Meet The Headmistress
Photograph of Jo Weldon by Scott Shuster
Jo is the Headmistress and Founder of the New York School of Burlesque, and is one of the most recognized burlesque instructor in the world. 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. 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. 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. She's taken it off in the grimiest strip clubs and at the most esteemed venues, including The New York Public Library, and has performed and headlined at dozens of festivals all over the world. 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. She has released three acclaimed how-to burlesque DVDs, and her book The Burlesque Handbook, with a foreword by Margaret Cho, was released by HarperCollins/ItBooks in 2010.
Connect with Jo on her
Amazon Author Page • Webpage • Facebook • Twitter • Formspring
Jo In Action
Press Clippings
One of the hottest burlesque stars in the world, according to Asylum.com
"One of the great burlesque intellectuals of our time, and one of the best teachers you could hope to learn from; Jo is a true burlesque master!" -21st Century Burlesque
Meet The Headmistress
"Jo is a legend in our time. She has equal parts passion for performance, dedication to teaching and a strong drive for preserving the history of burlesque and enriching its future. I love this gal on stage and off!" -Angie Pontani
"Jo Weldon is the gold-standard for New Burlesque. A learned burly-q historian, a skilled and gracious teacher, and a breathtaking, world-class performer, she’s everything you could want in a shimmy queen. I am proud to call her my friend, and unashamed to admit she’s my idol." -Lily Burana, author of Strip City: A Stripper's Farewell Journey Across America and head bombshell of Operation Bombshell: The Burlesque School for Military Wives
"When Jo performed at Exotic World, I’d never been so mesmerized by a woman simply sitting on a chair. That’s the mark of a true performer!" -Immodesty Blaize, Miss Exotic World 2007 and the UK’s Premier Burlesque Performer
"Jo is not only one of the most classically elegant dancers ever to grace the Slipper Room Stage, but in my humble opinion, she is also one of the sexiest performers I’ve ever known." -James Habacker, Artistic Director, The Slipper Room NYC
"Why she’s willing to make the secrets of her fantastic skills available to the public is beyond me, but if I were you, I’d buy this book quick, before she changes her mind." -Jonny Porkpie, author of The Corpse Wore Pasties, creator of Pinchbottom Burlesque
