Burlesque is a widespread
theatrical phenomenon, involving remarkable social implications, brought back
to the stage by new generations (“new burlesque”), craving for preciousness,
exclusivity, grandeur and allure of Hollywood Golden Age stars and rétro cultural features, departing from
that experience to actualize these kind of performances to contemporary days.
These sparkling paradise pavilions in the black and hypnotic cradle of fiery
shows keep on riding high the revenues of the industry, outshining the slot
machines and the online poker touch screens. The differences with the past
times are huge mainly for the upcoming of capitalism, the proclamation of the
shared values of peace and democracy and of fundamental freedoms. While in the
past burlesque was almost scandalistic and dealt with many troubles because of
the protection of what is intended for public decency, or even obscenity, and
it was not unanimously welcomed by the general public opinion, today is taking
place a new version of this form of art, that rediscovering past theatrical
traditions and ancient icons of femininity, is originally and personally
interpreted to make it available for a new audience, sometimes stretching to
the exaggeration and eccentric plays, careless of false taboos, Christian
assumptions, social prejudices and sometimes ridiculous legal restrictions,
going even beyond the disequality of gender, although these acts are mainly
displayed by women, in an era in which the notion of transgression is outdated
and the greatest scandal is to be homologated and traditional. In a
capitalistic society that tends to forget individuality and cultural
distinctions, seems to be a sort of defence and self protection of the identity
plunging in the memory of facts for showing off a renewal of these kind of
histrionic performances, emphasizing the role of the woman that exhibits
herself transcendentally from time and space, dancing and acting in an
illusionistic dimension of “eternal present” where “art is art”, following the
motto: “Whatever you’re gonna be here…you gotta be in a big way!”.
Burlesque gigs represent
someway an escape from reality. There is a redefinition of stage spaces and a
marginalization of the role of the art director, as burlesquers often claim an
independent artistic expression in about all aspects of the performance,
rejecting any form of paternalistic and chauvinistic mentality and any leading
thread, sometimes denying any form of attachment for slavish imitation of
reality in the theatre.
Surfing the net,
throughout social networks, websites, blogs, forums, such as pinupmodels.org,
suicidegirls, 21st century burlesque magazine, often personal diaries of
burlesque celebrities, starlets and wanna be models, what results is a general
trend to be naked, rather than to be simple, as a psychological meaning of
revealing themselves just the way they are, in their profession as in their
personal life, passing by the updating or advertising of the latest burlesque
revue or photoshoot, going further their weaknesses as well as their points of
strength, their affectations, their whims, their contents ranging from their
routine life things and happenings, such as the birth of the new nephew, last
granma recipe, last bought garment, last photo and relating impressions, last
memorable philosophy and cool quotations, to put in evidence all aspects of
beauty, charm, sex appeal, unfolding their dreams and wishes.
They don’t pretend to be
next door girls they’ve never been but they are the latest bulwark of true
femininity, suspended in a dimension that stays between dream and reality.
Obviously, it’s unleashed the exasperated individualism of our generation, if
compared with the past decades, when it was more common conforming oneself to
some “cultural trends”, in addition to a need of self-affirmation and an
impulse to make a difference, accompanied by a crisis of common religious
values, a flair for hedonism and narcissism, often occurring as a protest
against stereotypes and social formats.
Lately, in fact, the new
burlesque is no more inspired by political facts but is above all the nth
attempt to astonish. These kinds of displays are not all artifice. The
performers don’t want just to mesmerize their public with special effects! On
the contrary, they start from the desire of showing what’s beauty in nature, in
a demystified conceptualization of the body, daring an empowered independence
through pure innocence and parody. Look out! Burlesque halls are places for
open-minded people, free creativity and fun! Not everything is on stage
necessarily belongs to the classical aesthetical parameters of beauty but it
could be for certain aspects stinging and scratching, hovering over the concept
of perfection (it doesn’t matter if you’re slim or fat, with one eye or three
boobs, etc), all focused on the message they want to convey, not attaching
importance on whether the acts will be displayed in a positive or in a Mephistophelian
manner, sometimes representing a form of rebellion and subversion, always
surrounded by a precious and detail-oriented scenery amazing to see.
Chewing over religious
contexts, if we wanna talk of God, for the believers, or some sort of
immorality pointed out by many Christian lobbies, the most widespread in
western societies, often behind politics, getting a lot of money and lawyers,
their opinion is that the body is a god’s gift, worthy of gaze, as all the
other creations. Christians, as well as Jews and Muslims, denounced an outdated
value of the lack of modesty, accused them to undermine the self-esteem of
ordinary women, revendicated an aberrant patriarchic assumption of femininity
(man is to god as woman is to man and man has the right to control woman body
to preserve its lineage), declared that they could cause harm to married women,
when instead these shows are often displayed also by married women, and are
scandalized for their will to compete economically with men, on what dominion
is founded the order of society in the Earth. They picket clubs for purposes of
intimidation, distribute anti-club literature, block club entrances, photograph
patrons and call their families, vandalize clubs. Sexual needs, blamed by these
people, are out of this business and it always depends on the personal will,
etiquette and professionalism of the dancers.
