Sometimes work sucks. Other times, you get to watch smokin’ hot girls perform amazingly creative stripteases on YouTube in the name of research.
The past couple of weeks did not suck. In anticipation of Eric Powell’s The Goon presents Burlesque on December 10, I interviewed Angie Pontani and Roxi Dlite, the event’s featured acts.
Since beginning her burlesque career in the early 1990s, dancer and choreographer Angie Pontani has been credited with helping to breathe new life into the genre. She has appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Good Morning America, The Today Show and Gossip Girl. Originally from New Jersey, the “Italian Stallionette” was named Miss Exotic World 2008 at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Pageant in Las Vegas. She currently stars in This is Burlesque in New York City.
Billed as “the drinkin’, smokin’, strippin’ machine,” Roxi Dlite is a balls-to-the-wall burlesque badass from Ontario, Canada. A former gymnast who was trained by a one-time Cirque du Soleil performer, Roxi’s enthralling aerial act has become her calling card. She was voted one of The 20 Hottest Modern Burlesque Dancers by Asylum.com and named Miss Exotic World 2009’s 1st Runner-Up.
Apart from their impressive accolades and sequined pasties, however, Roxi and Angie are as different as leather and lace.
THE GOON: So you’re what’s commonly referred to as “the hot shit.” What kind of dirt did Powell have on you to make you commit to this show?
ANGIE: Eric is very clever when it comes to getting people to do what he wants. For months leading up to this show, he has collected every secret I have. First, I caught him going through my garbage, then it was the mail, talking to my mom on FaceBook, etc. He made it clear that if I don’t want the Angie Pontani Unofficial Biography Graphic Novel with Uncensored High School Yearbook Pictures getting out, I had better show up in Nashville. He also promised that we would go honky-tonking, which sounds like fun.
THE GOON: Okay, but Powell’s idea of honky-tonking is sitting in the Cracker Barrel parking lot blasting that God-awful “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” song and eating pork rinds. Consider yourself warned. Roxi, Powell interviewed you for the letters column of The Goon #20. How did that come about? Were you already a fan of the comic and/or a friend of Powell’s?
ROXI: Actually, Eric found me on the Web. I feel like a douche to say that I had never heard of The Goon before he contacted me. He asked if I wanted to do an interview for his upcoming burlesque issue. At first, I thought he was some sicko who wanted to draw funny pictures of me. I asked around if anybody had ever heard of this Powell guy, and everybody was like, “Duh! YEAH!” I was totally blown away by his illustrations. I loved the muted colors and line work; being an artist myself I really appreciate that. The stories were always clever and hilarious. Now, I’m a huge Goon fan, and I can’t wait for the movie! My fiancé D’Arcy and I finally got to meet Eric in person for his 10-year anniversary party. It turns out I was right about him being a sicko – and I love him for it! He is such a cool guy, totally talented and down to earth. He deserves all his success. D’Arcy and I are looking forward to spending some time with him, drinking PBR.
THE GOON: It seems fitting that this interview comes right after Halloween, when everyone gets the chance to lose their inhibitions and walk around town half-naked. You get to be sexy all the time, though, so I’m thinking you probably went as a regular nurse or an ice road trucker. Am I right?
ROXI: Well, every year D’Arcy and I dress up as zombies for Halloween. I like to get all bloody and scary looking, as every day is Halloween for me. This year though, I had to pack up on Halloween night to fly out for a 5-week tour. The week before Halloween I performed at the most incredible Halloween party at Theatre Bizarre, located in a pretty dark and isolated area of Detroit, which is scary enough. It’s a property hidden behind boarded-up homes and burned-out crack houses converted to look like a carnival abandoned in the 1920s. There’s three stages, a flame-throwing roller coaster, sideshow freaks and more than 2,000 partiers wearing the most amazing costumes imaginable. I performed my new Black Widow show; I dressed in a black bustle and corset and painted my body gray. I performed a shadow show behind a spider web screen and dressed up my aerial hoop as a black widow spider with legs and all. Some pervert stole my underwear during my show. At first I desperately wanted them back, but he’s most likely soiled them. No thanks!
