NATIONAL TREASURE: Dot Mitzvah

Dot Mitzvah: National Treasure of Red Hots Burlesque

DOT MITZVAH

CONNECTICUT

Funny girl Dot Mitzvah hails to us from Connecticut, and disagrees that she is a woman behaving badly: “I’m a woman behaving awesomely!” Mitzvah tells Red Hots Burlesque. She has had a family of support, being out of the burlesque closet since the beginning, with a history and numerous years of training in opera and musical theater informing her burlesque stylings. “When I was a kid, I told my mother I was going to be a stripper,” says Mitzvah. “She said, ‘OK.’ When I told my stereotypical Jewish grandmother that I was starting burlesque, and that my stage name was Dot Mitzvah, she gasped, rolled her eyes, and said, ‘OK, tell me more.'” We love her blend of comedy, music, and, best of all, cheesecake! This prima donna can sing a high E flat while removing a corset, and has the best advice for when everything goes awry on stage: “I also never panic, and keep my stage presence and composure, even when everything goes wrong. I just put one stiletto in front of the next and keep moving.” Find her online at www.dotmitzvahonline.com.

WHAT TO SEE IN CONNECTICUT: “New Haven is known for their pizza, and while the main argument is “Sal’s or Pepe’s,” I suggest hitting Modern APizza on State Street, then having a beer at Cafe 9. For shopping, you MUST visit Fashionista Vintage and Variety on Whitney – they have an amazing section of clothes from the ’40s-’80s! Check out the great architecture at Yale, and if you’re around on a Sunday evening, hit the 9th Note on Orange Street (it’s a new speakeasy-style bar) for the Sunday Sizzle, Connecticut’s only free, weekly burlesque show!