View source for Neo Burlesque


[[File:MichelleLAmourFanDance2641.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Michelle L'amour]], 2005 winner of the [[Miss Exotic World Pageant]] dancing with fans, 2007]]
'''Neo-burlesque''', or '''new burlesque''', is the revival and updating of the traditional [[American burlesque]] performance. Though based on the traditional [[burlesque]] art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; neo-burlesque can include anything ranging from classic [[striptease]] to modern dance to theatrical mini-dramas to comedic mayhem.<ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150118215020/http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/01/15/3593008_burlesque-troupe-thrives-in-boise.html?sp=/99/1687/&rh=1|url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/01/15/3593008_burlesque-troupe-thrives-in-boise.html?sp=/99/1687/&rh=1|archive-date=18 January 2015|author=Dana Oland|title=Burlesque troupe thrives in Boise|newspaper=Idaho Statesman|date=15 January 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Burlesque history==
{{main|American burlesque}}
[[File:MarionMartinandGloriaDicksonLadyofBurlesque.jpg|thumb|left|[[Marion Martin]] and [[Gloria Dickson]] in the film ''[[Lady of Burlesque]]'']]

[[Victorian burlesque|Burlesque]] was brought to America from [[United Kingdom|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. [[American burlesque]] soon assimilated [[music hall]], [[minstrel show]]s, [[striptease]], [[comedy]] and [[cabaret]] styles<ref name=humez>Humez, Nick. [http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CCX3409000367&v=2.1&u=wes_ttda&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w  "Burlesque".] ''St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture'', ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast, Gale Virtual Reference Library, accessed 16 February 2011 {{subscription required}}</ref> to evolve from 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. The striptease element of burlesque became subject to extensive local legislation, leading to a theatrical form that titillated without falling foul of censors.<ref name=humez/>

By the late 1930s, a social crackdown on burlesque shows began their gradual decline. The shows had slowly changed from ensemble [[ribald]] variety performances, to simple performances focusing mostly on the striptease.<ref name=humez/>  In New York, Mayor [[Fiorello LaGuardia]] clamped down on burlesque, effectively putting it out of business by the early 1940s.<ref name=NYTCaldwell>{{cite news |last=Caldwell |first=Mark |title=The Almost Naked City |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/nyregion/thecity/18burl.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 18, 2008 |access-date=Feb 14, 2016}}</ref> Burlesque lingered on elsewhere in the U.S., increasingly neglected, and by the 1970s, with nudity commonplace in theatres, American burlesque reached "its final, shabby demise".<ref>Allen, p. xi</ref>

During its declining years and afterwards, films sought to capture the spirit of American burlesque. For example, in ''[[I'm No Angel]]'' (1933), [[Mae West]] performed a burlesque act. The 1943 film ''[[Lady of Burlesque]]'' depicts the back-stage life of burlesque performers.<ref>"New Films In London", ''The Times'', 2 August 1943, p. 8</ref>  [[Pin-up girl]] [[Bettie Page]]'s most famous features included ''[[Striporama]]'' (1953).<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047535/ ''Striporama'']. Internet Movie Database, accessed 17 February 2011</ref>  In such films, the girls wore revealing costumes, but there was never any nudity. ''The Night They Raided Minsky's'' (1968) celebrates classic American burlesque.<ref>Slonimsky, Nicholas, [http://glnd.alexanderstreet.com/search/fulltext/Burlesque "Burlesque show"], ''Baker's Dictionary of Music'', Schirmer Reference, New York, 1997, accessed 16 February 2010 {{subscription required}}</ref>

== Revival ==
[[File:Lili St-Cyr.jpg|thumb|upright|Artists such as [[Lili St. Cyr]] inspired the revival of the burlesque movement]]
[[File:Miss Dirty Martini 2009 Howl Festival 8 by Shankbone.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Dirty Martini (burlesque)|Miss Dirty Martini]] at the 2009 Howl Festival in New York<ref name=NYTCaldwell/>]]

