About Angie Pontani

Teacher - Go-Go Robics
Teacher - Master Class: Struts, Bumps, and Grinds with Angie Pontani

Burlesque Queen, Angie Pontani, “The Italian Stallionette,” is one of few involved in the ecdysiast arts who shimmys and shakes on stages around the world, as well as carries her art into other fields and genres, including film and television. A child of New York and a key player in the burlesque revival, this bump-n-grind bombshell has spread the gospel of burlesque across the globe for over a decade. The New Yorker calls Angie, “first rate, the perfect centerpiece!” and rightfully so, since her signature acts and productions all set standards of style and class. This international superstar’s ability to mix glamour of yester-years with contemporary sensibility has earned her burlesque’s most prestigious award: “Queen of Burlesque, Miss Exotic World 2008.” Aside from its substantial part in Angie achieving burlesque’s highest Angie has toured multiple runs in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. She has headlined the largest burlesque festivals in the world, including New York, Dallas, Milan, Rome and Helsinki. In 2009 she was named “Best International Touring Artist,” by The Naked City/Alternative Media Group of Australia. Angie’s repertoire and show curating skills are frequently sought by discriminating clients including Lady GaGa, Campari, Esquire Magazine, Dos Equis, The Fox 5 Superbowl Party, Guggenheim, Donatella Versace and more. She worked exclusively with Hendricks Gin to create her glass bathtub act, which was the featured entertainment at many of their events throughout the U.S. In the midst of her wake, Angie has wowed celebrity fans the likes of Sting, Anthony Kiedas, Hillary Duff, The Strokes, Adrianna Lima, and Hugh Hefner. As “New York’s Burlesque Queen” (ToscanaTV.com), Angie has appeared multiple times on the Conan O’ Brien Show and Gossip Girl. She was also featured in other New York productions: Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, MTV’s The 50 Cent Project, Good Morning America, and The Today Show. Angie also appeared on The List (Canada), Lady Burlesque (IT), Burlesque Mania (IT), Good Day New Zealand (NZ), and Nightline (NZ). On October 24th, Angie will be featured in the Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett television special for PBS. Always reaching for new fields and genres, Angie had a featured role in Michael Imerioli’s directorial debut film, The Hungry Ghost, and was also featured in the Italian television series, Lady Burlesque and The Poor Man’s Follies, an Italian film created for MTV. She was also a part of an ad campaign for Peter Werth (UK), X-Rite Photosystem with Brian Smith (USA), and Marlboro (worldwide). Aside from having been photographed by renowned photographer Ellen Von Unwerth for L’uomo Vogue, she has graced the covers and pages of many magazines including Pin Curl, Page Six, Glamour, Spanish GQ, Java’s Bachelor Pad and countless others. Angie even made a cameo in Eric Powell’s comic, The Goon (#36).    Website

About Baroness Blitzen Von Schtupp

Teacher - It's A Stretch
Teacher - Setting the mood

Began her career under the fine tutelage of LadyMissIris and Miss B. She has performed on stages throughout New England for the past 10 years and is the glittery right hand to Miss Bettysioux Tailor for GBE costume exhibit. She is best known for her geeklesque acts; several which you might have seen here at GBE: Godzilla, King Kong, Alien and Doctor Who.

About Bella Blue

Teacher - What Do I Do With These? Boa and Glove Strip Technique
Teacher - Floorwork
Panelist - The Body of Work: Longevity in Burlesque

Born and raised in New Orleans, Bella Blue started dancing at the age of 3 studying extensively in ballet and modern into adulthood. In 2007 she traded in her pointe shoes for pasties and hasn’t looked back since! Her style can be best described as unpredictable! Bella can offer everything from classic fan dances and reverse stripteases to androgynous, neo, and controversial pieces. But no matter what, expect to be entertained! She has become one of the most recognized burlesque performers in New Orleans and across America. Bella performs predominantly in New Orleans but has also performed in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Las Vegas, North Carolina, Virginia, Minneapolis, and Switzerland. She is also a regular on the stages of New York, visiting every 3 months. In 2014, she headlined the Virginia Americana Burlesque and Sideshow Festival and the Caput Mundi Burlesque Award Festival in Rome, Italy. She also made her Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend debut in June 2014 where she was invited to perform in the “Movers, Shakers, Innovators Showcase.” Bella’s pride and joy is The New Orleans School of Burlesque, where she has reigned as the headmistress since 2008 and hosts New Orleans’ only weekly running of burlesque classes. She has taught the art of the tease to hundreds of women from New Orleans and beyond and the number continues to grow. The New Orleans School of Burlesque is also host to a number of guest teachers from across the country and specialty workshops. She is deeply entrenched in preserving burlesque in New Orleans (which is rich in burlesque history) and can often be seen performing in other local productions and fundraisers making sure that as many people as possible get to experience just how incredible burlesque is. In addition to running the school, she is one of the leading show producers in New Orleans. She is the Artistic Director of “The Dirty Dime Peepshow,” “The NOSB Student Showcase,” and one half of Bellamour Productions. She also is the producer of “The Blue Book Cabaret” at Lucky Pierre’s which is held six nights a week and is the first time New Orleans as has consecutive nights of burlesque entertainment on Bourbon Street since the 1960′s.    Website

