Burlesque (show)

As an entertaining show, burlesque appeared in Europe in the middle of the 19th century. At that time, the genre was still very close to the poetic tradition of burlesque and was primarily a comedy show. The first famous burlesque show - "British Blondes" under the leadership of Lydia Thompson (1868), which had unprecedented success in the United States. And while, by the beginning of the 20th century, the popularity of burlesque began to fade, giving way to musical comedy , in America it began to develop rapidly. Over time, female nudity began to take center stage in productions - from short skirts of corps de ballet dancers to the complete exposure of artists. To compensate for the inability to dance, the girls began to create exquisite stage costumes, props and decorations for their rooms, which over time became the most important characteristic of the genre. In addition to the dancers, the show usually had several musical numbers, comedians and entertainers participated.

By the mid-1930s, there were more than 150 leading burlesque artists in the United States, including star names such as Sally Rand (inventor of dance with huge fans of feathers, a burlesque business card), Gipsy Rose Lee, Dixie Evans, Tempest Storm, Lily Saint Cyr Blaze Star. Famous jazz composers such as Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart, and comedians May West , Fanny Bryce , Abbott and Costello and many others worked with burlesque theaters.

Gradually, the rooms became more and more frank, the audience more and more frantic, and the uncontrolled consumption of alcohol in burlesque theaters made them all the more dangerous. Despite the unprecedented popularity of prestigious and expensive Broadway shows, in 1935, by order of the mayor of New York, Fiorello LaGuardia, burlesque was banned in New York State. In other states, restrictions were imposed on the burlesque show, which related primarily to the allowed degree of exposure of artists, who now could not appear on stage without a thin bra or “pestis” (decorated and often very expensive stickers on the nipples) and panties. This led to the fact that high-level artists began to devote even more time to costumes and the creation of the show, while not forgetting to undress as part of the rules. At different times in the burlesque theaters appeared rooms with trained birds, under water, on the trapeze, in the decorations, stylized as a boudoir or a luxurious bathroom.

In the 1970s, against the backdrop of the sexual revolution and the heyday of the porn industry , the motto “less show, more body” entered burlesque. At this time, the clubs tried to attract the number of dancers, but not the quality of the show. From there, comedians, musicians, luxurious costumes and scenery gradually began to disappear. By the mid-1970s, burlesque had become what is now called striptease , it seemed forever.

Burlesque (the modern name for the genre is “neo-burlesque”) began to revive in the early 1990s, thanks in large part to the efforts of Dixie Evans, who founded the Exotic World burlesque museum on her ranch in Nevada. To raise funds for the museum’s needs, the annual Miss Exotic World Pageant contest was organized, which over the years has turned into the most prestigious burlesque festival in the world. In 2006, the museum moved to Las Vegas and became known as the “Burlesque Hall of Fame”, and with it the festival, which now gathers thousands of spectators and dozens of artists from around the world under the name “Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend”.

In addition, burlesque festivals are held in most major cities in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand:

• London (London Burlesque Festival, World Burlesque Games)
• Paris (Paris Burlesque Festival)
• Berlin (Berlin Burlesque Festival)
• Rome (Caput Mundi Burlesque Award)
• Stockholm (Stockholm Burlesque Festival)
• Amsterdam (Amsterdam Burlesque Award)
• Geneva (Geneva Burlesque Festival)
• New York (New York Burlesque Festival)
• Richmond (Virginia Burlesque and Sideshow Festival
• Dallas, Las Vegas (Viva Las Vegas)
• New Orleans (New Orleans Burlesque Festival)
• Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Sydney, Perth, Palmerston Norte (New Zealand Burlesque Festival) and so on.

Burlesque appeared in Russia around 2006 and has spread throughout the country in recent years.

In 2012, the first Russian Miss Burlesque festival was held in Moscow, which has since been held annually on the last weekend of April and gathers artists from all over Russia, near and far abroad. The festival is held as a competition in the categories “Best Debut”, “Queen of Traditions”, “Queen of Club Burlesque” (Best dancer), “Queen of Burlesque” (Grand Prix).

In 2017, Alice Spiller’s Shpiller Cabaret (Queen Burlesque 2016, according to the Miss Burlesque festival) was the first weekly burlesque show in Russia, which takes place every Saturday. The project launched the institution Punch & Judy Pub. The project was closed at the end of the year.

In 2017, the first show in Moscow in the style of the classic cabaret Ladies of Burlesque was launched. The show is held regularly (once every 1-2 months) and gathers artists from all over Russia on its stage. "Ladies of Burlesque" takes place in the format of a dinner show in the old-fashioned restaurants of the capital, where guests can not only enjoy burlesque, but also performances of jazz corps de ballet, vocal jazz numbers, comedy entertainers. ^[one]

In 2018, the first Boylesque artist in Russia, Ellisha Fox, made his debut in the Ladies of Burlesque show. ^[one]

• Dita Von Teese
• Showgalls