Image Credit: Karolina Kai @karolinakai.png

In the early 20th century when my Polish family immigrated through Ellis Island, they made their money working in vaudeville and burlesque out of necessity. Born 1919, my Great Great Grandmother Hedwig Czyżyński , aka Shirley Day, performed in New York City during the 1930’s Golden Age of Burlesque as a solo act on pointe, as an acrobat, and ensemble showgirl. Also known with her sister Jenny as The Day Sisters, the toured up and down the East Coast. Now in the 2020s, my first job out of graduate school was gogo dancing in Camden. One year later, my burlesque career began at a club Kings Cross. I am incredibly proud to be carrying on the family craft - though how is it across a century if you drop us in a foreign country our first instinct is to take our clothes off?

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