic World Pageant and has been producing at Coney Island's Burlesque at the Beach series for five years. Going back a ways, in the early 1990s she was a feature dancer, traveling across the country with trunks full of props and costumes to headline at strip joints across the US and Canada; she performed her first fan dance in 1991. She also maintains a burlesque blog featuring backstage photos, news items, and interviews at burlesquedaily.blogspot.com.
Refund Policy: We will refund all payments in full if we cancel for any reason. Cancellations that iccur during the course of a series will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Deposits are nonrefundable with less than 10 days' notice. If you pay in full in advance and cancel, you will receive a refund minus the deposit amount. If you cancel on short notive, we will most likely be unable to fill your slot, so please respect that the school is an independent institution and do not create that kind of hardship for us. We are an independent neighborhood institution, not a national chain! And no larger institution would give you the leeway on deposits we do; as an independent institution we want to show individual respect to our students, so please respect us back.