Neo-Burlesque (or "New Burlesque") is the revival and updating of the traditional burlesque performance. Burlesque is theatrical entertainment of broad and parodic humor which usually consists of comic skits (and sometimes a strip tease) Though based on the traditional Burlesque art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; Neo-burlesque acts can be anything from classic striptease to modern dance to theatrical mini-dramas to comedic mayhem. As with the earlier burlesque, neo-burlesque is more focused on the "tease" in "striptease" than the "strip. " Audiences for neo-burlesque shows tend to be mixed; men, women, straight, gay, and everything in between.
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Burlesque history
Burlesque as a sensation was brought to America from Britain in the late 1860s by Lydia Thompson and her British Blondes, a troupe who spoofed traditional theatrical productions and featured ladies performing men’s roles, in costumes considered revealing for the time period. Burlesque is theatrical entertainment of broad and parodic humor which usually consists of comic skits (and sometimes a strip tease) Since that time it has assimilated vaudeville, minstrel shows, striptease, comedy and cabaret to evolve into the follies of the twenties and thirties to the girlie shows of the 40s and 50s, which eventually gave way to the modern strip club. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits variety acts dancing, and Music, A striptease or Exotic dance is a form of erotic entertainment usually a Dance, in which the performer known as a "stripper" gradually undresses Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring Comedy, Song, Dance, and Theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue &mdash a Restaurant Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. Burlesque, in its various forms, is a unique traditional American Folk Art.
New Burlesque
A new generation nostalgic for the spectacle and perceived glamour of the old times determined to bring burlesque back. This revival was pioneered independently in the mid 1990s by Billie Madley "Cinema" and Ami Goodheart’s “Dutch Weismanns’ Follies” revue in New York and Michelle Carr’s “The Velvet Hammer Burlesque” troupe in Los Angeles. The Velvet Hammer Burlesque was the one of first Burlesque troupes of the New Burlesque era In addition, and throughout the country, many individual performers were incorporating aspects of burlesque in their acts. These productions, inspired by the likes of Sally Rand, Tempest Storm, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dixie Evans and Lily St. Cyr have themselves gone on to inspire a new generation of performers. Sally Rand ( April 03, 1904 &ndash August 31, 1979) was born Harriet Helen Gould Beck in Hickory County Missouri. Tempest Storm (born Annie Blanche Banks February 29, 1928) is an American stripper Burlesque star and Motion picture Actress Gypsy Rose Lee (also known as Rose Louise Hovick and Louise Hovick) (born January 8 1911 &ndash April 26 1970) was Lili St Cyr ( June 3, 1917 or 1918 &ndash January 29, 1999) was a prominent American Burlesque Stripper
Today New Burlesque has taken many forms, but all have the common trait of honoring one or more of burlesque’s previous incarnations, with acts including striptease, expensive costumes, bawdy humor, cabaret and more. There are modern burlesque performers and shows all over the world, and annual conventions such as Tease-O-Rama, New York Burlesque Festival, The Great Boston Burlesque Exposition, and the Miss Exotic World Pageant. The Miss Exotic World Pageant (officially the Miss Exotic World Pageant and Striptease Reunion is an annual Burlesque pageant and convention and is the annual showcase
Today's Burlesque revival has found homes throughout the United States and the world, the largest communities located on the East and West Coasts of the U. S. On the East Coast, New York City boasts the largest community (where select nightlife venues have been inspired by the trend—several notable troops include Le Scandal Cabaret, Pinchbottom Burlesque, Starshine Burlesque, and, during the summer, Coney Island's Burlesque at the Beach); in the Pacific Northwest, the Burlesque scene is centered in Seattle—home of Miss Indigo Blue, Miss Trixie Lane—The Queen of Shame, Miss Kitty Baby, Ravenna Black, Paula the Swedish Housewife, Vienna Le Rouge, The Atomic Bombshells, Burning Hearts, The Von Foxies, Glitzkrieg Burlesque, and Sinner Saint Burlesque, to name a few; in California, the largest communities reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, home of the largest monthly burlesque and variety show (the Hubba Hubba Revue), and Los Angeles. There are also thriving Burlesque scenes in Canada, the UK, and Japan.
Striptease
New Burlesque tends to put the emphasis on style and tend to be sexy rather than sexual, often involving humor. Unlike modern strippers, who dance in strip clubs to make a living, burlesque performers often perform for fun and spend more money on costumes, rehearsal, and props than they are compensated. Performers rarely strip to less than pasties and g-strings. Pasties (sing 'pastie' are adhesive coverings applied to cover a person's Nipples They vary in size and are usually not much larger than the person's Areola.
Neo-Burlesque organizations
- Exotic World Burlesque Museum, which hosts the annual Miss Exotic World Pageant. The Burlesque Hall of Fame is the name of the burlesque museum based in Las Vegas Nevada. The Miss Exotic World Pageant (officially the Miss Exotic World Pageant and Striptease Reunion is an annual Burlesque pageant and convention and is the annual showcase
- Coney Island USA
References
- Sohn, Amy. Coney Island USA is a 501(c(3 Non-profit arts organization founded by Dick Zigun to preserve the performance arts of the American Sideshow Teasy Does It, New York Magazine, 2004.
- Baldwin, Michelle. Burlesque and the New Bump-n-Grind
- Malach, James. What Is Burlesque?
See also
External links
- Musicals 101 history of Burlesque
- A Photoessay on San Francisco Cabaret, Vaudeville, and Burlesque from Alarm magazine. The Burlesque Hall of Fame is the name of the burlesque museum based in Las Vegas Nevada. Guerrilla Burlesque has become a part of San Francisco Burlesque culture since 2005. ALARM is a quarterly magazine based in Chicago IL USA that publishes "Music and Art Beyond Comparison
- The New York School of Burlesque
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