Help The Great Burlesque Expo 2016
Donation protected
The Great Burlesque Exposition was founded in 2006 as a place for burlesque aficianadoes from beginner to expert to "bring their burlesque to the next level" by presenting a 'big tent' event with something for everyone. Those who had never taken a burlesque class before were offered easy, introductory, and free drop-in classes on a variety of subjects. More experienced performers could sharpen their skills by learning from a cadre of educators from a wide range of disciplines both in and outside the burlesque community. And seasoned burlesquers could both share their knowledge and learn something by taking classes from acknowledged experts -- people like The Shanghai Pearl, Michelle L'Amour, and Jo Weldon.
Over the past nine years, The Exposition has grown and changed, but we have never lost sight of that original mission. We are one of the few major festivals that actively seeks out and recruits beginning performers, welcoming them and giving them the experience of performing in a large, professionally produced show.
Other elements of The Exposition have had an impact beyond the weekend.
• From April 10, 2012 through May 12, 2012 pieces from our Costume Exhibit were on display in an appropriate location: The West End Museum, which is dedicated to the Boston neighborhood which encompassed Scollay Square, Boston's original burlesque district.
• After the death of artist Dave Stevens in 2008, the Art Show was turned into a fund-raiser for leukemia research. Stevens was largely responsible for the rediscovery of Bettie Page late in her life, and he battled hard to get her financial compensation for the use of her likeness.
• Several of our Best Soloists have gone on to compete for or even win the prestiguous "Queen of Burlesque" crown at The Burlesque Hall of Fame weekender.
• This past year we partnered with Brown Paper Tickets to create The Brassy Award, which recongizes excellence in burlesque production. The winner of the first-ever Brassy will be given at this year's Expo!
• Amongst the teachers our first year was Joe Paul Williams aka Willy Barrett. A friend and teacher of Betty Blaize's through belly-dance, she invited him to bring his knowledge of Delsarte to the burlesque world. Joe Paul has become a sought-after and well-respected teacher in the greater burlesque community.
The first Exposition (then called "The Great Boston Burlesque Expostion") took place in February 2007 in the aftermath of the infamous Valentine's Day Blizzard which paralyzed much of the country. We were born in snow and ice, but we don't want to die that way.
Winter of 2015 has been a disastrous one for the northeast. Multiple extreme weather events have dumped over six feet of snow on greater Boston in the past two weeks. Now, just 10 days before The Great Burlesque Exposition of 2015*, the impact of all that winter weather is clear.
People within the northeast are having a very difficult time moving around, and people outside the region are understandably reluctant to come into it. Numerous events leading up to this year's Exposition at which The Expo would have been promoted had low turn-out or were canceled outright. The storage units where The Expo's lighting and other production equipment are kept needed to be cleared of snow repeatedly and at great cost. Volunteers who would ordinarily have had time to help reach out to sponsors, vendors, or the public have lost those hours to shoveling snow or making up work days lost to snow.
In short, this has already been a rough year for us -- and The Expo hasn't happened yet.
We are already in talks with the hotel about scheduling The Great Burlesque Exposition of 2016, which would be our tenth year. We have many wonderful things planned for 2016, but without your help, we won't make it there. We are looking at losses of between $5,000 and $10,000 this year. Financial damage like that will cripple or kill this long-running event.
What Can You Do?
• If you can, come out to this year's Great Burlesque Exposition, February 20-22, 2015. If you can't make it, but still want to support this year's event, go and buy a ticket you won't use. It's like making a donation, except we get to keep more of the money.
• Spread the word about the event and this fund-raiser.
• Donate to keep The Great Burlesque Exposition alive. We're offering some nifty 'thank you' gifts for people near and far, or you can just donate out of the goodness of your heart.
Thank You
Over our history we've had hundreds of performers, teachers, and volunteers contribute to the creation and running of this event. A donation to our 10th year is a way to acknowledge the work of these people, the enjoyment you have gotten from watching the performers, or the knowledge you have gained from our teachers.
* -- we dropped the "Boston" when it became clear that our scope was international... and also because we moved to Cambridge.
Over the past nine years, The Exposition has grown and changed, but we have never lost sight of that original mission. We are one of the few major festivals that actively seeks out and recruits beginning performers, welcoming them and giving them the experience of performing in a large, professionally produced show.
Other elements of The Exposition have had an impact beyond the weekend.
• From April 10, 2012 through May 12, 2012 pieces from our Costume Exhibit were on display in an appropriate location: The West End Museum, which is dedicated to the Boston neighborhood which encompassed Scollay Square, Boston's original burlesque district.
• After the death of artist Dave Stevens in 2008, the Art Show was turned into a fund-raiser for leukemia research. Stevens was largely responsible for the rediscovery of Bettie Page late in her life, and he battled hard to get her financial compensation for the use of her likeness.
• Several of our Best Soloists have gone on to compete for or even win the prestiguous "Queen of Burlesque" crown at The Burlesque Hall of Fame weekender.
• This past year we partnered with Brown Paper Tickets to create The Brassy Award, which recongizes excellence in burlesque production. The winner of the first-ever Brassy will be given at this year's Expo!
• Amongst the teachers our first year was Joe Paul Williams aka Willy Barrett. A friend and teacher of Betty Blaize's through belly-dance, she invited him to bring his knowledge of Delsarte to the burlesque world. Joe Paul has become a sought-after and well-respected teacher in the greater burlesque community.
The first Exposition (then called "The Great Boston Burlesque Expostion") took place in February 2007 in the aftermath of the infamous Valentine's Day Blizzard which paralyzed much of the country. We were born in snow and ice, but we don't want to die that way.
Winter of 2015 has been a disastrous one for the northeast. Multiple extreme weather events have dumped over six feet of snow on greater Boston in the past two weeks. Now, just 10 days before The Great Burlesque Exposition of 2015*, the impact of all that winter weather is clear.
People within the northeast are having a very difficult time moving around, and people outside the region are understandably reluctant to come into it. Numerous events leading up to this year's Exposition at which The Expo would have been promoted had low turn-out or were canceled outright. The storage units where The Expo's lighting and other production equipment are kept needed to be cleared of snow repeatedly and at great cost. Volunteers who would ordinarily have had time to help reach out to sponsors, vendors, or the public have lost those hours to shoveling snow or making up work days lost to snow.
In short, this has already been a rough year for us -- and The Expo hasn't happened yet.
We are already in talks with the hotel about scheduling The Great Burlesque Exposition of 2016, which would be our tenth year. We have many wonderful things planned for 2016, but without your help, we won't make it there. We are looking at losses of between $5,000 and $10,000 this year. Financial damage like that will cripple or kill this long-running event.
What Can You Do?
• If you can, come out to this year's Great Burlesque Exposition, February 20-22, 2015. If you can't make it, but still want to support this year's event, go and buy a ticket you won't use. It's like making a donation, except we get to keep more of the money.
• Spread the word about the event and this fund-raiser.
• Donate to keep The Great Burlesque Exposition alive. We're offering some nifty 'thank you' gifts for people near and far, or you can just donate out of the goodness of your heart.
Thank You
Over our history we've had hundreds of performers, teachers, and volunteers contribute to the creation and running of this event. A donation to our 10th year is a way to acknowledge the work of these people, the enjoyment you have gotten from watching the performers, or the knowledge you have gained from our teachers.
* -- we dropped the "Boston" when it became clear that our scope was international... and also because we moved to Cambridge.
Organizer
Mizter Scratch
Organizer
Boston, MA