THE GOON: What about you, Angie?
ANGIE: This Halloween, I helped my sister throw a party for all the neighborhood kids. I needed form and function in a costume, so I went as a 1940s/1950s mom, dressed to the nines in a pink deco party dress, embroidered apron, seamed stockings, set hair and full makeup. I walked around the party with a tray of homemade chocolate chip cookies. This isn’t a far cry from me normally, though, so I don’t know if it counts as a costume.
THE GOON: I have to admit that’s not what I expected you to be like off stage. Would you say that burlesque is an escape for you?
ANGIE: What I am at home is probably the exact opposite of what people might believe me to be like when they see me perform. I have more in common with my grandmoms and ladies over 65 than I do with most girls my age. I collect aprons! I love cooking, cleaning, sewing, crocheting, gardening, spending as much time as possible with my 2-year-old twin nephews, etc. With that said, I do think burlesque is an extension of my personality. It’s always just been something that came naturally to me, and likewise, a good performance leaves me as wonderfully satisfied as getting a terrible ink stain out of a good shirt does!
THE GOON: Seems like you’ve been performing in some form or fashion almost your entire life, and I know you danced with your sisters for several years as The World Famous Pontani Sisters. Were you born into a family of performers?
ANGIE: I’ve been dancing since I was four. I got into burlesque at 17. I wanted to be a performer, so I came to NYC for bright lights, big city. I went to Tisch School of the Arts and found it to be really boring. I didn’t want to do a monologue about what my life would be like if I was an Indian Peafowl, I didn’t want to dance in a unitard. I wanted to be Ginger Rogers or Rita Hayworth. There was none of that glamour in the classroom, so I dropped out. By sheer fate, I ended up getting cast in The Dutch Weismann Follies, a completely illegal burlesque revue that ran out of someone’s apartment! That was it – the lashes, tail-feathers and rhinestones all came together, and I have been dancing professionally every since.
THE GOON: Roxi, you received Golden Pastie Awards at last year’s New York Burlesque Festival for “Hottest Freshman” and “Biggest Tease.” These titles reminded me of high school yearbook superlatives, and it made me wonder if you would have been described the same way back in the day. What were you like back then?
ROXI: Oh my! I hated high school. I was teased and called a slut in high school, even though I wasn’t. Kids can be cruel. They label you instead of understanding you as a person going through a process. I had a boyfriend who was much older than me, and I used to go to raves a lot. I moved out of my mom’s house at 17 and started stripping when I was 20. I don’t think anyone in high school was shocked that I was stripping. [It’s] what got me into burlesque, and it was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. Looking back I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s funny though…when I see people from high school who used to tease me, I look at them and they really haven’t done much with their lives. Now who’s teasing who?
THE GOON: Girls often get a bad rap for being catty, vindictive and just plain mean to each other. What’s the atmosphere like backstage at a burlesque show?
ANGIE: It depends. I’ve been backstage with girls that are so fabulous that I want to pack them in my suitcase and take them everywhere with me! I’ve also been backstage and had a dance shoe strap cut and costumes sabotaged. No one has ever been mean to me outright, though…not at least while I am in the room.
THE GOON: I’ve only been to three burlesque shows in my life, but at each one I was surprised to see that the vast majority of the audience members were female. Have you found this to be a common occurrence, and if so, why do you think this is the case?
ROXI: Totally! A burlesque audience usually consists of 60% women; the remainder are men dragged by their wives/girlfriends, or they’re gay. I think this is because a lot of women have fantasized about being on stage teasing an audience. In so many ways, a burlesque show is for women. Maybe it’s because the women are in control, or they can hearken back to a time when roles were more defined. Or maybe it’s because everything sparkles. I think that a lot of women can relate to burlesque because they appreciate a great show. They love the stories, the comedy, the costumes, the choreography and the glamour. And I’m sure their dates don’t mind too much either.
ANGIE: Definitely. I have a running show here in NYC, and every weekend there is a bachelorette party in the crowd. Ladies love it. I think it helps them to drop inhibitions. These shows are about having fun, and there is something in a good burlesque show for everyone – male, female, gay, straight, whatever. This genre pulls such a diverse audience; it’s one of the things that I love about it. You’re constantly performing for all types of people.
