Angie Pontani | |
|---|---|
 Pontani at the Coney Island Cyclone's 82nd birthday celebration in 2009 | |
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | Burlesque dancer, choreographer, producer, and costumer |
| Spouse | Brian Newman |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | www |
Angie Pontani is a contemporary burlesque dancer, choreographer, producer, and blogger based in Brooklyn, New York. She was crowned Miss Exotic World in 2008.
Andrea Louisa Pontani is originally from Trenton, New Jersey. In the mid-1990s she began her career in New York City dancing in the Dutch Weismann Follies at age 17. [1] After the close of Dutch Weismanns, Angie went on to launch the World Famous Pontani Sisters, who performed regularly at Marion's Continental and Windows on the World in the World Trade Center. In 2006, Angie started to focus on her solo performances. [2]
Pontani was the co-producer and star of This Is Burlesque at the now-defunct Corio Supper Club. [3] She performs around the world solo and with the Pontani Sisters, and was a creator of the DVD series, Go-Go Robics and Go-Go Dance with Angie Pontani produced by World Dance New York. Angie produces and stars in the Burlesque-A-Pades touring production and is the co-producer of the New York Burlesque Festival, an event that happens annually and brings together hundreds of burlesque performers from around the world for four nights of performance. Angie has modeled for several designers, including Mode Merr Clothing as well as Dirty Dolls Lingerie and has shot with renowned photographers like Ellen von Unwerth, Josh Gosfield and Brian Smith. Pontani hosts The Pontani Pages, a monthly talk show format podcast produced by JL Aronson in NYC. In 2015, she was featured in a photo shoot for CR Fashion Book nude at seven-months pregnant, alongside Lady Gaga shot by Bruce Weber.
Angie was crowned Miss Cyclone in 2007 in honor of the historic roller coaster the Coney Island Cyclone. As a Coney Island resident, she has been very active in the fight to save them from rezoning that would jeopardize the amusement district. Angie was crowned "The Reigning Queen of Burlesque, the winner of the Miss Exotic World Pageant in 2008" at the Burlesque Hall of Fame reunion at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas. [4] Other awards include, "The Best Body in Burlesque" - 2007 New York Burlesque Festival, "#1 Burlesque Attraction in the Nation" - AOL.com, "Best NY Based Dance Company" - Show Business , "Hottest Burlesque Troupe" - Village Voice . She was recently[ when? ] featured on the PBS Great Performances series with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett for their release of Cheek to Cheek and has collaborated with retailer Secrets in Lace to release a collection of vintage inspired dresses.
On February 16, 2013, Angie Pontani married band leader, trumpet player and vocalist Brian Newman in Brooklyn, New York. They have one child together, a daughter Sistilia Josephine Pontani Newman, born on September 9, 2015.
In January 2017, Angie started a blog which features family recipes and Italian inspired dishes, some of which were featured in Rachael Ray's magazine's "How To Live Like an Italian" issue.
Angie Pontani appeared in the documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two , at the time of the baptism of her daughter, in which Lady Gaga was chosen to be the godmother.
The World Famous Pontani Sisters are a highly stylized and costumed dance trio that helped to pioneer the burlesque revival. [5] They began performing on the boardwalk in Coney Island and went on to international tours both alone as well as with the band Los Straitjackets. [6] Angie choreographed, costumed, and booked most of the troupe's performances, including tours, Las Vegas runs and appearances on national television programs like Late Night with Conan O'Brien as well as Gossip Girl . The Pontani Sisters have released three DVDs that teach 1960s go-go dancing, Go-Go Robics I & II and Twist Party, with the surf band, Los Straitjackets.
| Year | Appearance | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Showy and 5 Foor 2: The World Famous Pontani Sisters | Herself | |
| 2006 | Queer Eye For the Straight Guy | Herself | "Surprise Our Stud with Stag Party: Ryan M" episode |
| 2006 | The World Famous Pontani Sisters | Herself | http://www.micropunta.it/ |
| 2008 | Gossip Girl | Burlesque dancer | https://web.archive.org/web/20081006072722/http://www.alarmpress.com/1656/columns/weekly-burlesque-gossip-girl/ |
| 2008 | The Poor Man's Follies | Herself | http://www.micropunta.it/ |
| 2008 | Time "The 2008 Burlesque Festival" | Herself | [7] [ failed verification ] |
| 2009 | Michael Imperioli's The Hungry Ghosts | Appears painted gold | http://www.thehungryghostsmovie.com/ |
| 2010 | Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque | Herself | |
| 2010 | The 50 Cent Project | Herself | MTV, US |
| 2010 | Burlesque Mania | Herself | Sky TV, Italy |
| Nightline | TV3, New Zealand | ||
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Herself | ||
| Good Morning America | Herself | ||
| The Today Show | Herself | ||
| The List | Herself | ||
| Start Ups | Herself | ||
| The Wise Guy Show | Herself | ||
| A Day in the Life | Herself | NPR | |
| The Stretch Show | Herself | Maxim Radio | |
| 2013 | Driving Jersey | Herself | NJTV, US |
| 2014 | Cheek to Cheek with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett | Herself | PBS, US |
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exotic dancer".
Los Straitjackets is an American instrumental rock band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, in 1988. Originally comprising guitarists Danny Amis, Eddie Angel and drummer L. J. "Jimmy" Lester under the name The Straitjackets, the band split up soon after forming, but reunited as Los Straitjackets in 1994 with the addition of bassist E. Scott Esbeck. Esbeck left the band in 1998 and was replaced by Pete Curry. The current lineup also features Greg Townson on guitar and Chris Sprague on drums.
