Neo-Burlesque
Encyclopedia
Neo-Burlesque is the revival and updating of the traditional burlesque
performance. Though based on the traditional Burlesque art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; Neo-burlesque acts can be anything from classic striptease to modern dance to theatrical mini-dramas to comedic mayhem. As with the earlier burlesque, neo-burlesque is more focused on the "tease" in "striptease" than the "strip". Audiences for neo-burlesque shows tend to be mixed gender, age, race, and class.
and her British Blondes, a troupe who spoofed traditional theatrical productions and featured ladies performing men's roles, in costumes considered revealing for the time period. American burlesque
soon assimilated music hall
, minstrel show
s, striptease
, comedy
and cabaret
styles to evolve from the follies
of the twenties and thirties to the girlie shows of the 40s and 50s, which eventually gave way to the modern strip club. The striptease element of burlesque became subject to extensive local legislation, leading to a theatrical form that titillated without falling foul of censors.
By the late 1930s, a social crackdown on burlesque shows began their gradual decline. The shows had slowly changed from ensemble ribald variety performances, to simple performances focusing mostly on the striptease. In New York, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia clamped down on burlesque, effectively putting it out of business by the early 1940s. Burlesque lingered on elsewhere in the U.S., increasingly neglected, and by the 1970s, with nudity commonplace in theatres, American burlesque reached "its final shabby demise".
During its declining years and afterwards, films sought to capture the spirit of American burlesque. For example, in I'm No Angel
(1933), Mae West
performed a burlesque act. The 1943 film Lady of Burlesque
depicts the back-stage life of burlesque performers. Pin-up girl
Bettie Page
's most famous features included Striporama
(1953). In such films, the girls wore revealing costumes, but there was never any nudity. The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) celebrates classic American burlesque.
, Tempest Storm
, Gypsy Rose Lee
, Dixie Evans and Lili St. Cyr
have themselves gone on to inspire a new generation of performers.
Modern burlesque has taken many on forms, but it has the common trait of honoring one or more of burlesque's previous incarnations. The acts tend to put emphasis on style and are sexy rather than sexual. A typical burlesque act may include striptease, expensive or garish costumes, bawdy humor, cabaret and more. Unlike strippers who dance in strip clubs to make a living, burlesque performers often perform for fun and spend more money on costumes, rehearsal, and props than they are compensated. Also, performers will often strip down to pasties
and g-strings.
There are modern burlesque performers, shows and festivals all over the world, as well as annual conventions such as Tease-O-Rama, the Great Burlesque Exposition, the Miss Exotic World Pageant
, and Burly Con. Today's burlesque revival has found homes throughout the United States (with the largest communities located on the East and West Coasts of the U.S.) and the world.
On the US East Coast, New York City boasts several notable troops and venues including The Slipper Room, Le Scandal Cabaret, Pinchbottom Burlesque, Starshine Burlesque, Wasabassco burlesque. During the summer, New York has Coney Island's Burlesque at the Beach. Further north, Boston boasts an active burlesque scene with several troupes and performers The leading troupe in the area is The Boston Babydolls, winners of "Best in Boston" in 2010 and 2011.
In Philadelphia there is the long-running (since 1998) troupe the Peek-A-Boo Revue, the agitprop Cabaret Red Light, and the theatrical Revival Burlesque. All three performing monthly. In Greensboro, NC, burlesque revival performances by Foxy Moxy and her "Cabaret Risque" troupe have been incorporated into the Greensboro Fringe Theater Festival.
On the US West Coast in the Pacific Northwest, the Burlesque scene is centered in Seattle which is home of Miss Indigo Blue, Miss Trixie Lane—The Queen of Shame, Tamara the Trapeze Lady, Miss Kitty Baby, Ravenna Black, Paula the Swedish Housewife, Vienna Le Rouge, The Atomic Bombshells, Burning Hearts, The Von Foxies, Glitzkrieg Burlesque, and Sinner Saint Burlesque. Portland, Oregon has also become a burgeoning burlesque scene thanks in part to troupes such as The Rose City Sirens, Sugar Q Burlesque, Rose City Shimmy and weekly revues at venues such as The Hawthorne Theatre. Performances reminiscent of times past grace stages a bit farther south, as the Eugene, OR - based Red Raven Follies combine titillation with humor, and throw in a smattering of circus delights. In California, the largest communities reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, home of the largest monthly burlesque and variety show (the Hubba Hubba Revue
). In Los Angeles, there was Cherry Kiss Burlesque, featuring star performers such as Crystal Swarovski, Polly Peabody, Honey Holiday, Scarlett Letter, and Nancy SinUltra. Current LA Burlesque includes Monday Night Tease!, LA's longest running weekly burlesque show since 2003, currently produced by Lili VonSchtupp as well as Peepshow Menagerie, produced by Chris Beyond and Scarlett Letter and Victory Variety Hour produced by Penny Star Jr.