About Bella La Blanc

Teacher - Pasties On The Cheap
Teacher - Tassels...and You

Bella La Blanc is a burly-q veteran who fell in love with performance when she was very young. She is a full time stay at home mom of 2/ housewife by day and vixen of tease by night, which is how she received the title, "The Stepford Wife Gone Wild". This award winning performer is the owner of Glit-O-Rama productions based out of Washington DC. She is also part of a touring Game Of Thrones themed burlesque show called Burlesque Is Coming that is personally blessed by GRRM himself. It just wrapped up it's 3rd. year. She also picked up a few new skills in 2015 when she graduated Coney Island Sideshow school. You can catch her on stages or teaching everywhere in the US or maybe your town soon!! To keep up with her check out www.BellalaBlanc.com    Website

About Betty Blaize

Teacher - Bra Bootcamp

Betty Blaize, 6' of Fun... is a veteran of the Boston Burlesque scene. She's a founding member of the Boston Babydolls with a background in belly dance, Indian classical dance and martial arts, and... computer science. She's also the web mistress for this site and an ardent artisan, making a substantial number of costumes for herself and the Boston Babydolls.

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   Facebook

About Chakra Tease

Teacher - Kick-Line Basics

Chakra Tease, whose favorite philosopher is Socrates, began as a VaVaVette, with Cora Vette and the VaVaVettes. The VaVaVettes performed at Harrah's for Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend and at the House of Blues for the New Orleans Burlesque Festival. Locally Chakra performs at The Clocktower Cabaret. She has performed at the Colorado Burlesque festival for the past two years and was a soloist at the Ohio Burlesque Festival in 2013, performed and taught at the Great Burlesque Expo in Boston in 2015, 2016 and 2017, performed and taught at Southern Fried Burlesque, and performed at the Great Southern Exposure burlesque festival. In 2014 she became the choreographer as well as a performer for D'Sanez Productions "Feel This Moment" variety show. She was in the 2014 California Burlypicks, the 2016 Colorado Burlypicks, and the Golden Legends Champion Challenge in 2016.    Website

About Dahlia Fatale

Teacher - Contortion: The Art of Becoming Human Stretch Armstrong
Teacher - Rock and Roll Chair

Dahlia Fatale is a contortionist, dancer, burlesque artist, and instructor in Chicago. She love to perform for a wide variety of audiences bringing a mix of circus, tease, and power to the stage in the form of personal, strong, entertaining characters.    Website

About Devora Darling

Teacher - Costuming for Teasers: Tips and Tidbits
Teacher - Beautiful Boas
Teacher - Keeping the Tease in Striptease

Devora discovered her love for burlesque after her first performance in 2010 - in the Boston Babydolls' "French Kiss". She became a devoted troupe member soon after, as well as an enthusiastic teacher at The Boston Academy of Burlesque Education (B.A.B.E.). Her favorite elements of burlesque include covering herself (and everyone else) in glitter, incorporating balletic movements, and performing while wearing a mask and/or a toasty warm costume.    Website

About Diamond DeVille

Teacher - Smile! You're on camera. Modeling 101

Diamond DeVille started performing burlesque back in 2011 with the fabulous ladies of Lady Luck Burlesque out of Portsmouth NH. After moving to Portland ME, she decided to take some time off to pursue other hobbies. She still performs as a solo artist from time to time, for special events and some festivals. In 2017 she competed for the first time at the GBE, and won the category of Most Beautiful.

Now a days you can catch Diamond under the hood of a car as her and her fiance has opened up their own restoration shop. A burlesque performer and a mechanic... I think I sense a new routine up her sleeve...

