Burlesque is a form of theatrical entertainment from the early twentieth century that has seen a come back in recent times. Burlesque traditionally consisted of satire and comedy, performance art and adult entertainment typically performed by ladies. The female performers would wear extravagant clothing made up of corsets, stockings and nipple tassels and acts would consist of strip teases, stand up comedy and more extreme acts like fire breathing.
The meaning behind the term burlesque is an interesting one because it means in an upside down style. The performances were specially meant to push social boundaries of the norm and allow artists the freedom and flexibility to create new styles.
Burlesque originated from 19th century music hall entertainment. Burlesque came about as a form of working class entertainment that would poke fun and provide social commentary against the upper classes. This meant a lot of the humpr was considered low brow and vulgar which led to more extreme and risqu? acts being included.
Lots of now infamous comedians and actors were inspired or had their roots in the genre. Everyone from Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope and Abbot and Costello have their roots in burlesque and even Chaplin was a fan.
Back in the late 1990?s burlesque shows began to make a comeback and become more mainstream. Strip tease and cabaret acts became cool with artists like Dita Von Teese grabbing the attention of the media. Most of these acts focused on the burlesque hosiery, wearing either a corset or waist cincher along with seamed stockings and suspenders. Recently performers like the Pussy Cat Dolls donned similar clothing and performed songs in a provocative manner but didn?t have the same sort of attitude of the genre.