Burlesque & The Beatles

In the burlesque world, our acts (the length of one song 3-6 minutes) are often divided into two categories: classic and neo. Classic burlesque is homage to the striptease from 1920s-40s using traditional big band or jazz music. Visually classic burlesque costumes include lots of feathers, rhinestones, even more rhinestones, and luxurious fabrics such as sequins, fur, and silks. Neo-burlesque on the other hand is characterized by the use of contemporary music ranging from Pat Benatar, Dolly Parton, to Motley Crüe. The costuming in neo-burlesque is a lot more lenient and has a wide range. I’ve dressed up as a fetish nun in black PVC corset and thigh high boots as well as Hello Kitty. To put everything in perspective, neo-burlesque is an evolution of classic burlesque. It is the next step for a new generation. No art form can survive without evolution. This is why burlesque died in the first place in an era when strip clubs with their shiny poles and already-nude dancers were on the rise. We grew up in an era where sex is cheap, easy to find, and everywhere. But seduction plus humour are rare. This is why I think burlesque as an art form is experiencing a huge revivalism. I believe it is partially because we as a culture have become desensitized to sexual imagery so the pendulum swings the other way, back to the quaint, old-fashioned imagery of coy pin-up girls showing a hint of their garter belts. I also think it is because the new wave of feminism have allowed women to feel safe and comfortable to explore the power of female sexuality. What does it mean to feel powerful as a woman in this day and age besides being financially independent? What does it feel like to use your female beauty and form and command the attention of every person in the room, male and female alike? It’s about presence. It’s about attitude.

Burlesque is experiencing a huge revivalism that you can see trickling down to mainstream consumer culture. Ever wonder why suddenly every store is selling feather hair clips, fascinators with veils, hair accessories, and vintage-inspired lingerie from the era of cabaret and vaudeville? Corsets and garter belts are easier than ever to find – they are now a regular staple at places like Forever21 and H&M in NYC. Classic burlesque acts are all about the “tease”. It’s the beautiful, glamorous woman dressed in fineries stripping off her exterior garments to reveal even more glamorous interior garments until she is just down to a g-string and rhinestone pasties. It’s about the beauty of the female nude, the elegant lines of the body, the slow caressing of one’s skin. Neo-burlesque acts are much harder to do well, in my opinion. At its worst, it comes across as a lackluster, poorly thought-out dance routine from a bad strip club. It is easy to choose common archetypes such as bad teacher, naughty nurse, schoolgirl, housewife, secretary, or a nun for that matter. But the challenge of doing neo-burlesque is how to re-define the same old archetype that everyone is familiar with and mess with people’s expectations. And yet another challenge is to incorporate the “tease” into one’s character so that there is some kind of motivation for the “strip.” Others may disagree with me on this point whether a character needs a motivation – a reason – to take off her clothes. Does the housewife need to be angry or have spilled something on her to take off her clothes? In my opinion, yes. Especially in neo acts.

This is why I am constantly amazed at the level of brilliance and creativity that the performers bring to my monthly show “Beatles Burlesque” which is happening tonight at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Tonight will be the 19th show and I am STILL amazed by the innovation I see in the interpretation of Beatles songs. The show is persistently written up by TimeOutNY as Critic’s Choice, and it is also the ONLY regular burlesque show in hipster-central Williamsburg. Unlike my other shows, this is one place where we perform with a live band instead of canned music off a CD. Here are some memorable pictures from previous shows of performers’ neo-burlesque interpretations to The Beatles. You can see a bunch more here. To see video clips, click here.