A new generation nostalgic for the spectacle and glamour of the old times was determined to bring burlesque back. The first neo-burlesque club in NYC was the Blue Angel Cabaret, 1994.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Burlesque and the New Bump-n-grind|author=Michelle Baldwin|publisher=Speck Press|year=2004|pages=92–93}}</ref> The Red Vixen Burlesque,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://predigitalarchive.com/david-art-wales/burlesques-back/|title=The New York Times, Oct 4 1998 {{!}} Burlesque's Back, a Step Ahead of the Law {{!}} David Art Wales|website=predigitalarchive.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-03}}</ref> which followed in 1998, served as a launchpad for some of the better known neo-burlesque dancers working today, including [[Dirty Martini (burlesque)|Dirty Martini]] and [[Julie Atlas Muz]]. Le Scandal Cabaret, founded in 2001, is a direct offshoot of the Blue Angel, and is still currently running in NYC in 2018.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lescandal.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020611003903/http://www.lescandal.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 11, 2002|title=Le Scandal|publisher=Le Scandal Cabaret|access-date=2017-10-16}}</ref> This revival was originally pioneered independently in the mid-1990s by Billie Madley (e.g., "Cinema", Tony Marando's "Dutch Weismanns' Follies" revue) in New York and Michelle Carr's "{{interlanguage link|The Velvet Hammer Burlesque|qid=Q3523195}}" troupe in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Burlesque Handbook|author=Jo Weldon|publisher=It Books|year=2010|page=258}}</ref> In addition, and throughout the country, many individual performers were incorporating aspects of burlesque in their acts. These productions, inspired by [[Sally Rand]], [[Tempest Storm]], [[Gypsy Rose Lee]], Dixie Evans and [[Lili St. Cyr]] amongst others have themselves gone on to inspire a new generation of performers.

Modern burlesque has taken on many forms, but it has the common trait of honoring one or more of burlesque's previous incarnations. The acts tend to put emphasis on style and are sexy rather than sexual. A typical burlesque act usually includes striptease, expensive or garish costumes, and bawdy humor, and may incorporate elements of [[cabaret]], [[circus skills]], [[aerial silk]],<ref name="Circus skills & Aerial silk.">{{Cite web |url=https://www.list.co.uk/articles/what:Circus%20Skills/ |title=Circus Skills |website=The List}}</ref> and more; sensuality, performance, and humor are kept in balance.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mills |first=Keely |url=http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/red-light-variety-show-nostalgia/Content?oid=3039472 |title=Red Light Variety Show: Nostalgia &#124; Friday-Saturday, Jan. 17-18 &#124; Stage |publisher=Boise Weekly |access-date=2014-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019220855/https://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/red-light-variety-show-nostalgia/Content?oid=3039472 |archive-date=2017-10-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Unlike professional strippers, burlesque performers often perform for fun and spend more money on costumes, rehearsal, and props than they are compensated. Although performers may still strip down to [[pasties]] and [[g-string]] or [[merkin]], the purpose is no longer solely sexual gratification for men but self-expression of the performer and, vicariously, the women in the audience.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Take It Off: The new-burlesque scene |url=http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/dancing/2013/05/13/130513crda_dancing_acocella |access-date=May 29, 2013 |last=Acocella |first=Joan |author-link=Joan Acocella |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |issue=May 13, 2013 |department=The Critics |pages=68–70 {{subscription required}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/nov/29/a-new-start-after-60-i-lost-weight-then-lost-myself-until-i-became-a-burlesque-dancer|title=A new start after 60: 'I lost weight, then lost myself - until I became a burlesque dancer'|date=November 29, 2021|website=the Guardian}}</ref> The [[DIY]] aspect is prominent,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/27/leland-bobbe_n_4345810.html | work=Huffington Post | title=12 Stunning Portraits Of New York's Neo-Burlesque Dancers (NSFW) | date=27 November 2013}}</ref>  and furthermore the striptease may be used to challenge sexual objectification, orientation, and other social taboos.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sarah Eberspacher |url=http://theweek.com/article/index/255327/the-transformative-beauty-of-burlesque |title=The transformative beauty of burlesque |publisher=The Week |date=2014-01-22 |access-date=2014-02-13}}</ref> The revival, however, has been known to run afoul of [[liquor]] licensing and [[obscenity]] laws, thus raising [[free speech]] (as [[symbolic speech]]) issues which have led to successful litigation<ref name="#UncoverIdahoArt">{{cite web | url=http://boisestatepublicradio.org/post/aclu-files-suit-over-idaho-law-regulates-alcohol-and-indecency | title=ACLU Files Suit Over Idaho Law That Regulates Alcohol And 'Indecency' | publisher=Boise State Public Radio | date=2016-09-15 | access-date=2016-09-15 | author=Barnhill, Frankie}}</ref> or changes in municipal policy distinguishing burlesque from other forms of "adult entertainment",<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/burlesque-hamilton-laws-1.4740962|title=Burlesque will return to Hamilton after city approves new rules|last=Craggs|first=Samantha|date=July 10, 2018|work=CBC News|access-date=August 2, 2019}}</ref> as well as provided further fodder for satirical performances.<ref name="Art vs. Freedom: A First Amendment Cabaret">{{Cite web |url=http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/frankly-free-speech-burlesque-at-vac-will-celebrate-first-amendment/Content?oid=5082732 |title=MAY 17, 2017 NEWS » CITYDESK Frankly Free Speech: Burlesque at VAC Will Celebrate First Amendment: "Burlesque is there to make short performances and have a good time, but you can learn and teach." |last=Berry |first=Harrison |date=2017-05-17 |website=Boise Weekly |access-date=May 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019163652/https://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/frankly-free-speech-burlesque-at-vac-will-celebrate-first-amendment/Content?oid=5082732 |archive-date=October 19, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Burlesque scenes===
[[File:SDG Von Teese 2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Dita Von Teese]], a well-known neo-burlesque artist]]

