Jo Weldon

Jo Weldon, commonly known as Jo Boobs or Jo Boobs Weldon, is a performer, photographer, author, activist, educator, and essayist based in New York City. Weldon’s body of work centers around stripping and striptease. She established and runs the New York School of Burlesque and wrote The Burlesque Handbook, the first manual ever published on how to create classical and neo-burlesque routines.^[1] Weldon is active in the burlesque community, contributing her knowledge and experience to projects and collaborations. Though she now works in the theatrical world of burlesque Weldon has never lost the influence of, and inspiration from lap dancing and strip clubs. She continues to work as an advocate for sex worker rights and freedom of sexual expression.^[2]

Early life

Weldon began performing retro striptease at Rocky Horror while still in high school. She worked full-time as a stripper from the time she left high school in 1980 until 1995, as well as doing nude poetry readings during that time. Inspired by the fierceness and outlaw energy of ‘undomesticated women’, she occasionally took on short term stints in strip clubs after that time. She worked in a variety of clubs from high to low end. She became a touring feature dancer for strip joints and fetish clubs 1990 -1994, and a Fetish Performer and Actress, 1997 - 2005. Weldon did her first fan dance at The Battle of the Cheetah Girls in 1991.^[3] Weldon also spent many years as a Glam metal and heavy metal groupie, touring with bands. She speaks publicly about being an alcoholic and drug addict in recovery. After moving to New York in 1997 Weldon decided to take part in burlesque shows she saw at The Blue Angel and Coney Island and was inspired by performances from Angie Pontani, Bambi the Mermaid and Remy Vicious.^[4] Weldon's academic career includes a degree in Business Administration, with her graduate work in media ethics. During her internships she worked writing summaries of House of Representatives activities and writing scripts for CNN.

Burlesque Performance

Weldon performing at Miss Exotic World Pageant in 2007

Weldon’s burlesque style spans from highly classical burlesque to avant garde performance art pieces, for example lindy-hopping to heavy metal music. In her signature Godzilla act she strips from a monster costume to a mashup of Blue Öyster Cult's Godzilla and sound clips from the original Godzilla movie. Weldon says: “I'm an absurdist and a surrealist as well as a lover of glamour.”^[5] She has performed internationally and in unusual venues such as the New York Public Library where she performed a tribute to Gypsy Rose Lee as part of the Gypsy Centennial celebration.^[6] Weldon promotes the understanding of the history of burlesque from the evolution of classical striptease and the use of comedic elements, and acknowledges the inappropriateness in burlesque.^[7] Weldon was a featured performer in Margaret Cho's variety show the Sensuous Woman and has headlined dozens of festivals internationally including, Toronto Burlesque Festival, New Zealand Burlesque Festival, The Vancouver Burlesque Festival, and The New Orleans Burlesque Festival.^[8]

Teaching and New York School of Burlesque

Weldon is an educator and authority on the topic of burlesque.^[9] She has taught burlesque to thousands of men and women with a primary focus on having fun. Weldon is the founder and headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque. Since she founded the school in 2003 it has grown to offer classes and develop curriculum and standards for the teaching of burlesque history and technique. The New York School of Burlesque has taught disabled performers at DaDaFest in Liverpool UK, taught breast cancer survivors through their Pink Light Burlesque programme and has trained students in burlesque across America and internationally. The school has produced some of the most respected current burlesque performers ^[10] and employs tutors such as Darlinda Just Darlinda, Gal Friday, Jezebel Express, Peekaboo Pointe, Veronica Varlow, Weirdee Girl, World Famous *BOB*, Angie Pontani, Dirty Martini, Miss Indigo Blue, Jonny Porkpie, Julie Atlas Muz, Michelle L'Amour, and Tigger.^[11]

Burlesque Community

Weldon performing at BHF in 2010.

Burlesque Hall of Fame

Weldon has worked extensively as the co-executive director of education at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. She has judged and co-ordinated the judging for the Miss Exotic World annual pageant which is part of the Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend. In 2012 she was awarded The Sassy Lassy Award for "Recognition of Outstanding Contribution to the Art of Burlesque".^[12]

Coney Island

Weldon was inspired by the sideshows and burlesque shows of Coney Island in the mid 90s, she has since always maintained a strong connection to the Coney Island family. Weldon has moderated the Wild Women Panel, among other, as part of the Coney Island annual Congress of Curious People.^[13] Weldon has produced shows for Coney Island's Burlesque at the Beach series for ten years, including her annual "Follies Fromage," a show based entirely on cheese, and the autobographical "God-Damned Women" show. She is the coordinator and lead instructor of the Coney Island University Master Class in Burlesque.^[14] She continues to support Coney Island as an amusement district and fights for its historical integrity when it is under threat from real estate developers.^[15]

Burlycon

Jo serves on the Board of Directors of Burlycon, a community-oriented professional growth and educational convention for Burlesque performers, fans, and aficionados founded in Seattle by Miss Indigo Blue and her team.^[16]

Pink Light Burlesque

Jo is the founder of Pink Light Burlesque, an organization to provide burlesque classes free of cost to breast cancer patients and survivors.^[17] The first Pink Light Burlesque showcase in December 2011 was featured in TIME.^[18] Pink Light Burlesque classes are now available in Seattle, New York and New Zealand.^[19]

Published Works

Weldon taking photos at Miss Exotic World (2007).

