Holding the title of Miss Exotic World Best Duo 2008
(along with Kat Bardot), JEWEL OF DENIAL began her
burlesque career when she entered the sparkling world of the
Velvet Hammer Burlesque, LA's pioneering neo-burlesque troupe.
Jewel has graced stages in 4 countries, 6 states, and 17 cities;
including Las Vegas, Hollywood, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento,
Portland, Seattle, Washington D.C., London, and Amsterdam.
Jewel has years of movement training: from ballroom at Arthur Murray to
jazz and dance fitness at L.A. Dance Arts Academy. She has also
painstakingly researched retro dances such as apache, lindy hop,
swing, and jive; other interests include hip-hop, capoeria, power yoga,
even breakdancing!
Jewel has taught a number of different dance disciplines including
striptease at the on-going belly dance meets burlesque event Stiletto,
and is co-founder of Striptease Symposium.
You can catch her performing regularly all around Los Angeles!
Following in her grandmother’s acrylic heels,
PENNY STARR, JR. is the “Pe-Tite Barnum of Burlesque”.
After spending 3 years making the documentary THE VELVET HAMMER BURLESQUE, it was no wonder that she decided to pick up the mantle
held by her grandmother, Philadelphia burlesque dancer
Penny Starr.
Or, as Penny Starr Jr. puts it, “You can only live with the circus for so long
before you want to join!
In 2004, on her first anniversary of performing, Penny Starr, Jr. became
First Runner-Up at Miss Exotic World.
Penny Starr, Jr. continues to pop up all over the country, and dare I say,
Canada. She was a recurring dancer at the legendary 20's club
Bricktops at the Parlour Club as well as Margaret Cho’s
The Sensuous Woman. She has made guest appearances in shows like
Joey Altruda’s Macabaret, Lucha Va Voom, the Va Va Voom Room
in San Francisco, Skin Tight Outta Sight Rebel Burlesque in Toronto,
Starshine Burlesue and the Slipper Room in NYC
and the Peek-A-Boo Revue in Philadelphia, as well as the big three:
Tease-O-Rama, Exotic World and the New York Burlesque Fest.
She has been featured in the burlesque edition of STYLE MONTE CARLO
and been a centerfold for Barracuda Magazine.
In addition to dancing, Penny is the founder of the Striptease Symposiu
burlesque classes and has taught at Tease-O-Rama, the Toronto Burlesque
Fest and Burly-Con in Seattle. She also produces and directs the Princess
Farhana line of belly dance and burlesque instructional DVDs.
Currently, she is producing the 1920’s nightclub CLUB SCHMUTZIG and
VICTORY VARIETY HOUR (voted one fo the best shows in LA by
Bizarre Magazine) at El Cid in Los Angeles.
PREVIOUS GUEST INSTUCTORS:
MAKE-UP AND HAIR DESIGN: KAT BARDOT
As the other half of the Miss Exotic World Best Duo 2008,
KAT BARDOT graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a Bachelor of Sciene
in Fine Art. Immediately after graduation, Kat moved to LA and began
her make-up career doing make-up for pin-up and burlesque photography.
Kat also runs the Los Angeles chapter of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School,
a bi-monthly event where artists can come for a cocktail and draw a
wide array of burlesque dancers and sideshow performers and is a
regular performer with the Sacred Fools Theater Group.
She currently works in print, theater and
independent film and offers special make-up design
services for performers, creating custom looks to coordinate
with their performance and costume. In the past, she
has taught both the ‘natural’ look for stage, as well as
drag queen extravaganzas.
BURLESQUE CHOREOGRAPHY: LUX LA CROIX
LUX LaCROIX is a rising burlesque starlet, documentary filmmaker,
professional dancer and award-winning choreographer. Professionally
she has worked with artists such as Chris Brown, N.E.R.D.,
OutKast and Janet Jackson. She has danced in several LA venues such as
The Derby, Broadway Bar, El Cid, The Bordello, and Hyde.
Lux is also a regular performer in the Mexican Wrestling and
Saucy Striptease extravaganza known as Lucha VaVOOM!