There are also thriving scenes in Canada, the UK, Australia, France, Finland and Japan.
In 2004, a documentary was made on The Velvet Hammer Burlesque. 2008's A Wink and a Smile, which includes performers Indigo Blue, The Shanghai Pearl, Waxie Moon, Paula the Swedish Housewife, and others is about ten ordinary women in the Seattle area who learn the art of striptease in a six-week course in preparation of performing before an audience. Also released in 2008, was The Great Boston Burlesque Exposition 2008, a short film made about the festival.
In 2010, saw the releases of the Burlesque Undressed documentary which includes the performers Immodesty Blaize
, Catherine D'lish
, Satan's Angel
, Dirty Martini
, and Michelle L'amour
; Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque, which is a documentary by Gary Beeber that focuses on performer Dirty Martini
and features her various cohorts who are mainly from the New York City burlesque scene; and a short documentary on Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School
, the international event founded by Molly Crabapple
and A. V. Phibes
in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
which provides art classes that frequently uses burlesque performers as subjects. A 2010 musical film, Burlesque
, starring Christina Aguilara and Cher, "wags its derrière, in the direction of new burlesque, but it’s strictly old school ... with a story line that had already gathered dust by ... 1933. Mathieu Amalric
's 2010 film Tournee
, is a comedy film that centers around a troupe of American burlesque dancers Mimi Le Meaux, Kitten on the Keys, Dirty Martini
, Julie Atlas Muz
, Evie Lovelle and Roky Roulette on tour in French ports. The film premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
where it won FIPRESCI Award, and Amalric received the Best Director Award.
In 2011, the documentary Exotic World & the Burlesque Revival will be released. Directed by Red Vaughan Tremmel, the film examines the history of burlesque while exploring the relationship between neo-burlesque dancers and the legends who danced in American burlesque
from the 1940s through the 1960s. The film focuses on Exotic World—a museum run by former striptease artist Dixie Evans—that is currently called Burlesque Hall of Fame museum. Located in the middle of the Mojave Desert, Exotic World became a significant force in reviving the moves and history of burlesque dancers, fueling the trajectory of the neo-burlesque movement.
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
performance. Though based on the traditional Burlesque art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; Neo-burlesque acts can be anything from classic striptease to modern dance to theatrical mini-dramas to comedic mayhem. As with the earlier burlesque, neo-burlesque is more focused on the "tease" in "striptease" than the "strip". Audiences for neo-burlesque shows tend to be mixed gender, age, race, and class.
Burlesque history
Burlesque as a sensation was brought to America from Britain in the late 1860s by Lydia ThompsonLydia Thompson
Lydia Thompson, born Eliza Hodges Thompson , was an English dancer, actress and theatrical producer....
and her British Blondes, a troupe who spoofed traditional theatrical productions and featured ladies performing men's roles, in costumes considered revealing for the time period. American burlesque
American burlesque
American Burlesque is a genre of variety show. Derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows, burlesque shows in America became popular in the 1860s and evolved to feature ribald comedy and female striptease...
soon assimilated music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
, minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
s, striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
, comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
styles to evolve from the follies
Follies
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
of the twenties and thirties to the girlie shows of the 40s and 50s, which eventually gave way to the modern strip club. The striptease element of burlesque became subject to extensive local legislation, leading to a theatrical form that titillated without falling foul of censors.
By the late 1930s, a social crackdown on burlesque shows began their gradual decline. The shows had slowly changed from ensemble ribald variety performances, to simple performances focusing mostly on the striptease. In New York, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia clamped down on burlesque, effectively putting it out of business by the early 1940s. Burlesque lingered on elsewhere in the U.S., increasingly neglected, and by the 1970s, with nudity commonplace in theatres, American burlesque reached "its final shabby demise".
During its declining years and afterwards, films sought to capture the spirit of American burlesque. For example, in I'm No Angel
I'm No Angel
I'm No Angel is Mae West's third motion picture. West received sole story and screenplay credit. A young Cary Grant plays her leading man for the second time. Being Pre-Code, this was one of the few Mae West movies that was not subjected to heavy censorship...
