---------- Forwarded message
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De: Michael Flores from The Global Psychotronic Film Society
<wreckingcrewdirector@substack.com>
Date: sábado, 24/05/2025 à(s) 18:33
Subject: Ladies and gentlemen: THIS IS BURLESQUE! Part 1: The dance begins
To: <jorgenuno.cardoso@gmail.com>
Ladies and gentlemen: THIS IS
BURLESQUE! Part 1: The dance begins
Imagine a time when burlyq dancers didn't
hustle men out of their money and women were in the audience as well as men.
Where the dancer had to have an act, not just go onstage naked. That's
burlesque!
Quote: By modern
standards, the burlesque dancers of the 1860's through the 1890s barely
deserve notice for their attire - tights covering their legs from foot to
waist, many wore long sleeves to cover their arms and nary a spot of cleavage
to be found.
Burlesque began in the
United States when Lydia Thompson brought her troupe, the British Blondes, to
New York City stages in 1868.
They presented the image
of a woman who willfully defied the place society had dictated. Through
exaggerated humor, performers addressed political issues of the day and spoke
freely and challenged the men in their audience. Read the full story and see the
pics here early burlyq
Mabel Santley Was one of
the first stars and pioneer of early Burlesque in the 1870's. Became part
owner of the Leavitt's 'Mme. Rentz's Female Minstrels' (1869) to the newer
'Rentz-Santley Novelty company' in the 1879 along with her partnerMichael B.
Leavitt (1843-1935) and Sam T. Jacks as manger. Leavett already owned
theRentz's Circus (aka: Mme. Rentz's Female Minstrels') and at first Mabel
was the star Blackface attraction.
The show was later
renamed to include Santley. This traveling show was where the term Burlesque
would be defined and be copied by the likes of and others. Mabel was arrested
at least once in her career for indecent exposure during the Can-Can when she
lifted her skirt on 3/1879. The first burlyq dancer
ever filmed: "Trapeze Disrobing Act" (1901) - Thomas Edison Studios,
vintage burlesque
By the 1930’s, Sally Rand
emerged as a superstar. She and the World’s Fair producers had arranged for
her to be arrested repeatedly causing the press to go into a frenzy. She was
usually back at work within an hour! Click on WATCH ON YOUTUBE: Here is home movie
footage of the fair and Sally Rand. Children were allowed to see her shows! The Beloved Dancer, LILLY
CHRISTINE, she is the cat girl dancer in the video: Lilly Christine emerged
in the 1940’s and was beloved by all the competitive dancers of the day:
Gypsy Rose Lee dominates
the 20th century. She would write hit broadway plays, wrote Hollywood movies,
acted in movies, wrote books, she even did a talk show when women were never
hosts. In many ways she was like Dita Von Teese today. Her dancers in her
troupe- also drew women who loved her patter, talking, while stripping. You
can see them in this photo:
Gypsy has her arm raised.
Her book, THE G STRING MURDERS was turned into an incredible movie that
captured the behind the scenes world of burlyq. The star, Barbara Stanwyck,
had been a Ziegfeld girl appearing with very little clothes on and posing
nude. I think that’s why she’s so great in Gypsy’s film:
Natalie Wood played Gypsy
Rose Lee in the 1962 film GYPSY Behind the paywall: Burlesque
Is Alive & Living in Burbank Never aired, Carl Reiner, Goldie
Hawn, Bobby Darin and Henny Youngman put on a show-stopping performance
filled with comedy sketches, parody and song and dance in homage to vintage
Burlesque Theater.
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© 2025 Michael Flores
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