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Bio 1:
Jo Weldon is the Headmistress and Founder of the New York School of Burlesque. Internationally renowned as burlesque personality Jo Boobs, she's rounded her heels on stages from Coney Island to Las Vegas. She's 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. Her book, The Burlesque Handbook: A Backstage Guide, featuring a foreword by Margaret Cho, was released by HarperCollins/ItBooks in June 2010.
Bio 2 :
Jo Weldon, Headmistress and Founder of the New York School of Burlesque, was a featured performer in Margaret Cho's variety show, the Sensuous Woman. She served as coach, consultant, and performer on the burlesque episodes of Gossip Girl. The Village Voice named her Best Teacher in their Best of New York issue in Arts and Entertainment two years in a row. She was voted Best Burlesque Teacher and Mentor at the New York Burlesque Festival, as well as being voted The Hottest Cougar two years in a row. She has released three educational DVDs, available on Netflix and amazon.com, and her book, The Burlesque Handbook, with a foreword by Margaret Cho, will be released by HarperCollins/ItBooks in June.
Jo's Author Page on Amazon.com, including tour information.
Jo interviewed for Yule:
Video of Jo on CBS Sunday Morning
Video of one of Jo's student showcases on MTV
Jo interviewed for Coilhouse and the Syndicate of Human Image Trafficking
Jo's Burlesque DVDs, including video clips
Jo performing a tribute to her friend Sherry Britton, a burlesque performer of the 40s and 50s, who designed the hair, costume, choreography, and chose the music for the number.
Jo performing her Godzilla number at Coney Island
Jo "Boobs" Weldon is the Headmistress and Founder of the New York School of Burlesque, and author of The Burlesque Handbook, with a foreword by Margaret Cho, from HarperCollins/ItBooks.
Jo performing in "Silk and Feathers":
"Jo has been a fantastic entertainer at Exotic World and a great inspiration to everyone at the Burlesque Hall of Fame. It's an honor to have her directing our educational programs, and a thrill to have her on our stage!"
--Dixie Evans, the Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque and Co-Founder (with Jennie Lee) of the Burlesque Hall of Fame.
"I love Jo because not only is she absolutely gorgeous, she is incredibly smart. She is a burlesque performer, teacher, historian, and photographer. She shows us our present while preserving our past."
--Margaret Cho, Comedian and Iconoclast.
One of the hottest burlesque performers in the world, according to asylum.com
One of the top ten burlesque stars in the world, according to 21st Century Pinups
Additional background:
Burlesque performer and instructor; former strip joint stripper, centerfold model, and touring headliner; photographer; producer; event planner; and writer.
Choreographer for Gossip Girl, What Not to Wear, Stiletto Spy School, and Operation Bombshell.
Co-Executive Director of Education for the Burlesque Hall of Fame.
Director of Coney Island USA's Master Class in Burlesque.
Originator of what would now be considered a blog about neo-burlesque on a site called G-Strings Forever! in 1999, which was the first site to regularly provide news and original content and photographs on the subject.
Sex Workers' Rights Activist who has participated in academic and legislative panels, including at the UN. toured with the Sex Workers' Art Show in 2007, performing in 33 cities in 35 days, mostly at universities.
THE NEW YORK SCHOOL OF BURLESQUE
The New York School of Burlesque has been operating for six years. It is based in the Slipper Room, a cabaret and bar which has been dedicated to presenting burlesque shows for over ten years. The school is a collective of some of the most celebrated performers in burlesque. Making the most of the New York Burlesque scene, widely recognized as the most prolific in the world, the school draws on a diverse pool of talent. Classes include movement, history, costuming, makeup, choreography, fitness, theatrical skill building, circus training, and confidence building.
New York School of Burlesque Website
If you wish to film or photograph a class, our schedule can be pretty tight. We have an open class on Saturdays from 5-6 pm. Contact us at schoolofburlesque@gmail.com to ask about availability. There may be no other classes offered for this purpose, as most students do not wish to be photographed, but in this class they do expect it. You must provide a statement of intention for instructors and students to read and a full professional releases for all participants. You may also film student showcases; please inquire for dates and times.
THE BURLESQUE HANDBOOK
Release date: June 1, 2010
Back cover copy:
“That’s Jo Weldon—and she’s perfect!”
Leighton Meester, on the set of Gossip Girl
The Burlesque Handbook is the essential manual to understanding and performing both classic and neo-burlesque. Written by Jo “Boobs” Weldon, award-winning founder of the New York School of Burlesque, this guidebook provides step-by-step instructions on basic moves, provides worksheets for costuming and music selection, and gives backstage insight from one of the most established and respected stars of the burlesque scene. Also here are insider tips from dozens of performers whose combined careers span six decades and an illustrated section on how to make and twirl tasseled pasties!
The book features easy-to-follow suggestions and exercises for developing stage-worthy confidence, presence, and sexiness. You’ll learn about the fabulous makeup, costumes, pasties, moves, grooves, and attitudes of burlesque. The Burlesque Handbook is the must-have guide for everyone interested in this vibrant and wildly popular performance art, providing inspiration and practical information that readers can take straight from the page to the stage!
“Jo is one of the true champions of the burlesque world….Hearing her speak, seeing her teach, and marveling at the way she has been the driving force behind successful events is a real pleasure for me!”
Catherine D’Lish, Two-Time Miss Exotic World, Creative Director for Dita Von Teese.
“When you need an academic diatribe about the importance of burlesque in a gorgeous package served with sex appeal, intelligence and love, that’s Jo! This woman is passionate about burlesque and can recreate the sex appeal of the genre lost long ago.”
– Dirty Martini, Muse to Karl Lagerfeld, Voted #1 Burlesque Performer in the World 2010
Jo Weldon is the headmistress and founder of the award-winning New York School of Burlesque, and many of her graduates have gone on to become burlesque stars themselves. She began performing retro striptease at Rocky Horror while still in high school, did nude poetry readings and performance art while working in strip clubs to get through college, and did her first fan dance at The Battle of the Cheetah Girls in 1993. Now, she is known as the premier educator and authority on burlesque, and is the Educational Director for the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, working with burlesque instructors around the world to develop curriculum and standards for teaching burlesque history and technique. She has published countless articles and photographs about stripping and burlesque, and has been interviewed for television, film, radio, print, and the internet.
//end of book back cover copy
The Burlesque Handbook
