Dita Von Teese, ask anybody to name a Burlesque performer and instantly the name will spring forth from most peoples lips. Heralded as the Queen of Neo Burlesque, Von Teese is probably one of the most influential names in this art form at present and has helped raise its profile to something main stream. Of course like all things that gain momentum and capture the public eye more and more people decide they want to give it a try, which is by no means a bad thing. What is the bad thing is when people who don’t actually understand Burlesque turn a hand to it, often with disastrous consequences.
I’m fortunate enough to count the UK’s Suzie Sequin as a close personal friend and maybe I am a little biased in my views but I do honestly believe that as UK acts go she is one of the best, she also was the person who introduced me to Burlesque and became my “guide” for lack of a better title. Contrary to popular belief Burlesque isn’t all about a load of girls stripping off, the art of the striptease is actually a very small part of Burlesque in its truest sense with the strip coming towards the end of an evening of comedy, literary parody, song and dance. Over the years this has become diluted and now to the modern audience, Burlesque or Neo Burlesque as some circles refer to it is all about the girls, but at its core it’s still about theatre with the key element being not what is seen but the tease and what is not seen.
Traditional dance forms like ballet and belly dancing converge with elaborate costumes to produce an exquisite and tantalizing look at the exotic with nudity being very much a sub element, once again this shows it’s not about “Getting them out for the lads” but more about hiding what is on offer and teasing with the merest glimpses of what gifts the girls possess. It truly is an art form in itself and one that many try, but few can master. To do burlesque justice requires huge amounts of physical and stage presence with more than a small dash of humour on the part of the performer. You need a huge amount of commitment to be a stand out Burlesque act and you need to know how to walk the path of the tease, rather than going down the easy path of the sleaze.
I have had the unfortunate pleasure of watching some appalling supposed Burlesque acts who either try and get through a routine as quickly as possible to get to the end and off stage as quickly as possible, to others that seems to have it confused with stripping. As any proper Burlesque performer will tell you, you can’t just throw on a cheap corset, slap on Vamp red lipstick and get your boobs out to R Kellys Bump and Grind and call yourself a Burlesque performer, doing so not only cheapens the Burlesque art form, but also doesn’t do the performer any favours either.
To do Burlesque right, look at the 30’s and 40’s and earlier, look at glamour –and no we’re not talking a Jordan photo shoot, but more old fashion Hollywood glitz- and see what you can emulate. If pin curls and Nylons are not your thing, look at what humour you can put into a routine and for the love of all that is holy do not look to the film called Burlesque starring Cher and Christina Aguilera for inspiration, if anything look at Cabaret if you need a film to inspire you. The key phrase is don’t go tacky but do go unexpected and never forget it’s not what you see but what you don’t see that counts, after all when it comes to Burlesque you’re not selling the steak, you are selling the sizzle.
No comments:
Post a Comment