Stripping History: Marinka the Amazon

Marinka the Amazon, otherwise know as Melanie Hunter, was a burlesque legend. She, unfortunately, passed away in February of this year. The burlesque community was beside itself. Each passing of a Burlesque Queen is emotionally taxing on the entire community because the grief is palpable. Marinka stood for so much good.

She was a Cuban burlesque dancer who studied under Rose La Rose. One of my heroes. Rose gave her the "love the curtains" move that became her signature. Markina was a trailblazer. She taught classes at The New York School of Burlesque in her later career. She also wrote a book about her life. I'll link it below. Marinka was highly involved in her burlesque community, including BHOF. Here is an article from the Burlesque Hall of Fame, of which she was a member since its inception,  from about a month after her passing. Rest well Marinka! I hope you're dancing among the stardust.

From Marinka's website:

"Marinka, Queen of the Amazons, began burlesque in the early 60s in New York City. She had the pleasure of working with and receiving guidance from the likes of Ann Corio and Libby Jones. Marinka was mentored for a short while by Rose La Rose, who gave Marinka her signature move of "love the curtains." She worked throughout the United States in all burlesque theaters and nightclubs and internationally in South America, Middle East, Europe and Canada. In 1979, Marinka worked in Bob Fosse's "All That Jazz".  Marinka moved to Las Vegas in 2004, and has been a member of the Burlesque Hall of Fame since its inception."

Burlesque Hall of Fame article: https://www.burlesquehall.com/transgender-day-of-visibility-honoring-marinka/

Marinka's book: https://www.marinkabook.com/buy-now

P.S. It's best to buy things directly from creators and their websites as opposed to retailers or third-party sellers. The only Amazon you should be buying this book from is Marinka herself.