Iona Fortune Burlesque

05/15/2026

✨ Catch me vending at Dragerton on May 30th! ✨
At my table you’ll find handmade pasties, luxe boas, and my “I Own a Pair!” tees!

💥 Dragerton is happening at Omaha Mining Company (1715 Leavenworth St)
🕗 Doors at 8PM | Show at 9:30PM
🎟 $15 GA | $50 VIP | Costume contest!
Featuring an incredible lineup including NegaSonic, Claudio T Sol, Dutchess Quinn, Valentino V., Donna Resuscitate, Diablo Kennedy, and Ilana C DeVeaux 🔥

Come say hi, shop, and enjoy a night of drag excellence! 💖

05/12/2026

✨ New writing is up! ✨
This one isn’t directly burlesque-related, but it is very much tied to why performance and gender history fascinate me. 🎭
My latest article, “Respectable Transgression: Womanless Weddings, Mock Weddings, and the Performance of Gender,” looks at parody and “womanless” weddings as staged rituals that used humor and role‑playing to explore gender norms—sometimes challenging them, sometimes reinforcing them, and often doing both at once💍Photographs from the Durham Museum Archives
If you’re interested in gender studies, performance and ritual, this one’s for you... Link in Comments!

04/30/2026

🌲✨ St******se for the Trees ✨🌲

My latest article traces through the histories of eco‑performance, ecofeminist activism, and Indigenous protest traditions, asking big questions about spectacle, vulnerability, and what it means to put your body on the line for land.
This piece explores:
• Performance as protest
• Media attention as a tactic
• Indigenous frameworks of relational resistance
• Intersectionality beyond metaphor
Read the full article on the blog 🌿 Link in comments

04/15/2026

I’ll be at this month’s BurlyQ Social on Thursday April 23rd and I’m bringing another stack of history books for folks to browse… This time, I’m focusing on the history of belly dance — and how elements of the form were appropriated into early and mid‑century burlesque.
If you’re curious about lineage, cultural context, or how these movement vocabularies intersected (and were misrepresented), come flip through some pages with me.
See you there for conversation and connection!

03/30/2026

A Little Vegas in Lesterville: The Exotic Dance & Burlesque Legacy of Swede’s Bar

Swede’s Bar in Lesterville, South Dakota, occupies a unique place in regional history: a tiny town tavern that transformed into one of the most talked‑about exotic‑dance venues in the Upper Midwest. For more than four decades, the bar’s dancers, legal controversies, and unexpected tourism impact made it a cultural flashpoint — a rural burlesque outpost that reshaped local politics and identity....

Swede’s Bar in Lesterville, South Dakota, occupies a unique place in regional history: a tiny town tavern that transformed into one of the most talked‑about exotic‑dance venues in the Upper Midwest…

03/10/2026

✨ It’s live! I’ve launched a self‑guided walking tour of Omaha’s burlesque history, complete with a map and detailed info on all 37 sites. From legendary theaters to hidden hotspots, you can explore the city’s rich burly past at your own pace.
Take a stroll, learn something new, and dive into the stories that shaped Omaha’s entertainment history!
Full tour + site descriptions are now up on my website under 'walking tours' in the menu.. if you scroll down there is a downloadable pdf for offline viewing!
As always, thanks for reading!

02/23/2026

I'm so excited to be providing a custom pasties voucher for There Will Be Blood: A Cancerversary raffle prize!!

02/12/2026

✨🐾 SOLD OUT & SPARKLING 🐾✨
Our stage is officially full to the brim — and helping us keep every moment magical at Tease‑O‑Rama is none other than our irresistible stage kitten, Hexxtina.

She’s the gritty‑glam ghoul from New York who now haunts the heartland with charm, claws, and a whole lot of heart. A true jack‑of‑all‑trades, Hexxtina has been serving the burlesque community since 2018 — producing, stage managing, kittening, performing, and somehow still finding time to keep her nose buried in a book.

Catch her prowling the wings, wrangling the sparkle, and keeping the chaos cute this Friday at The Reading Room. If you snagged a ticket, you’re in for a treat. If not… keep your eyes peeled for her next appearance.

🖤 Tease‑O‑Rama is officially SOLD OUT 🖤

02/06/2026

✨ LOW TICKETS — NEARLY SOLD OUT ✨
The velvet curtains are almost ready to part, the lights are warming, and Omaha’s appetite for vintage st******se is proving downright decadent. If you’ve been planning to slip into the audience on Feb. 13 at The Reading Room, now’s the moment to act before the house is full!
Secure your spot for an evening of classic tease, glamour, and mid‑century mischief:
🎟️ teaseorama.eventbrite.com

02/04/2026

🌟 Performer Spotlight: NegaSonic 🌟

Actress. Singer. Burlesque dynamo. For five years, NegaSonic has lit up Nebraska’s stages with her sultry sparkle and cinematic soul. With a heart that beats for classic film and vintage melodies, she brings timeless glamour to every tease and turn.

Catch her at Tease-O-Rama—where her love of old Hollywood meets the thrill of live st******se. She’s here to dazzle, delight, and leave you breathless.

🎟️ Tickets are going fast at teaseorama.eventbrite.com
📍 The Reading Room, Omaha
🗓️ Friday, February 13 | Doors 8PM | Show 9PM