What should be impeded and
regulated is not the way in which the artistic performances are expressed,
grossly protected by the Charter, but what is obscenity, lewd, rowdy, the riff
raff sometimes attracted by the clubs. The overlapping of written rules and
jurisprudence decisions can’t ban exotic dances but can regulate it to death,
sometimes arriving to make even impossible dances and theatrical movements
(arriving to measure centimeters and restrict gestures), consequently
restricting the freedom of expression, and risking to bother their patrons.
Finally, it could be
deduced, as a psychological and socio-anthropological observation, that the
evolution of this artistic phenomenon, harking back to the origins of the
world, highlights an intention of the artists to distinguish themselves, a
certain dose of rebellion, even in the impact the outfits themselves could have
on the audience, often indulging in extravagances, mocking all that is austere
and conformism. In certain occasions, it represents the state and the feeling
of displacement, dispersion and disorientation of young generations, “the
post-modern generation”, their wish of unchaining from family, institutions and
any kind of patterned frameworks, that often impose rules but leave you in the
shallowest solitude to face the uncertainties of modern times that is not so
perfect as it said to be, not granting enough space to the Self and make you
feel compressed and sacrificed on your intimate nature. The key factor of their
success is that they put on scene what anyone wants to see, expressing a need
to dismantle the false and redundant structures imposed, the prejudices and
restricted mentalities, in a debate of what is normal and what is deranging.
Does society start from individual or is the individual that has to follow,
like a slavish dog, a society that doesn’t care about having an open ear for
understanding and meeting his needs, leaving him no more than an endless
precariousness. What would be the answer of governments? Repression?
Limitations? What they really do for us? Giving rules, standards, prohibitions,
rushing times to be respected at the mercy of common stereotypes? If the
community doesn’t start from the individual, then, it's no more wothy to be called like that. By consequence also
political representation (see my “Twilight of idols, liquid society and
post-sovereignism” – crisis of nowadays representative system) lacks of meaning
and, of course, would need reforms.
My book, "Kindergarters - Burlesque in Canada", wants to be a
supporting manifesto for burlesque shows that have the right to be displayed
and the long stories about the danger of harassment should finally have an end,
as any woman should have the right to show off her beauty, intimate features
and express her artistic vein, without being necessarily considered as a
creature to be defended, and could even be
exposed to the gaze of the children, because the evil is in the gaze of the
looker and there’s no ground for causing harm as these plays are performed in
specific venues, often in a stylish and refined environment, and no one is
obliged to pop into them. Generally speaking, surveillance systems and body guards properly
monitor and protect already the security of the dancers against pernicious
customers or other dangers and the worries about the health of the performers are
out of context, because the clubs are generally perfectly sanitized and
cleaned. We don’t live in thriller or dark movies about drugs and aliens
trafficking, women slavery and other crimes that could happen everywhere. Furthermore,
mental and public disorders could arise from many heterogeneous sources, not
for sure from free artistic forms of expression. For this reason, the zoning
rules from churches and schools seem to be evidently unjustified in civil
societies, as these venue should be equally distant from any other building.
So, there’s no point in discriminating in such a way these places and
exhibitions. As times change, the criterion resides in what is in your mind.
What the government should regulate and protect is just violence and
intimidation. The pursuit of economic purposes for sexual activities has
nothing to do with burlesquers and pole dancers. Burlesque is all about sexy,
not sex for money, and the main attraction of these performances is sensuality,
seduction, illusionary promise, enchantment, metaphor and counterfeit intimacy
through verbal and non verbal communication.
Law of attraction, put on
evidence in these shows, but affecting every ordinary man, is a natural
instinct of mankind, leading to perpetuate the species from generation to
generation, and there’s nothing to be afraid of or to be criticized for
displaying nudity, exalting beauty and personally and artistically interpreting
original concepts of a femininity, that is not objectified, but naturally
triggers fantasy and meets pure and sane desires.
These performances, often
accompanied by high quality food and beverage services, have above all the
intention of titillating senses, minds and all sources of pleasure and
well-being by subtle theatrical scenes, taking place in perfumed and
stimulating surroundings. It’s, in fact, finally scientifically demonstrated
that their exhibitions have the power to activate and fertilize neuronal and
sensorial mindsets and, just showing naked skin, dancing, moving, smiling,
shaking, veiling and unveiling, they convey a reminder of our instinctual
origins, turning back to the inner essence of natural life.
