Immodesty Blaize: Information from Answers.com

Immodesty Blaize
Performing at the 2007 Miss Exotic World Pageant which she won.
Born	Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England
Occupation	Burlesque performer
Website http://www.immodestyblaize.com/

Immodesty Blaize (born Kelly Fletcher in Hitchin,^[1] Hertfordshire, 1978^[2]) is a British burlesque dancer who performs internationally. She was crowned Miss Exotic World 2007 in June 2007 at the Las Vegas Burlesque Hall of Fame.

1 Rise to fame
2 Showgirl
3 TV and stage appearances
4 Bibliography
5 References
6 External links

Rise to fame

Her ethnic heritage is described as being "mixed European with a little Mediterranean, Eastern, and a drop of Irish"^[3]. Inspired by films such as Gypsy, and glamorous strong women such as Grace Jones, she originally worked in TV production, and won an award for directing commercials for the Nobel Prizes. Immodesty has been performing burlesque in London since the mid 90s. She recalls, "I really was working in a vacuum. Very few people knew what it was, and I had a hard job to convince people that I wasn’t going to do the classic Stringfellows stripper."^[4]
Immodesty did her shows on the underground scene in the early years for example performance art nights on Brick Lane and has since been credited as one of the instigators of the burlesque rennaissance^[5]. Immodesty brought a mainstream profile to the genre in Britain, garnering much press for her elaborate theatrical shows and expensive costumes. She performed largely at celebrity, fashion, and art events. In 2003 She left her day job of producing and directing commercials and Immodesty became a full time burlesque sensation. Her live shows with Goldfrapp in 2003, her 5 month West End show run in 2005, and her mentor role in prime time Channel 4 documentary "Faking It" truly brought the genre out of underground clubs and into a mainstream audience. Immodesty is best known for her signature act with an enormous rocking horse, but has many other shows including with her giant telephone, a giant Spanish fan, a crystal bubble bath, and her signature oversized powder puffs, which was her original act that won her the crown at Las Vegas' Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2007.

Showgirl

Frequently heralded as "the undisputed queen of British burlesque"^[6] and "Britain's best showgirl"^[7] Immodesty was the first woman in 30 years to take burlesque back to the historic landmark The Windmill Theatre, in 2005 she had the headline role in 5 month running West End show 'Burlesque". She was the first showgirl to secure an exclusive residency at the eminent Ascot Racecourse in 2007, and in 2008 was the first showgirl to be invited to debate at "the world's most prestigious debating society" the Oxford Union. She has spoken on shows as diverse as Woman's Hour to BBC World Service and is a familiar face on TV, from culture shows to documentaries, even famously having her live performance interrupted by a staged police raid on the Paul O'Grady Show (2007). Immodesty now follows in a tradition set by Gypsy Rose Lee (author of "The G-String Murders"), and has written her first novel, scheduled to be published early 2009.

TV and stage appearances

Style on Trial: The 1940s, BBC Four
Bafta Award winning TV series Faking It, Channel 4, Immodesty was the main mentor
The New Paul O'Grady Show, Guest interview and live performance
Balderdash and Piffle, BBC 2, Guest presenter
Britain's Next Top Model, Living TV, Mentoring the remaining 11 contestants of second series
I'd Do Anything presented by Graham Norton and Andrew Lloyd Webber, BBC 1 , mentoring contestants
My Body Hell - BBC 3 - Guest interview
Casualty - BBC 1 - Technical advisor/choreography
Britain's Got More Talent - ITV 2 - Guest Celebrity Panelist
RADIO includes - Radio 4 Woman's Hour, Radio 2 Front Row, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio 4 Loose Ends
STAGE includes West End show 5 month run, her own critically acclaimed shows 'The Immodest Tease Show' with Julian Clary, and private events for clients such as Dior, Cartier, Ascot Racecourse, Orpheum Theatre Hollywood, Victoria and Albert Museum, Damien Hirst.