So here I sit at the wine bar, awaiting Red's emancipation from work. Red is my newly-minted lovely and sassy friend, who I met through the new project last year. Sassariffic. Remember the old layout? Yeah, she's the poster-child for sassy redhead.
Anyway, on a totally different subject, I've been very enthralled with the history of burlesque lately. Especially after watching Michelle L'amour's fan and balloon dances. It got me thinking... wha's the real difference between just "stripping" and "burlesque"? I mean, both basically equate to the removal of clothes, right?
But honestly, it comes down to art at the end, I think. It's like being a musician: there are people who present the work and people who embody the art. Just taking off your clothes is one thing, but I don't think anyone would have called Sally Rand simply a "stripper". Michelle L'amour definitely qualifies as a true artist of the stage, I think, no matter what Brandy may have thought. Anyway, I'd love to go see her dance any day of the week and twice on Sunday, no matter what people might classify her as out of hand. I think it has more to do with who has the power in the room-- your average stripper is at the mercy of the crowd: dollar bills in the G-string and all. Good burlesque dancers hold the audience in the palm of their hands and are (rightly so) viewed as paragons on a pedestal by the crowd. At any rate, more to come on Friday's RoundUp.