THE GOON: At one time or another, every performer has faced an audience or a particular member of the audience who just didn’t get it. How can you tell when the crowd is really into your performance? What kind of reaction is your most favorite, and what kind is your least?
ANGIE: The shows where I might think the audience is not into it, another performer in the show will love the crowd and feel the opposite of what I feel. The reality is you never know what the audience is thinking, and much like relationships, you don’t want to obsess on it. I just go out there and do the best I can. I want the audience to love the show; it brings me joy!
ROXI: I love when the audience hoots and hollers and encourages me to take it all off. However, I find the audience that doesn’t always get it is when I perform burlesque at the strip clubs. The strip club audience is used to seeing a beautiful blonde girl in a fluorescent costume with a tan, shakin’ her tits to rock or hip-hop for a few bucks…not that there is anything wrong with that, it’s totally super hot. But when I enter the strip club stage in my burlesque gear to my burlesque music they sometimes don’t know how to take it. The entire room becomes silent, and people just watch. Even the other strippers and the staff watch. I’m talking crickets! I used to think they didn’t dig what I was doing; then, I realized they’re just trying to take it all in. Some of them don’t even know what burlesque is, or that this is what their grandma might have been doing before she met grandpa. I like that I do something different, but I’d like to start bringing burlesque back to the strip club, and train modern strippers the art of tease, which has unfortunately been lost over the years.
THE GOON: Yes! Burlesque is all about the tease, and you are all about burlesque. So hit us with your best shot – tell us why we shouldn’t miss The Goon’s burlesque show on December 10.
ANGIE: I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ll be bringing two of my favorite acts to Nashville, one of which I call “Golddigger.” It’s the performance I did when I won the title of Miss Exotic World. The second is my fan dance with my ultra gigantic feather fans made by the fabulous Catherine D’lish…they alone are not to be missed!
ROXI: I drink. I smoke. I strip. (And philosophical to boot!)
THE GOON: That’s reason enough for me. Like Powell, I was raised in Podunk, Tennessee, and thanks to my Southern Baptist upbringing, only recently have I started showering in the nude. I cannot imagine taking my clothes off with all those people watching. Have you ever felt self-conscious on stage?
ROXI: Fuck, no. I’m never self-conscious on stage. I’m able to show the audience the side I want them to see – my backside!
ANGIE: Sometimes sure, like if I ate too much pizza that week or something. But to me, my performance has never been about nakedness. That might make me totally insane, but I just don’t think about it like, “Hey, I’m dancing 96% naked, and people are looking at me.” I just get lost in my performance. But sure, I have those days where I’d rather be on my couch in a Snuggie watching Magnum and eating a pint of ice cream than on stage splashing around in my tub...but that’s the job!
THE GOON: Well, since you brought up the tub…burlesque frequently involves the use of elaborate props. Have either of you ever had anything go awry during a performance?
ANGIE: Totally! My tub once leaked 30 gallons of water on stage. My oyster shell has both closed on me prematurely and refused to open with me inside it. I’ve had costumes get stuck on me, fans crack in my hands, pasties go flying, music cut out, etc. While the mishaps can be stressful, they often make the best memories.
ROXI: Ummm…not really. I have to admit that I have gotten on my hoop while I was drunk, and I promised myself I would never do that again. So far I’ve stuck to that promise, but then again if whiskey is involved…
THE GOON: How often do you change your act?
ANGIE: I have about seven acts that I do. I really believe in quality not quantity, so I will put all I have into an act, work it out till I love-love-love it, and then keep it forever. I add maybe one a year, if even. I think of it like most people think about bands. Bands have their hits and so do burlesque performers.
ROXI: I don’t really change my acts much. I may go back and re-vamp them (pun intended) in the future, but right now I’m concentrating on coming up with five big shows. I try to create two new shows a year: one for Theatre Bizarre’s Halloween party, and one for Miss Exotic World in Las Vegas.
THE GOON: What inspires you when you’re creating a new piece?
