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 Bricktops at the Parlour Club
and 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 Symposium burlesque classes and has
taught at Tease-O-Rama, the Toronto Burlesque Fest
and will be teaching at the upcoming 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.
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.
