The Burlesque Handbook
By the Headmistress, New York School of Burlesque
Hardcover | 15 June 2010
At a Glance
272 Pages
23.5 x 13 x 2
Hardcover
$37.95
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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!
"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
"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 working with us and a thrill to have her on our stage!" -Dixie Evans, Founder of the Burlesque Hall of Fame
"Jo is a generous teacher whose enthusiasm and dedication to the art form shine through her every word and movement. She's also a burlesque force of nature, a performer who unapologetically embodies the classic tease alongside the edgiest neo-burlesque without a hint of contradiction." -Michelle Baldwin, Author of Burlesque and the New Bump N Grind
About the Author
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 is known as the premier educator and authority on burlesque, and is the coexecutive director at 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.
Industry Reviews
Glove Peel #2: The Glove Stand
(From Chapter 2: Classic Moves - Illustrated Step-by-Step Techniques)
The Glove Stand is a strong transitional move that always gets lots
of applause and adds an element of surprise to your glove peel. When
you perform the Glove Stand, remember that how you rise from your
seated position is as important as how you lower yourself into it.
Throughout all the moves, take your time, and create a languorous
tension in your body as if you were yawning or a cat stretching. This
will define your muscles and project energy to the audience. Plus, it
feels great!
1. Show your left shoulder to the viewer—remember, when you took that
breath you got them all excited about that shoulder—and slowly lower
yourself to sit on your heels.
2. Slip the loosened fingers of your left glove, palm up, under your
left foot and bear your weight upon them. The strength of your weight
on the fingers will ensure a lovely gliding peel no matter how tight
the glove.
3. Raise your hips while keeping your rib cage forward and down. After
your hips come up, raise your upper torso, keeping your fingers
slightly spread inside the glove in order to make sure it stays on your
hand. Let your shoulder and hand follow your torso as you rise.
Remember to... (continued on page 46)
Attaching The Pastie to Your Breast
(From Chapter 3: Pasties)
To adhere the pastie to a breast (or any other accessory to any
other part of the body), most performers use one of these methods:
1. Latex glue. Make sure your skin is not powdery or oily. Smear
eyelash or pastie glue in a thin layer on the inside of the pastie and
let it dry. When you are ready to apply the pastie, do another thin
layer around the areola and let that dry for a few minutes. You can
also line the pastie with glue, press the pastie against your breast
where you want to adhere it to smear glue from the pastie onto your
breast, and let both those layers get mostly dry. There is no need to
put glue directly onto the tippy tip of your nipple unless the pastie
is going to touch that part of your breast; putting it against the skin
just outside the areola of your nipple ought to do the trick and be
more comfortable as well. When you press the tacky glue onto the dried
glue, it will hold.
2. Two-sided tape. Make sure your skin is not powdery or oily. The type
of two-sided tape intended to be used with paper isn’t desirable for
this purpose, so use two-sided toupee or garment tape. Cut a strip in
half and carefully apply it to the inside edge of the pastie. You want
the tape to go as close as possible to the edge without sticking out on
the sides; this way it stays on but doesn’t stick to your costumes or
tassels. As with latex glue, it is not necessary for the adhesive to
make contact with your nipple. Peel off the paper and press it onto
your breast. The tape is usually not reusable. Some performers use
spirit gum, which I personally find unbearable. If you find that your
pasties aren’t staying on with either toupee tape or eyelash glue,
however, you may decide to try it. I recommend checking out Mastix or
Ben Nye’s brand of spirit gum and remover. Ben Nye products are
designed for stage and costume and are high quality as well as
reasonably priced. While living in New York I’ve become acquainted with
many makeup artists, and all of them have at least a few BN products in
their kits.
