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“This is no eat-your-vegetables history book. Scholarship and entertainment go hand in hand to make the most of a fun, racy topic. O’Brien does a brilliant job of illuminating the past and introducing readers to the the current crop of entertainers, and Perkoski’s photos knock it out of the park.”
Michael Heaton, “Minister of Culture” columnist, The Plain Dealer |
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The performance art of burlesque, once a faded form, has made a comeback in the twenty-first century, and it has shimmied back to life with a vengeance in Cleveland.
Thanks to fans and entrepreneurs, neo-burlesque has taken the stage—and it’s more inclusive, less seedy, and emphatically fun. Rust Belt Burlesque traces the history of burlesque in Cleveland from the mid-1800s to the present day, while also telling the story of Bella Sin, a Mexican immigrant who largely drove Northeast Ohio’s neo-burlesque comeback. The historical center of Cleveland burlesque was the iconic Roxy Theater on East Ninth Street. Here, in its twentieth-century heyday, famed dancers like Blaze Starr and comics like Red Skelton and Abbott and Costello entertained both regulars and celebrity guests. Erin O’Brien’s lively storytelling and Bob Perkoski’s color photos give readers a peek into the raucous Ohio Burlesque Festival that packs the house at the Beachland Ballroom every year. Today’s burlies come in all shapes, ethnicities, and orientations, drawing a legion of adoring fans. This is a show you won’t want to miss. Erin O’Brien’s eclectic features and essays have appeared in a host of national and local publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Plain Dealer, and others. She is also the author of The Irish Hungarian Guide to the Domestic Arts. |
Contact The Ohio Shallow Press
Contact Shallow press for author interview and book review requests on the link below.
www.ohioswallow.com/book/Rust+Belt+Burlesque
Contact Shallow press for author interview and book review requests on the link below.
www.ohioswallow.com/book/Rust+Belt+Burlesque
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Interested in a burlesque show? Here is some upcoming dates.
August 23rd Burlesco at The 9 The floor show. The Alex Theater at The Metropolitan 9 September 20th Burlesco At The 9 The Alex Theater at The Metropolitan 9 October 18th Burlesco at The 9 The Alex Theater at The Metropolitan 9 October 19th Stranger Things Beachland Ballroom November 1st Dia De Los Muertos Ball Beachland Ballroom For more dates head to www.ohioburlesque.com |
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