(1933), Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
performed a burlesque act. The 1943 film Lady of Burlesque
Lady of Burlesque
Lady of Burlesque is a 1943 American mystery film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Michael O'Shea, based on the novel The G-String Murders written by famous strip tease artist Gypsy Rose Lee...
depicts the back-stage life of burlesque performers. Pin-up girl
Pin-up girl
A pin-up girl, also known as a pin-up model, is a model whose mass-produced pictures see wide appeal as popular culture. Pin-ups are intended for informal display, e.g. meant to be "pinned-up" on a wall...
Bettie Page
Bettie Page
Bettie Mae Page was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She has often been called the "Queen of Pinups"...
's most famous features included Striporama
Striporama
Striporama is a 1953 comedy film directed by Jerald Intrator. The film starred a number of burlesque comedy, dance and striptease acts that were popular during the early 1950s. Today, it is best known as one of the few feature films starring pin-up model Bettie Page.-Plot:A meeting of the “Council...
(1953). In such films, the girls wore revealing costumes, but there was never any nudity. The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) celebrates classic American burlesque.
Revival
A new generation nostalgic for the spectacle and glamour of the old times has been determined to bring burlesque back. This revival was pioneered independently in the mid 1990s by Billie Madley "Cinema" and Tony Marando's "Dutch Weismanns' Follies" revue in New York and Michelle Carr's "The Velvet Hammer Burlesque" troupe in Los Angeles. In addition, and throughout the country, many individual performers were incorporating aspects of burlesque in their acts. These productions, inspired by the likes of Sally RandSally Rand
Sally Rand was a burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance. She also performed under the name Billie Beck.-Early life and career:...
, Tempest Storm
Tempest Storm
Tempest Storm is the stage name of an American stripper, burlesque star, and motion picture actress. Along with Lili St. Cyr and Blaze Starr, she was one of the best known burlesque performers of the 1950s and 1960s. She is regarded as having one of the longest careers as a burlesque performer,...
, Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer famous for her striptease act. She was also an actress, author, and playwright whose 1957 memoir was made into the stage musical and film Gypsy.-Early life:...
, Dixie Evans and Lili St. Cyr
Lili St. Cyr
Lili St. Cyr , was a prominent American burlesque stripper.- Early years :She was born as Willis Marie Van Schaack in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1918. She had a sister, Rosemary Van Schaack Minsky...
have themselves gone on to inspire a new generation of performers.
Modern burlesque has taken many on forms, but it has the common trait of honoring one or more of burlesque's previous incarnations. The acts tend to put emphasis on style and are sexy rather than sexual. A typical burlesque act may include striptease, expensive or garish costumes, bawdy humor, cabaret and more. Unlike strippers who dance in strip clubs to make a living, burlesque performers often perform for fun and spend more money on costumes, rehearsal, and props than they are compensated. Also, performers will often strip down to pasties
Pasties
Pasties are adhesive coverings applied to cover a woman's nipples and areolae. Though pasties are commonly associated with burlesque and erotic entertainment, they are also at times worn as an undergarment and occasionally as beachwear.Some women wear pasties when wearing a strapless or backless...
and g-strings.
Burlesque scenes
The award winning Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society is one of the worlds largest and longest running Burlesque companies.There are modern burlesque performers, shows and festivals all over the world, as well as annual conventions such as Tease-O-Rama, the Great Burlesque Exposition, the Miss Exotic World Pageant
Miss Exotic World Pageant
The Miss Exotic World Pageant is an annual neo-burlesque pageant and convention, and is the annual showcase event the Burlesque Hall of Fame...
, and Burly Con. Today's burlesque revival has found homes throughout the United States (with the largest communities located on the East and West Coasts of the U.S.) and the world.
On the US East Coast, New York City boasts several notable troops and venues including The Slipper Room, Le Scandal Cabaret, Pinchbottom Burlesque, Starshine Burlesque, Wasabassco burlesque. During the summer, New York has Coney Island's Burlesque at the Beach. Further north, Boston boasts an active burlesque scene with several troupes and performers The leading troupe in the area is The Boston Babydolls, winners of "Best in Boston" in 2010 and 2011.
In Philadelphia there is the long-running (since 1998) troupe the Peek-A-Boo Revue, the agitprop Cabaret Red Light, and the theatrical Revival Burlesque. All three performing monthly. In Greensboro, NC, burlesque revival performances by Foxy Moxy and her "Cabaret Risque" troupe have been incorporated into the Greensboro Fringe Theater Festival.
