Interesting Green: Burlesque

Source Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlesque
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PHOTO: The Legendary Michelle L'amour in Chicago's Biggest Burlesque Event Ever!
This all-new striptease extravaganza features burlesque superstar Michelle L’amour, 17 beautiful Starlets, Nadine Dubois (the “Voice Wonder” from Minneapolis), Tatah DuJour (from Key West), Tigger! (the original King of Boylesque from New York City) and Chicago’s very own Hot Toddy (2009 King of Boylesque). Not to mention live music by L’amourchestra and the vaudeville antics of The Oona Tramps.
Picture posted by Guy F. Wicke, WickeLeaks on 12 August 2009
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Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.[1] The word derives from the Italian burlesco, which, in turn, is derived from the Italian burla – a joke, ridicule or mockery.[2]

PHOTO: Michelle L'amour, 2005 Miss Exotic World
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
Picture from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlesque

Burlesque overlaps in meaning with caricature, parody and travesty, and, in its theatrical sense, with extravaganza, as presented during the Victorian era.[3] "Burlesque" has been used in English in this literary and theatrical sense since the late 17th century. It has been applied retrospectively to works of Chaucer and Shakespeare and to the Graeco-Roman classics.[4]

PHOTO: Michelle L'amour, 2005 Miss Exotic World
The Miss Exotic World Pageant (officially, the Miss Exotic World Pageant and Striptease Reunion) is an annual neo-burlesque pageant and convention, and is the annual showcase event (and fundraiser for) the Burlesque Hall of Fame (formerly the Exotic World burlesque museum).
Picture from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
Fan dance by Miss Exotic World 2005, Michelle L'amour at the 2007 Miss Exotic World Pageant
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A later use of the term, particularly in the United States, refers to performances in a variety show format. These were popular from the 1860s to the 1940s, often in cabarets and clubs, as well as theatres, and featured bawdy comedy and female striptease. Some Hollywood films attempted to recreate the spirit of these performances from the 1930s to the 1960s, or included burlesque-style scenes within dramatic films, such as 1972's Cabaret and 1979's All That Jazz, among others.

PHOTO: Michelle L'amour, 2005 Miss Exotic World
Burlesque particularly in the United States, refers to performances in a variety show format which featured bawdy comedy and female striptease.Picture from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

A fan dance by Michelle L'amour at the 2007 Miss Exotic World Pageant.
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In 17th century Spain, playwright and poet Miguel de Cervantes ridiculed medieval romance in his many satirical works. Burlesque was intentionally ridiculous in that it imitated several styles and combined imitations of certain authors and artists with absurd descriptions. Burlesque depended on the reader's (or listener's) knowledge of the subject to make its intended effect, and a high degree of literacy was taken for granted.[11]

PHOTO: Queens of Burlesque wouldn’t be complete without its international lineup. Chicago’s Michelle L’Amour presents a breathtaking tribute to late burlesque legend Sally Rand with a fan dance that puts even the most trained swans at the American Ballet Theatre to shame.
Picture posted by By: Short and Sweet NYC on Sun, 28 March 2010 - Queens of Burlesque @ Le Poisson Rouge
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The uninhibited atmosphere of burlesque establishments owed much to the free flow of alcoholic liquor, and the enforcement of Prohibition was a serious blow.[34] In New York, Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia clamped down on burlesque, effectively putting it out of business by the early 1940s.[35] It lingered on elsewhere in the U.S., increasingly neglected, and by the 1970s, with nudity commonplace in theatres, reached "its final shabby demise."[36]

PHOTO: Michelle L’amour and Russell Bruner performing their new duet, ‘Soft Lights and Sweet Music’, at the Big Sexy Show on February 14th. ©Mike White
Burlesque superstar Michelle L’amour, known for spellbinding grace, hilarious viral videos and unrelenting raunch.
Picture posted by 21st Century Burlesque on 25 February 2014
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New York burlesque shows soon incorporated elements and the structure of the popular minstrel shows. They consisted of three parts: first, songs and ribald comic sketches by low comedians; second, assorted olios and male acts, such as acrobats, magicians and solo singers; and third, chorus numbers and sometimes a burlesque in the English style on politics or a current play. The entertainment was usually concluded by an exotic dancer or a wrestling or boxing match.[32]

PHOTO: Michelle L'amour (©Melody Mudd - BurlesqueBeat.com)
Picture posted by Ruby Joule, Burlesque Festivals, Canada on 5 December 2011 - Montreal Burlesque Festival: Saturday, 27 August 2011
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While burlesque went out of fashion in England towards the end of the 19th century, to be replaced by Edwardian musical comedy, the American style of burlesque flourished, but with increasing focus on female nudity. Exotic "cooch" dances were brought in, ostensibly Syrian in origin. The entertainments were given in clubs and cabarets, as well as music halls and theatres.