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   Venmo - DiamondDVille
   Cash App - DiamondDVille
   Instagram - MissDiamondDeVille

About Dot Mitzvah

Teacher - Burlesque Hosting For Performers
Teacher - You've Got "It"! Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Acting In Burlesque
Teacher - The Male Gaze and Other Gazes

Born from a delirious one-night stand between a rabbi from Flatbush Avenue and a Lotte Lenya impersonator, Dot Mitzvah bravely carves a place in the burlesque world with a mix of comedy, music, and good ol' fashioned cheesecake. As a burlesque artist, Dot has has had the honor of performing with the New York School of Burlesque, Kitty Nights NYC, Bon Appetit Burlesque, Brick City Burlesque, and many other venues. She was the first winner of the "Best Hybrid Performance" at 2012's Great Burlesque Exposition, "Best Variety Act" at 2012's Great Southern Exposure Pageant, and the "WTF Award" at the 2014 Alternatease Neo-Burlesque Festival in Cambridge, MA. She was also featured in the documentary "The Road Less Traveled". Her goal is to bring opera and burlesque to a more contemporary audience, so shake the dust off and check her out!    Website

About Evie Sphinx

Teacher - Choreography Creation!
Teacher - Keeping the Tease in Striptease

Evie Sphinx has been involved in the Boston Burlesque scene for over four years as member of the award winning Boston Babydolls. With over 15 years experience in ballet, modern and jazz as well as being an avid cycling enthusiast, Evie can bee seen tearing around Boston on two wheels or high heels!    Website

About Iridessa Blossoms

Teacher - Hot and Sexy Hip Hop
Teacher - Belly Dance Workshop

Iridessa Blossoms is an Internationally known Performance Artist and is making her way around the world one show at a time. She has been stimulating audiences with her unique expression and artistic concepts in variety shows for close to a decade. She is known for her pop n' lock isolations and hybrid style of belly dance. She is multi- talented and her signature style is broad, diverse and ever-changing. While struggling to find her place in belly dance, she found her community while attending the annual burlesque conventions, The Great Burlesque Exposition and Burlycon. She is the founder and former producer of Poppin' Cherries and Eclectic~ Ka and owner of Creative Motion Dance! With her distinguished hips that tease and signature moves that please, she dances effortlessly in an unreal fashion. Sultry and sassy...transforming your senses to a place that is ethereal. Bridging the gap between worlds and transcending time and space, she is a magical goddess in motion! When she is not lighting up the stage you can find her frolicking with fairies.

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About JZ Bich

Teacher - Performing Your Politics

JZBich, "a border crossing, gender blending, international provocateur," is a radical, heathenish, polymorphous bender of everything that claims to be real. In this world everything is hyper real and nothing is real at all. Borders of ethnicity, gender and sexuality lose meaning once they enter the Bich land. If they embrace you, they can offer anything but safety. JZ Bich erupted from the malting Balkans and was washed on the shores of the New York City to become one of its night creatures. They have been performing in NYC for over a decade and have also performed nationally and internationally for longer than you need to know. Jz Bich is a producer and a host of HyperGender Burlesque Cabaret - a monthly, post neo burlesque show currently in its 8th year. When not twirling pasties Jz writes plays and teaches classes. Several of their plays have been produced in NYC and they are currently working on a new and secret project!    Website

About Julie Hennrikus

Teacher - Budgets: Making Your Dreams Come True

Julie Hennrikus is the Executive Director of StageSource, and an adjunct faculty member who teaches classes in arts management. She began her arts management career in small commercial theaters in Boston—as a Box Office Assistant and House Manager for Little Shop of Horrors and Ian McKellen Acting Shakespeare at the Charles Playhouse, Company Manager of A. . .My Name is Alice at the Next Move Theater and Box Office Manager and Company Manager of Nunsense at the Charles Playhouse. She worked in several exhibition box offices at the Museum of Fine Arts (including Renoir, Mummies and Magic and Helga). In 1990 she oversaw the box office set up and operations for Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment at the ICA. In 1991 she was hired by Harvard University to create a box office for Sanders Theatre, an 1166 seat concert hall in Memorial Hall. After a renovation of Memorial Hall she was promoted to Program Manager, scheduling Sanders Theatre, Annenberg Hall, Lowell Hall and 16 other spaces. She continued to oversee the box office operations, which was renamed the Harvard Box Office, and tickets most student events on campus.    Website

