Burlesque gift ideas: Holidays 2010

It's that time of year when we're all trying to figure out what gifts to present to loved ones. Sweaters, video games, bowling balls, and fruitcake may not be welcome yet again. What is one to do?

Well, if you have loved ones who are burlesque fans, there are several gifting options that are sure to please. And almost all of these gift ideas are available online!

• One of the more unique gifts you can give this year is SF burlesque photographer Johnny Crash's new book, Burly Q: The sparkly side of San Francisco, which is available at blurb.com. This recently published book contains black-and-white photos of many of your favorite Bay Area burlesque performers, such as Sparkly Devil, Twilight Vixen Revue, Cupcake, Casey Castille, Josie Starre, Miss Honey Penny, Francine Dead, Wiggy Darlington, Lily Le Rouge, Dottie Lux, Kiss Me Kate, Bunny Pistol, Amelia Mae Paradise, and more. It would make a lovely gift for any Bay Area burlesque fan, or performer! There's also a limited time offer of free Hubba Hubba Revue show tickets with purchase. For details, please see the Johnny Crash Photography Facebook Page.


• There are also many books about burlesque available at your local bookstore and online. Jo Weldon's The Burlesque Handbook is available online, and you can even buy if to read on a Kindle. It's been flying off the shelves since Burlesque opened. Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique by The Candy Pitch's Kelly DiNardo is a good read if you're interested in the life of Lili St. Cyr and burlesque in post-war America. The Burlesque Babes Shop has an Amazon store with more burlesque related books, including one of the only academic treatises on the subject, Robert C. Allen's Horrible Prettiness: Burlesque and American Culture.
  


• Speaking of the Burlesque Babes Shop, they have various items with vintage photos of burlesque stars of yesteryear available at burlesquebabesshop.com and their affiliated CafePress and Zazzle stores. Pictures of Rose La Rose, Baby Doll, Sally the Shape, and more are available on throw pillows, wall clocks, coffee mugs, ornaments, and more!
  


• The Burlesque Yule Log DVD is available at yuleagogo.com. Play this DVD, and your holiday will be filled with images of Harvest Moon, Gal Friday, Little Brooklyn, Angie Pontani, Anita Cookie, and Ms. Tickle go-go dancing to holiday tunes in front of a roaring fire. Both the DVD and a DVD and music CD gift pack are also available at Amazon.com.


• How about a night out at a show as a gift? There's lots of holiday shows still coming up. This Friday, the Hubba Hubba Revue has their Christmas-Hanukkah Spectacular at the DNA Lounge. On Saturday, Red Hots Burlesque and Burlesque Moulin present High Holidaze at the Shattuck Down Low in Berkeley. If your sweetie loves queer burlesque, Debauchery at the White Horse Bar in Oakland has their Night of Holiday Glamor on Sunday evening. For details about these shows, please visit their websites by clicking on the show names, or see the SFBR calendar above. And for those who like to plan ahead, the Edwardian Ball is coming up January 21-22. Why not make it a romantic weekend in January?
  


• Burlesque classes also make a fantastic gift! Bombshell Betty Burlesquercise, Red Hots Burlesque School of Shimmy, and the Hot Pink Feathers Showgirl Academy will probably sell you gift certificates or future classes to give as gifts for that special someone who wants to learn something new. Contact the schools using the information on their websites. SF Weekly's Best Aerial Burlesque Dance Troupe 2010, Cirque Noir, will also be offering a Burlesque Workshop in January. The gift of knowledge is a wonderful thing to give!