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 born 6. november 1976 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 Ed The Pontani Pages, a monthly talk show format podcast produced by JL Aronson in NYC. She also hosted “The Bump n Grind” Podcast 2020-2021, produced by Tenderloins, it focused on burlesque and is available on all streaming platforms. 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. She has performed burlesque at the Dolby Theater in Las Vegas as part of Lady GaGa’s Jazz and Piano residency in 2023.
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.
Pontani co-produces and stars in Brian Newman After Dark which has residencies in NYC & Las Vegas.
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 |
Blaze Starr was an American stripper and burlesque star. Her vivacious presence and inventive use of stage props earned her the nickname "The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque". She was also known for her affair with Louisiana Governor Earl Kemp Long. Based on her memoir Blaze Starr! My Life as Told to Huey Perry, the 1989 film Blaze told the story of that affair starring Paul Newman as Long and Lolita Davidovich as Starr, with Starr herself acting in a cameo role and as a consultant.
Pasties are patches that cover a person's nipples and areolae, typically self-adhesive or affixed with adhesive. They are usually worn in pairs. They originated as part of burlesque shows, allowing dancers to perform fully topless without exposing the nipples in order to provide a commercial form of bare-breasted entertainment. Pasties are also, at times, used while sunbathing, worn by strippers and showgirls, or as a form of protest during women's rights events such as Go Topless Day. In some cases this is to avoid potential prosecution under indecency laws.
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.
Ann Corio was a prominent American burlesque stripper and actress. Her original surname was Coiro, changing it to Corio for stage purposes and because some family members did not approve of her profession.
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.
Ariana Savalas is an American host, burlesque performer, singer, and songwriter. She has performed in burlesque cabarets worldwide, including as the emcee and singer for Dita Von Teese and the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris.
"Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" is a song by American singer–songwriter Lady Gaga from her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). It was released as a promotional single from the album on September 16, 2008. Written by the singer and its producer Rob Fusari in 2006, it is an uptempo dance-pop and disco-funk song that makes heavy use of synthesizers. The lyrics focus on Gaga's experiences as a struggling artist in the Lower East Side.
Angel Cecelia Helene Walker was an American exotic dancer specializing in stripping and burlesque under her stage name Satan's Angel.
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 its 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.
Velma Fern Worden, better known by the stage name April March, is an exotic dancer and prominent star of American burlesque. Billed as April March, The First Lady of Burlesque, she was a headline act in burlesque from 1952 to 1978. During her more than thirty-year career, she gained popularity throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe for her classy and sophisticated striptease. March was one of the innovators of the elegant strip tease.
"Scheiße" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her second studio album, Born This Way (2011). The song was written and produced by Lady Gaga and Nadir "RedOne" Khayat, and was recorded in Europe on the tour bus during the Monster Ball Tour. "Scheiße" was first introduced as a remix during a Thierry Mugler fashion show held on January 19, 2011. A dance-pop song with heavy, pounding synths, it also has a fast techno beat with electroclash and Eurodisco influences. Gaga speaks the first verse and parts of the chorus of the song in faux-German, as the name of the song is German. The lyrics have a feminist tone, speaking of female empowerment.
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.
A vedette is the main female artist of a show derived from cabaret and its subcategories of revue, vaudeville, music hall or burlesque. The purpose of the vedette is to entertain and captivate the public. Vedettes are expected to sing, dance and act on stage. Particularly accomplished artistes are considered super vedettes or first vedettes. Vedettes often appear alongside groups of dancers, flashy and revealing costumes, magicians, comedians, jugglers, or even performing animals. Vedettes specializing in burlesque generally do striptease and may also perform nude on stage.
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 workers' rights and freedom of sexual expression.
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 and live album featuring 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.
Lady Gaga Enigma + Jazz & Piano is a concert residency by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga held at Dolby Live in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The residency consists of two types of shows: Enigma, which focuses on theatricality and includes the singer's biggest hits, and Jazz & Piano, which involves songs from the Great American Songbook and stripped-down versions of Gaga's songs. The Enigma show was built around a loose storyline about "healing and finding yourself", and saw Gaga wearing various sci-fi inspired outfits. For Jazz & Piano, Gaga aimed for "glamour and elegance", with her wardrobe harkening back to the Jazz Age and vintage Vegas. The Enigma shows opened on December 28, 2018, and the Jazz & Piano shows opened on January 20, 2019. After a 21-month long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the residency returned to the theater on October 14, 2021.