About Kim Carrell

Teacher - Stage Combat for Burlesque

Whether the scene calls for swords, wrestling, bare knuckle punches, or working with more esoteric implements such as hammer and trowel, Mr. Carrell works to keep things safe and truthful. From a simple slap to a rapier and dagger duel, it is of the utmost importance that the fights do their part in telling the story. Showing who the characters are, and why and how they fight has much greater impact than an “action for action’s sake” scene. Mr. Carrell has choreographed fights for professional companies and university theatre programs around the United States and in the UK, including: productions of all Shakespeare history plays, “Othello”, “Romeo and Juliet”, Troilus and Cressida”, “As You Like It”, “Macbeth”, “The Pirates of Penzance”, “Little Women”, “The Most Dangerous Game”, and world premiere productions such as “The Blowin’ of Baile Gall”, “Jasper Lake”, and “Training Wisteria”.    Website

About Kitten Natividad

Teacher - Kitten Natividad: Telling It Like It Is
Panelist - The Body of Work: Longevity in Burlesque

I was born Francesca Natividad on February 13, 1948, in Juarez, Mexico just across the Rio Grande from El Paso. I am the oldest of nine siblings, though only my sister Eva Garcia and I share the same parents. Yes Natividad is my real last name. I’m a Latin gal! Mom gave birth to me when she was just 16, at home, with my grandmother as midwife. The summer before my high school senior year, I worked for Stella Stevens at her Coldwater Canyon home, scrubbing and cleaning, and learning how to cook. At her big parties, my duties expanded to greeting guests at the door, including Warren Beatty and Linda Evans, wearing a white uniform. I remember watching the guests mingle by the pool, noting their elegance and glamour, and thought to myself, “This is fun. I want to be a movie star.” During that senior year, I fell in love for the first time. My family always insisted on chaperones, so it was difficult for my boyfriend and I to get intimate. It wasn’t until he spent the night at my home, though in a different room, that we made love for the first time. He slipped in through the window and into my bed. God, it was fabulous! Soon after we eloped but our marriage didn't last long. I went back to work for Stella for about a year before enrolling in a trade school course, ultimately landing a job at IBM as a key punch operator. Making very little money and looking for other options, I discovered that a neighbor’s sister earned $300 a week as a stripper - twice as much as I made. I took off my clothes, looked at myself in the mirror and said, “Well, I have a great body.” It was 1969 and soon after an introduction to the owner of a Pasadena-based club called Gianone’s, I made my dancing debut. Very nervous, I concentrated on my dancing while oblivious to everything going on around me. When I finished, the crowd clapped and howled, while throwing money on the stage. The roar would grow so load, it could be heard two blocks away! And I liked it! Before long I was working a couple of clubs a night, making $600-700 a week including tips. The money was great but boy were the hours long. To promote my new career, I signed up with an agency. They advised me to adopt a stage name. Shyer than the other girls, I was given the name Kitten. My big breakthrough came in 1973 when I was age 25. I was working at a club in Pasadena called the High Light where I met Morganna (the Kissing Bandit) and her agent Sparky Blain. Sparky thought that I had a great body and asked me to enter the Miss Nude Universe pageant, held in San Bernardino, California. I wasn't sure I had the confidence to compete with the other forty-five or so contestants, most of whom were several years younger, but Sparky did. It was because of his unwavering faith I was able to walk out onstage and feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. But even with my newfound confidence, I still felt it necessary to lie about my age when I learned that the judges preferred younger women. In the end, I strutted away with the title Miss Nude Universe. I went crazy! My next career decision was a permanent switch from go-go dancing to stripping. Sparky had me doing all sorts of publicity stunts: special appearances at clubs, college campus fraternities, other beauty contests; bikini walks in central business districts; and nude press conferences all across the country from New York to Los Angeles - all centered around club performances. Though the reigning Miss Nude Universe, performing alone as a headline stripper was very new to me. Again unsure of myself, I picked up nuances from the other dancers, making them my own. During each performance I made sure to give individual attention and to put out a lot of energy. When a customer laid down a dollar bill, I went to him and gyrated as much as I could. It was hard work but this was my schooling to become a good stripper. By the mid 70s I was on top of the stripping scene but my next step was at hand. I had a girlfriend named Shari Eubanks, a star in one of Russ Meyer’s greatest hits, Supervixens. Sherry and I worked at the Classic Cat on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and she told Russ that because of my big tits, I would be a great Russ Meyer girl. As it happened, he was looking for a girl to narrate his new film “Up!.” When we met at the club, I found him quite attractive and turned on the charm full tilt, landing me the part. Though Russ Meyer films are typically tangled in story, Up! was perhaps his weirdest film. I’ll skip over the plot which had something to do with Hitler’s daughter and sadomasochism. The film starts with me perched in a tree, nude. A dubbed voice announces me as the film’s guide, the incarnation of the body, cutting back to me every ten minutes, often with close-ups on my breasts and other parts of my anatomy, so I could explain what was going on. Russ was very tough on me, and after the endless takes, I was exhausted, and sometimes in tears. But when I realized that his perfectionism brought out qualities I didn't know I had, I learned to trust his direction. Released in October 1976, Up! was not as successful as Supervixens. Six months into filming, I left George and moved in with Russ, embarking on an affair that lasted 12 years. Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens was Russ Meyer’s next film. He initially planned to use the blonde stripper Ann Marie, a real life Little Annie Fanny - whose humongous 67 bust line made her a top Meyer Girl candidate. But after I tested for the lead role of sultry Lola Langusta, I was chosen for my acting, work ethic and willingness to remain nude. Together with his friend and collaborator Roger Ebert, they reworked the script so I could play both Lola, and the character named Lavonia. Though Russ had already decided to cast me, I had to lose my heavy accent before shooting began (this was not a slant on my heritage, only a means for the audience to better understand my words). Dialect coach Robert Easton was hired and taught me to speak with a Southern drawl. The process could be very frustrating, and tiring (we often worked in eight-hour stretches), but it all paid off. Ultravixens had all the makings for a hit, but met with poor distribution. That may have been a blessing in disguise, for Russ discovered he could make more money in video sales than ticket sales. While the film shifted from film to video, my modeling career took off. At clubs, I modeled between dance sets for eager photographers, picking up quick, easy money. The pictures were soon published and by 1977 there was an outpouring of Kitten Natividad pictorials. I couldn’t believe I was on the cover of so many magazines! There were other photo spreads too; steamy girl/girl shoots with associates from strip clubs and Russ’ films. I did sessions with Candy Samples, Uschi Digard, Patty Plenty and many others. Because of the increased exposure, I was able to command more money, sometimes earning over $1,000 a week while other girls made just $50 a night. By the end of the 70's, my level of stardom on the strip circuit demanded more elaborate and lavish shows. I came up with the gimmick of a giant champagne glass where I bathed on stage to the tune of the Bobby Darin hit “Splish Splash”. I had a lot of fun, jiggling and caressing my tits. At the end of the performance, I sometimes let a couple lucky members from the audience dry me off with a towel! Since my break-up with Russ, I’ve made brief appearances in many films and rock video’s while featuring in adult movies. I was also the stripper at Sean Penn’s bachelor party in September 1985, at the Roxy Nightclub on Sunset Strip. Harry Dean Stanton arrived late that night, missing my performance. Penn led him to me, picked up my blouse and said, “See what you missed?” shoving Stanton’s face into my cleavage. These days, I’m not traveling or making many appearances, devoting much of my time to my fan club, pursuing a film career, and trying to stay healthy & young at heart!    Website

