So, Why DO We $trip?
Written by Miss Maple Rose
Maple Rose image credit by @somefx
If you’ve done a class with me (especially Burlesque Basics) you will remember me saying that the art of Burlesque has been around for millenia. It uses parody and “sexual content” within performance to equalize audiences, rich and poor, and plonks them all onto the same social level for that brief moment of performance (or literature) that treats the ordinary with mock dignity.¹
So how did it become the “Art of Tease” we now know it to be?
Well - what is one of the most ordinary acts we do every day?
We take our clothes off.
Undressing can be the mundane act we do every day, but it can also be tantalizing. Most people take their clothes off for sexual purposes anyways, so why not glorify that purpose? But in burlesque there is more to the art of undressing than sex. It’s the tease. It’s the performance. It’s the control. It’s the act of liberation. And it’s so much more.
So how did we get here?
Let me take you on a brief journey through history where we will make a few pit stops to see why we are now able to take our clothes off onstage for audiences who love it. Please note this is only a brief re-telling, so if you’re keen on learning more I urge you to do your own research on not only the history, but why YOU choose to take your clothes off onstage.
Maple Rose performing live. Image credit by Ryan Cara, 2022.
The First “Undressing Acts”
The first true “Undressing Acts” emerged in the Third Empire in Paris (1870-1900) aka the fin de siècle. This poetic era is romanticised with bohemian artists such as Toulouse Lautrec and venues such as the Moulin Rouge, but the undercurrent of artistic liberation, equality and unfortunately the evil capitalism (dun dun dunnnnn) fostered new forms of performance art to tantilise audiences.
Undressing acts already existed to solicit sex work, but as theatre they were an act of spectacle by artists given to dramatizing the irregular aspects of their unconventional lives.² Self-promoting visibility led to the act of undressing in public being called “Bohemian.” It was good publicity because it was shocking! Highlighting the creatives of the bustling Montmatre to be avant-garde and modern.
The official “first act of undressing” is claimed to take place at The Bal des Quat’z’Arts on February 9, 1893. The annual event held by the Moulin Rouge included a celebratory procession of artists and writers through Montmatre dressed in the year’s theme, Cleopatra. Two Can Can dancers, Manon LaValle & Sarah Brown, ignored the cold and jumped onto a float adorned with art students in scantily clad costumes catering to a “naked queen”, and began to take their own clothes off in celebration for the events for all to see. This started a riot in the streets, and legislation followed for “flesh-coloured body stockings” in theatrical revues.³
Thirteen months later, the first staged act of undressing was performed, titled “Le Coucher d’Yvette” (Yvette’s Going to Bed) at Le Divan Japonais (an Asian themed music hall). Two years previously, the music hall featured the singer Yvette Guilbert, one of the first performers to be more famous for being famous than talent. As an homage to Guilbert, or as a way to capitalize on her name, the first undressing act was called “Le Coucher d’Yvette” even though she was no longer around. Listed as a pantomime - the act told the story of a woman’s toilette as she got ready for bed, starring little known performer, Blanche Cavelli.
As the pink curtain rose, the stage consisted of a chair and bed, and as piano music played Cavelli took off her gloves, her hat, and a corsage, and threw them on the chair. She took off her skirt and then removed her petticoat, her corset, her stockings and finally her chemise, leaving her in a nightgown. Finally she climbed into bed and the lights went out. It is unknown how long the act actually took, however seeing as undergarments were quite cumbersome in that moment in history, it would take much longer than your regular modern striptease (have you ever tried to completely unlace a corset to get out of it? We use zippers now for a reason!).
The S-Bend Corset, Gibson Girl
Source: pinimg.com
So let’s now decipher the intricacies of THE CORSET. It was a staple of a woman’s wardrobe for a long time, but the turn of the century was the peak for this confining garment. Corsets began to become more restrictive, more ornate, and designed to create “more of a woman” by accentuating the bosoms and buttocks with the iconic S-bend shape. I could honestly write a whole article on analysing the corset, but let’s just restrict my dissection of the corset for this article to the fetishing of wearing the corset, and for taking it off!
A corset restricts your movement almost completely. You can’t bend down, you can barely breathe, and you can’t twist - rendering you pretty much helpless (remember kids - SHOES BEFORE CORSET!). The fetishisation of placing women in corsets is not only for patriarchal fashions, but to limit women’s abilities.
