essential elements of burlesque

[Carly May Carnage]

what would all of you lovely ladies say are some essential elements of burlesque?

for me, the main two would have to be: energy (read: enthusiasm) and CURVES!

this comes about from having seen a performance from the "local burlesque troupe" in my city, only to be met with stick thin gaunt skeleton girls barely sashaying round the stage at all, with NO energy (oh well, who could blame them, lookked like they hadn't eaten for a week) and no enthusiasm whatsoever. AND NO CURVES! not a single curve among them.

i felt so incredibly ripped off. made me consider forming my own troupe of girls who actually WANT to be doing it, and have moneymakers to shake!

so tell me what YOUR essential elements of a GREAT and MEMORABLE (ie, keep you wanting to come back for more) burlesque performance.

[Soda Shop Sue]

- vintage or tiki themed music, FOR SURE
- a good theme, and props to go along with it
- hand crafted costume
- great facal gestures, like i said in a different forum, "i think burly-Q has alot to do with pinup, and it is important for a bulesque dancer to creat poses thru her routine," and hold it for a second, or relay that moment to the audience in the best of her ability... i love that!
- again, COOL PROPS!!!! oversized are the BEST!!!!

[Anna Steasya]

I agree with both of you. I would say music, performer's personality, and costuming. I also think that if the performers enjoy working with each other it shows.

[Kitty Irreverent]

I tend to agree with the Enthusiasm level. I hate watching and working with performers who look like they'd rather be washing their hair then performing.

As a producer and performer I place a huge amount of value in what the performers and myself look like on stage. I want performers who have costumes that look like they took time to craft and build, not like they were purchase in Target's halloween isle, or pieced together randomly. I also want performers to look like performers, not like they're headed to the store and happened to stop in and do a show first. Hair, make-up, and the way the girl carries herself does a lot for the show, the audience and the performance.

[Roxi Dlite]

The great thing about the burlesque revival is that ALL women are accepted. All shapes and ALL sizes. There are lots of styles to burlesque, from classic to neo. I tend to be more of a traditionalist. It seems that everyone has jumped on this huge burlesque revival. What once used to be underground is now becoming more mainstream, which makes me a little sad. Not all performers are going to be mind blowing, but they deserve applause for getting up there and giving it a shot. I think its great that you were inspired to form your own troupe, so I guess you can say they did inspire you.

For me, essential elements of a great memorable burlesque show are music, costuming, and how you build your show. Taking time to perfect poses and movements that match the mood of the music and show. Find your inner burlesque starlet and roll with it.

Good luck with your troupe!

xoxo
Roxi Dlite

[Maila Mustang]

Lol. I agree with your rant about no curves. Im hoping to start gaining 20 pounds just so I can look good doing burlesque. I only weigh 100 pounds. I look silly dancing with cloths on, let alone half naked.
CURVES is an essential to burlesque. When you say the word burlesque it sounds like it has curve.
Custom and glamorous costumes and porps to match.
Everything must be themed and matching. Matching things seems to be important, so you don't just look like you threw a bunch of stuff on. If your gown is pink, your underdress, panel skirt, bra, pantie, corset, pasties, g-string and shoes are PINK.

[Maila Mustang]

Oh and I forgot. Making people laugh with you is important in having a memorable performance.

[Mimi First]

Essentials Elements of Burlesque:
- real un-edited, un-airbrushed, un-coached, un-filtered women showing you what they think is sexy!
- a few well timed and suggestive movements, (ie..shimmys, bumps, grinds etc...)
- elements of the unexpected either gags, gimicks, or smart reveals showing skin in a smart not gratuitous way and in such a way that is playful and provocative.
- a live and lively audience
- music and costuming that inspire.

If done right you'll leave the show wanting to see more, feeling a bit randy, and humming a song you just can't get out of your head. If done poorly you'll leave the show feeling bad for the girls and wishing you lived during the time of Ziegfeld's Follies.

I also have to agree with Sue that for a performer good facial expressivity and body posturing are so important in creating the glamour.

[Infamous Nina Nightshade]

I agree that the energy of the dancer is important, however the energy of the audience is what feeds me when I perform. They have fun, it's better for me... Also, confidence... Even when the girl is doing the coquette thing, she has to show that she still has a hold over the audience. Finally, I'd say grace, I like to know that there's a dancer, a real dancer, under those pasties and ruffles...
What a thought provoking conversation! Thanks for starting it!
Nina

[Carly May Carnage]

i am loving all of your comments girs, lets keep the conversation going!

tell me MORE of what you LOVE in your perfect burlesque show!

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

Confidence! I wanna see that the girl up there loves being up there. Also good, MATCHING, costumes and props. With those two things, you have the making of a great performance.

[Eartha Delights]

I gotta go with personality and gimmick - whether it be comedy, interesting prop use, carnival tricks, or whatever. If a performer is beautiful and confident, I might enjoy her performance, but without a gimmick I won't remember or be truly impressed by it.

[Red Light Burlesque School of Bump and Grind]

SELF CONFIDENCE is number 1!!! It's better than your favorite lip gloss or pair of spangley shoes. I sincerely believe this because if you're running around up there w/out it, your audience isn't going to buy it.

Also, I'm a firm believer in the fact that if you go on stage in your plain panties, it's not burlesque. Sparkles, ruffles, fringe, and all sorts of fun surprises is what separate us (burlyq gals) from the animals. I cannot tell you how annoyed I get when I see some lazy girl in a white wal mart slip and sad little boa onstage. Even if she's the most amazing performer ever I'm going to be turned off by the lack of effort. It's about the glamour. On that note, I'm going to have to agree with all the ladies that said stage hair and make up is paramount. It's all about creating an atmosphere and those are finishing touches that will pull together your look or ruin it. Don't be afraid of some fake hair! It will make your life a lot easier in the long run.

Music is key. Consider the event you're at which you're performing. I love doing more fetish/punk numbers but I'm not going to pull those out at say the Lonestar Roundup show at the Continental Club here in Austin. Like I said before, it's all about atmosphere and mood.

And also, have fun! That's the name of the game folks. I guess that goes along w/the whole energy thing as well, but I don't want to look at some girl that's bored up there. I know I've gone out on occasions where I just wanted to get it over with because I was overworked or tired and you can read it all over the performance. The people payed their money for a good time so it's up to us to give it to them!

Viva la tease!!

xoxoxo
Dixie