PHOTO: Michelle L'amour at Exotic World 2008 Legends Night
Picture taken by nofimag on 6 June 2008 - Burlesque Michelle L'amour
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The transition from burlesque on the old lines to striptease was gradual. At first, soubrettes showed off their figures while singing and dancing; some were less active but compensated by appearing in elaborate stage costumes.[33]

PHOTO: Proud Cabaret
“Glitzy, glamorous & down-right entertaining, kicking your heels up at Proud Cabaret has all the makings of a great night out” - View London
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The strippers gradually supplanted the singing and dancing soubrettes; by 1932 there were at least 150 strip principals in the US.[33] Star strippers included Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee, Tempest Storm, Lili St. Cyr, Blaze Starr, Ann Corio and Margie Hart, who was celebrated enough to be mentioned in song lyrics by Lorenz Hart and Cole Porter.[33]

PHOTO: Southern Spitfires Burlesque
"The Warrior of Burlesque," Deanna Danger, is an international performance artist skilled in many genres, based in Richmond, VA.
Picture posted by Red Light Café on Wednesday, 1 July 2015
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By the late 1930s, burlesque shows would have up to six strippers supported by one or two comics and a master of ceremonies. [33]

PHOTO: Miss Betsy Rose Burlesque
Egyptian glamour is nothing new to burlesque outfits. The goddess are a common sight in burlesque clubs. So, what better way to evoke classic showgirl style, Hollywood glamour and modern elegance than following Elizabeth Taylor and Miss Betsy Rose’s lead.
Picture posted by Serena Doherty on 24 April 2016 - Burlesque dancer, Miss Betsy Rose starred in a Cleopatra inspired photoshoot.
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In recent decades, there has been a revival of burlesque, sometimes called Neo-Burlesque,[35] on both sides of the Atlantic.[40] A new generation, nostalgic for the spectacle and perceived glamour of the classic American burlesque. Annual conventions such as the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and the Miss Exotic World Pageant are held.[42][43]

PHOTO: Miss Betsy Rose Burlesque
The Egyptian side with some strappy gold sandals and sparkly heels.
Picture posted by Serena Doherty on 24 April 2016 - Burlesque dancer, Miss Betsy Rose starred in a Cleopatra inspired photoshoot.
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Underdressed women playing sexual aggressors – in a production written and managed by a woman. Men and adventurous wives turned out in droves, the hottest thing in show business. The cries of the self-righteous had an unintended effect. Editorials and sermons condemning burlesque as "indecent" only made the form more popular! Demand was such that copycat burlesque companies soon cropped up, many with female managers. [44]

PHOTO: Miss Betsy Rose Burlesque
This year (2016) sees the 50th anniversary of the iconic Cleopatra motion picture starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Picture posted by Serena Doherty on 24 April 2016 - Burlesque dancer, Miss Betsy Rose starred in a Cleopatra inspired photoshoot.
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Burlesque left little to the imagination. Transgressive feminine wit was gradually replaced by a masculine determination to reveal as much of the feminine form as local laws allowed. But obscenity and vulgarity were avoided – the point was to spoof and (to a limited extent) titillate, not to offend. [44]

PHOTO: A seductive yet traditional snake charmer, silk dance, that transitions into a dynamic portrayal of a lust struck slave girl . (This can include a spinning wheel stage prop that require’s adequate space for set up and performance.)
Picture posted by Miss Stormy Gayle, missstormygayle.com on 26 January 2015
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Some sources try to wrap burlesque in a mantle of pseudo-intellectual respectability. Yes, it involved transgressive comedy and songs, but the primary attraction of burlesque was sex . . in the form of ribald humor and immodestly dressed women. Although many dismissed burlesque as the tail-end of show business, its influence reaches through the development of popular entertainment into the present. [44]

PHOTO: 9th Rome Burlesque Festival con Lada Red Star, Giudutta Sin, Scarlett Diamond e la band Crystal & the Runnin' Wild. Micca club, piazza Barberini.
Picture posted by Andrea Sabbadini (Photo Journalist), buenaVista* photo - Roma, 13 December 2013
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Reference
[1] "Burlesque", Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, accessed 16 February 2011

[2] In theatrical use, a burla was "a comic interlude or practical joke introduced, usually extempore, into a performance by the servant masks of the commedia dell'arte … developed at will into a small independent 'turn', the characters returning at its conclusion to the main theme of the plot". See Hartnoll, Phyllis and Peter Found. "Burla", The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre, Oxford University Press, 1996. Oxford Reference Online, accessed 16 February 2011

[3] Fowler, H. W., rev. Sir Ernest Gowers (1965). Modern English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 68 and 96

[4] Baldick, Chris. "Burlesque", The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, Oxford University Press, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press, accessed 16 February 2011

[11] Speaight, George. "All froth and bubble", The Times Literary Supplement, 1 October 1976, p. 1233

[32] "Burlesque show", Encyclopædia Britannica, Online Library Edition, accessed 16 February 2011

[33] Humez, Nick. "Burlesque". St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast, Gale Virtual Reference Library, accessed 16 February 2011

[34] Hartnoll, Phyllis and Peter Found. "Burlesque, American", The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre, Oxford University Press, 1996. Oxford Reference Online, accessed 16 February 2011

[35] Caldwell, Mark. "The Almost Naked City", The New York Times, 18 May 2008, accessed 19 September 2009

[36] Allen, p. xi

[40] Newman, Martin. "Burlesque ventures out of the West End and into... Camden Town", The Mirror, 18 February 2012

[42] Sohn, Amy. Teasy Does It, New York Magazine, 21 May 2005, accessed 24 February 2011

[43] Clodfelter, Tim. "This ain't your granddad's burlesque – but he sure wouldn't mind watching". Winston-Salem Journal, 31 January 2008, accessed 24 February 2011

[44] A History of The Musical Burlesque, by John Kenrick, http://www.musicals101.com/burlesque.htm