When you attach the pastie to your breast, keep in mind that the more
room the tassel has to twirl, the easier it is to twirl. Most people’s
nipples are slightly farther out to the sides or lower on their breasts
than directly in the center. The center of your pastie should be
centered on your breast rather than right over your nipple. Your nipple
has to be covered, so that is a matter of experimenting with pastie
size. You may have to experiment to find the perfect place for your
pastie. Cheat it toward, if not directly into, the center. if you do
this, make the pastie large enough to cover the bottom of your nipple
as well as the center of your breast—not only does it look better, it
may be legally required.
Because each person’s body, from shape to skin type to latex
sensitivity, is so different, there is no one right truest way to make
and adhere pasties that works for everybody. This is why learning to
make your own pasties can be so beneficial. You may find that you can
twirl tassels only when the pasties are made of raw bacon, the tassels
are made out of violin strings, and they are adhered with organic
coconut paste—if that works for you, you’re doing it right!
Backstage Guidelines
(From Chapter 3: Etiquette)
1. Ask before you take pictures, and be genuinely willing to not
take them. People who don’t mind being photographed doing all kinds of
wild things onstage may not want to be photographed checking the crotch
of their underwear for clitty litter. Or they may wish to be
photographed only by professionals. This is not necessarily uptight of
them. There are a lot of issues around photography and burlesque. And
for god’s sake, if you post a photo online and someone asks you to take
a picture down, do it!
2. If someone is making a documentary about you, tell the show producer
about it when you first discuss your booking rather than springing it
on them right before the show. Most performers seriously don’t want
your camera crew or photographer backstage, unless it is part of a
carefully developed art project or prestigious news show, and sometimes
not even then.
3. Do not perform numbers that are messy without prearranging it with
the producer. If you leave water, confetti, glitter, wax, food, etc.
onstage, you are affecting other performers. If there has to be a long
cleanup between your act and the next one, you are also affecting the
performers, so don’t assume it’s okay to make an unannounced mess just
because you brought your cleanup crew—especially if your crew would be
taking up valuable backstage space.
4. Don’t get drunk before the show unless the producer seems to be
heartily endorsing it. I for one will not allow drunk performers
onstage during my showcases.
5. Consider carefully whether or not eating backstage is a good idea.
Protein bar, yes. Plate of spaghetti, no.
6. Until you get to know people, listen more and talk less. I am
naturally loquacious, but I try not to make other people nervous with
it.
7. Brush your teeth, chew gum, drink water. Everybody loves fresh
breath. And bathe. Really. Even if your life partner has a fetish for
stinky armpits. Please.
8. If you are genuinely upset about something, decide carefully whether
you need to express your feelings immediately or if it can wait until
after the show. Everyone is in a fragile and self-absorbed state
immediately before and after performing.
9. Even if someone asks you, don’t critique them in front of anyone
else. No matter what they say. Save it for a workshop.
10. Ask before bringing your dog backstage. And your boyfriend or
girlfriend is probably even less welcome backstage than your dog, which
at least everyone can pet.
Table of Contents
Preface viiBurlesque: A Foreword by Margaret Cho ix
Introduction: A Lifetime of Discovering Burlesque
and a Brief History of Bold Women 1
1 Inspiration: Your Internal Theater 23
Part I Burlesque Movement
2 Classic Moves: The Old-School Way 35
3 Pasties: They’re Revolutionary 55
4 Fans: Your Fine Feathered Friends 85
Part II Act Development
5 Music: The Basis of Every Successful Seduction 111
6 Costumes: Constructing Outfits for Deconstruction 125
7 Character: Getting Into It 153
Part III Refining Performance
8 Makeup and Hair: You’re Never Nude Up There 171
9 The Big Reveal: Getting a Gimmick 187
10 Backstage Etiquette: How to Win Naked Friends and Influence Nude People 201
Part IV Take a Bow
11 Identity: What Makes You So Special 217
Worksheets 232
Resources 243
Timeline 253
ISBN: 9780061782190
ISBN-10: 006178219X
Published: 15th June 2010
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number of Pages: 272
Audience: General Adult
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 23.5 x 13 x 2
Weight (kg): 0.43
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