The second part of our exclusive interview with the legendary burlesque dancer Dee Milo. Here’s the rest of her burlesque story.
Dee Milo Burlesque Legend
What was your life like when you were burlesque dancing? Usually, the jobs were two week contracts. A theatre was 1 – 2 weeks contract and I already had my next destination booked.
My agent took care of everything. I didn’t have to do much thinking about where I would be working next. Many of the gals didn’t have a good agent, got into trouble, and were taken advantage of. I had a good luck charm or whatever you want to call it.
What were the audiences like at burlesque shows? If it was a mixed audience, they were very appreciative and accepted burlesque. Burlesque wasn’t just striptease, there were other acts as well.
If I featured in a nightclub, I was the only burlesque act there. Otherwise, I worked with singers, hypnotists, magicians, comedians… It was more like vaudeville.
The restrictions on what you could take off and how you could move your hips were different in every state. In Mexico, you couldn’t show your legs on the marquee or in ads promoting the show. They had to be covered
Was there still the debate about whether burlesque was stripping or an art form? Yes, there were two sides: those who appreciated it for the art form it was and those who thought it was shameful.
My mother thought it was horrible and evil; however, she enjoyed the money I sent her from my performing. There are always two sides to everything in life.
What’s been your greatest challenge? Staying healthy and correcting the abuse I had done to my body when I was performing. I worked nightclubs and I did like to drink quite a bit!
The challenge was to keep my body functioning. When I returned to Salt Lake City, I felt I needed to do some correction and healing of my body, so I learned reflexology, studied acupressure and massage therapy.
I had a lot of body pain, then. Where I’m at now – 81 years old – I think I’m doing very well, considering the abuse I put my body through, over those years.
Why did you get back into burlesque dancing? I was asked to perform at Exotic World, by Dixie Evans, at her annual burlesque show in California. This event includes past and present performers and I thought it would be fun to return to my “burlesque roots,” so to speak.
It has been fun to participate each year and everyone has been so gracious and wonderful, gals and guys, alike, have spoiled me rotten. This time around, it’s more friendship and association. That wasn’t there before, as I have mentioned. Now, it is totally different. It’s camaraderie, buddy-buddy, friendship, whatever name you want to call it – but no performance money.
What advice would you give the girls today? To love and accept yourself as you are. Don’t worry about changing anything. It isn’t all about how skinny you are, or how big your boobs are.
It’s about having the guts to go on stage, remove your clothes and give a fantastic performance. There are many beautiful full-figured performers out there, now, as well as petite or tall – the audiences love and appreciate them all.
Do you still have any ambitions? I have dedicated my life to becoming the best healer and shaman in the country. My goal is to help people feel better in their bodies.
I want to keep myself healthy, my thoughts on the positive side and not get tied up in the fear and negativity that surrounds us so much these days. Stress is the worst enemy. It targets the body and mind. Believing in yourself is essential.
I know that if I keep myself centred, I can help someone else feel better and more comfortable inside their body. If I can reduce their pain by at least 50%, I feel very successful. If I can relieve it by more than 50% – I’m elated!!
Watch the Burlesque Hall of Fame, Walk of Fame starring Dee Milo alongside other burlesque legends:
Read the first part of our interview with Dee Milo Burlesque Legend and watch our video answering: what is burlesque?