Real WOW photos of Jo and I performing our burlesque feather fan dance at Lindy Focus, taken by Colin Butler. Thanks Colin, very saucy!

I’m recovering now from the charming Provence Swing Festival, in France. Here’s two videos – first, of our brand new Lindy Classic routine, and second, of a short feather fan dance I did. The classic routine is to Scram, by Fats Waller. Enjoy!

Wishlist #3: A giant glass to splash in…

Who knows what the attraction is to a pretty girl splashing around in a giant martini glass or champagne saucer? I’ve only seen it live once (Dita Von Teese in Senigallia, Italy), but it is every bit as enticing as it sounds.

And guess what!? Tonight I’m going to be performing with one, at a New Years Eve ball here in Perth! Hoorah!  Finally, I get to check one item off my Showgirl Wishlist! Will try to post photos or video soon!

Burlesque Frequently Asked Questions Part 4
Does burlesque involve nudity?

Not necessarily. If you go to a modern neo-burlesque night, you will probably see a variety of acts, most of which will involve an element of tease, and some of which will have the performer stripping down to her underwear and maybe even to pasties (nipple covers, maybe with tassels attached). But you will just as likely see a number of acts that do not involve nudity at all. For example, Sugar Blue Burlesque‘s particular brand of burlesque is based in authentic vintage dance and costume, and does not always involve any nudity, winding burlesque back to its earlier days before nudity was commonplace. The ladies of Sugar Blue Burlesque aim to be tease-artistes extraordinaire, dazzling with their dance steps and smiles, with plenty of tease but no sleaze.

In many ways, burlesque is a lost art. We’ve been desensitised by explicit sex and nudity in the media, on film, television and the Internet, we’ve been desexitised! Want to see full nudity? You can get it at any local strip club, every second website, or, just flip on the television after midnight and watch the ads. Want to see scantily clad girls bumping and grinding? Just watch MTV. For me, burlesque isn’t about nudity, it’s about the tease! It’s about allure, about mystery and glamour, everything we’re missing in today’s society. Though it may have been scandalously saucy in the early 20th century, against the backdrop of the 21st century, burlesque is an innocent and playful approach to women’s sexuality. Today, it is most definitely more tantalizing to conceal than to reveal!

Photo: Sally Rand, courtesy of KPM Associates.

Wish List #2: A really big pussycat…

When Josephine Baker opened at the Casino de Paris in 1930 she was presented with a pet Leopard named Chiquita, who would appear with her onstage, and who she would walk on a diamond leash through the streets of Paris. Social commentators stated they were never sure which end of the leash held the wild animal.

A girl can dream…

Wish list #1: A giant moon to lounge on.

The paper moon effect has been a popular photography set, since photography’s earliest days, and has become a covetable glamour set piece for cabaret and burlesque performers…. including me! I want one!

Burlesque Frequently Asked Questions Part 3
What is the difference between burlesque and stripping?

The main difference between burlesque and stripping is the idea of the tease. Stripping is simply about revealing nudity, whereas burlesque is an entertainment art, based around dance, musicality and the art of the tease. For instance, in the time that it would take your average strip-act to have removed the entirety of their clothing, a burlesque performer may have only just finished peeling off her satin glove, before sashaying off-stage with a wink. Despite the fact that every audience member has their bare hands on display for all to see, the tension built up by the tease, the anticipation of catching a glimpse of her naked wrist, her palm, her fingers, mean every audience member is spellbound!

Burlesque also evolved alongside vaudeville and cabaret, so it has an entertainment focus that is missing in stripping. Burlesque is often light-hearted, involving comedy, parody or theatrical elements. And of course, modern burlesque celebrates real women with real bodies. If you’re looking for fake tan and plastic perfection, go to a strip club. If you’re looking for vintage glamour, sophistication, spectacular entertainment and a little bit of fantasy, see a burlesque show!

Photo: Dixie Evans

Sally Rand feather fan dance video:

Born as Harriet Helen Gould Beck, the young Sally Rand literally ran away to join a carnival as a teenager. Over the years she worked as a nighclub cigarette girl, life model, cafe dancer and stage actress (working under the name Billie Beck), before finding herself in Hollywood, where she landed some roles in silent films in the 1920s. Cecil B. deMille gave her the new name Sally Rand as her career blossomed, and she was even named a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1927 (other recipients included Clara Bow, Mary Astor, Joan Crawford, Dolores Del Rio, Fay Wray, Loretta Young and Ginger Rogers).  However, the arrival of sound in motion picture brought the end to her film career, allegedly because of a lisp.

In the late 1920s she began to work as a chorusgirl and then in 1932 responded to an ad at the Paramount Club in Chicago, calling for ‘exotic acts and dancers’. She purchased two large ostrich feather fans at a second-hand store, with the intention of procuring for herself a flowing Grecian robe to wear for the act also. Running out of time, she instead performed the act naked, dancing gracefully with her feather fans to the classical tune Claire de Lune, swirling the 7-foot pink fans as she danced to cover herself, never offering more than a momentary glimpse of her bare skin. Though she promised the Paramount managers the act would be even better with the gown, not surprisingly they insisted that she continue the act exactly as it was.

Not long after this, unable to gain a role at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, she staged a Lady Godiva inspired stunt at the gates, arriving entirely nude, atop a white horse. The scandal boosted the World Fair’s popularity and Sally became a featured performer in the ‘Streets of Paris’ exhibition, performing her feather fan dance in a mock Parisian street scene.

Though she found herself in court under charges of indecency, the entire event catapulted her to stardom. She became a burlesque headliner and a household name. At the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair, Sally debuted a new act that would become another of her signatures. The bubble dance involved a translucent balloon bubble, larger than Sally herself. She had fronted the funds for the scientific experimentation to  create this bubble herself. In 1934 she also appeared in the film Bolero, in which she performs her fan dance.

Quick Facts
Birth Name: Harriet Helen Gould Beck
Birth Place: Missouri
Birth Date: 3rd April 1904
Height: only 5′ 1″
Figure: 35-22-35
Died: 31st August 1979 in Glendora, California

To find out more about Sally Rand, visit The Fantabulous Sally Rand to read her entire tale.

Burlesque Frequently Asked Questions Part 2
Is all burlesque the same?

Burlesque takes many different manifestations, as varied and unique as the many individuals who strut the burlesque stage. Burlesque is not a danceform that you need to conform to, but a danceform that moulds to your individual tastes, style and body type. Burlesque is for everyone! Your personality, your body type, your musical instincts and your personal inspirations will influence your particular brand of burlesque.

At Sugar Blue Burlesque we adore the 1920s, 30s and 40s and we love authentic vintage jazz and swing dances. But you might be a burlesque beauty of the bell epoque, a glitter and glam burlesque showgirl, or maybe punk-rock burlesque might be you thing, or gothic burlesque, burlesque-a-go-go, even boylesque… anything you can imagine!

Photo above of Sugar Blue Burlesque‘s A’dora Derriere.
Taken by David Woolley: www.vintageglamourphotography.com