Bonnie Dunn passed away on January 15, 2019. She was the producer of Le Scandal, the longest-continuously-running weekly show in neo-burlesque in NYC. I last communicated with her on New Year’s Eve, when I was using a present she’d given me for my birthday, and I wanted her to know I was enjoying it. I’m so glad to hear she had her closest loved ones by her side at the end. If everyone who loved her could have been there, they would have needed an entire ward. I first saw Bonnie perform at Coney Island, and she was the first person I saw do a fan dance in the NYC neo-burlesque scene. I was in awe of her talent and style. She paid elegant tribute to burlesque’s raunchy roots, and she was beautifully authentic and fun-loving and personal as she did it. We performed together weekly in The Blue Angel, and then regularly in the few shows that existed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She was always friendly to everyone, always focused on the best aspects of community and professionalism, always excited about everyone’s accomplishments, and always interested in how they were truly doing. Bonnie was a charming, funny, supportive, generous person, one of the most loving and kind people I’ve known, who always showed her appreciation and admiration for everyone. One of her quotes in The Burlesque Handbook is one of my favorites: “If a performer forgets her eyelash glue and you have some tucked away in your highly organized suitcase … get in there and share your shit.” She definitely walked the walk, got in there, and shared her shit, and we loved her for it. #burlesque #burlesquequeen #burlesquepioneer #schoolofburlesque #fandance #burlesquehalloffame #sassylassy #lescandal #newyorkcity #blueangelcabaret #godmotherofburlesque #thecuttingroomnyc #coneyisland https://www.instagram.com/p/BsqbxlLhGnP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xzvghuj7iecm
