Meet the Teachers of the
New York School of Burlesque

Looking for More Classes?

Although this website lists only classes currently offered through the New York School of Burlesque, over the past 15 years Headmistress Jo Weldon has curated and promoted an astonishing array of international burlesque performers and their unique classes. If you are seeking additional instruction or a wider range of classes, Jo can vouch for them as instructors whose reputations are well-earned. Taking classes from burlesque performers and members in good standing with the neo-burlesque community is one of the best ways to network and learn, as most of them are also fulltime performers and producers.
Their websites are listed below.
Please visit their websites to see what they are currently teaching.
At this time there is not further information about them or their classes on this website, only this commendation and referral.

Instructers who taught at NYSB in 2020 and 2021:
(list under construction)

Jezebel Express has been the regular Act Development Instructor and showcase producer for over 10 years, as well as being Director of Flirting With Burlesque.
She is a well-known inspirational speaker and advocate for fat liberation.

Bebe Bardot is an international shake dancer, published pinup, burlesque historian, and professional roller girl. Since being trained by international burlesque superstar Egypt Blaque Knyle, she has been making her mark, including teaching at BurlyCon.
Get to Know Bebe Better

Hartless Malone
Hartless is a certified fitness instructor with licenses to teach Liquid Motion and Zumba. She loves teaching students how to move intentionally, connect their mind to their body, and have fun!
Get to Know Hartless Better

Kita St Cyr
Get to Know Kita Better

Headmistress Jo Weldon • NYSB Core Instructors
NYSB Guest Instructors

Headmistress Jo "Boobs" Weldon

Photograph of Jo Weldon by Scott Shuster

Jo Weldon is the Headmistress and Founder of the New York School of Burlesque, and is one of the most recognized burlesque instructors in the world. She is a recipient of the coveted Burlesque Hall of Fame award for Recognition of Outstanding Contribution to the Art of Burlesque. She has been interviewed for or mentioned in countless major press articles, films, documentaries, news items, and television shows.

Internationally renowned as burlesque personality Jo Boobs, she's rounded her heels on stages from Coney Island to Sydney Harbour. Garo Sparo named her one of the Top Ten Badass Burlesque Babes, and she was recently voted one of the Top 3 Burlesque Performers in the World. She's taught thousands of women (and men!) to twirl tassels, and has conducted performance workshops producing some of the most respected new performers in burlesque. She recently taught burlesque to disabled performers at DaDaFest in Liverpool.

Jo is the winner of such exotic titles as Best Bump N Grinder, Best Teacher and Mentor, and Biggest Cougar in Burlesque! She has worked with performers from Leonard Cohen to Spinal Tap, and has been featured on television shows from CBS Sunday Morning to Gossip Girl. She's taken it off in the grimiest strip clubs and at the most esteemed venues, including being the first burlesquer to ever strip down at The New York Public Library, and has performed and headlined at dozens of festivals all over the world, including The Vancouver Burlesque Festival, the Toronto Burlesque Festival, and the New Zealand Burlesque Festival. She is Co-Director of Education at The Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Co-Curator of Burlycon, and conducts the Master Class in Burlesque at Coney Island USA.

In addition to teaching and performing, Jo has released three ground-breaking how-to burlesque DVDs (via World Dance New York), and her critically acclaimed book The Burlesque Handbook, with a foreword by Margaret Cho, (HarperCollins) is the first book ever published on how to create burlesque routines. She is also the founder of Pink Light Burlesque, a program that produces free burlesque classes for breast cancer survivors and patients.

Ask Jo any question about burlesque on Formspring
Jo on Facebook
Jo on Twitter
Jo on Blogspot
'The Burlesque Handbook Fan Page
Jo's Author Page on Amazon.com
Jo's Instructional DVDs
Read an interview with Jo on Coilhouse

Jo Teaching at Tease-O-Rama in San Francisco

Jo performng at the Toronto Burlesque Festival

NYSB Core Instructors

Amber Ray

Get to know Amber at amberray.net

Calamity Chang

Get to know Calamity at foxfatale.com/calamitychang/

Darlinda Just Darlinda

Get to know Darlinda at darlindajustdarlinda.com

Doctor Lucky

Get to know Doctor Lucky at Lukki.com

Gal Friday

Get to know Gal at galfridayburlesque.tumblr.com/

Jezebel Express

Get to know Jezebel on jezebelexpress.com

Miss Saturn

Get to know Saturn at MissSaturn.com

Peekaboo Pointe

Get to know Peekaboo on peekaboopointe.com

Perle Noire

Get to know Perle on perlenoireburlesque.biz/

Pinkie Special

Get to know Pinkie at pinkiespecial.com

Veronica Varlow

Get to know Varonica at Dangerdame.com

Weirdee Girl

Get to know Weirdee on Facebook

World Famous BOB

Get to know *BOB* on her website

Guest Instructors

• Angie Pontani (NYC)
• Bettina May (NYC)
• Dale Rio (Philadelphia)
• Dirty Martini (NYC)
• Miss Indigo Blue (Seattle)
• Jonny Porkpie (NYC)
• Julie Atlas Muz (NYC)
• Kellita (San Fransisco)
• Lefty Lucy (NYC)
• Lux LaCroix (Los Angeles)
• Michelle L'Amour (Chicago)
• Pearle Noire (New Orleans)
• Tigger! (NYC)
• Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey (Coney Island and NYC)

The calendar below is in the process of being updated.

Home of The Burlesque Handbook

Meet the Teachers of the New York School of Burlesque