Dita Von Teese

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Focus On Style: Why Dita Von Teese makes you feel beautiful to be a woman
by Sharon Haver

Hubby and I dragged ourselves out of our head cold blues (the couple that hacks together, stays together) and trotted off to see Dita Von Teese perform “Burlesque Strip Strip Hooray!” at the Gramercy Theater in NYC last night.

LOVED it.

So much fun, glamour, camp, and theatrical majesty… like being in Vegas without the schmaltz (big smile).

At 41, Dita is gorgeous and unstoppable.

Dita Von Teese may have one of the most enviable figures but the review isn’t about cookie-cutter body perfection.

““Strip Strip Hooray” could also be called “I Am Woman” as the cast of performers celebrate female beauty in every shape, size, age, and then some with Perle Noire, Selene Luna, Natasha Estrada, and Lada Nikolska of the Crazy Horse Paris.”

Big kudos to the hysterical shtick slinger Murray Hill as MC for snappy comebacks. For those in need of some testosterone, there was Monsieur Romeo, a Parisian boylesque hottie and even Prince Poppycock from America’s Got Talent.

If you want costumes, Dita has costumes.

For fashionista glamour, there’s her Alexis Mabille haute couture tuxedo, divine Mr. Pearl corsets, custom Christian Louboutin ”Lou-BOOT-ins,” to compliment her head to toe Swarovski crystal cowgirl outfit and matching mechanical bull -just one of her many gorgeous props.

“But what shines most is the message to celebrate your uniqueness with some sensual Teese…. it’s beautiful to be a woman.”

pocketvenus.wordpress.com
 
Metro.us: Dita Von Teese performs at the House of Blues (interview)
by Linda LabanPublished

Even Dita Von Teese laughs at the irony of her inclusion on Vanity Fair’s current International Best Dressed List; after all, the queen of neo burlesque is in the business of undressing. (Her laugh, by the way, is a warm purr and as elegantly inviting as her act.)

“Well, don’t forget that Gypsy Rose Lee, who was one of the greatest, if not the greatest burlesque dancer of all time, was famously dressed by Charles James and all the great haute couturiers of the time,” says Von Teese. “Striptease is a lot to do with what you put on, as much as what you take off. Without all the glamorous clothes, all you have is a naked pretty girl and that’s not what makes a legend.”

Born Heather Sweet in West Branch, Michigan, Madame Von Teese has created herself as a legend and a successful business of books, perfume franchises, a capsule dress collection, and a lingerie line has followed. But this fall, the hardworking Miss Von Teese is back on the road with her “Burlesque: Strip, Strip Hooray!” show, which includes her Rhinestone Cowgirl, Swarovski Martini Glass, and the new Bird of Paradise acts, each destined — and designed — to captivate the imagination.

“Burlesque is about creating fantasy and illusion and something that doesn’t really exist in real life,” she says. “It’s about combining glamour with a little wink of the eye: a touch of humor. It’s about spectacle and a version of glamour and sensuality, and sexuality, that doesn’t really exist in real life.”

As much as it is spectacle and illusion, burlesque is equal parts choreography and acting: “Who I am onstage is not who I am, even as a sexual person, in real life. It’s not to say I put on a different personality; I don’t, by any means. The real person comes through in every show. But all the rhinestones and feathers, and perfection to detail in the makeup, obviously I don’t go trotting around like that in my bedroom. Burlesque is different for everyone, especially in these days of the burlesque boom. For me, the way I present it is as something that’s otherworldly and about beauty, glamour, and humor all put together in one seven-minute moment on stage.”

pocketvenus.wordpress.com
 
Philly Mag: Lascivious Jane Chats with Dita Von Teese

This Wednesday, iconic burlesque diva Dita Von Teese will bring her critically acclaimed show “Burlesque: Strip, Strip Hooray” to the Tower Theater for her first-ever Philadelphia appearance. She’ll be performing some of her most spectacular numbers, with a fabulous lineup of global burlesque heavyweights.

Being a burlesque performer myself, I was excited to have the chance to chat with her this week, where I picked her glittery brain about her rise in burlesque, who were her biggest inspirations, and of course, I couldn’t let the conversation end without asking what she uses to make her pasties stick.

You’ve been performing burlesque since 1992, and are now the most famous burlesquer in the world. How did that happen?
I think my success is due to me doing something I believed in all along, whether it was popular or not. It certainly wasn’t popular in the early-’90s. I had to really seek out audiences, and I paid a lot of dues. I think a lot of people give up too easily, because they don’t get the recognition they expected. But for me, I feel like my success comes from feeling like my reward was always there whether I was recognized or famous or making money or whatever. And any time I had an accolade I looked at it as something I needed to live up to rather than getting a pat on the back.



Does your super-celebrity status make you feel removed from local burlesque scenes?
There were times — probably in the middle [of my career], maybe around like 2000 — where I was ostracized a little. Certain neo-burlesquers felt I wasn’t valid because I started performing my shows in strip clubs. They wanted to be removed from the stripper community. … But most important to me is maintaining the integrity of [burlesque] and reminding people of a time when “striptease” was not a bad word, and when it wasn’t bad to be a stripper.

