The Most Tantalizing Tease: A Splash of Burlesque History
Burlesque is more than a sexy performance style sensationalized by Cher and Christina Aguillera in the mid-2000s (no shade though, queens).
Lydia Thompson, NYPL Digital Collections
When Lydia Thompson’s British Blondes came to New York City in the 1860s, burlesque as an American art form was established and began what would become a tumultuous evolution from its parodic roots, growing into a female-dominated and sexually charged (for the time) stage sensation that swept the largest cities in our nation during its heyday.
Thanks to the Minsky Brothers' and others' efforts to up the popularity, accessibility, and pizzaz of bawdy burlesque experiences, by the 1920’s you could attend a show at many a legitimate theater, advertised on billboards as part of our beloved adult live entertainment staples.
Burlesque experienced a rollercoaster of celebration and rejection from our society in its early iterations. Its very existence as part of our cultural fabric has run adrift many times from the effects of politically charged disdain and banning of the ribald send-ups, grotesque parody, tantalizing glamour, and elaborate song, dance, and striptease numbers that created room for sexual and artistic expression among some of our countries most notable performers and comedians (including Mae West, Jackie Gleason, and Fanny Brice, to name a few).
This era brought to our collective awareness the stunning likes of Sally Rand, Lili Ct. Cyr, Gyspy Rose Lee, Rose La Rose, Tempest Storm, Ann Corio, Blaze Starr. Dixie Evans, and many more of the early American burlesque queens we revere today for their glamour, grit, and sheer determination to have made their mark through the art of tease.
Basically disappearing by the late 1970s with the rise of far more elicit strip clubs and a shifted national focus, burlesque lived on in its trickle-down effect on our pop culture (hello: Madonna), until its official resurgence decades later. Enter the 1990s.
With a nod to the old days and eyes peeled on the future, burlesque experienced a resurgence in the 90’s that has steadily grown to our present day.
Re-branded as neo-burlesque to include the expansive growth of the genre in a modern-day context, we now see burlesque as a form of creative and sexual expression and artistry rooted in activism, performance art, and exaggerated parody. With more room for freedom of expression than ever, neo-burlesque tends to create a uniquely empowering and permeating energy within its practitioners and appreciators -- energy that you know the palpability of if you have been blessed to experience it from either side.
The Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum
Burlesque has experienced such a resurgence with the neo-burlesque movement, that in the US we even have a museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating its past and living history. You can start exploring modern burlesque history in greater depth by visiting the website of the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum.
From their website:
The Burlesque Hall of Fame is the world’s only museum dedicated to the history and art of burlesque. With a collection of several thousand costumes, stage props, photographs, and personal effects, the museum is a testament to the power and social impact of the art of the tease.
A quick selfie in front of a giant show poster featuring Lily Ct. Cyr at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum, circa 2019
Their site, as well as the actual museum in Las Vegas, NV, offer you access and insight to an incredible wealth of information on the rich history of burlesque, as well as the performers and people that helped shape it from its beginnings to our modern experience of the genre today. If you are ever in Vegas, I highly suggest a visit to the museum (hot tip: book a guided tour for an even more in-depth and educational experience – their staff is awesome!).
My introduction to burlesque as live entertainment came in 2006 when a buddy took me to a show at a smoky upstairs Chicago dive bar at just 21 years old (read the full story here). Needless to say, I never looked back, and have enjoyed many years of discovery and joy from participation in the burlesque community since.
From 2013 to 2018, I was lucky enough to be able to volunteer on the production team of the Burlesque Hall of Fame museum’s largest annual fundraising event — the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender (formerly the Miss Exotic World pageant).
The BHoF Weekender has its own exciting history as a center of gravity for the neo-burlesque community, in its efforts to organize, expose and elevate the work of modern performers, and connect them with the living legends of burlesque that laid the foundation for the landscape we are all able to enjoy today.
Since my first exposure in 2006, I have had the pleasure of witnessing hundreds of burlesque shows, including 8 BHoF Weekender events. Participating in the BHoF Weekender, and growing into adulthood shaped by my local burlesque community (Sacramento/San Francisco Bay Area) has had an immeasurable impact on my growth, creative capacity, and self-confidence.
If you can dream it (and are willing to work for it) you can pretty much do it on the burlesque stage – and that is a fine and rare thing.
After a break and several pivots during the pandemi-lovato, I am happy to share that the BHof Weekender just returned live and in-person for the first time in June of 2022. I was not able to attend (sad face), but my heart was warmed to know that the flame that ignites the passion in much of the burlesque world is still burning bright after a couple of tumultuous years under the Covid gun.
Big Stage Sparkle Magic
There is much I can share about those experiences (and I will), but for this piece I wanted to share with you some of my favorite acts to take the BHoF stage over the years (that are currently available for public viewing) through the Burlesque Hall of Fame Vimeo page.
Putting this list together was both hard and easy. There have been so many stellar, knock-you-on-your-ass and flip-your-world upside-down awesome performances brought to the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender stage that it left me with almost too much to choose from.
So, I approached this as a stylistic thought exercise, offering me an opportunity to pull into the ol’ memory banks and put some consciousness to the acts that have stayed with me most over the years, for one or many reasons.
The most glittery stage of all — at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender in Las Vegas, 2019.
The outcome displays pretty clearly my own proclivities within the neo-burlesque genre, for energy that is dazzling, costuming that is innovative, and narrative that is engaging and satisfying through to the end.
Send me up, keep me on my toes, open me to laughter, let me in on the joke, and draw me into your experience while you’re serving me my own.
That is no easy task from any single act, but at the same time, I think the performances I share with you below achieved all of that and more.
Obviously, nothing compares to the power of witnessing live entertainment live. However, I suspect that even while viewing through your screen of choice, the following will serve to ignite curiosity, excitement, and passion in you, as they have for me.
I was fortunate enough to be in the audience for every one of these stellar performances (listed below in no particular order).
Buckle up, friends, because you are in for one helluva ride:
Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society
So how does it feel?
Now that you have explored a snapshot of contemporary burlesque performance (through my perspective, at least), has it left you wanting more of this sparkle magic in your life? Can’t say I blame ya ;-)
Wondering where to start? I say, start as a fan and community member (aka arts appreciator and supporter). For more on the burlesque community and the power of being an audience member to creative work, check out my next post, about the Benefits of Active Fandom in Burlesque Communities.