Painted Portrait of Burlesque Dancer

Dee Milo, "Venus of Dance"

Dee Milo, Early Years
Life began as Dorothy Zoellner, in New York City. At age six she moved with her parents to Salt Lake City. At age sixteen Dorothy left home. Three years later, in 1949, she joined International Artists of El Paso and in New Orleans began her burlesque career. She was soon signed as an exclusive by Joe Prensky, one of the top agents in the business, and was featured both nationally and internationally, headlining in Mexico and Japan. Appearing in famous burlesque theatres as "Dee Milo, Venus of Dance" she was known for her sensuous, "Sentimental Journey" routine, portraying a lover's reunion at the end of the War. She nearly went to jail when she introduced her "I Married an Angel" routine, depicting the honeymoon night, resplendent with wedding gown, and filmy negligee. She also toured with USO shows. Her flamboyant career in show business ended in 1964 when she returned home to Salt Lake City and was pressured by her mother to pursue religion and repent of her "wicked" past. A sacrificial bonfire was built and all of her burlesque and modelling pictures, publicity materials and elegant wardrobe were burned (with the exception of one form-fitting, sequined, red dress which was overlooked). Following, in her words, is an account of this experience:

"The Burning"
"Standing in the middle of the back field, a hundred feet or so from the house, I looked over my surroundings. I felt sad and unbelievably lost. My mind questioned if it really was the right thing to do. Yet mother's words continued to ignite my thoughts...and she said it was the right thing to do. Her voice was very strong, 'To repent from your past sins, you must burn and destroy what remains from it'.
Moving very slowly I started to gather twigs and branches, placing them in a pile. The fire had to be large and very hot to take care of my past. Mother was walking toward me. In her arms she was holding a batch of old newspapers. She crumpled the paper up, placing it on the ground in front of me. I began arranging the small twigs and larger branches on top of the twisted paper. We were almost ready to light the fire, but first we had to bring out 'the sacrifice', which was my horrible and wicked past.
The fire was roaring, hot and all consuming. First the black and white photographs. Scantily clad pin-ups showing a lot of skin, yet my womanhood remained covered. Some of the best known photographers had me pose for them. Then, publicity from newspapers and marquees from when I performed in various cities and countries. Fire shows no mercy. It consumed box after box of 'my past sins'. My feelings were dull, not euphoric like repentance should be. The words had come from others about how I should feel. Not from me. Maybe after the wardrobe was sacrificed...maybe then I would be able to release the guilt of my sin.
Beautiful beaded gowns...red, blue, gold, white, black and various combinations of colors. At least two dozen, maybe more. There were also matching bras, panels and other accessories. The flames were hot and bright from consuming all of the photos and publicity. With one big toss, a blue gown with silver beads cascading from top to bottom, landed among the flames. They licked at it. It wilted under the heat. It was one of my favorite gowns made especially for me by 'the lady'. He was very talented and creative, designing stage wardrobe for many performers. He was also a very close friend--my protector. This is not easy. I do not feel as though I can continue. But just then my mother spoke up, 'God loves a repentant sinner, you have more to burn. Here, let me help'. Mother showed a great zest for the job. She grabbed more gowns from the box, tossing them on to the hot fire. The heat was almost unbearable, she could have been burned. Then it came to me, this repentance of mine...it was more important to her. It was her way of saving me from the devil, of showing a sinner has been returned and is saved. 'Oh no, not my opera hose!' In one big whoosh, they were gone.
All that is left now is memories. My mind occasionally drifts back to those years. I appeared in theaters throughout the United States, Mexico and Japan. I was a star, a dancer... the 'sin' was burlesque."

Later Years
After leaving burlesque Dee worked as a color artist, adding color to black and white photographs, prior to the advent of color photography. For the past thirty years she has also been involved in the practice of energy healing. You can learn more about this from the Balanced Energy site.
In 1995, at age 65, after seeing Dixie Evans and other burlesque performers featured on the "Phil Donahue Show", she performed at Exotic World's "38th Annual Reunion", wearing that same, form-fitting red dress she wore in 1949. She also did the 2002 "Tease-O-Rama 2" in San Francisco. She wowed the crowd into a standing ovation. Dee performed at Exotic World on June 7, 2003. She will still perform when asked to do so and is still in demand by magazines and television.

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