Burlesque Shimmies its Way Into the Mainstream

Looking for a way to heat up on the colder fall nights ahead? Think about catching a bawdy burlesque show. The sometimes blush-inducing entertainment, which focuses more on the tease than the strip, is once again gaining in popularity. And we’re all for it.

"True burlesque is more of a kitschy Vaudeville act than anything else. It's all about the art of the striptease, a cheeky and titillating performance that can induce chuckles, cheers and longing sighs all at once," Houston burlesque fan Katie Laird told the Associated Press. "Performance is the key word here, not naked gyrations for dirty dollar bills."

In Chicago, the famed Music Box theater holds midnight burlesque shows featuring women channeling Gypsy Lee Rose in feather boas and fishnet stockings. Some performers dress as 1950s housewives, while others go for the sexy secretary look. The performance also typically includes several male "boylesque" performers, a campy magic show and slapstick comedy acts.

As you might imagine, not everyone is excited about the racy renaissance, and some are pushing to deem it "adult entertainment," a label that makes burlesque purists bristle.

"Even my super-conservative grandmother is totally OK with it," said Cherokee Rose, a member of the Chicago Starlets, a burlesque group. Rose is trying to get a day job in the psychology field, which is why she only gave her stage name. "I wish people in my field were more accepting of this," she said. "But sadly, they're not."

In New York, burlesque performer Tara Lee Heffner filed a lawsuit against the Learning Annex for referring to her as a "porn star" in an online ad for classes she was teaching, claiming the label damaged her reputation.

This summer, London club owner Alex Proud shut down a long-running burlesque show after the city insisted he obtain an adult entertainment license. "There's no doubt that some men watch burlesque and find it as sexy as other forms of entertainment," said Proud. "But at the end of the day, the naked bit lasts about three seconds."

Burlesque might not be a night out at the strip joint, but it sure seems like a lot of fun.

Photo courtesy of Steve Hopson via Wikimedia Commons