About Lili VonSchtupp

Teacher - Marketing: How do I reach people?
Panelist - The Body of Work: Longevity in Burlesque
Teacher - MC1: PRODUCING - What you don't know CAN hurt you!

Lili VonSchtupp made her debut performance at the legendary Derby in Hollywood CA, on a starry Monday night in September of 2004. She's performed headlined, emceed, and taught classes at Viva Las Vegas, The Great Burlesque Expo, The New York Burlesque Festival, The Hawaii Burlesque Festival, The Las Vegas Burlesque Festival, The Vermont Burlesque Festival, and was the founder and producer of The Hollywood Burlesque Festival. Lili was featured twice at #40 and #42 on the 21st Century Burlesque's Top 50 Industry Professionals and was featured as one of the top 13 burlesque performers in Los Angels by Timeout LA. Her weekly burlesque show, Monday Night Tease has been featured internationally in many press outlets. Having worked with Satan's Angel, and studied with many burlesque legend educators and performers, Lili's 13 plus years in performing plus 10 years teaching and producing serves as great grounding in the art of burlesque. As producer of Monday Night Tease! est. 2003, Friday Night Happy Hour, Burlesque After Dark, and The Hollywood Burlesque Festival, Lili has booked over 600 live burlesque shows and worked with both local, national and international talent. Her unique experience as a performer and a producer allows her the eye to understand what works artistically for the performer as a work of art, and from the audience perspective of entertainment. Serving the art form and the consumer is her expertise.    Website

About Linda B

Teacher - Being a Backstage Star

I've been part of the Expo since I first volunteered as a stage hand in 2010. I've been stage managing the Expo since 2011.

