WHAT RUINED BURLESQUE? IS THERE NEW INTEREST? WHAT ABOUT DITA VON TEESE?

In the chapter entitled Bye Bye Burlesque towards the end of Leslie Zemeckis' book,  Beyond the Burly Q, the author reports what various strippers she included in that book had to say about the end of the profession that sometimes also meant the end of their personal careers. Some of them would've aged out by the early 1970's anyway but some simply had no idea what else they could do for a living besides burlesque. They were used to being independent women who earned their own money.

When burlesque first developed as an art form it occupied a gray area of entertainment but was close to a variety show like vaudeville. It was about comedy and included a straight man and other often actors on stage. It was not necessarily about taking it all off. Then over a few decades things changed and the art form was challenged.

The reasons include:  

A new morality in which various cities banned burlesque, which included arresting dancers which made it difficult for them. 

In the 1960's. Go Go dancers who were also often dancing near nude and pole dancing.

The woman's movement (feminism).  (I suppose that in the 1970's feminists thought of strippers as women who were repressed by men, but it was also a time when sexual liberation influenced ordinary women.)

Drag shows by transgender burlesque entertainers and "drag queen" types.

Nudie films that were also shown in the same theaters or between live entertainment.  Some of the dancers were paid a little money to allow filming, not porn, but substitutes for live performances that were then showed in theaters.

Pornography, especially so.

Excerpt page 297:  By the 1960's, a 'burlesque" show was stripped of chorus girls minus the production numbers divested of novelty acts, and missing live musicians.  The emcees were gone, song and dance acts were banished, and specialty dancers were dropped.  

Blaze Starr remembers, "You were on the stage during your act and it was a huge club.  And over all the way across the building on the wall was hardcore porn."

Excerpt page 302:  Once the strip clubs came in burlesque was out. 

My notes. The strippers and others who had worked those theaters felt their art had been degraded by pornography.  However some think that burlesque exists in contemporary  entertainment, citing Lady Gaga, Madonna, Bette M, and RuPaul. 

The argument for the current existence of burlesque is that it was once low culture but went mainstream. The height of burlesque happened in the World War II era when there was a surge in popularity.  (This figures in the story of Blaze Starr being prompted to please the army men in an audience by taking off her top.) In 1931 it went to Broadway and at the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair Sally Rand and Faith Bacon appeared with fan dances.

However, I think the popularity and success of Dita Von Teese challenges the idea that burlesque is a lost art.  I've watched her performances on YouTube videos (as well as the performances of some of other contemporary dancers). I think Von Teese has created shows that are of the highest quality and that her performances take into consideration how every move will appear to the audience.

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CLEOPATRA DIANE DE MERODE and KING LEOPOLD II OF BELGIUM : THE FIRST CELEBRITY - CALLED A COURTESAN SHE DEFENDED HERSELF AND WON

CLEO DE MERODE

Image from Wikimedia

Because she was so photographed and so many copies were made, there exists a great number of images.

CLEOPATRA DIANE DE MERODE

1877 - 1966

Daughter of Viennese Baroness, Vincentia Maria Cacilla Catharina de Merode

Long before American artist Andy Warhol predicted that in the future everyone would be famous for fifteen minutes, Cleopatra Diane De Merode, known as Cleo, became the first world famous celebrity, the first celebrated woman, whose international fame lasted years. Though word of mouth and mentions in newspapers and small presses included the beautiful woman who started ballet lessons at seven and performing in The Opera Ballet in Paris at eight in the corps de ballet, it was photos of her as an adult and printed on postcards that circulated the world and promoted this Parisian dancer and actress during the Belle Epic. Rather than cut and paste into e-mails, her image was snail mailed around the world. One of those images was of her taking a show bath rather than a good scrub. I think of present day exotic dancer and stripper Dita Von Teese, now famous for her on stage baths. According to the 1896 Parisian Illustrated Review volume 1, page 65, the most photographed woman in Paris was described as "having eyes of velvet, dazzling teeth, a fine figure, and a languishing grace." It was the year she met King Leopold II of Belgium who was at the theatre watching her performance and asked to meet her. She was a half hour late in getting back onto stage and that half hour may have lead to rumors that were never true.