The World Famous Pontani Sisters are a dance act and burlesque revue based in New York City, consisting of three sisters: Angie Pontani, Tara Pontani, and Helen Pontani. They have been billed more recently as Angie Pontani and the World Famous Pontani Sisters.
Danielle Stampe is a singer, dancer, set designer, and performance artist, best known for her work with Gwar as "Slymenstra Hymen." She has set records for fire breathing and voltage endurance.
Michelle L'amour is an American neo-burlesque performer who grew up in Orland Park, Illinois. In 2006, she performed stripteases on NBC's America's Got Talent, Showtime's Sexual Healing, and in small touring performances. Her tagline is "The Ass That Goes POW!" and she sells related promotional products.
Neo-Burlesque, or New Burlesque, is the revival and updating of the traditional American burlesque performance. Though based on the traditional burlesque art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; neo-burlesque can include anything ranging from classic striptease to modern dance to theatrical mini-dramas to comedic mayhem.
Hinda Wausau (1906–1980) aka Hinda Wassau, Hinda Wasau, or Hindu Wausau, was a star stripteaser in burlesque. She claimed, and has been credited with, inadvertently inventing the striptease around 1928 at either the Haymarket or State-Congress Theater in Chicago when her costume started coming off during a shimmy dance.
Julie Atlas Muz is a New York City-based performance artist, dancer, burlesque artist, stage director, and actress. In 2012, she married English actor Mat Fraser.
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and versatility in the entertainment industry. Gaga began performing as a teenager, singing at open mic nights and acting in school plays. She studied at Collaborative Arts Project 21, through the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, before dropping out to pursue a career in music. After Def Jam Recordings canceled her contract, she worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where she signed a joint deal with Interscope Records and KonLive Distribution, in 2007. Gaga had her breakthrough the following year with her debut studio album, The Fame, and its chart-topping singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". The album was later reissued to include the extended play The Fame Monster (2009), which yielded the successful singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone", and "Alejandro".
Lydia Thompson, was an English dancer, comedian, actor and theatrical producer.
American burlesque is a genre of variety show derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows. Burlesque became popular in the United States in the late 1860s and slowly evolved to feature ribald comedy and female nudity. By the late 1920s, the striptease element overshadowed the comedy and subjected burlesque to extensive local legislation. Burlesque gradually lost popularity beginning in the 1940s. A number of producers sought to capitalize on nostalgia for the entertainment by recreating burlesque on the stage and in Hollywood films from the 1930s to the 1960s. There has been a resurgence of interest in this format since the 1990s.
The New York Burlesque Festival is an annual four-day event that takes place in New York City each fall, where performers from all over the world appear on stages for musical acts, burlesque shows, and other performances.
Garo Sparo is an American couture design house based in New York City. Its founder and head designer is Gary Spampinato, who goes professionally by Garo Sparo. Sparo is also a television personality who has starred on Unleashed by Garo on the Sundance Channel and as a contestant on Bravo's Project Runway.
Jo Weldon, commonly known as Jo Boobs or Jo Boobs Weldon, is a performer, author, activist, and educator based in New York City. Weldon's body of work centers around stripping and striptease. She established and runs The New York School of Burlesque and wrote The Burlesque Handbook. She is an advocate for sex-worker rights and freedom of sexual expression.
Cheek to Cheek is the first collaborative album by American singers Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, released on September 19, 2014, by Columbia and Interscope Records. It is Bennett's fifty-eighth studio album, and Gaga's fourth. The two first met at the Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City in 2011, and later recorded a rendition of "The Lady Is a Tramp" together, after which they began discussing plans of working on a jazz project. Cheek to Cheek consists of jazz standards by popular composers such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, and Irving Berlin. It was inspired by Bennett and Gaga's desire to introduce the songs to a younger generation, since they believed these tracks have a universal appeal.
Brian Newman is an American jazz musician, singer, and trumpet player. He is most known for his numerous performances with Lady Gaga and her surprise appearances at his performances in New York City. Newman currently holds a residency at the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City and is married to American burlesque performer Angie Pontani.
Lady Gaga Live at Roseland Ballroom was the first concert residency by American singer Lady Gaga. Performed at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, New York, the residency began on March 28 and concluded on April 7, 2014, after completing seven shows. It was the final event hosted by the venue after it was announced that it was being closed down and being replaced with a 42-story skyscraper. Gaga revealed that Roseland was the only venue in New York City that she had never played, although she had visited there previously to watch shows. A poster announcing the event was released, showing an old image of Gaga taken before the time she became successful as a recording artist.
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live! is an American concert television special featuring live performances by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga in support of their collaborative studio album, Cheek to Cheek, released in September 2014. It was held at the Rose Theater of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in July following the announcement of the album's release, and was aired on PBS on October 24, 2014, as part of the network's Great Performances series. The concert was watched by an audience consisting of invited guests and students from New York schools. Bennett and Gaga were joined on stage by a 39-piece orchestra and jazz musicians associated with both artists. A number of costumes were worn by Gaga, provided by designers including Roberto Cavalli, Michael Costello, Mathieu Mirano, Valentino as well as David Samuel Menkes. The special received one nomination at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The Cheek to Cheek Tour was a co-headlining tour by American singers Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga in support of their album, Cheek to Cheek (2014). The tour, which began with a two-night run at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, played a total of 36 shows across Europe and North America during the first half of 2015. Many of the tour's shows were part of music festivals, such as the Ravinia Festival, the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Gent Jazz Festival. The Cheek to Cheek Tour grossed $15.3 million from 27 shows with a total attendance of 176,267.
The Slipper Room is a variety theatre and house of burlesque, comedy and neo-vaudeville, located in the Lower East Side district of Manhattan, New York City.
