Burlesque
Encyclopedia : B : BU : BUR : Burlesque
Burlesque was originally a form of art that mocked by imitation, referring to everything from comic sketches to dance routines and usually lampooning the social attitudes of the upper classes. It was often ridiculous in that it imitated several styles, and combined imitations of authors and artists with absurd descriptions. In this, the term was often used interchangeably with "pastiche," "parody," and, at the turn of the 18th century, "mock-heroic." Possibly due to historical social tensions between the upper classes and lower classes of society, much of the humor and entertainment focused on lowbrow and ribald subjects.
In literary criticism, burlesque is often used as a generic term to describe any imitative work that derives humor from an incongruous contrast between style and subject. In this usage, forms of satire such as parody and travesty are types of burlesque (Abrams, 1999). High burlesque refers to a burlesque imitation where a serious style is applied to commonplace or comically inappropriate subject matter — as, for example, in the literary parody and the mock-heroic. Low burlesque applies an irreverent, mocking style to a serious subject; an example is Samuel Butler's Hudibras, which describes the misadventures of a Puritan knight in satiric doggerel verse, using a colloquial idiom.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, burlesque has come to be a genre of adult entertainment, focusing on aspects of humor, satire and sexual tantalization.
History
The genre's origins are rooted in the 1840s, early in the Victorian era, a time of culture clashes between the social rules of established aristocracy and a working-class society. The genre often mocked such established entertainment forms as opera, Shakespearean drama, musicals, and ballet. The costuming (or lack thereof) increasingly focused on forms of dress considered inappropriate for polite society.
By the 1880s, the genre had created some rules for defining itself:
- Minimal costuming, often focusing on the female form.
- Sexually suggestive dialogue, dance, plotlines and staging.
- Quick-witted humor, lacking complexity.
- Short routines or sketches, with minimal plot cohesion across a show.
In the 1990s and 2000s, there has been a large-scale revival of burlesque in the United States and Canada with New Burlesque performers like, Dita Von Teese, Grotesque Burlesque, Dirty Martini, Kitten DeVille, Jo Boobs, The World Famous *BOB*, Scotty the Blue Bunny, Tigger, Julie Atlas Muz, Miss Saturn, Miss Indigo Blue, Sparkly Devil, Ruby Valentine Burlesque's Sweetheart, and troupes such as Fluffgirl Burlesque, The Boston Babydolls, Red Hots Burlesque, Burning Hearts Burlesque, Starshine Burlesque, The Cantankerous Lollies, Burlesque As It Was, The Velvet Hammer, and Burlesque Houston staging burlesque events. Annual burlesque festivals include the New York Burlesque Festival, Tease-O-Rama, The Great Boston Burlesque Exposition and Miss Exotic World. New Burlesque evolved out of the exotica/lounge music revival of the 1990s, which generated an interest in lost American pop culture.
The British burlesque revival has also been immense, performers like Kittie Klaw and the Ministry Of Burlesque have led the way and ensured that the popularity of Burlesque is growing by the day.
In the American sitcom Friends, Chandler's father is the leader of an all-male gay burlesque in Las Vegas, entitled "Viva Las Gaygas."
Notable burlesque performers
- Abbott & Costello
- Robert Alda
- Lili St. Cyr
- Milton Berle
- Fanny Brice
- Jimmy Durante
- Leon Errol
- W.C. Fields
- Mara Gaye
- Jackie Gleason
- Christy Hemme
- Bob Hope
- Bert Lahr
- Gypsy Rose Lee
- Bettie Page
- Molly Picon
- Sally Rand
- Blaze Star
- Red Skelton
- Phil Silvers
- The Three Stooges
- Tempest Storm
- Dita Von Teese
- Mae West
See also
References
- Abrams, M. H. (1999). A Glossary of Literary Terms. Seventh edition. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
- McMahon, Tiberius. "Uniting Exotic And Erotic Dancers Worldwide", [GlobalSecurityReport.com], 2006.
External links
- [Ministry Of Burlesque]
- [Exotic World Burlesque Museum]
- [America's Favorite Burlesque Gameshow- This or That!]
- [Coney Island's Burlesque at the Beach]
- [Vintage Bourbon Street Burlesque]
- [Burlesque Houston: The Space City's Premiere Old-School Burlesque]
- [Website with hundreds of links and photos about strippers and burlesque]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.