Announcing the 2016 BurlyCon Guests of Honor and the Class Schedule!
We’re thrilled to announce the 2016 Class Schedule! Now, you can explore the full lineup and download the official BurlyCon Guidebook directly to your phone or tablet for easy access throughout the weekend.
This year, in particular, we proudly welcome our 2016 Guests of Honor: Rachel Shteir, Bonnie Dunn, and Legend Gina Bon Bon. Together, they bring distinct voices, deep experience, and a lasting impact on the burlesque world.
As you plan your weekend, make time to attend at least one class with each of these distinguished artists. In doing so, you’ll gain insight, history, and expertise that will continue to shape conversations long after the weekend ends.
Legend Guest of Honor: Gina Bon Bon
Latin Dance Sensation & Living Legend of Burlesque
Gina began her career dancing in the chorus line of the NYC Latin revue Fuego Latino. She later became a featured star on Al Baker Jr.’s burlesque circuit.
She performed in theaters and clubs across the United States and Canada. Along the way, she worked with some of the biggest burlesque agents in the country. In 1976, she starred in Minsky’s Follies at the Playboy Club in Chicago. She also appeared in the musical Burlesque USA, which aired on HBO.
Gina graced stages at The Cabaret, The Guys and Dolls, The Royals Las Vegas, The Penthouse in Vancouver, The Hourglass in Alberta, The Mayfair Theatre in New York City, and The Palace in Buffalo. She worked with Lou Monty, as well as The Platters and The Drifters, at the 802 Club in New York. Her screen appearances include a cameo in Going Home, Fever Pitch, The Montell Williams Show, El Show de Cristina on Univision, and The Nick Clooney Show.
In Las Vegas, she headlined Space Fantasy, Nude Playmates, Xxxtravaganza, and The Gina Bon Bon Show at the Royal Las Vegas Casino.
Guest of Honor: Rachel Shteir
Burlesque Historian & Author of: “Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show”
Rachel Schteir is the author of On Friedan (2018); The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting (2011), Gypsy: the Art of the Tease (2009), and Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show (2004), which won the George Freedley Memorial Award. She has written for many newspapers, magazines, and journals, including The Boston Globe and The New York Times.
Rachel has lectured widely on popular culture and theatre and is often quoted in the national media. She is the recipient of six Yaddo residencies as well as MacDowell and Ragdale Colony residencies. She is associate professor at the Theatre School at DePaul University. She taught at Yale, Carnegie Mellon University, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, the Columbia University School of the Arts, and the National Theatre Institute. Rachel holds a BA from the University of Chicago in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and an MFA and a DFA in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from the Yale School of Drama.
Guest of Honor: Bonnie Dunn
Neo-Burlesque Producer & Pioneer
Bonnie Dunn has performed her signature cabaret and burlesque act for nearly three decadent decades. Today, she produces and stars in the wildly popular variety show Le Scandal Cabaret in New York City, now in its 15th year.
She began singing in New Orleans and soon expanded her work to stages around the world. Over the years, she has performed in cabarets and hotels from New York to Bangkok.
Along the way, Bonnie embraced a wide range of creative gigs. She delivered singing and stripping telegrams, go-go danced, modeled for artists, recorded voiceovers, and even joined an all-girl rap group called The Candy Rappers. In 1994, she walked into the Blue Angel Cabaret—and began a 20-year love affair with burlesque.
In addition, Dunn has appeared on the History Channel, WE Network’s To Live and Date in New York, Metro TV’s NY Central, Naked NY, HBO’s Real Sex #25, The Travel Channel, the Lifetime film If Tomorrow Comes, and Law & Order.
The New York Times describes her as “a sassy singer with a smoldering voice.” Meanwhile, Vogue Italia has crowned her “The Godmother of Burlesque.”
