Burlesque Is Back

There was a time in New York when you could wander down a neon-illuminated cul-de-sac and step through a dingy door into a smoky maze of tables full of hooting and hollering men. The object of their attention—a “fan” dancer on stage, providing fleeting glimpses of a voluptuous, pasty-covered bosom. The ’30s and ’40s were the heyday of burlesque in New York City; a time when this form of stylized, erotic performance art was still considered above the fray of the seedy Gomorrah that 42nd Street would become in the ’60s and ’70s. Well, nostalgia fans, there is some good news—burlesque is back, bringing with it the flair of yesteryear blended with the contemporary kick of a new wave of performers blanketing the city with their pelvic-thrusting talents.

The surest sign that burlesque is here to stay is the annual New York Burlesque Festival (www.thirstygirlproductions.com), held in lower Manhattan in September, and showcasing some of the most dynamic acts working the nouveau burlesque stages of the city today. This three-day Woodstock of burlesque performers features such scene mainstays as The Pontani Sisters (www.pontanisisters.com), who tour the globe bringing the bygone era of the Ziegfeld Follies and the Vegas of the ’60s to their cult of fans. Today’s burlesque is an expression of newfound freedom, a public forum to express through erotic dance the sense of artistic liberation visited upon New York with the performance art of the 1980s, the primacy of the Pyramid Club, and spectacles like Coney Island’s Annual Mermaid Parade. There is a proliferation of acts and venues dotting the burlesque map, where, on any given night, you can witness the reincarnation of an art form that made Gotham a favorite haunt of sailors and businessmen during the Golden Era. Where do these creatures of the night do their best writhing on stage? There are a host of venues all over New York City where burlesque has been made to feel at home. Among them are The Slipper Room (www.slipperroom.com), The Coney Island Side Show (www.coneyislandusa.com/burlesque.shtml), The Cutting Room (www.thecuttingroomnyc.com), and Marion’s Continental (www.marionsnyc.com).

Don’t let the throb of the trombone keep you from checking out this vintage scene gone 21st century. You’ll be transported to a different era, when you could smoke in bars, tell a woman she was beautiful without getting the cold shoulder, and order a stiff drink without checking with your cardiologist first. Welcome back, burlesque. We missed you, kid.