Lux has been featured performer the past three years
at the New York Burlesque Festival and this year she was
named Miss Exotic World's 2008 1st Runner-Up as well as
"Most Dazzling Performer". Lux teaches the art of
burlesque dancing in her Bump and Grind 101 class series
as well as co-producing a monthly show, Burlesque-A-Go-Go,
at Mr. T's Bowl in Los Angeles.
WIG STYLING: VIXEN VIOLETTE
VIXEN VIOLETTE is a Los Angeles based burlesque
performer known for innovative costumes and great (fake) hair.
She was recently namedone of the top 20 of modern burlesque
performers by AOL Time Warner. She is also the costuming teacher
for the Bump’n’Grind Bootcamp and co-producer of
the monthly show Burlesque-a-Go-Go.
TASSEL TWIRLING: DESIRE D'AMOUR
DESIRE D'AMOUR , the “Creole Queen of Burlesque”, has appeared on
CBS, NBC, and CNN and was the central focus of a German documentary on
the Exotic World Burlesque Museum and Pageant. She can be seen in
“Beyond Burlesque”, a film by Jo Martin. She has been pictured in the book “Burlesque and the New Bump-n-Grind” as well as Maxim Magazine.
Most recently, Desire was one of the international burlesque performers
featured in Style Monte Carlo Magazine and has her own card in the
Starlet Poker Deck created by burlesque filmmakers Guerilla Monster Films.
Desiré has performed as a dancer and actor with Lucha Va Voom,
Dane’s Dames Burlesque, Spectacular!Spectacular!, and San Francisco’s
Famous Burlesque Orchestra. She has also been seen on the Tease-o-rama
stage in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. She has competed in the
“Miss Exotic World” competition since 2003, wowing the crowd with her
amazing tassel twirling. Most notable, Desiré was a regular cast member of
the long running Va Va Voom Room in San Francisco in 2004 and spent
summer and fall of 2005 touring with Fluffgirl Burlesque.
Recently relocated to Tuscon, Desiré contributed her talent and expertise to
Tucson’s first burlesque troupe, Black Cherry Burlesque. Currently you can
see her on stage with Los Angeles’ Rock’n’Roll Stripshow, Victory Variety Hour
and in Tucson with Cirque du Sin Cabaret.
She has performed at notable clubs such as the Slipper Room in New York,
The Derby and The Key Club in Los Angeles, and Bimbo’s 365 Club in
San Francisco.
Desiré is one of the few burlesque dancers who can twirl pasites
with the tassels lit on fire!
COSTUMING TIPS AND TRICKS:
VENUS DE MILLE
The Deity Of Desire is reborn! She has come to Earth as Burlesque Artist
VENUS DE MILLE, crowned “Legend In The Making” at the
Miss Exotic World 2005 Pageant. Mere mortals are held spellbound by
her heavenly body and dazzling performances which combine
the glamour of Hollywood with the temptation of striptease and the
bluster of a good old bump ‘n’ grind… earning her the nickname
“Weapon of Man’s Destruction”.
Her accordion skills are unparalleled, and whether she’s serenading
the audience while shedding flimsy garments, rappelling from the rafters,
or transforming before your very eyes into a ball of flame, she always
envelops the crowd in preternaturally supreme theatrical experience,
continuously reducing human spectators to helpless piles of rubble with
a mere glance.
With a Master’s Degree in Theater, she has been sharing her costumin
expertise with other mortals for several years now, teaching Burlesque
Costume Classes at Costume College (Van Nuys), Stiletto (Redlands),
Tease-O-Rama (San Francisco), and BurlyCon (Seattle). In addition to
costuming many of your favorite burlesque starlets, she has unveiled
her own line of luxuriously embellished gloves under the name:
“Gloves By Venus”
Burlesque Bingo, Buckingham Burlesque, The Bordello Burlesque Show,
The Victory Variety Hour, Lolita La Vey’s Cabaret, Margaret Cho’s
Sensuous Woman, Little Minsky’s (San Francisco), Columbia City
Cabaret (Seattle), The Bedroom Club (Seattle), the Vintage Erotic
Cinema Series, the LA Dyke March, and Comic-Con.
