In the world of theatrical entertainment, few styles are more boisterous, or more fun, than burlesque with its mixture of parody and grossly extrovert exhibitionism. It may be centuries old, but as Bespoke finds out, it’s currently going through a major revival.
Just when you thought you couldn’t cram anymore sparkle and sequins into Las Vegas, the Burlesque Hall of Fame weekender rumbled into town - crammed with inappropriately dressed women who were, quite literally, spitting feathers. Not that we were complaining. As we sidled along to the Stars of Burlesque Striptease Reunion night, we could witness old hands such as Satan’s Angel, Pyra Sutra and Holiday O’Hara sharing the stage with today’s upcoming shiny starlets – people like Kitten DeVille and Ruby Valentine to name but two.
Burlesque is a very special art form that combines sex, humour, glamour, and kitsch, all performed in the most colourful and outrageously elaborate costumes imaginable. It is intended to titillate, to entertain, perhaps to shock a little - but above all to make people laugh. It has been with us for hundreds of years, but is enjoying a spectacular revival in popularity, especially now that – in its 21st century form – the shedding of clothes has become a central theme!
The roots of burlesque lie in the folk culture and theatrical traditions of medieval Europe, although the style was virtually unrecognisable compared to today. In its earliest guise, burlesque often-meant satirical poetry, with Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ being perhaps the best-known example.
By the early 18th century burlesque had evolved into musical parodies, which mixed serious and humorous themes, usually overlain with a grotesque, often risqué style. It grew in popularity, until in late 19th century Britain, going to a music-hall show was considered one of the favourite pastimes among the new middle class. The edgy nature of the revue was enhanced by the frequent use of double-entendres, and actors in cross-dressing roles.
It was in early 20th century America that the burlesque we think of today came into being, when the show’s promoters took the basics of European music hall tradition, and added the altogether more crowd-pleasing art of striptease as the main draw, leaving just enough to the imagination to keep the censors happy. Mainstream vaudeville actors began to look down on this ‘adult entertainment’ angle as crude and low class – which of course just made it even more popular.
But eventually the shows got more and more daring, and when the clothes-shedding elements of the show began to go too far during the 1930s, the authorities started to crackdown, shutting theatres down if they didn’t comply with modesty rules. It meant the end for mainstream burlesque, as full-on striptease shows took on a seedier angle and went underground. By the 1950s it had virtually disappeared.
But in the 1990s a new and younger generation of theatregoers grew hungry for the old-style glamour of the music hall, sparking a revival of interest. The so-called New Burlesque was born, appearing in many guises, but always adhering to certain traditions: using titillating rather than explicit striptease, and over-the-top and raucously funny cabaret. Burlesque shows once again spread all over the world, and annual celebrations, including the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and the Miss Exotic World Pageant, now regularly bring the best of the acts together.
As can be seen from these pageants, to a burlesque performer, the more outrageous the name they choose, the better – just ask Bunny Luv, or Bambi the Mermaid. Of course, the world’s most famous burlesque dancer is Dita Von Teese, and what an appropriate name she has. Trained as a ballet dancer from an early age, she originally wanted to be a ballerina, but as Von Teese states, “By 15-years of age, I was as good as I’d ever be.” So, the moment she passed the milestone age of 18, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. “As soon as I was of legal age I wanted to take my clothes off and be photographed recreating old pin-ups.”
Von Teese - still known then by her birth name, Heather Sweet, and working in a lingerie shop where she had held a position since the age of 15 - arranged a shoot with a photographer who had taken pictures of her older sister for Penthouse, and posed in just a pink and black corset. She gave the pictures to her then-boyfriend for his birthday.
Two decades later, the 38-year-old’s enthusiasm for channelling the spirit of the original pin-ups and burlesque performers such as Gypsy Rose Lee, Lili St. Cyr and Sally Rand has won her immeasurable international acclaim. Indeed, one could quite easily attribute much of the popularity resurgence of burlesque to the 160cm-tall, former wife of Marilyn Manson. When this proponent of New Burlesque began performing in 1992 she was a ‘game-changer’. As she puts it, “I put the tease back into striptease."
Along the years, some of her more famous dances have involved a carousel horse, a giant powder compact, a filigree heart, a claw-foot bathtub and a giant martini glass with an olive-shaped sponge. Her feather fan dance, inspired by burlesque dancer Sally Rand, featured the world’s largest feather fans, which are now on display in Hollywood's Museum Of Sex. Vanity Fair fittingly called Von Teese a ‘burlesque superheroine’ and Elie Saab, who designed a number of outfits for her shows, admitted that, “Dita exudes femininity beyond imagination and she has a presence that is undeniable.”
The recognition she has garnered has seen her: appear at a benefit for the New York Academy of Art wearing nothing but 5 million USD worth of diamonds; make a guest appearance on America's Next Top Model to teach the contestants about sexiness by means of burlesque dancing and posing; and even become the first guest star to perform at Paris’ Crazy Horse cabaret club. But when Cameron Diaz performed a tribute to Von Teese’s martini glass routine in the film ‘Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle’, one knew that burlesque was no longer staying underground.
Of course, the final proof of this theatrical entertainment’s acceptance into the mainstream was the 2010 Hollywood production of ‘Burlesque’, which features Christina Aguilera and Cher as the movie’s protagonists. What did Von Teese think of this? The striking star is ever protective of her performance art, and believes it was misrepresented to the wider public. “I just hope people who saw the movie weren't put off by it. The only way to experience this art is to see real-life burlesque shows and performances." We quite agree, for it’s a place where talent, magic, and grace synergise to create one of the most amusing, spectacular stage shows in the world today. You really must see it for yourself.