According to author Michael D. Garval, in his book, "Cleo de Merode and the Rise of Modern Celebrity Culture," a primary reference for this month's posts, Merode was at a "pivotal moment in the history of fame and visual culture" and she "heralded modern celebrity icons."

Garval also gives an accounting of reviews of the dancers of what was risky burlesque as the century turned, which as is traditional, included humor and silly jokes, flirting, flouting, and taking most of it off. 

While Cleo was not a stripper or exotic dancer as we think of them today, she eventually showed much of her body, but there was one part she never ever showed. Her ears! Apparently, she thought they were ugly. Ear fetishizers speculated and hoped she would eventually show them but she kept them tucked under her neatly organized extremely thick hair in a style called the bandeaux.

The question is, how did Cleo, who was a trained ballet dancer though not a star, but known for her beauty, keep her celebrity going?

By 1902 she was at the height of her celebrity and considered to be the most beautiful woman alive, a fashion icon, a trendsetter /influencer. She had been modeling for statues, paintings and posters, depicted as nude or clothed. She was sought as a model by the best. She was photographed for her personal publicity - her career. She appeared on the backs of playing cards. 

She was an inspiration to other women. As we learned when we explored the reality of a ballet dancer's life in Paris, it was expected that dancers were Courtesans or at least had patrons for the girls bloomed into puberty while living in poverty.

But was she a Courtesan? That's something she denied.

Was King Leopold II of Belgium her protector or just one of many who could look but not touch? Their liaison was enough for both of them to be portrayed in the "Foyer de la Danse" at the Opera. It was a private club where rich men could mingle with the dancers, a place where ballet dancers could meet patrons or be plucked out of the chorus to be Kept. 

Reports were also that she had spurned marriage proposals.  Was she picky or all tied up with the King? 

Whatever their relationship was, it made them both more famous.  Yet, some thought her reputation suffered for it because his reputation was so bad! Whatever did or didn't happen between her and the King, it hurt her career. After all, who was good enough for a King? And who was good enough for her? There was about forty years difference between them. Implied is that the 61ish old King could still - well, you know!  He of course, did have deep pockets, but did he actually Keep her, or was he just her most adoring fan?

I wonder what role class had in Cleo's life because she was not born common. However, Cleo was the illegitimate daughter of a Baroness of Venice,  raised Catholic, and well, everyone understood there could be no marriage because the King was married, but you love who you love.

Of a mixed European heritage, she was popular in Germany and Austria and toured.

Eventually Cleo would try to conquer America, and appear in New York City. 

In her later years she would deny she was ever a Courtesan, sue to reclaim her reputation and win against a feminist author who became famous for her theory too.

The never married and childless dancer, who continued to perform until about the age of thirty-nine, (some say fifty) continued to teach dance even in her eighties and lived to a very old age. I'll be posting more on this Belle Epoch beauty this month.

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All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights.

Research for this months posts include the above mentioned book, encyclopedias such as encyclopedia.com and general reading. To read about other Courtesans, ballet dancers, dancers who were mistresses, or the Belle Epoch, search through this blog using the archives.  You might be interested in Isadora Duncan, for instance. Click on the tag such as ballet and bring up other Mistresses or Courtesans covered here. CELESTINE EMAROT, MISTRESS OF BARON CHARLES de CHASSIRON and FERDINAND De MONTGUYON and BALLARINA COURTESANS runs in September 2016.

GYPSY ROSE LEE UPDATE - A NEW DOCUMENTARY

DAILY MAIL : STRIPTEASE ARTIST GYPSY LEE - DOCUMENTARY

Our Mistress of the Month for September 2018, news is that Gypsy's only child, son Erik Preminger, is behind a new documentary about his mom.  Go to the article that includes a video!

