Above: Me performing to "Big Balls" by AC/DC, "Born With a Tail" by The Supersuckers, "Godzilla" by BOC, and "Ice Cream Man" by Van Halen. Photos by Dale Harris.
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Above: Me performing to "Big Balls" by AC/DC, "Born With a Tail" by The Supersuckers, "Godzilla" by BOC, and "Ice Cream Man" by Van Halen. Photos by Dale Harris.
If you love burlesque but want to expand your repertoire beyond the slow, sexy peel to lounge music, this just might be the class for you.
I love classic burlesque, but I love classic rock too. We'll dance to "I Love Rock N Roll" by Joan Jett, and I'll teach you how to make the most of rock n roll without losing that authentic burlesque flavor. We'll play with boas, gloves, and fringe, but we'll add classic stripper moves like the full-body hair toss and the booty shake. I'll discuss musical structure and how rock n roll music compares to burlesque music and show tunes. I'll talk about some of the ways the music can affect your costume choices, and how to make the music and get past making a predictable live version of a music video.
The first burlesque show I produced at the Bowery Poetry Club was "Hubba Hubba Hey," a burlesque salute to the Ramones. The Ramones have always been one of my favorite bands, and we'll discuss why some bands lend themselves more easily to burlesque than others. Our goal will be for you to find a way to rock YOUR favorite band!
LOCATION: 167 Orchard St at Stanton (The Slipper Room).
The Slipper Room is located on the corner of Orchard and Stanton Streets, one block below Houston St., on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Their phone number is 212.253.7246.
By Cab
It's simplest to tell your driver to drop you on the corner of Orchard and Houston Streets. Walk down Orchard St. one block. We're big, we're pink and we'll be on your right.
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.
When you get above ground, you'll be on the corner of Houston and Allen Streets. Walk east on Houston one block to Orchard St. Hang a right on Orchard and walk one block. We're big, we're pink and we'll be on your right.
About the Teacher:
Jo Weldon was recently a featured performer in Margaret Cho's variety show, the Sensuous Woman. She recently 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.