So what does it then mean to take your corset off as a performance? It is a form of protest! A “sartorial liberation”!⁴ There is an argument that the acts of undressing arose as a “protofeminist” response to the restrictive Belle Époque undergarments and what they represent.⁵
There is also an argument that the act of removing a corset fetishizes the physical cage that the wearer is in. This is most poignant once the corset is taken off and the physical marks on the body are left behind. In this era we see the surgance of Sadism and Masochism (refer to Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch - again, another whole article unto itself, but I would recommend you listen Velma Vouloir’s “C*ntrovery” Episode on the subject).
So now with the fashion of undressing acts in popularity, grandeur joins them. It’s not enough to just see “Yvette” take her clothes off and pop into bed. Audiences now want to pay more for glitzier costumes and opulent narratives, which then leads to iconic showgirl and their venues such as the Folies Bergères.
The Fantasy
Come the heyday of burlesque in the 30s and 40s, the “fantasy” had pushed the art of undressing in multiple directions. Burlesque had evolved from an amalgamation of fetishes and needed to become an artform that was more acceptable for the masses. Moving away from acts like “Little Egypt'' as an “erotic dance” of a “primal” figure who became mythical because she allowed viewers to reimagine themselves in a new and different way (uncorseted and “wild”). Conservatives did not approve, so this then led to “respectable nudity” on larger stages (however erotic fantasies always steered burlesque and its predecessors into the now uncomfortable “exotic” waters). Showgirls, such as those of The Ziegfeld’s Follies, posed undressed as if “by accident” rather than adopt undressing as a device for seduction. And hooch dancers used comedy & speed to cover the sexual content such as Carrie Finnell’s speedy spinning nipple tassels! (Come on - nipple tassels aren’t really that sexy!).
Hinda Wassau
Source: Shteir, R. (2004). Striptease : The Untold Story of the Girlie Show. Oxford University Press, Inc.
“Hinda Wassau, the “Blonde Bombshell,” headliner of the Hindu Belles, Mutual Burlesque Troupe, c. 1929. Author’s personal collection.”
The first performer to boldly claim that she invented “striptease” is Hinda Wassau.⁶ Based in Chicago in 1927, the city was known for its jazz as many artists, musicians and performers fleed New Orleans after the vice district was shut down in 1917. Wausau’s striptease is titled an “accident.” She wore a regular chorus girl costume on top of a short beaded, fringe dress and when it was her turn to exit, she was to remove the chorus costume and come back onto the stage in the beaded fringe dress. Unfortunately (or fortunately - however you see it) the clasp got stuck backstage - so she ran back on with the chorus costume half on! She continued her number and at her number’s climax it came loose and so she removed it. The crowd went WILD!
Wausau’s story and other fables around the origins of striptease being “if by impulse” allow for the deplorable idea that stripease arose accidentally. This then perceives it to be an “eternally feminine, artless, natural act.”⁷ Of course femmes can’t come up with this on their own, they had to be “out of control” to be so seductive in public! (Please read my heavy sarcasm). It had to be “made” by an appreciative audience which suggests that it comes out of the male imagination.
The “respectable stripper” was a character created out of restrictions imposed by legislation at the time. How can a woman perform in a sexual manner and get away with it? By being respectable! And potentially funny. Cue Gypsy Rose Lee.
Gypsy Rose Lee
Source: Blogspot
Gypsy capitalised on the mid-thirties American aspiration for glamour and used elegance as a comic device while taking her clothes off to soften the shock value. She created and celebrated the “ironic” image of the Literary Stripper. Many of her acts also never had a final “reveal” - leaving the audience wanting more and therefore the height of “tease”.
Gypsy Rose Lee bought extravagant retired Broadway costumes and brought them back to life by layering them, and sometimes only taking off the smallest of them. The stripper’s wardrobe of gloves, boa and gown (plus many other layers) depicts a respectably “wealthy” character and the act of undressing invites the viewers into their intimate abode to romance the notion that they could possibly take the performer home. Burlesque theaters would be filled with voyeuristic men masturbating to performers who quietly performed their glamourous performance with the desire to become famous. And night clubs weren’t less seedier, even though more wives accompanied their dates. But for many strippers this wasn’t the reason why they stripped. They did so to have autonomy; a career in a time of inequality. Sometimes they would end up wealthier than their partners (Lili St Cyr notoriously turned down dates because she made more than them).
