She shimmied her way to a green card.
Burlesque star Bettina May, who is from Canada but lives in Brooklyn, just earned coveted “genius” status from the feds — allowing her to keep twirling her tassels in the U.S.
The “extraordinary ability” green cards are given out sparingly to immigrants who can prove they’re truly unique, and May had to jump through hoops to get one.
“I had to prove that there was no one like me in the world,” the 33-year-old Williamsburg entertainer said.
“My mom always said that. But my mom can’t write a letter to U.S. immigration saying, ‘She’s the specialest girl in the world!'”
May collected letters of recommendation from big names in burlesque and had to convince U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that her line of work is an art form.
“What is art?” said her lawyer, Jan Brown. “Something that communicates to people visually and socially.”
Brown, who put together a six-inch-thick application for May, believes she’s the first burlesque star to qualify for a benefit that often goes to famous artists, top athletes and Nobel Prize winners.
“We certainly had to go the distance to convince USCIS that she qualified under their criteria,” he said. “The bottom line is she really is one of the best pin-up models and burlesque artists.”
USCIS rules say E11 and E16 extraordinary ability green cards only go to “the best of the best in their field.” They gave out 2,524 last year.
In the past, they’ve been awarded to a master storyteller from Gambia and a golfer from Zimbabwe. John Lennon and Yoko Ono got them. New York lawyer Michael Wildes applies for the Miss Universe winners each year.
“You have to really show that you’re the proud and the few out of the many that are out there,” Wildes said. “We’ve gotten letters from Bill Cosby for comedians, letters from Billy Joel for singers and pianists.”
Similar temporary O-1 visas — the O is for “outstanding” — have gone to Canadian-born Playboy Playmate Shera Bechard and Brazilian soccer god Pele, letting them work in the U.S. for up to three years.
But scoring one of the green cards — which provide a path to U.S. citizenship — is a bigger coup. Brown has secured them for a body piercer and a makeup artist. Each time, he has to give the bureaucrats a crash course in the applicant’s often unconventional field.
“My attitude is that in every field, somebody has to be the best … My job is to ferret out the evidence,” he said.
In May’s case, that meant listing awards like her Golden Pasties from the New York Burlesque Festival, press clippings and TV appearances — including an in-the-buff “I’d rather be naked than wear fur” PETA billboard.
May said that even though she struts her stuff on stage, she found it tough to play up her assets.
“I’m a Canadian. So we’re modest, and we’re polite. We don’t want to make a big fuss,” she said. “I really had to set that aside.”
The redhead, who calls herself a “Canadian burlesque ambassador,” studied political science in her British Columbia hometown of Victoria and worked for the Canadian government before founding a burlesque troupe.
She decided to relocate permanently to New York in 2010 and applied for the green card that December. The feds asked for more evidence before awarding it to her last month.
“Every musical that has ever inspired me in my career is all about going to New York and making it big on the stage. I just wanted to be that girl,” she said.
Her look is inspired by 1940s starlets like Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable. She designs her vegan-friendly costumes using faux leather and fake feathers.
In one classic number, set to “Bei Mir Bist Du Schon,” she starts out in a fake mink, floor-length gown and evening gloves and ends up in sparkly green pasties.
For a James Bond-themed show, she danced in gold body paint, earning the nickname “gold butt cheeks.”
During the day, she teaches New York ladies how to bring out their inner Bettie Page, hosting pin-up model makeovers and photo shoots.
Fellow performers say the feds made the right call.
“She really brings an element of old Hollywood glamour to the scene,” said Calamity Chang. “Bettina really does bring her own look and style into it without just trying to be a carbon copy of what’s out there.”
epearson@nydailynews.com
WATCH VIDEO OF A BETTINA MAY PERFORMANCE BELOW, OR CLICK HERE ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE
