Pillow

By the time she won Miss Exotic World in 1995 Pillow had been combining elements of classic striptease with a unique modern twist for nearly two decades while simultaneously becoming a champion bodybuilder. Pillow began her burlesque career in 1976 in the standard sort of go-go clubs that featured bikini

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The Exotic Dancers League

There wouldn’t be a Burlesque Hall of Fame and Museum if there hadn’t first been the Exotic Dancers League. As theatrical burlesque began its decline after WWII and the main venue for striptease moved to the nightclubs, striptease performers found themselves increasingly detached from the support networks the burlesque circuits

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Behind The Garter Belt: Anna Fur Laxis

Anna Fur Laxis blew me away with her clever Bettie Page tribute at The Windy City Burlesque Festival last April. With the amazing transitions from Bad Bettie to Good Bettie, I thought she was just the dame to interview for my costume column. You can check out her amazing act

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Behind The Garter Belt: SATAN’S ANGEL

When I saw Satan’s Angel perform her fire tassels routine out in the Mojave Desert heat in 2005’s Miss Exotic World pageant, I was speechless. This woman was Tina Turner and Mick Jagger rolled up into one fiery package. She is the rock n’ roll of burlesque! I’ve been fortunate

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Get Thee to a Mentor!

***Below are my personal opinions on mentorship. I have a big mouth, and this is my blog. Be warned.*** As I sit here, as I often do after reading my books and autobiographies about success and successful people, all I really wanted to share is: GET THEE TO A MENTOR!

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What To Do When You Faceplant on Stage

On Wednesday, I had a bad show. It happens. And as performers, we all must deal with it at some point. But it’s how you deal with it that makes the difference. Now, it’s not like I tripped and busted open my face (which I’ve done) or accidentally took a

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Revealing Images: Gigi and Pop

In Revealing Images, photographer Don Spiro dishes up sweet photographic treats and the stories behind them. Today, Don aims his lens at New York City based band, Gigi and Pop. Gigi and Pop are a band based in New York City that is popular in the burlesque scene, it’s individual

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Boylesque in a Nutshell

I recently asked NY performer B.B. Heart to help me work on some new BIG articles.  When  brainstorming ideas, we soon discovered that we were most excited about at the moment were all of the boys in burlesque!  So it made sense to make our first piece about that very

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How Much Dance Choreography is Too Much?

Q: How much dance choreography is too much to add into a burlesque routine and how much is too little? I’ve heard burlesque dancers say “not too much dance choreography.” A: Formally trained dancers may have a tendency to think more about their choreography than their audience. In many rigidly

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