About Lottie Ellington

Teacher - She's So Unusual
Teacher - My Real Name Is

Lottie Ellington is Virginia’s infamous “Twerking Teacher” who's "Twerk BROKE Hopewell"; Lottie has a unique style, comedic wit and a flair for the dramatic; she revels in keeping the audience on the edge of their seats! ” Lottie began dancing at the age of 4 and continued studying various types of dance throughout her life. She has studied the art of the tease while honing skills as a performer, she has studied jazz, hoop dance, hip hop dance, fan dance, Congolese dance, ballroom dance and belly dance. Her numbers are usually comedic in nature and primarily considered to be a Neo-Burlesque/Nerdlesque performer however she is a well-rounded performer and has been expanding her range of "Classic Burlesque" numbers. Lottie made her Burlesque debut in 2011 and has continued pushing the boundaries of Neo Burlesque. She has performed in the Michigan Burlesque Festival, The Great Burlesque Expo in Boston, Fierce Burlesque Festival, and recently won the title of Burly Pics Michigan’s 2015 Master of Assels.    Website

About Lucie Luxe

Teacher - Beautiful Boas
Teacher - Keeping the Tease in Striptease
Teacher - Saucy Sampler

When faced with any decision in life, Lucie’s answer always comes based on the question “What will make for the funniest story?” Teaching and performing burlesque seems to be a natural combination her history as a former competitive ballroom dancer and a founding member of Boston University’s first improv comedy troupe. Outside of the studio she’s currently obsessed with rock climbing. And gin. But not at the same time.

About Maggie McMuffin

Teacher - Big Hair, Don't Care

Maggie McMuffin is a trained actor, holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts. After years of combining nudity with other theatrical genres such as rock musicals and cabarets, Maggie started burlesquing in 2010. Initially a stage kitten for Montana's premiere burlesque troupe The Cigarette Girls, she quickly began work as a performer. In 2013 she headed for Seattle, finding a home among the growing Nerdlesque community. Drawing inspiration from past and present pop culture, Maggie combines comedic flair with the gritty dance moves of 1970’s strip clubs. Known as The Pelvis of Justice, she's here to hip-thrust her way into your heart.    Website

About Mandy

Teacher - B.A.B.E.fit
Teacher - Beautiful Boas
Teacher - Burlesque Bumps 'n' Grinds
Teacher - Saucy Sampler

One of the team of perky and enthusiastic instructors at The Boston Academy of Burlesque Education, Mandy has been teaching burlesque for several years now and just loves it!    Website

About Miss Mina Murray

Teacher - Get Tight: A Guide to Corsetry
Teacher - Stalking the Stocking
Teacher - Introduction to Fan Dance
Panelist - The Body of Work: Longevity in Burlesque
Teacher - Miss Mina's Tea Party

After the job market for glamourous archaeologists dried up, Miss Mina Murray abandoned her Ivory Tower and turn to the art of the striptease. She is a co-founder of The Boston Beautease (formerly The Boston Babydolls) and Headmistress of the Boston Academy of Burlesque Education (B.A.B.E.). Known as "The Educated Ecdysiast" and "The Martha Stewart of Burlesque", she recently published "Miss Mina Murray's Little Book of Better Burlesque".    Website

About Mr. Scratch

Teacher - Getting the Most from Your Venue

Scratch is the founding chair of The Great Burlesque Exposition, the director and producer of BeauTease Burlesque (formerly The Boston Babydolls), and the Curator of The American Burlesque Collection.  An experienced performer and producer, Scratch is regarded as an expert in promotion, act creation, the history of burlesque, and the diverse aspects of putting on a show.

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About Nina La Voix

Teacher - #whatdatbootydo

Nina La Voix is a multifaceted stage performer and fitness professional based out of Brooklyn, New York. Dubbed NYC's Titan of Twerk and The BGirl of Burlesque, Nina has formal training in ballet, breakdancing, and everything in between. She has been seen in multiple burlesque festivals nationwide, including the New Orleans Burlesque Festival, and The Great Burlesque Exposition in Boston, where she recently took home the title for best Soloist. Nina is also a burlesque producer, most known for her signature show celebrating all shapes and sizes of backsides titled #WHATDATBOOTYDO. Get a taste of this performer's style by scouring the internet for her signature hashtag!    Website

About Prima Vera

Teacher - Stretch Class
Teacher - Size Matters

Once a ballerina whose career was tragically cut short by her love of carbs and red wine, Prima Vera is taking the Chicago burlesque scene by storm as a song singer, choreographer and taker offer of the clothings. She's been seen at the Vermont Burlesque Festival, Diversi-Tease in Minneapolis, Show Me Burlesque in St. Louis as well as all over Chicago. She is the Artistic Director of Phoenix Rising Chicago/Dirty Bird Burlesque and also a member of the Better Boobie Bureau.    Website

About Red Velvet

Teacher - Inspired Not Copied
Teacher - What the Hell is Isadora Duncan Dance?

