The word “burlesque” dates to 1660s, when it was a "derisive imitation, grotesque parody." It stems from the French burlesque (16c.), and from Italian burlesco (meaning "joke, fun, mockery"). Other etymologists have suggested burlesque derives from the Late Latin burra; meaning "trifle, nonsense," literally "flock of wool”. The 1854 the Encyclopædia Britannica, or, Dictionary of arts, sciences defines burlesque as ‘a species of composition, which, though a great engine of ridicule, is not confined to the ridiculous alone.’ Our modern sense of burlesque as a "variety show featuring striptease" is American English, and dates from 1870. Victorian burlesque was designed to ridicule and tease. Famous works of Shakespeare, Virgil and Homer were all popular burlesque parodies. The burlesques usually contained an element of bawdiness (women dressed as men and slightly risqué dancing.). The Victorian burlesque humour was closer in style to our modern pantomimes than the burlesque you see on stage today.
There have been numerous claims made as to who was the first striptease artist. The term "striptease" was first recorded in 1932, but "stripping", in the sense of women removing clothing in a sexual performance is recorded throughout history. In ancient Greece, the auletrides were female sex workers who were also skilled dancers, acrobats, and musicians. Its recorded that they often danced naked in front of audiences of men
What we would consider striptease started emerging across America and Europe at the end of the nineteenth century; the Parisian Moulin Rouge, and the American vaudeville and burlesque circuits, all began to feature erotic dance performances. Maud Allan scandalised London with her sensual dance of the seven veils in 1900. Courtesan, Mata Hari, draw huge crowds across Europe with her take on exotic belly dancing. In the 1930s, in England, Laura Henderson started putting on nude shows in the Windmill Theatre and Josephine Baker danced in a banana skirt, semi-nude, in Paris.
In the 1920s and 30s “star strippers” such as Gypsy Rose Lee became famous for ‘leaving them wanting more.’ In the 1950s, burlesque as we would recognise today was all the rage. Artists like Tempest Storm, Blaze Starr, Candy Barr, Lottie ‘The Body’, and Sherry Britton shimmied, twirled and glittered their way around the globe. The 1960s, stripping and topless ‘go-go’ dancers began to replace the gentler, kitsch of burlesque and it began to fade away; by the 1970s burlesque had all but died out everywhere.
The 1990s saw the emergence of the "Neo-burlesque" movement, which pioneered the revival and updating of the traditions of burlesque. Stars such as Dita Von Teese and Immodesty Blaze took the art to new audiences and inspired a new generation of to reach for the tassels.
There have been numerous claims made as to who was the first striptease artist. The term "striptease" was first recorded in 1932, but "stripping", in the sense of women removing clothing in a sexual performance is recorded throughout history. In ancient Greece, the auletrides were female sex workers who were also skilled dancers, acrobats, and musicians. Its recorded that they often danced naked in front of audiences of men
What we would consider striptease started emerging across America and Europe at the end of the nineteenth century; the Parisian Moulin Rouge, and the American vaudeville and burlesque circuits, all began to feature erotic dance performances. Maud Allan scandalised London with her sensual dance of the seven veils in 1900. Courtesan, Mata Hari, draw huge crowds across Europe with her take on exotic belly dancing. In the 1930s, in England, Laura Henderson started putting on nude shows in the Windmill Theatre and Josephine Baker danced in a banana skirt, semi-nude, in Paris.
In the 1920s and 30s “star strippers” such as Gypsy Rose Lee became famous for ‘leaving them wanting more.’ In the 1950s, burlesque as we would recognise today was all the rage. Artists like Tempest Storm, Blaze Starr, Candy Barr, Lottie ‘The Body’, and Sherry Britton shimmied, twirled and glittered their way around the globe. The 1960s, stripping and topless ‘go-go’ dancers began to replace the gentler, kitsch of burlesque and it began to fade away; by the 1970s burlesque had all but died out everywhere.
The 1990s saw the emergence of the "Neo-burlesque" movement, which pioneered the revival and updating of the traditions of burlesque. Stars such as Dita Von Teese and Immodesty Blaze took the art to new audiences and inspired a new generation of to reach for the tassels.