Gregarious Expressions

 

Another blogger steps forth to define what burlesque was and is today, and more importantly perhaps, what it isn’t.

Agreed: It is not the Pussycat Dolls.

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Seattle Times » What is Burlesque?
There are varying definitions, but burlesque was basically a comic imitation of a serious literary, political or artistic form, at least in the beginning. These shows used comedy, parody, sexuality and music to defy the established and/or conventional way of looking at things.

 

 

When I started working on my NeoVaudeville project I figured there was a good chance the movement would be over before I got to share what I had discovered with audiences. If this report from Edinburgh Fringe Fest is any indication, this first decade may just be the start of more.

We’re certainly still continuing to see the shift toward mainstream. Even the new teen drama Pretty Little Liars just offered a carnival theme for its homecoming festivities.

-ag

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Edinburgh: the inexorable rise of variety and cabaret | Culture | guardian.co.uk
What interests me is why? And why now? The variety phenomenon is particularly intriguing. The clue might lie partly in the word, as McGregor points out. "It’s partly the eclectic nature of it – people’s attention spans are so short. With variety you get a bit of stand-up, a bit of dance and burlesque, a bit of acrobatics. People like to be constantly entertained." It’s low risk too: you might not like everything on the menu, but there will probably be something – and you won’t have spent good money on an hour and a half of a dud.

I know this movie is going to make me squirm with its horribleness just as surely as I know I am going to make the rare purchase of a movie theater ticket to go see it. I will never get over the fact that what they are calling burlesque in this film is not an accurate reflection on the neo-burlesque scene at all. This movie may be sexy but there’s nothing risque about it. Burlesque challenges our preconceived notions. It flirts with our minds. It welcomes all shapes and sizes. But hey, who’s to tell them they’re not allowed to call their movie whatever they want to call it.
I feel slightly relieved after watching this trailer despite its obnoxiously cliche storyline (Welcome to Wonderland! Gag me.) because Christina isn’t as gross as I expected. I mean, her desire for this dream at least seems honest. And no matter how bad the movie is, Stanley Tucci and Cher are still so much fun to watch on screen. If anyone can badly contrived dialogue digestable …

The Official BURLESQUE trailer
Uploaded by SonyPictures. – Watch feature films and entire TV shows.

 

Sounds like a blast. I’m hoping not to miss this one!

-ag

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Jim Thorpe Burlesque, Sponsored by Dragontown Corsets
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! "Dragontown Corsets Presents: BOOLESQUE" is slithering its way to the Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe, PA on October 30, 2010! Keep your eyeballs right here for all the news. Tickets will go on sale no later than August 1, 2010.

 

This is the Steamtown Vaudeville philosophy and exactly why each one of our events is designed to be a distinct, once-in-a-life time event, not to be repeated.

-alicia

 

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Richard Florida On Designing Musical Experiences | Cr@zyEye Music Services
to succeed, artists have to differentiate themselves from the crowd and give people something they can’t get elsewhere. So then, he asks, what can we give people that is unique? What is not repeatable or copyable? To this, he answers, "A feeling, or an experience."

 

According to The Big Site of Amazing Facts …

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What Does the Term Vaudeville Mean and Where Did the Word For a Theatrical Genre Come From? | Big Si
Tony Pastor introduced vaudeville in New York in 1861.The word vaudeville is an Americanization of Vau de Vire, the valley of the Vau River in Normandy, which became famous in the fifteenth century for the comedic songs of Olivier Basselin.An 1883 vaudeville bill from Boston’s Gaiety Museum featured a midget named Baby Alice, a stuffed mermaid, two comedians, and a chicken with a human face.From these humble beginnings would emerge the great American theater.The theatrical Genre evolved from many sources, including the freak shows, dime museums, concert saloon, and literary burlesque. Vaudeville was one of the most popular types of entertainment in North America for several decades, and was often called the the heart of American show business.

 

There’s a nice review of the ventriloquism documentary I’m No Dummy: Sometimes You Just Need to Vent by Trav S.D. at Travalanche.

I found the following insight particularly powerful. There’s a script in it — or at least a scene — to be sure. And not the cheesy made for TV serial killer story either. Something miles more fabulous. Certainly metaphorical. Possibly uncomfortable to look at. Like the skinny old toupee-topped singer with red circles of blush on his cheeks that looked like a dummy come to life in the opera program I saw Sunday night. Hmmmm….

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I’m No Dummy « Travalanche
Every vent has a Jeckyl and Hyde thing going on; what they do uncomfortably skirts mental illness. (And, still more intriguingly, primitive religion). Maybe I’m a sadist. I want to learn more about the pain driving these people.