On the US West Coast in the Pacific Northwest, the Burlesque scene is centered in Seattle which is home of Miss Indigo Blue, Miss Trixie Lane—The Queen of Shame, Tamara the Trapeze Lady, Miss Kitty Baby, Ravenna Black, Paula the Swedish Housewife, Vienna Le Rouge, The Atomic Bombshells, Burning Hearts, The Von Foxies, Glitzkrieg Burlesque, and Sinner Saint Burlesque. Portland, Oregon has also become a burgeoning burlesque scene thanks in part to troupes such as The Rose City Sirens, Sugar Q Burlesque, Rose City Shimmy and weekly revues at venues such as The Hawthorne Theatre. Performances reminiscent of times past grace stages a bit farther south, as the Eugene, OR - based Red Raven Follies combine titillation with humor, and throw in a smattering of circus delights. In California, the largest communities reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, home of the largest monthly burlesque and variety show (the Hubba Hubba Revue
Hubba Hubba Revue
The Hubba Hubba Revue is a San Francisco-based neo-burlesque and variety show. After starting in September 2006, the next year the show went on monthly in San Francisco in addition to a smaller weekly show in Oakland.-Shows and locations:...
). In Los Angeles, there was Cherry Kiss Burlesque, featuring star performers such as Crystal Swarovski, Polly Peabody, Honey Holiday, Scarlett Letter, and Nancy SinUltra. Current LA Burlesque includes Monday Night Tease!, LA's longest running weekly burlesque show since 2003, currently produced by Lili VonSchtupp as well as Peepshow Menagerie, produced by Chris Beyond and Scarlett Letter and Victory Variety Hour produced by Penny Star Jr.
There are also thriving scenes in Canada, the UK, Australia, France, Finland and Japan.
Films
In recent years, there are various documentaries and films have been made that regard neo-burlesque.In 2004, a documentary was made on The Velvet Hammer Burlesque. 2008's A Wink and a Smile, which includes performers Indigo Blue, The Shanghai Pearl, Waxie Moon, Paula the Swedish Housewife, and others is about ten ordinary women in the Seattle area who learn the art of striptease in a six-week course in preparation of performing before an audience. Also released in 2008, was The Great Boston Burlesque Exposition 2008, a short film made about the festival.
In 2010, saw the releases of the Burlesque Undressed documentary which includes the performers Immodesty Blaize
Immodesty Blaize
Immodesty Blaize is a British burlesque dancer who performs internationally. She was crowned Reigning Queen of Burlesque in June 2007 at the Las Vegas Burlesque Hall of Fame formerly known as Exotic World.- Rise to fame :Her ethnic heritage is Croatian, Russian and Irish...
, Catherine D'lish
Catherine D'lish
Catherine D’lish is an American performance artist specializing in classical strip tease and burlesque. Elaborate costumes and decorative props are part of her show. She has been the headlining performer at multiple events in the genre including the 50th anniversary celebration of Playboy...
, Satan's Angel
Satan's Angel
Angel Cecelia Helene Walker is an American exotic dancer specializing in stripping and burlesque under her stage name Satan’s Angel. She started dancing in San Francisco in 1961, after winning an amateur strip contest at North Beach nightclub Moulin Rouge...
, Dirty Martini
Dirty Martini (burlesque)
Dirty Martini is a New York City-based Burlesque dancer, pin-up model and dance teacher.She is best-known for her over-the-top performance acts, which mostly incorporate various classic burlesque styles such as the fan dance, balloon strip tease, the Dance of Several Veils, and shadow stripping,...
, and Michelle L'amour
Michelle L'amour
Michelle L'amour is an American neo-burlesque performer who grew up in Orland Park, Illinois. In 2006, she performed stripteases on NBC's America's Got Talent, Showtime's , and small touring performances. Her tagline is "The Ass That Goes POW!" and she sells related promotional products...
; Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque, which is a documentary by Gary Beeber that focuses on performer Dirty Martini
Dirty Martini (burlesque)
Dirty Martini is a New York City-based Burlesque dancer, pin-up model and dance teacher.She is best-known for her over-the-top performance acts, which mostly incorporate various classic burlesque styles such as the fan dance, balloon strip tease, the Dance of Several Veils, and shadow stripping,...
and features her various cohorts who are mainly from the New York City burlesque scene; and a short documentary on Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School
Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School
Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School is both a burlesque cabaret and life drawing event originating in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at the Lucky Cat . Dr. Sketchy's was founded in New York City in 2005, by illustrator and former artist's model Molly Crabapple and illustrator A.V. Phibes who later left to...
, the international event founded by Molly Crabapple
Molly Crabapple
Molly Crabapple is an American artist, author and entrepreneur.The AP Wire once compared her work to "limerick shared amongst good company in a Victorian parlor."-Early life:...
and A. V. Phibes
A. V. Phibes
A.V. Phibes is an illustrator known for her slick, retro-inspired images, cartoons and pinups. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, she also lived in New Mexico and Colorado before settling in Brooklyn, New York in 1998....
in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
which provides art classes that frequently uses burlesque performers as subjects. A 2010 musical film, Burlesque
Burlesque (film)
Burlesque is a 2010 musical film directed and written by Steven Antin and starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. The film was released on November 24, 2010 in North America....