There are modern burlesque performers, shows and festivals in many countries throughout the world as well as annual conventions such as the [[Miss Exotic World Pageant]]. Today's burlesque revival has found homes throughout the United States (with the largest communities located on its East and West Coasts) and in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany and Japan.

==Boylesque==
{{About||the Polish-Czech documentary film|Boylesque (film)}}
Neo-burlesque shows that feature male-body roles have been dubbed as boylesque.<ref name=whitehead-2014>{{cite journal|last1=Whitehead|first1=Jay|title=Are You Staring at the Size of My Gimmick? Applying Burlesque Conventions to a Different Anatomy|journal=Canadian Theatre Review|date=April 2014|volume=158|pages=27–32|doi=10.3138/ctr.158.006|s2cid=132825414 |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/canadian_theatre_review/v158/158.whitehead.html| access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="Thorp-2012">{{cite thesis|last=Thorp|first=Jessica|title=Fishnets & Desire: Performing the Neoburlesque|date=2012|publisher=Ryerson University|url=http://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA:3112|type=MA|page=13}}</ref> The introduction of boylesque elements can be seen as a key difference between neo-burlesque and earlier, exclusively female-body forms of burlesque, which sometimes incorporated [[drag queen|drag-queen]] roles (i.e. male impersonators of female bodies) but did not directly represent [[masculinity]].<ref name=Thorp-2012/> Boylesque within the neo-burlesque scene can be traced back to the early 1980s with performers like [[John Sex]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/fashion/boylesque-a-male-spin-on-the-classic-striptease.html|title=Boylesque, a Male Spin on the Classic Striptease|last=Sloan|first=Brian|date=2012-11-14|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-03-26|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

There are annual boylesque festivals in New York, Seattle, and New Orleans, produced by Jen Gapay and Daniel Nardicio.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boylesquefestival.com/the-producers|title=boylesque2 {{!}} THE PRODUCERS|website=Daniel Nardicio & Thirsty Girl Present Boylesque World 2015|language=en|access-date=2019-03-26}}</ref>

===Men in burlesque===
The so-called boylesque can be traced back to the early 1980s and began to become more widespread and accepted in the 1990s due to changes in gender roles and identities. The introduction of boylesque elements can be seen as an essential difference between neo-burlesque and the former burlesque with exclusively female bodies, which sometimes contained drag queen roles. As a result, transvestites also found a permanent place in the burlesque.<ref>Thorp, Jessica (2012). Ryerson University. P. 13 f.</ref> Boylesque in the neo-burlesque scene can be traced back to the early 1980s with artists like John Sex.<ref>Sloan, Brian (2012-11-14). "Boylesque, a Male Spin on the Classic Striptease". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-26</ref> While the struggle for emancipation, independence, self-confidence in body shape and demeanor was superficial for burlesque artists, the male part dealt with other issues. Burlesque artists from the LGBT scene (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) fought for equality and against the exclusion of HIV and people with AIDS. In the burlesque revues in New York was active for this purpose in the 1990s, including the Broadway Bears bar on Broadway.<ref>Ryan, Benjamin: Beyond Burlesque: Stripping away HIV Stigma. 2019 Web: https://www.poz.com/article/29th-annual-broadway-bares-show-held-sunday</ref> Millions of dollars have been donated to the aid organization Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS (BCEFA).<ref>20. Ryan, Benjamin: Beyond Burlesque: Stripping away HIV Stigma. 2019 Web: https://www.poz.com/article/29th-annual-broadway-bares-show-held-sunday</ref> By changing gender roles this decade, boylesque artists, like burlesque artists, wanted to be independent.

==Neo-burlesque organizations==
* [[Burlesque Hall of Fame]] (formerly the Exotic World Burlesque Museum), which hosts the annual [[Miss Exotic World Pageant]].
* [[Coney Island USA]]

==See also==
* ''[[Behind the Burly Q]]'', a 2010 documentary about the golden age of burlesque.
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