Pay a visit to Dr. Lucky this Valentine’s Day

As an instructor at NYU and a burlesque performer, Dr. Lucky might seem to straddle — quite literally, at times — two very different worlds.

But not only does her day job lead to one of the best credentials we’ve come across (she boasts a “PhDoubleD”), her class, “The History of American Burlesque,” is telling of her scholarly approach to the art: This is no simple strip show, regardless of what Cher and Christina Aguilera might have led you to believe in their latest film.

“People are often surprised that this act of striptease, or a reveal, can be done in so many ways; there is so much room for narrative and storytelling,” she says. “My character often times is very grotesque. That’s not a goal for a lot of people — they want to be pretty. But I’m really interested in the connection between monstrosity and beauty.”

This weekend, Dr. Lucky joins local troupe The Peek-a-Boo Revue for a special Valentine’s Day show and celebration of their 13th anniversary. At the request of Peek-A-Boo choreographer Ginger Leigh, she’ll perform a signature piece — in which she wears a decidedly undainty horse costume — and a hypnotism number. “It’s sort of an audience participation piece,” she says. “Well, participation-slash-lap dance.”

Director’s cut

Two numbers you won’t see involve a luau — in which Dr. Lucky is trying to kill the pig, which confused a recent Key West audience — and a number in which she marries Mr. Potato Head. Although that one, she admits, “is romantic in its own way.”