April March, “The First Lady of Burlesque”

Burlesque Legend!

April March worked in burlesque from 1952 to 1978, performing all over the US, Canada, Mexico and in England. April headlined two Harold Minsky Shows, and also headlined Ann Corio’s show “This Was Burlesque” on Broadway for 6 weeks. It was during a press party thrown by Ann Corio that a writer discovered April was a talented golfer. Because of that interview she became the first (and maybe only) burlesquer to be written up in Sports Illustrated magazine. In 1964 April appeared in a film short made by Jim Henson called “Time Piece” which won major awards within the film industry.

Joan Arline

Burlesque Legend!

A vocalist, dancer and actress, started her professional career in the 1950s as a Burlesque performer known on the circuit as “The Sexquire Girl.” As a showgirl she performed for three years in the chorus line as a dancer with the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies and appeared in the Golden Girl Follies in Atlantic City. She owned and operated the Joan Roth Dance School specializing in Russian Ballet and taught and performed Ballroom dancing, Tap and Jazz.  Now in her 70s, Miss Arline still performs in her original burlesque costume!

Blitzen VonSchtupp

Blitzen VonSchtupp is a combination burlesque performer, belly dancer and creative nut who loves anything shiny, shimmery or sparkling.  As a performer she was frustrated by the lack of affordable costuming options so she decided to take classes to learn all she could and begin making her own.  As luck would have it she’s married to a talented artist who taught her about color theory and composition.  Blitzen now creates her own jewelry and hairpieces. She’s also known for her costumes which are co-designed and created with her husband who does all the sewing (yes, she knows how lucky she is and, no, he doesn’t have a brother, sorry!)

Dr. Wilson
Dr. Wilson is a magician, sideshow performer, and escape artist. As a solo performer, he has developed an old-time medicine show for Dr. Wilson’s Memory Elixir, a fantastical nostrum for memory improvement. He is also the proprietor of a flea circus and the exhibitor of several incredible sideshow attractions. For the past five years, he has collaborated with fellow magician Professor Miller and other performers on Theater of Marvels, a Victorian Orientalist show featuring western magic, Middle Eastern dance, and Jadoo, the street magic of India. Dr. Wilson is also a furious publicist, whose work has achieved regional and national coverage in print, radio, and television. In 2009, he was awarded the Candlelight Award by the Circus Historical Society in recognition of his work at keeping the circus and sideshow tradition alive.

Honey Suckle Duvet
Golden brown, and  sweet, that’s  Honey.  She sauntered onto the scene in 2005 as a exotic dance student and within weeks she was asked to teach.  Women of all sizes and backgrounds learned how to strut their stuff under Honey’s tutelage. She was winner of Most Beautiful at the 2009 Exposition and has led workshops on spirituality through exotic dance, body image, character development, and stage presence, and is currently touring with a workshop called “”Burlesque for Better Body Image.”

JZ Bich
is a multifaceted international artist provocateur. She was born and raised in the Balkans but hails NYC her home. JZ has produced several festivals, plays and burlesque series at WOW Cafe Theatre and elsewhere. Village Voice commented her work with the Barbarians Burlesque Company as something that “might just help us save our sanity”.

Jacqueline Hyde
Jacqueline Hyde has been an international burlesque artist since 2005, producer since 2007, and has performed throughout the US, Canada and in Europe. In addition, she has been a professional Ballroom and Latin dance instructor for going on 13 years, and performing in the theater arts since she was 5. She has worked with a variety of students and a multitude of levels. She has coached competitors both in the Ballroom world but also the Cabaret world. She is award-winning under international dance competition standards and best practices, having claimed a top teacher award at the Seattle Star Ball in 2007. She continues her dance education by working with top coaches from all around the world, including Bob Powers & Julia Gorchicova, James & Janna Kunitz, Corky Balas, Monique and Rob Hrouda, Catherine and FJ Abaya, and many many more!

Kim H. Carrell
Kim H. Carrell is a Boston based actor/director/fight choreographer who works around the U.S. and a favorite teacher at The Great Burlesque Expositions.  His acting credits include well over one hundred plays in regional and off-Broadway theaters, film and TV appearances that include “Law and Order,” “John and Abigail Adams,” and “The Departed,” and stage combat work covering everything from Shakespeare to opera to the decks of pirate ships. Visit his website at www.kimcarrell.com.

