Burlesque is making a comeback across the United States. <br /><br />Stars like Dita Von Teese, movies like ‘Burlesque’ with Christina Aguilera and Cher, or ‘Moulin Rouge’ with Nicole Kidman, have encouraged a lot of women to choose burlesque performance as a profession – and these ladies see the job as an art form. <br /><br />As a result the genre has had a real renaissance.<br /><br />“When you can bring in artistry and costuming and dance and music, it becomes much more than just a striptease. It’s this huge collaborative art, and I think that’s what the big popularity is,” says Trixie Minx.<br /><br />In recent decades, there has been a revival of burlesque, sometimes called neo-burlesque. We are told there is a new generation out there nostalgic for the spectacle and perceived glamour of classic American burlesque.<br /><br />“Most major cities have a burlesque troupe – or five. Seattle, Chicago, New York. The Carolinas have a couple of really large troupes that have been around for a while. New Orleans is huge with the burlesque scene. Atlanta,” says Mama Dixie.<br /><br />While “classic” burlesque consisted of women undressing and men telling jokes, today’s shows are more varied and have higher production values.<br /><br />“When you’re doing it on stage in front of a bunch of people with a live band there’s so much that can go wrong. And when you nail it, you are telling yourself, ‘Wow! I did it! This is great.’”, says Tesla Coil. These performers certainly know how to coin good stage names!<br /><br />For the artistes it is also about self-confidence when they go on stage and do their show.<br /><br />“I think that burlesque, when it’s seen, it’s so clear,” agrees Trixie Minx. “It’s a sense of female empowerment. You’re literally revealing yourself to an audience, and they’re cheering and screaming every bit of the way.”<br /><br />In the end everyone involved insists burlesque is about having fun. The word derives from the Italian burlesco, which, in turn, is derived from the Italian burla – a joke, ridicule or mockery.
