On December 2, 2025 this reporter had the honor of attending a music and dance show performed by Trumpeter, Bandleader, Singer Brian Newman, and his wife Burlesque Dancer Angie Pontani. The show took place on the Lower Eastside at the club called THE BOX. It’s located at 189 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002. The place features nightly shows that combine music, theater, and dance.
Angie Pontani is not only a gifted dancer, she’s a mother, and she states proudly that she is also a fine cook, a Coney Island lover, and a big baseball fan.
At the show her husband Brian introduced her as The Italian Stallionette!
It turns out that Angie is not only a gifted performer, but she’s also a fighter and an advocate for people with disabilities.
In her website it describes her proudly:
“One of today's top burlesque performers, Angie Pontani, The Italian Stallionette, dazzles on stages around the world, as well as carries her art into other fields and genres, including her popular cooking blog, fitness, writing and television. This Brooklyn bump-n-grind bombshell has spread the gospel of burlesque across the globe. The New Yorker calls Angie, “first rate, the perfect centerpiece!” and rightfully so, as her signature acts and productions set standards of style and class. Angie's accomplishments have made her a sought out expert of burlesque. She recently had the pleasure of consulting with the iconic choreographer Camille A Brown on the Broadway musical Gypsy.”
I can add that Angie also has as close bond with her two sisters Tara Pontani and Helen Pontani. They are also gifted performers/dancers. The sisters on stage perform brilliantly. It’s almost like watching Michael Jackson and his brothers, Donny and Marie Osmond and their brothers. I’ll even add the Mandrell Sisters country music performers. All one has to do is go to YouTube and you’ll see what I mean about the Pontini sisters. They’ve been given good reviews for their performances. The Pontani Sisters were awarded:
- "Best NY Based Dance Company" in 2002 by Show Business Weekly
- "Best Super Hot Dancing Trio" by The Village Voice in 2006
- "#1 Burlesque Attraction in the Nation" in 2006 by AOL.com
Angie Pontani answered the questions brilliantly and was not afraid to pull any punches!
The Interview
Q: How did you get into dancing, performing?
A: I’ve been dancing since I was a little kid. I never imagined I would be doing it professionally, but I was very lucky in my career to be in the right spaces at the right times and to be prepared when opportunities came. When I was a kid dancing, I was never very good at it. In addition to my learning disabilities, I was diagnosed with Dyspraxia as a child, and that affected how I learned and executed movement in class. I was always in the back row during dance recital, and I definitely was not the one to watch. When I got older and started creating my own choreography, that’s when dance really clicked for me. I understood it, and my body could translate the ideas in my head. Ultimately I think my dyspraxia and challenges early on with movement have made me a better dancer and certainly a better teacher.
Q: You mentioned the issue with Disability on Instagram. Why?
A: In my adulthood, I have never been shy about my learning disabilities, I understand the struggles people with similar disabilities face. I know the sting and hate the stigma can bring. With disabilities there is always a focus on what you can’t do or more accurately what people perceive you can’t do. I have done so many of the things I was told that I could never do, and because of that, I feel a responsibility to be loud and proud about my disabilities, not only to lend another voice to the chorus of people who are out there thriving with similar beautiful brains, but also to let the kids and parents out there struggling to know that it will be ok, you are not less then anyone. It hurt my heart so badly that the president, with his huge platform regurgitated an old and inaccurate stigma, again not for me, because I now know what I can do, I know what my disabled friends bring to the table, but if the little-kid me heard his words, they would have cut deep. If I can help one person or one parent rest easier, then that is all I want to do.
Q: This president Donald Trump has made nasty statements on people with disabilities? If you were to confront him what would tell him?
A: I don’t know if I would waste my words on someone who has repeatedly made inaccurate, unapologetic and loud statements about people in the disabled community. With any platform comes a responsibility to share accurate and factual information, and he continually chooses to spread misinformation that stems from vintage stereotype. It’s truly just a reflection of his ignorance, and frankly he should be ashamed. Unfortunately, when someone in his position says these things it not only hurts and hinders communities, but it’s a tremendous disservice to the work of so many disability advocates who have worked for years to turn the beat around when it comes to limitations that society has placed on people with disabilities.
Q: Going back to dancing/performing. Did you do it to show the world "Hey I'm disabled i can do it as well you?”
A: My learning disabilities instilled a will in me that is so strong. I don’t know how to give up, and in show business that is a priceless gift. I failed so much as a child in a school system and world that did not yet have for me a system for me where I could learn. Those failures hurt so badly, but they taught me to keep getting up. Yes, just get up and you will find another way. I know that I would not have made it so far in my career without the fortitude that growing up with learning disabilities gave me.
Q: You have two sisters who also perform, have they supported you, do they also have a disability, any fights who's better dancer ha ha?
A: I am the only one in my family with any LD, but I think that was also one of our strengths when we all danced together in our company. Our brains, when put together, could solve any problem. My older sister was a straight A student, a very main-line thinker who excelled in the school environment. Our educational individual trajectories could not have been more different, but once we got out in the world, we solved everything together. If she couldn’t figure out something, I could. This was the beauty of putting us in the same space and setting out to solve a problem together.
Q: You're a parent and as you stated your daughter is learning disabled.? What advice would you give to a parent who has a child with a disability?
A: Believe in your child. Fight to get them access to what they need to learn. Above everything else protect their confidence, support them with activities they thrive in. I know so many amazing and successful people with learning disabilities. A common thread is supportive families who advocated for their kids as well as provided them a space where they could feel the warm glow of success. For me that was theater, and that kept me going in school.
Q: The president has said the R WORD RETARD! What is your opinion on that word?
A: Absolutely horrendous and unacceptable. Another gift people with learning disabilities often have is this... great compassion, and that’s because we know what it feels like to not be shown any ourselves. I know it is wrong and hurtful when a person uses slurs like these, but it is largely a reflection upon themselves. When this person is the president, it is a reflection on him and his party, and it is frankly dangerous in the message it sends to the general public.
Q: I also have a disability, ADHD. What advice would you give me and my family? Especially if they would like to do something like a drive a car?
A: Believe in yourself and set yourself up for success. One of the things I learned early on was if I wanted to be successful I needed to prepare. When I am performing, I pack days ahead. I have checklists and printed materials to keep me on track. If I am on tour or planning a tour, I print everything out. I have all the information I could ever need printed out and at my fingertips. At this point in my life I know the extra steps it takes for me to go into a space that might have challenges and yet still be successful. I hold myself to a very high level of organization. I do things ahead of time because I know what my needs are. And even with something like driving, when I drive I keep my car calm, no distractions. I create the space that I know I can best thrive and be safe in. I review my route ahead of time, and I know if my route veers off course or I get lost, it’s ok. I can pull over and reroute, find another way. Whatever I do, I do not make quick and potentially dangerous choices. The most important thing is to stay safe, prepared, empowered by knowledge and make good calm choices. And with all of this as well, it’s practice, practice, practice. But do it in a safe space.