Iona Fortune
banner
ionafortune.bsky.social
Iona Fortune
@ionafortune.bsky.social
Burlesque dancer, producer, costumer, and art historian
www.ionafortune.com
DM for commissions
✨ Introducing The Velvet Verse—a brand-new literary burlesque experience where poetry strips down and storytelling gets sultry!

Join us Friday, Oct. 3 at The Reading Room for our first show, blending bold performance with bookish charm!

🕗 8PM | 🎟️ $25 | 🍸 21+
📍1505 Farnam St
Tix on eventbrite!
September 28, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Purris is teaching burlyq classes!
Saturdays from 10am-12pm! @purrisstilton.bsky.social
www.snapproductions.com/events/the-b...
June 3, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Get ready to shop at Nebrask-Gay Market! I’ll be selling reusable pasties, boas, and more!

June 22nd from 11am-4pm at Floors, Floors, Floors (7052 Maple St. Omaha, NE)

Swing by and shop something dazzling! 💖🌈 #NebraskGayMarket #BurlesqueBoutique #burlesque #burlesquedancer #omahaburlyq
June 1, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Hello folks! I’m seeking to connect with individuals who performed burlesque in the past! If you or someone you know has a history in burlesque and would like to share your experiences, I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out to me via email❤️✨ #Burlesque #burlesk #burlesquehistory
March 25, 2025 at 9:25 PM
“Harlem in Havana” was a groundbreaking traveling revue that showcased Black & Cuban performers during the segregation era. The revue featured a mix of music, dance, comedy, and burlesque, captivating audiences! Read more below:
ionafortune.com/2025/03/19/h...
#burlesque #burlesk #burlesquehistory
March 22, 2025 at 5:37 PM
The Hot Mikado was a 1939 burlesque a comic opera. It featured an all-African-American cast and brought a jazz-infused twist to the 1885 opera. Read more about the cultural significance of the production in my new article:
ionafortune.com/2025/03/17/t...
#burlesquehistory #burlesk #burlesque #burlyq
March 18, 2025 at 2:51 AM
I spoke on the Let's Burlesque podcast about the life of Rosita Royce "The Dove Dancer"! Listen on Spotify now! #burlesque #burlesk #burlesquehistory
March 17, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Join me on Friday February 28th, as I dive into the history behind the costumes so lovingly taken off!

ionafortune.wordpress.com/rsvp/

Can't make the in person lecture? RSVP at the link above and I will share a recording of the lecture post-event!

#burlesque #burlesquehistory #burlyq #burlesk
February 21, 2025 at 4:22 PM
A preview clip of Cab Calloway with his band performing "Minnie the Moocher" in 1932
#jazz #cabcalloway
February 18, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Every body is a burlesque body!
Burlesque is for everyone!
#burlesque #burlyq #burlesquedancer #burlesquehistory #everybodyisaburlesquebody
Posters by me.. Dancers by Jelena Katkova
February 9, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Tarza was a Black burlesque and shake dancer from the 1940s through the 1960s. She was born Pauline Young in Detroit, Michigan and was featured in the film "Burlesque in Harlem"!
Learn more about her career in my article: ionafortune.com/blogs/perfor...
Thanks for reading ♥️
February 8, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Noma was a famous fan dancer of color in the 1930s. She performed all over the country..Her fans cost between $200 and $300 ($4k-7k today), were made of pink and white ostrich feathers. Learn more about her career here: ionafortune.com/blogs/perfor...
#burlesque #burlyq #burlesquehistory #burlesk
February 6, 2025 at 1:28 AM
SAVE THE DATE for my next lecture on the History of Burlesque Costuming!!

Friday February 28th
6:00pm Doors
7:00pm Lecture with Q&A
Where: North Omaha, NE

More details to be revealed!

#burlyq #burlesque #burlesquehistory #burlesquedancer #omahaburlesque #cabaret #costume #costumehistory
February 4, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Happy Black History Month! Amy Spencer was "The Lady with the Fan"! The inspiration for Cab Calloway's infamous song. Did she invent the fan dance before Sally Rand?
Read more about her life and dancing career in my article: ionafortune.com/blogs/perfor... #burlesque #burlesquehistory #blackhistory
February 3, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Moonday Cabaret was a blast! 🥰
#burlesque #burlesquedancer #burlyq
January 31, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Catch me performing TONIGHT! Moonday at the Down Under is a free monthly cabaret show in Omaha! 🌙
January 30, 2025 at 5:38 PM
I've updated my Performer Spotlight about the Spence Twins! Special thanks to Silky The Body for sharing research and photos with me! Learn more about Jean & Joyce Spence in my article: ionafortune.com/blogs/perfor...
As always, thanks for reading and sharing! ❤️
#burlesque #burlesquehistory #burlyq
January 29, 2025 at 7:58 PM
DM me to commission your own pair of reusable pasties ♥️🖤♥️
January 28, 2025 at 4:56 PM
The Emo-Off was killer 🖤 photos by mortis.enflora 🔪
#burlesque #burlesk #burlyq #omahaburlyq
January 27, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Erna Alene Hoover was born in Iowa in 1912. She grew up in Omaha and studied dance under Adelaide Fogg before going to NYC at 15! She graced the stages of the RKO Vaudeville Circuit before becoming a famous fan dancer. Check out her full story at www.ionafortune.com
#burlesque #burlesquehistory
January 26, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I'm currently writing a new performer spotlight on Alene Hoover was born in Omaha, NE and became a burlesque fan dancer in the 1930s!
Photos from Nebraska State Historical Society, 1931
January 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Oteka Lahoma Willingham aka "Princess Lahoma" was a burlesque dancer and member of the Chickasaw Nation! She became one of the highest paid burlesque dancers in the 1950s. Read more about her life at ionafortune.com/blogs/perfor...
#burlesque #burlesquehistory #burlesquedancer #burlyq
January 23, 2025 at 7:04 PM