Red Velvet, a life-long dancer, has performed in musical theater and burlesque throughout the U.S. and internationally.   Red Velvet is proficient in various dance forms and teaches classes in burlesque, cancan, and Isadora Duncan dance.    Red Velvet is co-artistic director of a monthly show, DIVA or Die Burlesque, and is artistic director of the cancan troupe, The Velvettes.  She has performed with the award-winning Hot Pink Feathers and award-winning Flaunt Follies, Bombshell Betty’s Burlesqueteers, Alegria Samba Dance Company, and was artistic director for the dance group Pretty, Pretty Please.   Her burlesque performances have won Judge’s Choice at the 2019 Arizona Burlesque Festival, Most Classic at the 2016 Great Burlesque Exposition and Most Humorous at the 2014 Great Burlesque Exposition.  She co-created five full-length burlesque/cabaret/theater productions: Rebel without a Bra, At the White Rabbit Burlesque, Hotel Burlesque, Just Another Zombie Holiday Show, and Dollhouse Monsters.  She loves bringing her crazy ideas on stage for your enjoyment.  Come and Try a Slice of Red Velvet!

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About Roman and Jennifer

Teacher - Ballroom to Burlesque

Roman and Jennifer are former professional Ballroom Dance instructors and Competitors, they were regional professional finalists in Theater Arts (OH and TX 2012, 2013), Open Smooth (2013) Closed Smooth (2012) Open Rhythm (2012), International Standard (2013), and Mixed Novice (2012), as well as numerous awards won with their students in pro/am competition. They have spent the past several years combining dance styles such as ballroom, with contemporary ballet, dark jazz, tribal, and Japanese Butoh, to create their own unique dance style, danced by no one else. Entirely improvisational, their dance transcends labels and has become voyeuristic performance art. They have performed professionally throughout OH, being featured dancers with The Rick Brunetto Big Band, as well as The Otterbein Symphony. They have been featured as solo dancers at the Urban Garden Room in NY and at events like the Columbus Italian festival, Columbus Arts Festival, Dublin Irish Festival, Cleveland Fashion GlamJam and many more. Being no less active then in dancing, they are also prolific painters, photographers and art models. Their work have been featured in a number of magazines, journals and exhibitions.    Website

About Ruby Besler

Teacher - Late Friday at the Bordello

Born in 1910, Ruby was raised in Philadelphia to strict and proper parents. Her Father, Klaus Besler was one of the first neurosurgeons in the United States. Her Mother, Lillian Besler (born Lillian Rose Barnes) was a well-known socialite and humanitarian. As a young child, Ruby had a genuine passion for music and theatre, often entertaining the ladies in her mother's social gatherings by dancing and early on, showed her acute sense of humor by creating and singing humorous parodies. She usually introduced her act as "The Ruby Show." In 1928, Ruby moved to Manhattan to pursue her theatrical career. She became personal secretary and companion to the great impresario Sol Zigenbauer. She appeared in many of his spectacular Broadway productions, and subsequently in the Hollywood extravaganzas he produced. Hollywood, with its increasingly free thinking conduct was a perfect setting for Ruby. She quickly learned how to get what and where she wanted, and her keen sense of humor opened doors to extraordinary opportunities. She is currently personal secretary and companion to TV mogul Herbert Modunk, who is the producer of her current production.    Website

About Sailor St. Claire

Teacher - The Art of the Performer Bio
Teacher - Funky Fans: Going Beyond the Feathers

Sailor St. Claire is a curvaceous redhead with learned mind and an A+ anatomy. With her scintillating wit and copious charms, Sailor channels academic excellence into burlesque bravura. Since 2009, The Showgirl Scholar has been putting her knowledge of the literary canon to more-than-scholarly uses, crafting elegant and erudite stripteases that offer audiences an education in the humanitease. Sailor performs with Sinner Saint Burlesque and co-produces Naked Girls Reading - Seattle. She is also the producer of Tuesday Tease, Seattle's only monthly burlesque revue featuring live musical accompaniment by Pervana. Sailor can also be found as a soloist on stages throughout Seattle, and makes regular trips to San Francisco to appear at the (in)famous Hubba Hubba Revue, Little Minsky's, and Red Hots Burlesque. She also frequently performs in Portland, OR, and has appeared internationally at Kitty Nights West at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, British Columbia and in the UK at Gutter Lane at Edinburgh’s Jekyll & Hyde Pub. She has been featured at the Ohio Burlesque Festival, the Alabama Burlesque Festival, the Great Southern Exposure Burlesque & Variety Pageant, and the Great Burlesque Exposition in Boston, where she was awarded the 2014 Legend’s Choice award by April March, The First Lady of Burlesque.    Website

