Burlesque changed my life. No seriously this playful, sensuous art changed how I interact with the world. It allows an introverted, secretly shy, girl from a small town in Mississippi to have swagger in everyday situations. Discovering that I could be sexual and powerful; naughty and artistic, helped open my mind not only to aspects of my own personality I was not fully aware of but it also helped create a more flirty, confident, content version of myself. And for introducing me to this safe place where childhood dress up fantasy meets tantalizing delights of the creatively obscene, I will forever be in debt to my two collaborators (a.k.a my sisters in crime). So for the newbies of our dark corner of the web, Burlesque is stage performance where either an individual or a group delight hers/his/their audience by removing articles of their clothing to a music score. This is not to be confused with professional stripping. Unlike paid stripping, Burlesque has a strong undercurrent of both comedy and empowerment of the performer (a trait that is sadly lacking in most professional strip clubs). Burlesque dates back as far as the 17th century in Europe but as it traveled of the pond the emphasis changed. By time American cabarets and clubs picked it up in the 1860’s, bawdy comedy and feminine strip-teases were the norm. Modern Burlesque has expanded upon this idea of combining elaborate strip teases and comedy so that now the art form includes performers of color, all body types and ages, socio-political demonstrations, acrobatics, and yes male performers.

For those who are curious and want to know more, there are several documentaries about Burlesque. One of the best ones I have found that explores the art form while promoting the body positivity and performer empowerment at its core is A Wink and Smile: The Art of Burlesque, a film by Deidre Timmons. Happy Trails!