As the song goes…. ‘Where do you go to my
lovely …. ?’
 |
| Traditional Burlesque |
So you have a lovey outfit, fab shoes and a
fashionable hairdo, the next question is where to go to show them off.
My enjoyment comes from going out to venues
and places such as restaurants, night clubs, concerts and dances.
Living in the South West of the UK we have
to drive for at least an hour in any direction for a nice venue, so a night out
is an important event and quite a commitment.
We often try to tie some shopping in with a
visit to the cinema, ballet or theater with a meal to round off the night.
 |
| Dawn - enjoying a Burlesque show |
Getting dressed up for a lovely night out
with friends is a great experience and just having a meal is something just
about anyone can do. It just takes a little positive thinking to take the first
step and you soon realise that you are just another paying customer and there
is no big deal.
I frequently use the Pizza Express chain as
they seem to have a very supportive policy towards TG individuals, not that
I’ve ever looked up their policy, but from visiting numerous venues all over
the country. I have always been treated with respect and exactly like all the
other customers. (Which is exactly how it should be!)
Going to the cinema or theater are also
great venues to visit as you can spend the night out in a nice outfit whilst
enjoying the latest production with minimal interaction with others unless you
want to.
We have been to various venues all over the
UK to see shows and ballets and on occasions have struck up conversations with
people sitting next to us about a whole range of subjects. Chances are that
you’ll never meet them again but have shared the event and connected with them
on different levels.
However our favorite event for a fun night
out is a ‘Burlesque’ show!
We are very lucky in that there is a high
quality Burlesque venue in the South West that holds shows every few weeks,
attracting some of the best dancers in the world who perform some wonderful
dances that titivate and tantalize, with out being smutty.
 |
| The Performance - Its All About Titivation |
So, what is Burlesque I hear you ask….
Burlesque has its origins in the music
halls and vaudeville theater houses where short sketches were needed to
entertain the patrons during the resetting of the stage in between acts, and
keep the audience from becoming impatient.
So a saucy, humorous art form developed
which has progressed to encompass political satire, acrobatics, classical
ballet and a host of other skills whilst seductively removing clothing with out
becoming crude.
The dances are all unique and loosely
follow a basic form in how the clothes are removed, then discarded, how each
body part is displayed, ending in the grand ‘reveal’.
Its often humorous, and may have some
slapstick thrown in for good measure. There is a classical style which employs
the use of ostrich feather fans and seductive posing that is enchanting to
watch.
 |
| Outfits can be outrageous - Violet Chanchki |
The audience that attends these events are
often very keen to participate in the event by dressing the part. A mixture of
‘Betty Page’, rock-a-Billy, 1950’s retro styles, coupled with steam punk, top
hat and tails or jazz band bowlers tend to reflect the ‘anything goes’ attitude
to the events. Transgender is just part
of the flavor of the evening and often well supported by all. The burlesque
crowed are generally supportive of anything ‘alterative in nature’, and
non-judgmental of others.
 |
| Audience Participation is Expected !! |
The idea of Burlesque incorporates something
along the lines of the French ‘Mullion Rouge’ night club with corsets,
stockings and feathers are seen in abundance both on and off the stage. It’s a
place to see and be seen ! Often the audiences’ outfits can outshine the acts!!
The performers work hard to keep their acts
fresh so often display new material, with more outrageous and inventive
costumes which they find more adventurous ways of removing whilst on stage.
Classical burlesque is very stylish – as an
example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS9bGPvZmmM
The expectation of a burlesque show requires
active participation by the audiences, and include whooping, cheering clapping
and stamping of feet when the performers discard an article of apparel or
performs a cheeky action that titivates the crowd.
 |
| Yes - you get to see a lot of flesh -But its in the best possible taste ! |
There are a few drag performers who perform
Burlesque. Often the drag performer is comic in nature, which falls in line
with the burlesque scene, however some are more classical.
One is Violet Chanchki, (http://violetchachki.net) who performs a
variety of styles, one of which is an aerobatic act involving a hoop, where she
removes her costume while swinging high above the stage.
 |
| Violet Chanchki |
Vintage female impersonator, Vicki Lynn, performed with the likes of Betty
Page and Tempest Strom in the 1950’s setting the standard for others to follow.
 |
| The Gorgeous Vick Lynn |
Burlesque is seen as an empowering event,
as it is not focused on the ‘perfect body’, as many plus sized, disabled and
coloured performers, as well as ‘Boylesque’ dancers take to the stage to give wonderful performances that would
knock your socks off!!
 |
| Positive role models and empowerment |
For example Jacqueline Boxx performs in her wheel chair and explains how performing
makes her feel
There are events going on all over the
world and it’s a fab night out – so give it a go and see if you enjoy it as
much as I do.
 |
| Dawn with the Cafe de Paris Burlesque dancers |
Note - I have linked youtube clips and uploaded some photos of dancers from the internet
No comments:
Post a Comment