Burlesque!

Taking the tawdry and turning it tasteful…that’s why we love burlesque! Live music, fire performers, and even a good magician can make a splash as entertainment for an event. However, these cirque-style performances have been gracing guests with fanciful feats for the better part of the last decade or two. Don’t get me wrong, everybody loves a bendy contortionist, and high-flying aerialists never fail to take my breath away…but face it, it’s been done.

Enter burlesque. Modern burlesque - which incorporates the traditional strip tease with humor, flamboyance, and a whole lot of glitter - isn’t just gals (or guys) getting naked. It’s a fanciful performance art, often suitable for all walks of life, that entertains and surprises audiences. It’s not your parent’s party, but it may well have been your grandparent’s. Popular all the way back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, burlesque performers were often swimming in the same bucket as the rest of the movie stars and considered to be just as famous (not just infamous). You’ll be impressed by how many grannies have been to burlesque shows in their hay-day and can still recall the big names like Dixie Evans and Gypsy Rose Lee.

Today, Seattle boasts home to one of the largest neo-burlesque revivals! In addition to whipping your guests into a thrilling, sparkly frenzy, you’ll be supporting local artists who proudly represent this re-emerging art form. I guarantee your guests will have more fun watching a tongue-in-cheek tease than participating in another magician’s slight-of-hand illusion. Burlesque performances are a sexy, sultry, captivating way to entertain at your next event!

Check out home-town burlesque perfomers' pages on Facebook, or catch a local show and see for yourself!

(photo by Chris Blakeley of Belle Cozette)