Suzanne Muldowney (a.k.a. "Underdog") is a performance artist best known for her appearances on The Howard Stern Show to discuss and perform her dance interpretation of the cartoon character Underdog.
A longtime resident of New Jersey, Muldowney studied ballet as a child, and began performing interpretive dances of fictional characters in 1976. By 1980, she was appearing at costume contests at science fiction conventions. It was during this time that Muldowney started performing as the cartoon superhero Underdog.[1] She has explained in an interview, "I try to do certain movements that simulate flight and heroism. I'll make like I'm flying by doing leaps and other things. I also will do some camel spins. Basically I do movements that best portray Underdog. I try to do him more refined and sophisticated than the original character was."[2]
In 1987, Muldowney began appearing in seasonal parades up and down the East Coast. Though her most famous dance interpretation is of Underdog, she has also portrayed Dracula, Catwoman and Supergirl,[3][4] along with self-created characters such as Shelley the South Jersey Shore Mermaid,[5] Irish Cinderella, and Spectrum the Ghost King.[1] She sews all her own costumes,[6] which are known for their exacting detail and elaborate ornamentation. For example, the interior of her Underdog cape is lined with streaks of silver,[2] representing the streaks of light trailing behind the animated Underdog.
Muldowney made several appearances on Howard Stern's radio and television shows throughout the 1990s. A serious performer, she regrets her association with the program because of Stern's lewd jokes, and has called him her "nemesis".[7] In 2006 she appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live[6] to demonstrate a new form of dancing she called "figure jogging".
In 2006 the documentary My Life as an Underdog was released by director Boris Gavrilovic.[6]
Muldowney has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.[8]
|
||||||||||||||||||||