American singer, songwriter, and actress Lady Gaga and Angie Pontani Nude from CR Fashion Book Issue 7 by Bruce Weber
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (/ˈstɛfəniː dʒɜːrməˈnɒtə/ STEF-ə-nee jur-mə-NOT-ə; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. At the beginning of her career, Gaga became known for her unconventionality and provocative work. A popular contemporary recording artist, she is noted for constantly experimenting with new musical ideas and images.
Gaga initially played roles in high school plays, and studied at CAP21 through NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts before dropping out to pursue a musical career. After leaving a rock band, participating in a performance art circuit, and being dropped from a contract with Def Jam Recordings, Gaga worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing. From there, Akon noticed her vocal abilities and helped her sign a joint deal with Interscope Records and his own KonLive Distribution in 2007. Gaga rose to prominence with the release of her successful debut album The Fame (2008) and its international chart-topping singles “Just Dance” and “Poker Face”. A follow-up EP, The Fame Monster (2009), was met with a similar reception and the singles: “Bad Romance”, “Telephone”, and “Alejandro” were also successful.
Gaga’s second full-length album Born This Way (2011) topped the charts in more than 20 countries, including the US, where it sold over one million copies in its first week. The album produced the number-one single “Born This Way”. Gaga’s third album Artpop, released in 2013, topped the US charts and included the successful single “Applause”. In 2014, Gaga released a collaborative jazz album with Tony Bennett titled Cheek to Cheek. For her work in the television series American Horror Story: Hotel, Gaga won a Golden Globe Award in 2016. With her fifth studio album Joanne (2016), she became the first woman to have four US number one albums in the 2010s. In February 2017, Gaga headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime show, which had an audience of over 150 million viewers across various platforms worldwide, making it the most viewed musical event in history.
Having sold 27 million albums and 146 million singles as of January 2016, Gaga is among the best-selling musicians of all time. Her achievements include several Guinness World Records, three Brit Awards, and six Grammy Awards. She has also received awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Gaga regularly appears on Billboard’s Artists of the Year lists and Forbes’s power and earnings rankings. She was ranked at number four on VH1’s Greatest Women in Music in 2011, finished second on Time’s 2011 readers’ poll of the most influential people of the past ten years, and was named Billboard’s Woman of the Year (2015). She is known for her philanthropic work and social activism, including LGBT rights, and her own non-profit organization, the Born This Way Foundation, which focuses on promoting youth empowerment and combating bullying.
Angie Pontani is a contemporary burlesque dancer, choreographer, producer, and costumer based in Brooklyn, NY. She was crowned Miss Exotic World in 2008.
Andrea Louisa Pontani is originally from Trenton, New Jersey. In the mid-1990s she began her career as a teenager in New York City dancing in the Dutch Weismann Follies at age 17. After the close of Dutch Weismanns, Angie went on to launch The World Famous Pontani Sisters, who performed regularly at Marion’s Continental and Windows On the World in the World Trade Center. In 2006, Angie started to focus on her solo performances.
Pontani was the co-producer and star of “This Is Burlesque” at the now-defunct Corio Supper Club. She performs around the world solo and with the Pontani Sisters, and was a creator of the DVD series, “Go-Go Robics” and “Go-Go Dance with Angie Pontani” produced by World Dance New York. Angie produces and stars in the Burlesque-A-Pades touring production and is the co-producer of the New York Burlesque Festival, an event that happens annually and brings together hundreds of burlesque performers from around the world for 4 nights of performance in NYC. Angie has modeled for several designers, including Mode Merr Clothing as well as Dirty Dolls Lingerie and has shot with renowned photographers like Ellen Von Unwerth, Josh Gosfield and Brian Smith. Pontani hosts “The Pontani Pages”, a monthly talk show format podcast produced by JL Aronson in NYC. In 2015, She was featured in a photo shoot for CR Fashion Book nude at 7 months pregnant, alongside Lady Gaga shot by Bruce Weber.
Angie was crowned Miss Cyclone in 2007 in honor of the historic roller coaster The Coney Island Cyclone. As a Coney Island resident, she has been very active in the fight to save them from rezoning that would jeopardize the amusement district. Angie was crowned “The Reigning Queen of Burlesque, the winner of the Miss Exotic World Pageant in 2008″ at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Reunion at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas. Other awards include,”The Best Body in Burlesque”-2007 New York Burlesque Festival, “#1 Burlesque Attraction in the Nation”-AOL.com, “Best NY Based Dance Company”= Show Business Weekly, “Hottest Burlesque Troupe” – Village Voice. She was recently featured on the PBS Great Performances series with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett for their release of “Cheek To Cheek” and has collaborated with retailer Secrets In Lace to release a collection of vintage inspired dresses.
On February 16, 2013, Angie Pontani married Band leader, trumpet player and vocalist Brian Newman in Brooklyn, New York. They have one child together, a daughter Sistilia Josephine Pontani Newman, born on September 9, 2015.
The World Famous Pontani Sisters are a highly stylized and costumed dance trio that helped to pioneer the burlesque revival. They began performing on the boardwalk in Coney Island and went on to international tours both alone as well as with the band Los Straitjackets. Angie choreographed, costumed, and booked most of the troupe’s performances, including tours, Las Vegas runs and appearances on national television programs like Late Night with Conan O’Brien as well as Gossip Girl. The Pontani Sisters have released 3 DVD’s that teach 1960s Go Go dancing, Go-Go Robics I & II and Twist Party, with the surf band, Los Straitjackets.