So what is your definition of burlesque?
Burlesque was a type of show that was popular in America in the 1930s and ’40s. It was a spinoff of Vaudeville, but the difference between the two is that, in burlesque, the jokes were more off-color and sexual in nature, and the stars of the show were striptease dancers. You had a lot of great stars who came out of burlesque — between the comedians and the striptease stars.

You talk a lot about the history of burlesque. Which early performers inspired you?
There are a few I’ve studied a lot. I’ve always been very interested in Gypsy Rose Lee’s career, because she’s probably the most known for stepping away from the burlesque stage and having a career her whole life. I’ve thought a lot about what she stood for as a woman in the 1940s and ’50s, especially when she became a single mother and women embraced her. … I feel like I have connected to that and to her in a lot of different ways, like with my brands and taking the strip out of just the strip club and bringing it to a mainstream place.

You have an incredibly busy performance schedule; do you ever get to be an audience member at other burlesque shows?
I don’t go to a lot of burlesque shows, because it kind of distracts [from the performance.] I feel like I can’t really enjoy the show, because I am constantly being asked to take pictures. It’s really uncomfortable when I’m watching someone on stage and … people are trying to talk to me. I feel like it’s kind of rude for me to be there. So anytime I go, I try to watch from a place where I can watch quietly and secretly. I wish I could go more, I like to go out and have a good time.

What takes you out of your comfort zone as a model and a performer?
Doing things I haven’t done before, like trying new things always makes me feel a little uncomfortable. That’s why I do it. … I think it’s good to step out of what you know and try something else.



Do you prefer performing for a large audience or at smaller more intimate shows?
I get more nervous at smaller intimate shows. My shows are built for bigger stages, and so I’m obviously happier when I have my birdcage on stage, and my martini glass. … Everyone sees everything on tiny stages: every blink, if one step is out of line or anything. So I get more nervous about the little shows. … I like the big stages, when it really feels like what burlesque would have felt like, where it’s a little bit looser and more fun. You know, sometimes I have to remind myself I’m not dancing in a Broadway show, this is a burlesque show it’s not supposed to be perfect! You know, that’s really part of the history of it. It’s live entertainment, and it’s about feeling your audience and going with the flow and enjoying it.

Now the question all of us burlesquers want to know. What does America’s burlesque queen use to keep her pasties on?
For many, many years, I used this adhesive called Mastix, because I use a lot of water in my shows, and the good pasties are quite heavy. I did that for many, many years — up until maybe about a year and a half ago when we found an extra, super strong toupee tape that isn’t like the normal double-sided tape. That’s been working pretty well for me, and I only lose a pastie now and then. My breasts are a lot happier with this tape than that heavy-duty spirit gum.

What can people expect when watching your show at Tower Theater this week?
In my show, “Strip, Strip Hooray,” I portray the diversity of the modern burlesque movement. It’s not 90 minutes of girls doing what I do. It’s all very carefully selected — the very best of burlesque performers and solo artists who can stand their own and portray burlesque in their very own way. I think that’s the important thing. A lot of people will see burlesque as my way being the only way, but I’m really supportive of people taking it to new places. I think that’s what’s going to help it survive and live on and keep going as a form of entertainment.
pocketvenus.wordpress.com
 
929JackFM: Dita Von Teese Strips Down – Talks Burlesque & Her Love of ‘Escaping’ Clothing

It is unlikely that anyone has put as much thought and effort into getting undressed as Dita Von Teese, the undisputed queen of neo-burlesque. We caught up with Madame Von Teese at her home in Los Angeles, just before the Michigan native embarked on her fall ‘Burlesque: Strip, Strip Hooray!’ tour.

Born Heather Sweet, Von Teese doesn’t keep the pin-up perfection up offstage –

“All the rhinestones and feathers, and perfection to detail in the makeup, obviously I don’t go trotting around like that in my bedroom,” she says.

Still, while most women can take what seems like hours to get dressed, onstage at least, Ms. Von Teese taunts and takes forever to get undressed. It is all part of her act, or art. And, let’s face it, it’s all part of the fun.

Burlesque is about presentation and dressing up as much as it is losing the clothing. But, is how you actually lose the clothing the biggest challenge?

That’s right, it’s so much about presentation. With my performances, I get myself out of some pretty fussy clothes. Jean Paul Gaultier saw my show one time… I wore this corset that was laced all the way down and the only way to get out of it was to undo it from the top of my back all the way down to my rear-end. He commented after the show that he couldn’t figure out how I did it, because they have to cut girls out of his corsets. I like giving myself challenges in striptease. There are no Velcros and no zippers in my performances. I really love taking it to the next level and see how I can disrobe out of complicated clothes.

photo by Ali Mahdavi

That slowness, that inch-by-inch, that’s part of the drama and thrill, isn’t it?