EXCERPT: The event was hosted at the Hollywood Heritager Museum and after the screening, Preminger, 74, was joined by burlesque start Dita Von Teese, who has cited Gypsy as one of her inspirations, for a Q and A.

Preminger is Gypsy's only child and he was constantly by her side until the age of 17, traveling with her to gigs and helping her change between acts backstage.

DITA VON TEESE - YOUR BEAUTY MARK : MISTRESS MANIFESTO BOOK REVIEW

Yes, there are a few nudie pictures of burlesque queen Dita in this book, but there are far more pin-up pictures of beautiful Dita, and lots of her without makeup or in the process of putting hers on, which is the point, because this is a book from her unique point of view about how to do your cosmetics.

Dita, it is revealed, has in recent years, paid more attention to natural and organic products, and since she coats all her skin with cosmetics when she is performing, she is also an aficionado of Korean bathhouses and scrubs later, so her pores can really breath.  She is also cautionary about getting any tan, especially not burns, and uses lots of sun screen.  The woman has world famous skin.

She has not been seen blonde (her natural color) or in jeans for many years.  She loves vintage and vintage inspired clothes and make-up, pointing out that her look comes from not one era, and believes that when you find your look (which she calls your "drag,") and your style, it will be so natural to you that you won't mind, say, coloring your hair every two weeks, keeping your fingernails immaculate, or always wearing red lipstick (she owns hundreds of shades of red).

Marilyn Manson, the musician, is referred to as her ex-husband a couple times (she's had only one) and there is one picture of the two of them together.  (I do wish I knew more about their marriage.)

She mentions that she didn't have sex for a year after their divorce, but for those of you hoping that she might tell all about her sexuality, or how many men have more than adored her from afar, this is not the book.

She wanted to be known as simply Dita, but was forced to pick a sur name, which she did with the help of an old fashioned telephone book. 

Her mom and sister are there for her.

She started stripping early, and is called a dancer, but she doesn't dance so much as she poses, and reveals all except the pasties or G-string.  She's famous for wearing crystals by Swarovski, has been a fashion designer muse, and has worked with many a famous photographer.  She works hard to keep her figure, especially Pilates, but also does wear corsets that can move her usual 24 inch waist to 18 inches... She's active in Mac Cosmetics and other fundraisers for people with HIV/AIDS.

Here are some favorite excerpts!

Page 52

"I enjoy life's roller coasters and nowhere does the ride turn wilder than when it comes to love.  Dear Reader, we might not share the same hair color or lipstick shade, but matters of the heart are universal.  Take solace in knowing that Betty Grable, Ava Gardner, and Lana Turner were women with adventurous love affairs and big heartaches.  Even in love there can be heartache.  But just as the road less traveled can be more challenging, it can also be gads more fun.  So live and love!"

(And among lots of information on vintage perfume collecting and her own four original scents)

"There's nothing like the whiff of primal attracti0on, no matter where the individual of interest hails from.  I have found, however, that it's true what they say; body odor as an aphrodisiac is not so embraced among American or Asian men or women as it is among those from other nations.  I've found that European men, on the other hand, always take delight in a little body smell, and I love them for it."

MISTRESSES ARE READING "THE SHOWGIRL NEXT DOOR" INSTYLE MAGAZINE - DITA VON TEESE

DITA VON TEESE is a famous Burlesque star who frequents the fashion shows. In the article in February 2011's INSTYLE Magazine, Dita's rented home in Los Angeles is revealed to the world and it's a beauty! Taxidermy monkey and swans! A bedroom that is a tribute to the old glamour Hollywood days. She shops on E-bay for hours but has a Interior Decorator too.

No, am not saying Dita is a mistress or ever was, just that mistresses can take some inspiration from her finely honed look that involves hundreds of hats and shoes, and living in an inspired way! Her bed is upholstered in silver silk peau de soie... And her jewelry box is full of twinkling treasures.

The article is by George Epaminondas and Photographs are by Douglas Friendman.