In late September 2024, I was presented with an opportunity I wasn’t sure I was ready to accept. My heart and mouth said yes before my fear could catch up. “Yes, I…
Opinion
At fifty-one, I have been getting naked on stages for about two thirds of my life, and I’m certain I will continue for a long time to come. Burlesque for me is…
Overpromising and under-delivering in Burlesque should be studied. I remember shortly after the 2020 George Floyd protests there was a spill of virtue-signaling posts. Daily floods appeared on all timelines about diversity…
When I first started performing burlesque, I did not regard what I was doing as revolutionary. I know many performers understand the political magnitude of striptease right from the beginning, but I…
‘2020 was going to be a big year for me,’ Eliza DeLite says. ‘This time last year I had two international tours booked in, and when I wasn’t on tour I was…
Since 2010, Chicago-based, award-winning burlesque powerhouse Po’Chop has headlined shows across the US, starred in music videos and dance films, and performed at the Brooklyn Museum with Brown Girls Burlesque. She is…
When I was asked by the editor of this illustrious publication to write a piece about the state of burlesque, I hesitated. My twelve years in the industry have witnessed huge changes…
What things her gaze conceals, yet gives acknowledgement to. What horrors, yet what joys. “Josephine Baker” I whisper to myself before shows, willfully propelling myself forward, no matter the obstacles. Others say Josephine…
Kitten LaRue and Lou Henry Hoover, adored collectively as Kitten ‘N’ Lou, were voted No. 1 in the Burlesque TOP 50 2015. With the 2016 poll results soon to be published, the…
Sadie Sinner and Coco Deville report on a disturbing burlesque act involving blackface which came to light on social media today. Not the first. We hope it’s the last. Ed. Sadie Sinner…
I realise we’ve already had quite a tempestuous weekend in the burlesque universe, but I arrived home today to yet another attack on a burlesque and cabaret critic because the performer and…
The founder of retro lingerie brand What Katie Did decided to celebrate International Women’s Day by blowing off both of her feet with a shotgun on social media. “#inspiringwomen – yes!” she…
Introducing a guest post from Mary Cyn. Feel free to share your view on this topic in the comments section below. Years ago, my former boss went to a burlesque show. He…
By now, most of us have seen a certain article that recently resurfaced – one titled ‘The Shittiest Burlesque I’ve Ever Seen’ [no longer available. Ed]. I want to believe that the…
Take ten minutes out of your evening to watch this brave video from Jeez Loueez, outlining some of her concerns after participating in the New Orleans Burlesque Festival. The following is an introduction…
I am a member of the New York City burlesque community. I started performing nearly four years ago, jumping into the ‘behind the scenes’ aspects of shows shortly following my debut and graduation from the…
The burlesque scene is not a universally inclusive, comforting safe haven where you can spend your days high-fiving other ‘empowered’ women and singing Kumbaya around a warm, cosy campfire toasting rhinestone covered marshmallows.
The burlesque community is driven and exuberant. We push ourselves to bring our fabulous visions to life. We entertain audiences well into the wee hours of the morning at bars, theatres and…
21st Century Burlesque Magazine reached out to iconic burlesque superstar Dirty Martini for her reaction to Lucky Pierre’s decision to drop burlesque performer Ruby Rage because of her size, and their public…
Before I was fully awake this morning in London my inbox was filling up with reports from New Orleans about Lucky Pierre’s, which hosts The Blue Book Cabaret, produced by Burlesque TOP…
And now, a badass public service announcement from Shan De Leers… It was so much more difficult to write this than I thought it would be. It is such a trivial thing…
A little post about body modification, elective surgery and the joys of changing your body in the age of the Internet. This was spurred by comments I see on Instagram on people’s…
As we kick off a New Year – and wait for the Burlesque TOP 50 results – here is a chance to catch up on some essential burlesque reading. Here are your…
Following Dangrrr Doll’s piece earlier this week on The Cost of Burlesque, Jo Weldon presents The Value of Burlesque… Learning that you must GIVE value as well as HAVE value will help…
The Cost of Burlesque, by Dangrrr Doll. Good morning, world! In the past several days on my Facebook, which unsurprisingly has a very specific mix of naked people and nerdy people, I’ve…
It all started when I received yet another message from a newer performer wanting to get out there in the scene, wanting to do festivals, wanting to headline. Then I wait for…
I have been doing burlesque for almost eight years now. That, by no means, makes me some sort of expert. I feel like I am always learning something with every corner I…
I am sure that somebody has touched on this subject before, but I thought I would suggest my own rendition anyway! As a neo-burlesque dancer, I am often presented with assumptions about…
Burlesque performer Dottie Lux attended a meeting with Facebook last week to discuss the Facebook Real Name Policy affecting performers, the GLBTQ community, and other individuals across the world. The issue and…
10 Ways to Produce a Burlesque Show Safe from Misogyny, by Dottie Lux. Share your view in the comments section below… Warning: this list speaks to burlesque performers as women. I acknowledge…
Editor’s Note: Kate Valentine, also known as celebrated burlesque host Miss Astrid, is the creator of The Va Va Voom Room (1997), a contemporary pioneer, and one of the best emcees in…
If there’s one thing a 10th anniversary inspires, it’s decadent* introspection. Having only recently celebrated my own Aluminum Anniversary in the ecdysiastical arts, I’ve been just full of Terribly Important And Insightful…
Words and opinions by Punani Difranco. I recently came across a video — posted on a good friend’s wall — of a comedian doing a piece of ‘feminist burlesque’*. She didn’t take…
This past Friday, a sideshow performer named Rush Aaron Hicks made the decision to perform in blackface at New York’s most well-renowned neo-burlesque palace, the Slipper Room. I did not see the…
Last night, social networks were frothing with a range of responses to comedian Nadia Kamil’s ‘Feminist Burlesque’ routine, which she builds up to by taking cheap shots at respected burlesque performer Honey…
Disclaimer: This article was not requested or commissioned by the burlesque performer concerned and care has been taken to highlight this issue in a way that does not go against her wishes…
Required burlesque reading, courtesy of Dr. Lucky. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. “I didn’t know you still perform,” a young performer said to me at…
Race and Burlesque: The curious case of the performer of colour, by Chocolat The Extraordinaire. It was around 2003 that I started going to Lady Luck Club, an underground nightclub playing vintage…
Enjoy this New Year message from the heart and mind of Lola Frost… My greatest fear is holding back. The holding back of any expression possibly lost due to fear and the…
by Lola Frost. There is a danger to the word sexy. It’s like a preloaded gun that someone handed to you to use but you didn’t ask for it in the first…
Sydni Deveraux tackles ‘Bullies in Burlesque’… ** Note from the editor: The decision to publish full or extracts from email correspondence is made on a case by case basis. All names and…
When I was eight years old, I told my mother I wanted to be a stripper. She looked at me with her young and caring eyes, wise past her years, and simply…
A thought-provoking piece from UK performer Miss Glory Pearl. Please feel free to comment on this article in the comments section below… The Burlesque Community; it’s an odd phrase. There’s no denying…
by Penny Starr Jr. This post is coming, in part, from two articles written recently about burlesque. The first is the ‘State of the (Burlesque) Union Address’ from last year’s BurlyCon, as…
You know the joke, right? Q: What’s the difference between a burlesque dancer and a stripper? A: A stripper makes money. Of all the things in the world, why do Burlesque? Sometimes,…
A Note from the Editor This is a compilation of two speeches given at BurlyCon 2011 by Kate Valentine – creator of The Va Va Voom Room (1997), a contemporary pioneer, and…