About Scandal from Bohemia

Teacher - Building a Better Burlyworld
Teacher - Make 'Em Laugh

Scandal from Bohemia, the Weapon of Ass Destruction, has been getting ridiculously naked or nakedly ridiculous since 2007. Since then, she has performed in the United States, Canada, France, and Italy as well as being named Most Humorous in 2010′s Great Burlesque Expo in Boston, Most Unexpected Reveal, and Grand Supreme at 2015's Seattle Burlesque Games. Whether her acts involve ten foot long stuffed snakes, tomato soup can shimmy belts, or inappropriately placed bologna, audiences will leave shows understanding that Naked Is Funny.    Website

About Scarlet Starlet

Teacher - Dynamic Movement

Scarlet Starlet, "The Twirling Temptress," always aims to entertain. Whether she's twirling tassels, hoops, baton, or fire, the audience is sure to be teased and pleased. Based out of Richmond, VA, Scarlet enjoys performing a vast array of acts from silly to sexy to powerful. She has been seen at festivals across the country and has won a range of awards including Best Act, Most Classic, and Best Variety Act. You can take burlesque and hoop classes from Scarlet at RVA Swing. She is a performer and producer with Burlesque Right Meow and a member of the production team for the RVA Burlesque Festival.

About Scarlett Letter

Teacher - Keeping your Ecdysiast Books
Teacher - Dancing in Shoes You Shouldn't Be Walking In
Teacher - Handsewing 101: Fast and Easy Shimmy Belt Construction
Teacher - The Body of Work: Longevity in Burlesque
Moderator - The Body of Work: Longevity in Burlesque

Scarlett Letter has been dazzling the world since 2004 and stunning them even longer. A long time fixture of the Los Angeles Burlesque scene, Scarlett has graced stages across North America and Europe and has won several awards along the way. Also a costumer and producer, Scarlett is known for a dark cold beauty reminiscent of Hollywood Noir and the classic Hitchock heroine. 

 

"With 4 feet of red hair and miles of bad intentions"

   Website

About Scratch

Teacher - The Care and Feeding of Volunteers

The "kindest man in burlesque", Scratch is lucky enough to be the front-man for BeauTease Burlesque.  A magician with comic timing, Scratch has been host at a wide-variety of presitigious (and not-so prestigious) burlesque events, a guest storyteller at BurlyCon, and has been seen in the audience of many on- and off-Broadway shows.

   Website

About Stella Diamond

Teacher - Teaching Introductory Burlesque
Teacher - Burlesque Bumps 'n' Grinds

Stella Diamond is a member of New England's premiere burlesque troupe, the Boston Babydolls! A self-described musical theater nerd, Stella uses her Broadway-style skills for a burlesque audience

About Whisper De Corvo

Teacher - Leaving Space for Improv in Your Acts

Whisper De Corvo is a creature of myth. Seattle’s Mythical Muse, Whisper dances on the breath of the wind. Exotic, mysterious, dark, and dangerously beautiful, she treats every performance as a legend in the making. In addition to performing vintage-inspired burlesque with a twist of the bizarre, she recently won "Most Beautiful Performance" at the Great Burlesque Expo. She also holds three titles from the Seattle Burlesque Olympics 2012 ( “Most Dramatic Glove Removal” , "Best interpretative fan dance without fans"and “Grand Supreme”). and has performed at the Pennsylvania Burlesque Festival (formerly Jim Thorpe) and the Windy City Burlesque Festival.    Website

About Willy Barrett

Teacher - Delsarte for the Torso
Teacher - The Hands and Arms of a Dancer

The world’s foremost teacher of, and pioneer in, reconstructing the Delsarte System of Expression, used by the early theater choreographers to create the Broadway styles (including the Ziegfeld Follies). Joe's teaching has taken him around the world and he is proud to have taught Delsarte at the National Centre of Dance in Paris, at the Juilliard School, and also at numerous Middle Eastern dance festivals across the US. A great lover of burlesque for many years, he created and regularly performed a stripping gorilla burlesque for several years in Ohio in the late 1980's. Now he looks forward to teaching at the Great Burlesque Expo every year that he can and lends his support to the revival of this beloved, charming art.    Website