Krisann Kiley
Dazzling the Boston market for almost 7yrs, Krisann is delighted to return to the BBE for a second term. With a broad & diverse history, confident creative ability and cutting edge technique, she is able to meet any request. Her natural eye for color, texture, & lighting allows for consistent composition. Intuition & passion creates a unique & exciting adventure for every client. She holds a BA in Psychology & has trained all over the country.
From weddings to high fashion, everyday to special occasion, special effects to challenging cover-up; there is nothing unattainable. Makeup opens the door to transformation…

Clients include Matt Dallas of ABC Family’s Kyle XY, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Thirteen Yards to Victory & Boston Fashion Week to name a few. www.krisannkiley.com

Michelle L’amour
is one of the premiere names in modern burlesque. Since 2002, she’s been seen by more than 50 million people on four continents as a result of her awe inspiring performances on stage(Miss Exotic World 2005), television (Semi Finalist for “America’s Got Talent ” – Season One, Featured on “Sexual Healing” – Showtime) and international documentaries (like “What a Booty” and “The Art and Heart of the Tease”). Acclaimed by legends like Dixie Evans and Bunny Yeager (who featured Michelle in her most recent book ) and highly sought after as a burlesque instructor, she’s teased from Sao Paulo to Switzerland, Toronto to London, Los Angeles to Paris. As an instructor, she’s taught more than 3500 women, and she directs and stars in a series of instructional videos called “Tools of the Tease “, been featured in magazines like Woman’s Health and is often called upon by Dr. Laura Berman (America’s leading relationship counselor) to lend her talents to women struggling with their self esteem. Chicago Magazine calls her “The Reigning Queen of Bump and Grind” and the New York Post says she “Brings Down the House”. But most importantly, David Hasselhoff told her she really “Spiced Up the Show!” (on “America’s Got Talent”).

Miss Mina
Miss Mina, one of the founders of the Boston Babydolls, is a professionally trained costume maintenance expert.  The Ivy League educated “sassy lassy with the classy chassis” has studied artifact preservation with Harvard University and worked with the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.  She has built and maintained award-winning costumes for stage and in-person appearances.  She has also been recognized as an expert in the art of needlework and clothing construction by an international non-profit historical society. As headmistress of The Boston Academy of Burlesque Education she has taught hundreds of women to bump, grind, and shimmy their cares away.

N
is the undisputed NC-17 of burlesque and a queer, schizophrenic, anti-social mad scientist genius with a mind so dark and x-rated that she will captivate and scare you all at the same time! Her deadly works of performance art are political, scary and most importantly leaves you thinking. She provokes issues through her art and is not afraid to cross boundaries. She is a co-founder and co-producer of HyperGender Burlesque, a monthly themed queer cabaret that can only be described as gritty, dirty, sexy performance art.

Scarlett Letter
Scarlett Letter, voted Most Classic at GBBE 2007, has been a professional dancer for over a decade and been doing taxes and book-keeping for even longer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts Management from Scripps College and is also an award-winning costumer. Scarlett’s dance experience encompasses a wide variety of styles, genres, situations, and venues. She can be seen at burlesque venues throughout the Los Angeles area almost nightly. Four feet of red hair, a vintage flair, and very calculating feet are her calling cards. When not teaching at The Great Burlesque Exposition, she can be found at www.ScarlettLetterA.com

Tracey M. DiLascio, Esq.
Tracey M. DiLascio, Esq., is a practicing small business and intellectual property attorney in Newton, Massachusetts. Prior to establishing her practice, Ms. DiLascio served as a judicial clerk in the New Jersey Superior Court and taught English composition and literature in several Massachusetts and New Jersey colleges. Ms. DiLascio is a graduate of Boston University School of Law.

Vivienne Vavoom

A versatile vixen of the classic ecdysiasts art, Vivienne VaVoom can generally be found bumping and grinding a mile high in her hometown of Denver. She has performed at various venues around the country, at the Big Three: Miss Exotic World, Tease-O-Rama and the New York Burlesque Fest and at the Helsinki Burlesque Festival. She was named “Most Classic” at the Boston Burlesque Expo 2008 and that same year she celebrated 10 years of shimmying with the troupe she founded, Burlesque As It Was. Vivienne’s School of Burlesque has molded new burlesque talent since 1998 plus she’s been invited to teach around the US and on a Finnish reality show!  Her alter ego, Michelle Baldwin, wrote THE book on the neo-burlesque scene, Burlesque and the The New Bump & Grind. This gorgeous goddess is sure to charm, with her classically classy brand of tease.

Zehara Nachash
Zehara Nachash is a innovative and creative Boston based belly dancer, side show performer, and snake dancer. She has been professionally dancing in the New England area with and without her slithering dance partners since 2005 and has been teaching since 2006. Zehara is the chairperson for the North East Belly Dance Association’s Boston Chapter, Troupe Director of The Daughters of Eden and Alankara, and Proprietress of The Odditorium Boston. She is known for her innovation and creativity by fusing modern dance techniques with the ancient art of belly dance to create unique and original choreography. For more information visit her at www.Zehara.com.