Living legends Tempest Storm ("The Queen of Burlesque"), Dee Milo ("The Venus of Dance"), Satan's Angel ("The Devil's Own Mistress"), and reigning Miss Exotic World Erochica Bamboo will be performing, along with over 50 other show-stopping ecdysiasts, in competition for the "Miss Exotic World 2004" title and trophy on June 5, 2004 at the Exotic World Burlesque Museum & Striptease Hall of Fame in Helendale, California.

A risque, yet "PG-rated" American folk art that all but disappeared with the advent of television, burlesque has recently re-emerged as a major cultural phenomenon. Its "revival" has been noted and discussed in such significant publications as The New York Times, The New Yorker, TIME, and Newsweek; on countless TV and radio news programs, from CBS, NBC and ABC, to HBO, A&E, and NPR; and in myriad foreign media outlets.

The popular influence of burlesque is further evidenced by the success of movies such as Chicago and Moulin Rouge, the revival of Gypsy on Broadway, and numerous TV shows that feature either real-life burlesque performers (Conan O'Brien, Entertainment Tonight, Jimmy Kimmel, Sharon Osbourne, etc.) or celebrities wishing to play the part (Britney Spears, Carmen Electra, Jessica Simpson, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Cameron Diaz, etc.).

In the words of Exotic World proprietress and legendary "Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque," Dixie Evans, "Burlesque is back, baby!"

Widely regarded as the "Miss America of Burlesque," The Miss Exotic World Pageant is the nation's longest-running striptease exhibition. Regularly drawing the biggest names in burlesque past, present & future, competitors brave heat, wind, sand, and the merciless lighting of the midday Mojave sun, in hopes of taking home the most coveted title in competitive bump & grind: Miss Exotic World USA.

Following last year's record-breaking attendance and an explosion of interest among would-be performers, fans, and the media, this year's Pageant has been expanded to include additional events all weekend long; including an indoor, air-conditioned Performer/Press "Meet & Greet"; a Pre-Pageant Performance Showcase, featuring burlesque legends Dee Milo and Satan's Angel; and a special Sunday Brunch with curator Dixie Evans, followed by guided tours of the Exotic World Burlesque Museum.

A celebration of "true" burlesque, Miss Exotic World is the only event of its kind in the world -- featuring top-flight performers of all shapes, sizes, ages, and ethnicities. Each year, the competition features a different specialty contest, based on popular "staples" of the genre, such as the fan dance, shimmy, "leg show", or this year's specialty: tassel-twirling -- a tribute to Exotic World's founder, Jennie Lee, whose prodigious talents helped popularize this gimmick.

Saturday's "main event," the 14th Annual Miss Exotic World Pageant, will showcase over 50 performers and troupes, whose specialties range from traditional burlesque (such as the fan dance popularized by Sally Rand, or elegant ballet-inspired striptease made famous by Lili St Cyr) to fire-eating, hula-hooping, ribald comedy, and even gravity-defying aerial stunts.

Among the entertainers scheduled to participate in this year's festivities include:

Miss Dirty Martini (NYC)
Alexandria von Livid (Chicago)
Alexxx Marvel (Miss Exotic World '93)
Amber Ray (NYC)
Baggy Pants Burlesque (Pasadena, CA)
Bambi the Mermaid (Coney Island, NY)
Bella Beretta (Seattle)
The World Famous *BOB* (NYC)
Bonnie Delight (Pasadena, CA)
Burning Hearts Burlesque (Seattle, WA)
The Chainsaw Chubbettes (San Francisco)
Charlotte La Belle Araignee (Claremont, CA)
Le Cirque Rouge de Gus (Minneapolis, MN)
Cynthiana
Daisy DeLight
Dee Dee Luxe (San Francisco, CA)
Dee Milo
Delirium Tremens (NYC)
Desiree d'Amour (San Francisco)
Dusty Sage
Erochica Bamboo (Japan)
Eva Von Slut (San Francisco)
Gyna Rose Jewel
Fifi Le Freedom (San Francisco)
The Flying Fox (San Francisco)
Harlem Shake Burlesque (Oakland, CA)
The Harlot Starlets (Los Angeles)
Harvest Moon (NYC)
Indigo Blue (Seattle)
Isis Starr (San Francisco) Jo Boobs (NYC)
Kitten on the Keys (San Francisco)
Kellita of Hot Pink Feathers (San Francisco)
Lady Ace (NYC)
Lily LeRouge (San Francisco)
Little Brooklyn (NYC)
Lolita Haze (Glendale, AZ)
The Lollies (San Francisco)
Lucy Fur (Portland, OR)
Manuella (Spain/Los Angeles)
Mia More (San Francisco)
Michelle "Toots" L' Amour (Chicago)
MiMi Le Meaux (San Diego)
Ophelia Flame (Minneapolis, MN)
Penny Star, Jr. (Los Angeles)
Ricki Cortez
Roobie Breastnut (Las Vegas)
Sadie Burnett
San Francisco Famous Burlesque Revue
Satan's Angel
Silver Madrid (Adaleno, CA)
Sparkly Devil (Detroit)
Stephanie Blake (Miss Exotic World '97 & '98)
The Swedish Housewife (Seattle, WA)
Sweetpea (Minneapolis, MN)
Torchy Taboo (Atlanta, GA)
Vanda Full (San Diego, CA)
Venus De Midol (Los Angeles)
Vermeer Laurence (Joppatown, MD)
Vivienne Va-Voom (Denver, CO)

The 2004 Miss Exotic World Pageant will take place on Saturday, June 5 at 3:00 P.M. at the Exotic World Ranch, located at 29053 Wild Road in Helendale, off Historic Route 66 -- approximately halfway between Victorville and Barstow, California. Admission to the event is $25 per person and $35 per couple. Senior citizens are $15 per person and $20 per couple. An additional $25 will be charged for each video camera. Museum tours will be available, on a limited, sign-up basis, for a minimum donation of $15 per person. Commercial photographers, television professionals, documentary film makers and print journalists must call in advance for reservations. NO EXCEPTIONS.

For more information on the Miss Exotic World Pageant, to schedule interviews with Dixie Evans, contest participants, or to arrange tours of the Exotic World Burlesque Museum and Striptease Hall of Fame, please contact Exotic World at (917) 599-8177 or email webchick@exoticworldusa.org.

About Exotic World:

Once the private residence of famed dancer and founder of the Exotic Dancers' League, Jennie Lee ("The Bazoom Girl"), Exotic World is the only museum in the world exclusively dedicated to preserving Burlesque's golden era. On the first Saturday of every June, the museum is also home to The Miss Exotic World Pageant & "Diamonds of Burlesque" Striptease Reunion, a celebration of classic striptease and the women determined to keep its legacy alive.

As "burlesque mania" edges ever closer to a fever pitch, a trip to Exotic World for the 14th Annual Miss Exotic World Pageant & 48th Annual Striptease Reunion is a true MUST IN THE DUST.