Sherry Britton
Source: Pinimg.com
Being more clothed not only sold tickets (it was easier to promote publicly if you had photographs with more clothing on), but was also due to acts having to be 15-25 minutes in length. Sherry Britton describes a performer’s regular costume to include:
The overbra
The underbra
The net bra
Pasties
Overskirt
Underskirt
The panel (self proclaimed to have invented the panel skirt but comes from Belly Dance aka Little Egypt) - says she invented it because she was knock-kneed
The g-string⁸
So the removal of garments becomes more than sex, liberation, comedy, glamour, autonomy and fantasy - but for the pure purpose to have more stage time.
I hope this dive into the history has inspired you to think more about the purpose of why you strip onstage! But need a little bit more help?
Join me for my masterclass “Take It Off!” on Sunday July 7th at 4:00pm.
Learn techniques & innovative ways to take off and tease key items of a burlesque performer’s wardrobe including gloves, corset and zippers!
But burlesque is about more than just shedding layers – it's about captivating your audience from the moment you step onto the stage. That's why this workshop will also explore the essential elements of audience engagement for $triptease, teaching you how to connect with your viewers on a deeper level and leave them mesmerized by your shedding of layers. Learn the poetics behind why we strip and explore pace for maximum impact: when to slow down when necessary to draw out costume removals or crack a punch to leave your audience breathless.
You'll discover the perfect balance between sensuality and spectacle, creating a performance that lingers in the minds of the audience long after the curtain falls.
Join Maple Rose in her Special Masterclasses, ‘Step Up Your Burlesque’!
Join Maison Burlesque's Queen of Classic, Maple Rose, for two delectable intermediate-based workshops to up your Burlesque performance - this coming Sunday July 7th, 2024!
🌟 Fan Dance Tricks: Crash Course! (Intermediate Level) 🌟
⏰ 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Step into the world of fan dance like never before with Maple’s exhilarating “crash course” designed to unleash your inner fan dance dynamo!
This workshop combines the elegance of classical feather fan dance with the speed and spectacle of circus and flow arts, to teach you tricks and skills to create an electrifying presence that will leave your audiences breathless.
🌟 Take It Off! (Open/Intermediate Level) 🌟
⏰ 4pm - 5:30pm
Stripping is an integral part of the modern art form of burlesque, so let’s get the audience screaming “Take It Off!”
Learn techniques & innovative ways to take off and tease key items of a burlesque performer’s wardrobe including gloves, corset and zippers! Throughout the workshop, you'll delve into the intricacies of strip tease techniques, mastering the art of revealing just enough to leave your audience craving more. From the subtle removal of gloves to the dramatic fling of a skirt, Miss Maple Rose will share her expertise in building anticipation and creating unforgettable moments on stage.
📍 Maison Burlesque, Level 1/48-50 Bridge Rd, Richmond VIC 3121
About Maple Rose
Maple Rose by Joel Devereux
This beacon of Canadian wonderment, this shimmering Aurora Borealis, has been described as the unwanted lovechild of Tempest Storm and Lucille Ball. She’s Australia’s sparkliest piece of bacon wrapped in a flurry of feathers and rhinestones. A world renowned fan dancer, instructor and burlesque clown - she’s sweet with just a touch of sass.
Known as the “Queen of Classic Burlesque”, Maple Rose is a household name in the Australian burlesque scene after 10 years in the industry.
Winner of the 1st Runner Up crown at Miss Burlesque Australia 2018, Headliner of the Australian Burlesque Festival 2020/21/22, voted #21 in the 21st Century Burlesque’s Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Figures of 2021, voted Best Solo Artist and Most Classic at the Australian Burlesque Industry Awards, The Busties, in 2018 - Maple has shown Australia she's one tornado with her feather fans and couture costumes!
You can learn from Maple at her regular dance and technique classes at Maison Burlesque. Maple is known the world over for teaching and mentoring in the art of burlesque. With a focus on burlesque history, mindful movement, and fan dance technique, Maple’s classes are for anyone keen to find their inner sensuality.
Bibliography
1. www.dictionary.com. (2019). Definition of burlesque | Dictionary.com. [online] Available at: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/burlesque.www.dictionary.com. (2019). Definition of burlesque | Dictionary.com. [online] Available at: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/burlesque.
2 - 7. Shteir, R. (2004). Striptease : The Untold Story of the Girlie Show. Oxford University Press, Inc.
8. Weldon, J., Headmistress (2010). The Burlesque Handbook. HarperCollins Publishers.