, starring Christina Aguilara and Cher, "wags its derrière, in the direction of new burlesque, but it’s strictly old school ... with a story line that had already gathered dust by ... 1933. Mathieu Amalric
Mathieu Amalric
Mathieu Amalric is a French actor and film director, perhaps best known internationally for his performance as the lead villain in Bond film Quantum Of Solace and for his role in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, for which he drew critical acclaim...
's 2010 film Tournee
On Tour (2010 film)
On Tour is a 2010 French comedy film directed by Mathieu Amalric. It stars Amalric himself as a producer who brings an American Neo-Burlesque troupe to France, played by genuine performers Mimi Le Meaux, Kitten on the Keys, Dirty Martini, Julie Atlas Muz, Evie Lovelle and Roky Roulette...
, is a comedy film that centers around a troupe of American burlesque dancers Mimi Le Meaux, Kitten on the Keys, Dirty Martini
Dirty Martini (burlesque)
Dirty Martini is a New York City-based Burlesque dancer, pin-up model and dance teacher.She is best-known for her over-the-top performance acts, which mostly incorporate various classic burlesque styles such as the fan dance, balloon strip tease, the Dance of Several Veils, and shadow stripping,...
, Julie Atlas Muz
Julie Atlas Muz
Julie Atlas Muz is a New York City-based performance artist, dancer, burlesque artist, stage director, and actress....
, Evie Lovelle and Roky Roulette on tour in French ports. The film premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
2010 Cannes Film Festival
The 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 12 to May 23, 2010, in Cannes, France. The Cannes Film Festival, hailed as being one of the most recognized and prestigious film festivals worldwide, was founded in 1946. It consists of having films screened in and out of competition during the...
where it won FIPRESCI Award, and Amalric received the Best Director Award.
In 2011, the documentary Exotic World & the Burlesque Revival will be released. Directed by Red Vaughan Tremmel, the film examines the history of burlesque while exploring the relationship between neo-burlesque dancers and the legends who danced in American burlesque
American burlesque
American Burlesque is a genre of variety show. Derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows, burlesque shows in America became popular in the 1860s and evolved to feature ribald comedy and female striptease...
from the 1940s through the 1960s. The film focuses on Exotic World—a museum run by former striptease artist Dixie Evans—that is currently called Burlesque Hall of Fame museum. Located in the middle of the Mojave Desert, Exotic World became a significant force in reviving the moves and history of burlesque dancers, fueling the trajectory of the neo-burlesque movement.
Neo-Burlesque organizations
- Burlesque Hall of Fame (formerly the Exotic World Burlesque Museum), which hosts the annual Miss Exotic World PageantMiss Exotic World PageantThe Miss Exotic World Pageant is an annual neo-burlesque pageant and convention, and is the annual showcase event the Burlesque Hall of Fame...
. - Coney Island USAConey Island USAConey Island USA is a 501 not-for-profit corporation based in the amusement park area of the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn New York. In existence since 1980, Coney Island USA has developed and produces a number of different programs including some of New York City’s best loved summer...
Further reading
- Allen, Robert Clyde (1991). Horrible Prettiness: Burlesque and American Culture. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-1960-3
- Blaize, Immodesty: "Tease". Ebury Press 2009, ISBN 978-0091930011.
- Porkpie, Jonny: "The Corpse Wore Pasties". Hard Case Crime, 2009, ISBN 978-0843961232.
- Royal, Chaz: Burlesque Poster Design. Korero 2009, ISBN 978-09553398-2-0.
- Willson, Jacki: "The Happy Stripper: Pleasures and Politics of the New Burlesque". I. B. Tauris; illustrated edition (January 8, 2008), ISBN 978-1845113186.
- Baldwin, Michelle. Burlesque and the New Bump-n-Grind. Speck Press, 2004, ISBN 978-0-9725776-2-5.
- Weldon, Jo: "The Burlesque Handbook". It Books 2010, ISBN 978-0061782190.
External links
- Behind the Burly Q. 2010 documentary film by Leslie ZemeckisRobert ZemeckisRobert Lee Zemeckis is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Zemeckis first came to public attention in the 1980s as the director of the comedic time-travel Back to the Future film series, as well as the Academy Award-winning live-action/animation epic Who Framed Roger Rabbit ,...