Part of the Practice
What is social practice, and how does it affect the ways we navigate our lives and make change in the world? Join artists, scholars, and collaborators from Social Practice CUNY on Part of the Practice, hosted by Catherine LaSota, as we discuss our individual art practices, our communities, and the role of socially-engaged art in our work for social justice.
Part of the Practice
31: Performing Our Selves with Alyssa Kitt Hanley
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Join strip tease scholar and burlesque performer Alyssa Kitt Hanley (2025-26 SPCUNY Faculty Fellow) for a conversation with host Catherine LaSota in this episode. They discuss Alyssa's experience as a performer, dramaturg, and mentor, as well as Alyssa's view of a burlesque audience as co-conspirators. Alyssa also shares her personal journey with cancer and facial paralysis, as well as her involvement with the Disabilibabes community. Tune in for an inspiring discussion and learn what burlesque can teach us about the importance of inclusivity and diversity in our social practice.
About our guest:
Alyssa Kitt Hanley is a burlesque scholar, award-winning performer, and PhD candidate in Theatre & Performance at the CUNY Graduate Center. Known onstage as the “Siren with the $7 million smile,” she bridges performance and research as a theorist of embodied political practice and specialist in contemporary performance infrastructures. Director of the Australian Burlesque Museum and National Associate Producer of Mx Burlesque Australia, she has competed at and judged the Burlesque Hall of Fame’s Mx Exotic World. Her scholarship examines erotic performance, disability, and subcultural value formation within global burlesque circuits.
More about Alyssa Kitt Hanley:
Website: alyssakitt.com
Instagram: @missalyssakitt
Facebook: /alyssa.kitt Bluesky: @missalyssakitt.bsky.social
Learn more about Social Practice CUNY.
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Thank you to our podcast editor Jade Iseri-Ramos, and thank you to Gaius LaSota for our Part of the Practice music.
Part of the Practice logo courtesy of Maliyah Mohamed.
Social Practice CUNY is funded by the Mellon Foundation.