I think so. I like to spend as much time as I can getting undressed and the more deliberate, calculated, and slow it is, along with this feeling of… Um, making it look effortless. That’s the joy: making something that’s complicated look effortless. It’s a bit like a sleight of hand trick. Whenever I have a new costume, I think to myself I cannot do this, it’s impossible. Then I find that with practice and determination it becomes second nature. I like the challenge.

Burlesque has an element of nostalgia that seems to give it innocence.

What I know about the real history of burlesque is that it was quite racy. When you look at it in the 1930s and ‘40s, it was really racy. First of all, whenever they could go without their pasties or even take off their G-string at the end, they did. Some of them wore a wig piece on top of their G-strings to create the illusion of something quite raunchy, to create the illusion of nudity. They really tried to push the envelope. If people think it’s like a pinup painting come to life on stage, for me, my goal in creating burlesque shows has always been to try to bring together the risqué with something that’s sophisticated, beautiful, and glamorous: I like to fuse those things together. I’m not just trying to create a pretty princess on stage. I’m trying to create something that is naughty and beautiful, or interesting. That’s my goal, to change people’s minds about what it is to be a stripper.

True, the original burlesque stars were working girls, trying to make a living and take that as far as they could.

This kind of striptease, this burlesque was invented in America in the ‘30s. I’m trying to remind people that there was a time when it was a legitimate form of entertainment, but that it was also quite racy back then. The only reason that pasties and G-strings were invented was that it was illegal to go without. It was illegal to go without the pasties; you had to cover your nipples. In some clubs, they used to have red and green lights in the footlights to let people know if the cops were there, because people tried to get away with what they could. You had all these different women who wanted to be at the top and wanted to make a splash, and try and get the maximum reaction.
pocketvenus.wordpress.com
 
Charlotte Observer: Dita Von Teese: From go-go dancer to burlesque star

Burlesque is back in a big way with locals like Charlotte’s own Big Mamma and national touring troupes. You can thank the queen of modern burlesque, Dita Von Teese, for bringing the titillating and glamorous world of striptease to the mainstream.

Von Teese makes her Charlotte debut this weekend with Strip Strip Hooray at The Fillmore. The show features her dragon lady and cowgirl routines, as well as the new “Bird of Paradise” and her famous signature cocktail glass number.

We recently spoke to the former Heather Sweet, who continues to do her own hair and makeup during the shows, about her history, the art form’s popularity and her personal style.

Q. You hit on such fun themes, and there’s so much to choose from. Where do you find inspiration?

A. When I first started, there wasn’t much of a burlesque scene and I was more intent on creating shows based on books I’d read or movies I saw that depicted burlesque in the ’30s and ’40s. I made up in my mind what I thought it was from rare photos or VHS tapes I was able to get my hands on. My career and the way I’ve created shows has changed. I don’t create replicas of shows. I create shows that capture the essence of what burlesque was. I do things that haven’t been done before.

Q. When you started out in strip clubs, was your act different than what the norm was?

A. I walked into a strip club in 1991 with a friend of mine. I was working in the LA electronic music scene as a go-go dancer. There were neon, tan, blonde, beautiful girls doing these typical early ’90s shows that I guess you wouldn’t call shows going on stage for three and a half minutes. … My hair was bright red at the time and I had a very different look than what was in there. I had the idea that there will be people here looking for something different. I discerned the things that make you different make you valuable. Those years taught me a lot. I might not get $1 from 20 guys. I would get a $20 from one guy.

Q. How has burlesque changed in the last 20 years?

A. I watched a big shift where my audience has grown to be women from all walks of life, lots of gays, misfits, and eccentrics, but also people that would probably never be in a strip club. Women are going to these shows and are gaining inspiration to see a show that represents different kinds of beauty and ethnicities and types of beauty and sizes. That’s what people are getting from burlesque shows. When burlesque was invented it was predominantly for men.

Q. What do you wear when you’re just kicking around?

A. I have my own signature casual look. I (just) went to my Pilates class. I never leave the house without my lipstick in place, my hair in a chignon, and a sweep of face powder. I’ll wear capri pants, a simple T-shirt and ballet flats.

Q. Are you horrified by those photos of people shopping at Wal-Mart in their pajamas?

A. I am, mostly, because there should be ritual and protocol. Presentation of one’s self has to do with manners. … One should respect oneself. It’s not even the way you present yourself to other people, but your self-respect. For me I don’t spend an hour to get ready to leave the house, but I always make sure I have those seconds to put my hair in the chignon and put red lipstick on.
pocketvenus.wordpress.com
 
Wallis Annenberg Center For The Performing Arts Inaugural Gala Presented By Salvatore Ferragamo
October 17, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California.


buro247.ua
 
Presenting my perfume Erotique, a poetic elixir inspired by alchemy & vintage erotica:

facebook.com/DitaVonTeese
 
In just a week, Dita Von Teese will open the doors to her very own kitchen with Cointreau. Stay tuned for further details, including your personal invitation

facebook.com/DitaVonTeese
 
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