Vivienne VaVoom

Vivienne Vavoom: Spreading the Gospel of Glitter

The crowd began clapping, hooting, and hollering as the rev of motorcycles and Metallica filled the air. It was time. I was at Denver’s Erico Motorsports, there because I was dating one of the mechanics. And on this night, there would be a grand reveal of Ducati’s new all-road model,

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From Bloomers to G-Strings: A History of Burlesque Underwear

As a burlesque performer or even an enthusiast you may have seen the old photos of Bettie Page in the “Guide for Strip-Teasers.” It was published in 1953 as a guide to show how much a stripper could reveal depending on what US. State she was in. Burlesque has changed

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Signs of Scott Ewalt by Jo Weldon (Part 1)

Burlesque signs have always rocked my world. As a child, every time I saw a burlesque sign on a lounge I got an illicit thrill, imagining women of impossible repute removing stockings with a knowing wink. I could picture the heavy lashes, the big hair, the chiffon robes. I was

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Dorothy Dorne: A Life in Pictures by Jo Weldon

Last winter I spent some time going through paper archives in the Burlesque Hall of Fame collection in Las Vegas, with the help of Laura Herbert and Brian Newman. I was particularly interested in the sheet music and the notations on it. I intend to share more about the sheet music project

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Performance Archetypes: The Half-and-Half

While I’ve yet to find conclusive proof of its origin, the Half-and-Half—in which a solo performer utilizes clever, vertically divided costuming and skillful choreography to create the illusion of a duet—has long been a staple of classic burlesque performance. Most commonly associated with dichotomous male/female numbers (like Zorita’s racy “Bride & Groom,” top),

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Winners Interviews: Lou Lou D’vil, Best Debut

Finnish beauty, LouLou D’vil looks back on her BHoF 2011 experience… Congratulations LouLou! Did you imagine when you set off from Finland that you would return with a trophy? Thank you! I really didn’t expect to win, not at all! Are you keen to return and compete for Reigning Queen?

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Winners Interviews: Anna Fur Laxis, 1st Runner Up

First Runner Up, Anna Fur Laxis discusses her BHoF 2011 experience, and one of the most talked about performances of the weekend… Congratulations Anna! Are you happy with the result? Thank you! It was wonderful, and the feedback and responses I have had, both from the live performance and from

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Winners Interviews: Captain Kidd, Best Boylesque 2011

A post-win chat with newly crowned Australian burlesque royalty, Captain Kidd…   Well, congratulations Captain! Did you see that one coming?! I didn’t really see me walking away from BHOF with two, let alone one title/trophies!   When did you first hear about BHoF, and what made you decide to

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Winners Interviews: Indigo Blue, Reigning Queen 2011

In the first of a series of BHoF Winners Interviews, Indigo Blue shares her thoughts, feelings and future plans as the Reigning Queen of Burlesque 2011…   When you were announced, my heart leapt for you – the wave of love and happiness for you in the theatre was so

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Pearls of Wisdom from Burlesque Royalty…

For those of you who did not attend and have not had a chance to enjoy the edited version in the BHoF ’11 programme, here are some words of advice and best wishes for BHoF competitors and would-be queens and kings from some of the previous title holders…   “If

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