Heather Sweet has come a long way after growing up in Michigan. As Dita Von Teese her life was forever changed by cinema and imagery from the past. The name Dita came from silent film actress Dita Parlo and Von Teese was misspelled right out of the phone book when asked to be on her first Playboy cover.
The queen of burlesque made the art popular again after creating famous dances using items like a giant powder compact and a huge Swarovski martini glass. Her feather fan is featured in Hollywood's Museum of Sex and she became the first guest star at Crazy Horse in Paris back in 2006.
Von Teese has appeared on several reality shows such as America's Next Top Model and RuPaul's Drag Race. She has been in several music videos, was featured on George Michael's tour, and was married to Marilyn Manson.
She raised awareness for HIV/AIDS with MAC and contributed on a new album called The Time is Now! for amfAR research.
She heads back to Chicago for three shows at the House of Blues and she opened up on the phone about her history and gay friends.
Windy City Times: Hi, Dita. When was the last time you were in Chicago?
Dita Von Teese: It has been a few years. We did "Strip, Strip, Hooray!" through there several times.
WCT: Aren't you from the Midwest?
DVT: Yes. I am from Michigan but I live in LA now, so from that neck of the woods. I consider myself a Midwesterner.
WCT: How long have you performed burlesque?
DVT: I first started around 1991. I was 18 years old. I had ideas about recreating vintage style pinups.
I dressed in vintage because I couldn't afford all of the designer clothes that my friends in Orange County could have. I never had the good blue jeans, so I started buying things in vintage stores.
I am a combination of several different things. I had a childhood obsession with old movies from the '30s, '40s and '50s. I grew up wanting to be like those ladies. I am a natural blonde from a farming town in Michigan. I set out to transform myself. Burlesque became part of that because I was very interested in vintage erotica. I was a failed ballerina. I just wanted to bring my pinups to life. At the time there was no Internet or anything so I got all of my information from books about burlesque and a couple of movies. Those were very stylized and over the top, fairly inaccurate portrayal of what burlesque was like.
When I was later able to watch video clips I was happy I had used my imagination about what it was. It gave a distinctive style from me instead of watching other people.
WCT: Who knew you were going to revitalize the industry?
DVT: I am one of a few. When I started there were a few girls in Los Angeles and a few in England. It turned into a huge thing. It is a monumental movement.
Burlesque is global now and huge. It is largely a feminist movement and part of the LGBTQ community. I feel like we live in the hey day of burlesque now in fact.
WCT: I know many women that find burlesque empowering.
DVT: There are lots of different kinds of feminism. We have the right to fight for each other's brand of feminism. It is a strange thing to have striptease be a thing that is empowering but there are a lot of messages about body confidence and diversity in beauty. Burlesque is at a place for people to find that, where they are able embrace their sensual and sexual side.
There is a different aesthetic than what we are fed in mainstream media about what is beauty and sexuality.
WCT: I noticed at many burlesque shows there are all different shapes and sizes performing.
DVT: When I am casting I am just looking for the best performers and showstoppers. I love it when a show happens and I hear the audience going bananas over a cast member. That is what I live for.
When I have the best of the best I find that they are not the pretty pinup girls. That never works. I want someone to kill it onstage. The diversity of my cast became a message. It naturally came out of my nature to be around other acts that people scream like crazy for.
I perform at Crazy Horse in Paris a lot. It is a place where they all have the same body shape. It is a special thing when the curtain comes open because they all look the same, are nude, and so gorgeous. It is an astonishing effect.
It is a different thing than what I am trying to do with my shows in United States. I like the diversity in my touring family here and their gaining of confidence.
WCT: What do you recommend for beginners of burlesque?
DVT: There are classes they can take. Some of my performers teach classes on their time off. There are so many ways to use it in your real life. You don't have to go onstage. You can find confidence and courage in your walk.
WCT: They have men in the gay-bar burlesque shows here in Chicago.
DVT: We have just as many men in my show as women. I have two male backup dancers. I wanted to keep things interesting and have hot guys take my clothes off the floor instead of a stage kitten, which was my idea in the early '90s. Before I had a woman in a french maid outfit picking up my clothes.
I cast these two male dancers out of a thousand guys in LA. I worked with Fatima Robinson, who did Dreamgirls, and is a great choreographer. I wanted to make this new show is vintage but modern at the same time. It lit up the show in a way.
I am bringing a Chicago local Jett Adore who is a performer that people go crazy over. Wait, I just realized he won't be in Chicago this time. He will be in the other stops on the tour though.
WCT: You have a new song"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?"on the HIV/AIDS fundraising album. What is your connection with that community?
DVT: I got my start as a club kid in the rave scene so I was surrounded by my gay and queer friends.
I first started working in the fight against AIDS with MAC's Glam campaign about eight years ago. I was their main spokesperson and I traveled the world. I also started working with amfAR around that time. Since I was connected with them then I was asked to sing on an '80s cover album. I was really reluctant because I am not a singer. Anytime I had done it in the past was in the studio where I sang line by line. I had been working with Sebastien Tellier on a full record. He wanted to make this song but I was worried Boy George would kill me. I was mortified when Boy George said he heard it and liked it. I was hoping he would never hear it! [Laughs]
Without MAC and amfAR, I wonder where we would be with the AIDS crisis? I personally have seen the strives made in the past 10 years. It is incredible.
WCT: How was appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race?
DVT: It was great. I have always admired RuPaul, who was the very first Viva Glam MAC girl. I never thought I would I see the day where there would be a TV show about drag queens competing. This is the country that I like living in!
WCT: One of the contestants named himself after you: DiDa Ritz.
DVT: I didn't know that. I am good friends with Violet Chachki, who is sometimes styled like me. I made a super-sized martini glass and I want to get him in it!
The Art of Teese burlesque review takes it off on Feb. 1-3 at 7:30 p.m. at House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St.
Want more Teese? Prance over to Dita.net .