The word Burlesque comes from the Italian word ‘burlesco’ which is was derived from the Italian ‘burla’ meaning a joke, ridicule or mockery and it is here that you will find the true origins of Burlesque dating back to the 16th and 17th century. Burlesque in its original form was essentially parody theatre with over the top characters and performers.
A high level of literacy and understanding of current affairs at the time was assumed as Burlesque was effectively a form of satire. During the Victorian era musical numbers where increasingly part of the shows and there is a strong link between Burlesque and modern day pantomimes we know today.
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The Burlesque that we know today though is pretty much the fault of America because it there in the early 20th century that female nudity and glamour were introduced to these shows. There popularity soared, particularly through the 20’s and 30’s and as it did the amount of nudity increased. The Second World War really saw the beginning of the end of that era in Burlesque and by the 1970’s it had almost completely vanished
Burlesque now
That is until now.
In the 1990’s a wave of vintage nostalgia inspired a new generation to revive the lost art of Burlesque. It started as a fairly small cult following but has now become a common place form of entertainment in many towns and cities throughout America and Europe and has even birthed a new era of Burlesque super stars such as Dita Von Teese.
Like many niche creative art forms modern Burlesque or Neo Burlesque as it is often know continues to evolve and change.
No one burlesque show or performer is like another and it not confined to just female stars either. There has definitely been a cross over between burlesque and drag acts as well as the rise of a whole new phenomena; Boylesque. There is even a London Burlesque Festival that includes the World Burlesque Games; Europe’s largest competing event that sees performers from all over the world vying for the crown in 6 competitive categories. It runs over 2 nights at a central London location. Take a few moments to watch the video on that page for a glimpse of some of the best of the best of modern day Burlesque doing their thing.
Burlesque is definitely a successful and growing genre that shows no signs of abating
Burlesque and you
If you have never been to a Burlesque show then you really have been missing out because they are truly are a fabulous night out. Don’t be fooled and get Burlesque confused with stripping. They are very different things. Burlesque is a performance art that is showy, glamorous and over the top.
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It is a spectacle of light, colours, sounds, costumes, music and dance. The acts are often topical and hark back to the origins of burlesque with elements of parody and commentary on modern day life. For example the fabulous Rubyyy Jones used to do a routine showing the pitfalls and pratfalls of a long distance skype date.
You will find serious beautiful erotic dancing alongside comic, outlandish performances. Whereas stripping whilst often viewed as an art form in its own right, is much more about the sexual act of removing ones clothes. Comedy is a huge part of burlesque, unlike stripping, which is not supposed to make you laugh but tickle you in other ways.
When you go to a strip club you are very unlikely to see fire eating, puppettering, hula hoops, gymnastics drag artists and comedy. When you go to a Burlesque show there is a good chance you will see all these things and more.
The new age of cabaret
Burlesque really is the new age form of cabaret just with a lot more corsets and nipple tassels. Not all burlesque involves naked though. Many performers will only divest a certain amount of their outfit whilst others will strip off completely and that is really the key to burlesque. No two shows, no two performers, no two nights, will ever be the same.
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The styles, the outfits, the acts, the genders, the ages and the shapes of the people up on stage vary wildly. Just check out the images on this page and you will see what I am talking about.
So if you are thinking about going make sure you do you research or else and this is my preferred approach take pot luck, buy a ticket, go along with an open mind and an expectation to have fun and you will be very unlikely to come away disappointed.
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