Meet Angie Pontani, a NYC-based burlesque performer.
Ever wondered what it's like to work the night shift? In The Know by Yahoo's new series After Hours spotlights real people who've chosen not to work the traditional 9 to 5.
In this episode, Angie Pontani shares what it's like to work as a burlesque performer.
Video Transcript
ANGIE PONTANI: Burlesque is a classic American form of theater that has ebbed and flow in popularity since the early 1900s. The essence of burlesque is satire. It literally derives from the word burla, which is a comedy and satire in Italian. But what it has become is kind of striptease vision, and it's really been awesome to watch it grow. It's hard to define what it is, but it is amazing.
[CLASSY MUSIC]
My name is Angie Pontani and I'm a burlesque performer and a nightlife producer. I started my journey towards burlesque not even knowing what the word meant, right? I was from Trenton, New Jersey. I wanted to be an actress. So, I came to New York when I was 17 to fulfill that dream. And I got a job as a barista and I met this guy, and he was in this show. And he said, you have to come and audition for the show.
And it was an illegal burlesque show in somebody's loft. And I walked in and my brain just exploded because it had all these elements of showbiz that I had grown up with, ornate costumes, comedy sketches, live music. So, I auditioned for that show and I got into it. And did I think that 20-something years later I would still be doing it? No way, but I am.
When I started to work at night, it was just pure energy. Working at night has definitely changed from when I was 21 to now. Then there was not that much other responsibility. Now, I'm married. I have a child. I have a lot of things that I have to do in my day.
It was definitely hard to find a partner prior to my husband. I feel like when you work in nightlife, that's a really challenging thing. First of all, you're out all the time. You're working when normal people are dating. And then you meet someone who has a normal 9:00 to 5:00 job, your schedules don't line up at all. It's like a real challenge.
BRIAN NEWMAN: I'm Brian Newman. I'm a bandleader, trumpet player, arranger, a producer, just a jack-of-all-trades. We make shows. Like, we make-- I'm an entertainer. That's really the bottom line.
I love this town. New York is like-- it's the place where it's cliche, but Frank Sinatra is right, you know what I mean? Like, you bust your you-know-what here, like, you can make it anywhere. And like, that's really what I've taken from this town when we go and do our Vegas show, The After Dark in Vegas, and take it on the road, and do all the great things we've done with that show.
ANGIE PONTANI: Kind of like the hardest place to do anything.
BRIAN NEWMAN: It really is.
ANGIE PONTANI: To get from point A to point B, to load in, to do anything. So, if you can survive that, everything else is a cakewalk.
In New York, I've performed at the Slipper Room, which is like the home of burlesque in New York City. So, I used to do shows there a lot. I performed at Sony Hall, the Bell House, Brooklyn Bowl, but I think right now, the highest point in my career was performing with Lady Gaga at the Dolby Theater in Las Vegas. To be able to represent this art form that I care very deeply about on that stage surrounded by such amazing musicians with the most epic production, that was-- and we did "Mambo Italiano." So, it was like, brain explosion. It was really amazing.
So, working in nightlife, people are always like, the dressing room, it's a party, it must be wild back there. It's really not. It's just like all the girls backstage, we're focused on our work. You're focused on your costume change. And I don't think people have any idea what it's really about. So, they have this whole misconception that we're all backstage partying. It's really not what it is. It's kind of like a corporate office, but everybody's in a g-string. You know?
[LAUGHS]
You have to say to yourself, OK, I can't do everything anymore, but what do I want to do. Because whatever I want to do, I need to do it as best as I can. Otherwise, you get on stage and you just don't feel good about yourself, it's hard to do a good show. So, I just had to make some hard choices and some tough adjustments. And really, I'm lucky that I have a great family network to help me and that makes it all possible. But yeah, it's adjust, adjust, adjust, adjust some more.