ANGIE: Inspiration can come from anywhere – old playbills, old stag reels, a song, a costume idea. I work hard to make sure my acts are totally diverse. I have a routine where I come out in a Mets uniform and do a striptease with a huge rhinestone encrusted bat; then, I have a ballet en pointe to La Vie en Rose. I want each performance to have its own spin.
ROXI: This year I’m coming up with my biggest show to date, but I can’t tell you what that is because I want it to be a big surprise in Vegas. [It] was inspired by a photo of Marlene Dietrich in a tuxedo and top hat with a cigar. I like her style. She smokes, drinks and was such an independent, driven lady.
THE GOON: What else are you working on now?
ANGIE: Actually, tonight I am working on some costume adaptations to abide by Tennessee law. There are different laws all over the place about what you can show and what you can’t. That’s really the reason why a lot of burlesque costumes are styled the way they are....these laws made girls get creative and make things like panel skirts and rows of fringe on the back of G-strings, etc. Since it’s my first time in Nashville in a long time, I’m making something new and extra fabulous to comply with the law in style! Aside from that I am working on my running show, “This Is Burlesque,” which just re-opened in Times Square.
ROXI: I’m really just plugging away on my new show for Miss Exotic World. I feel like I’m maturing as a performer. I’m trying to get away from the cutesy numbers and perform more of a sensual show. The show is in June, and I’ve been working on this act since August. I have a wonderful team of prop makers and a costume designer from Toronto working on my costume and a wicked new oversized prop. I really want to win this year, but if I don’t, it’s okay. I’ll just keep going for it bigger and better until I win the title of Miss Exotic World. I’ll always try to top myself.
THE GOON: Speaking of which, Angie, you were named Miss Exotic World 2008. What kinds of opportunities has the title afforded you?
ANGIE: Being Miss Exotic World ‘08 was/is amazing. It’s just an honor to officially be a part of the burlesque legacy. I didn’t get a pink Cadillac or anything like that, but I think it’s mostly about the bragging rights and the honor! It is stiff competition out there, so the title means quite a bit.
THE GOON: One thing you can brag about is that you performed for Hugh Hefner at the Orpheum Theatre in L.A. If he had asked you to be one of The Girls Next Door, what would you have said?
ANGIE: I would have asked my parents, and they would have said no. So I would have had to decline, which would be good because I don’t think I would look good blonde.
THE GOON: Roxi, tell us about Roxi Dlite Photography.
ROXI: Wow, well, it’s kind of a funny story. I’ve always liked taking photos and actually went to college for graphic design. When D’Arcy and I went to New York, we lost our digital SLR camera. I was totally bummed out about it. When we got home, one day I woke up and decided, I’m going to buy a really nice camera to replace the old one, and why not buy a studio to go with it? I was already editing my own photos that different photographers took of me, so I thought, why not take the photos myself? I picked it up pretty quickly. I have to admit, at first it was trial and error, but most of my work is done in the editing phase. I feel that all my schooling in graphic design was worth it. I actually started stripping while in college to pay for school, but never wanted a graphic design job after I got a taste of [the] stage. I really feel like I’ve come full circle now that I get to combine my schooling and stripping. I guess you can call me a “stripographer.”
THE GOON: How has your work behind the camera affected your performance in front of the camera or on stage?
ROXI: Actually, it has totally improved my performance. I’ve learned to understand what angles and poses make my body look good, and I find that I try to be more aware of my poses on stage. I’ve learned a lot about triangles – if you create triangles with your arms and legs it looks really good and leads the eye around a photo. The same can be applied to stage. However, I sometimes bitch about bad photos of me performing because I move around on stage a lot. Sometimes people get some weird photos of me looking like an ogre and then post them on the Internet. Especially when I’m on the aerial hoop, I move so fast that sometimes, if you catch me between moves, it’s just not flattering! It kinda drives me nuts. Hey, photographers out there in Photoland, PLEASE STOP POSTING PHOTOS OF ME LOOKING LIKE AN OGRE! Thanks!
THE GOON: Anything else you’d like to add?
ANGIE: Solo tutti!
ROXI: If you see me at The Goon party, buy me a perfect Manhattan. The Goon ROCKS!