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…
