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Original poster

Burlesque is it grotesque?

156 replies

claig · 23/12/2010 12:39

Very sad state of affairs, burlesque becoming mainstream

Burlesque it's just grotesque

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Original poster
claig · 23/12/2010 18:21

sorry, wikipedia link is
Burlesque

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Original poster
claig · 23/12/2010 18:20

wikipedia

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tethersjinglebellend · 23/12/2010 18:18

Cycling Christ- I have been to loads of burlesque shows, have friends who are burlesque dancers and I think it's the biggest pile of shit I've ever seen.

I have far more respect for the woman who goes around the pub at the end of the night with a pint glass- she is at least honest about what she does (taking off clothes), and is not pretending that she is empowering women.

Burlesque began life as a variety act I believe, but became more... voyeuristic as its popularity declined and customers were needed. I will check on this, does anyone else know?

Moondog has it spot on.

Original poster
claig · 23/12/2010 18:14

The Mail article does acknowledge that it is not just stripping. It says

"The entertainment varies from fire-eating to jugglers and contortionists, but where the genre parts company with the circus is that many acts involve striptease."

There are different types of burlesque, and it was originally a theatrical tradition. But US burlesque essentially came to mean striptease. Isn't it the US movie 'Burlesque' type of burlesque and the Dita Von Teese type of burlesque that is influencing the revival of burlesque here now? Or is it just variety acts with French style bar chanson singers? If they removed the dancers with tassles would they still call it burlesque? What is the essential aspect of burlesque? Isn't it the type of thing quoted in the article?

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vesuvia · 23/12/2010 18:10

mjinsparklystockings wrote - "there is much more to Burlesque than dancing with no/few clothes on, 3 hours of it would have been boring as hell."

Yes, boring for you. Are you their main target audience?

vesuvia · 23/12/2010 18:06

mjinsparklystockings wrote - "Strippers dressed up as Burlesque is not Burlesque though."

That may be the case, but non-stripping burlesque is being hijacked by the stripping variety. I'll be very surprised if, in 10 years from now, stripping burlesque hasn't completely taken over.

I'm thinking of all those men going into the office the next day after the office outing to a burlesque show, saying to the other attendees, "Seeing those male musicians was worth every penny of the ticket price."

That'll be right Hmm

mjinsparklystockings · 23/12/2010 18:06

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scallopsrgreat · 23/12/2010 18:00

But the dancers were all women and they were in various states of undress while dancing? And the men didn't remove any clothes they had on?

mjinsparklystockings · 23/12/2010 17:58

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scallopsrgreat · 23/12/2010 17:56

mj - you went to a burlesque show where all the men on stage remained fully dressed and performed acts other than dancing. The women did the dancing in various states of undress? Is that right?

mjinsparklystockings · 23/12/2010 17:47

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Original poster
claig · 23/12/2010 17:33

I've just looked at the website for the company mentioned in the article and they describe it as a mix of burlesque and cabaret. I am sure that there are all different types of burlesque.

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mjinsparklystockings · 23/12/2010 17:31

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mjinsparklystockings · 23/12/2010 17:29

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Original poster
claig · 23/12/2010 17:28

'If you think it is the province of middle aged bankers and lawyers, then you are very much mistaken.'

You are right, I don't know much about it, except what I read. I didn't know it had spread even further into the mainstream than I thought.

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scottishmummy · 23/12/2010 17:28

david ive never been on fox hunt but find that distasteful. your point is lame, i dont need to have experienced something to not get it

msrisotto · 23/12/2010 17:27

david - you're acting like people can't have an opinion unless they've been there done that which is obviously bollocks. basically you're just being defensive without actually engaging anyones arguments.

Original poster
claig · 23/12/2010 17:26

David51, we haven't been, but Penny Wark of the Daily mail dod go and she said

"The other is that a pert young blonde, ­pretentiously known as Ruby Deshabille, has just removed her clothes in the company of 240 City professionals, who are tucking into a roast dinner. She is wearing nipple ­tassels and not much else, and is the second pert young blonde to undress this evening.
Before the spectators have finished their roast, a third pert young blonde appears. Within three minutes her kit is on the floor and she is jiggling her voluptuous assets for our delectation. Remarkably, it is only 9pm."

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mjinsparklystockings · 23/12/2010 17:25

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David51 · 23/12/2010 17:23

scottishmummy

have never been to burlesque

Thank you that's all we need to know

Obviously if you're going to start out by defining burlesque as a form of striptease you just make it imposssible to have a rational argument. It's like someone who defines an orange as a kind of apple and when you offer to show them an orange they refuse to look at it

scottishmummy · 23/12/2010 17:23

because burlesque is like stripping sexual titillation for money.astonished any buys its re-branding as retro or entertainment

Original poster
claig · 23/12/2010 17:20

I had the good fortune not to be there.

Presumably there are other acts, just like in a circus. The article mentions typical circus type acts like fire-eating etc. Then there is the band and the comedians, so that the middle class lawyers and bankers on company dos can feel that this isn't a sleazy strip club like the one that the non-politically correct premodern working class go too. This is burlesque and the prices prove that it is different.

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msrisotto · 23/12/2010 17:20

I did find Burlesque interesting at first. But then I kind of just saw it for what it really is tbh. Burlesque isn't famous for it's variety acts.

mjinsparklystockings · 23/12/2010 17:19

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HerBeatitude · 23/12/2010 17:16

So there were equal numbers of men stripping? Or were the male acts generally doing acts that meant they were disempowered enough to remain fully clothed?