The Burlesque Handbook

Weldon is author The Burlesque Handbook, published by HarperCollins/ItBooks in June 2010, it developed originally from a compilation of her class handouts and from a 50 page ebook that she had already produced, she created a book that covers all aspects of burlesque history.^[20] technique and performance.^[21] The Burlesque Handbook is the first and only published guide for burlesque performers covering all aspects of burlesque from choreography, costuming, confidence, and etiquette.^[22] It has a foreword by comedian Margaret Cho. It also covers performer identity and how to make pasties.^[23]

Blogging

Throughout Weldon’s career she has consistently been an early adopter of communication technology. From 2001- 2010 Weldon produced the website G-Strings Forever, a collection of photographs and articles about stripping and burlesque. Weldon had backstage access to shows and was able to give a first hand perspective on the lives of strippers and performance artists.^[24] She maintained a live journal account from 2004 - 2010 where she wrote extensively on burlesque, sex work, women’s issues.^[25] Since 2007 Weldon has been writing a burlesque blog called Burlesque Daily. From 2010 - 2011 Weldon answered burlesque questions on her formspring account^[26] and currently writes a regular burlesque etiquette column for Pin Curl Magazine.^[27] She is listed as a ‘Tease Enabler’ on Twitter.

Articles, Essays and Consulting

Weldon continues to publish essays and articles on the topics of stripping, sex worker rights, burlesque history and burlesque. She is regarded as an expert in the field and has consulted for (and was profiled in two webisodes for) the movie Burlesque.^[28][29]

Sex Work Advocacy

After being a stripper for 15 years, Weldon continues to support and work for the rights of strippers and other sex workers. She has attended and spoken at academic conferences internationally like the 1999 Socialist Scholar's Conference,^[30] The American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meeting, the International Congress on Prostitution, and the United Nations Beijing Plus Five Conference, where she lobbied for the adoption of the term “sex work” and for a distinction between forced and voluntary sex work.^[31] Weldon has written many articles on sex work and sex worker rights, she addresses issues like the lack of research on sex work focused on the monetary needs and perceptions of sex workers.^[32] Weldon also toured with the Sex Worker Arts Show,^[33][34] and co-produced “W.O.(e).R.D., Women of experience Read Downtown, a performance reading of strong literary works by undomesticated women.^[35] Whilst Weldon demonstrates the clear distinctions between burlesque and stripping she has never belittled either genre and has made her admiration for all strip tease artists clear.^[36]

Television and film appearances

^[37]

Books, essays and DVDs

Essays

• Editors: Brewer, Gwen; Bullough, Vern L; Douglas, Jeffrey J; Elias, James E, Elias, Veronica Diehl. Porn 101: Eroticism Pornography and the First Amendment (Prometheus Books, 1999) Collection of essays including: Weldon, Jo. Topping from Below: Does Female Dominant Pornography Endorse the Rape of Women?
• Editors: Egan, Danielle; Frank, Katherine; Johnson, Merri Lisa. Flesh for Fantasy: Producing and Consuming Exotic Dance (Seal Press 2004) Collection of essays including: Weldon, Jo. Whipped Cream, Fire Eating, and the Other Delights of Feature Dancing
• Editors: Kramer Bussel, Rachel; Tyler, Alison. Hide and Seek: Erotic Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists (Cleis Press, 2010) Weldon, Jo. Forward: Opening Doors

DVDs

• Director: Weldon, Jo. Featuring: Weldon, Jo. Honey and Spice: Sensual and Fierce Burlesque Studio: World Dance New York (2009) DVD / instant video
• Director: Weldon, Jo. Featuring: Weldon, Jo. Silk and Feathers: Burlesque Fan Dance Studio: World Dance New York (2009) DVD / instant video
• Director: Weldon, Jo. Featuring: Weldon, Jo. Striptease for Burlesque, Exotic Dance & Every Day Studio: World Dance New York (2009) DVD / instant video

Books

• Weldon, Jo. The Burlesque Handbook (It Books, 2010)

Awards and Titles

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jo Weldon.

• New York School of Burlesque
• Burlesque Daily Blog
• The Burlesque Handbook
• Jo Weldon on Twitter
• Jo Weldon on Facebook
• Jo Weldon at the Internet Movie Database