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"Take a glimpse into the glamorous world of burlesque with photographer Greg Holloway's Electric Burlesque exhibition. Holloway explores the notion of tease as an art form, and unveils the many different layers of burlesque performers in Seattle. The result is a collection of stunningly stylized images embodying the beauty and class of a group of risqué yet dazzling women."From 9 March, The Brickhouse, Brick Lane E1
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Given how crowded The Brickhouse was on the opening night of Electric Burlesque, it had seemed perfectly rational to stand on the stairs of the mezzanine. Not right in the middle of the stairs, mind – just squeezed against the wall, peering over the head of a tall, bald man at the near-nudity onstage, and craning our necks for a brief glorious flash of nipple pasty. We’d tried the VIP area already, and found that there was no room at the inn; downstairs, we’d managed to find a good spot near the stage, but soon realized that we were blocking the path to the venue’s kitchen. The stairs, in short, seemed a foolproof plan, elevated as they were above the general fray, and we couldn’t help but wonder why no-one else had chosen them.
It was around the time that we were wondering this that a spotlight fell directly onto us, and a hundred or so pairs of eyes swiveled in our direction.
Oh Christ,
our companion hissed in a panicked whisper, as a slight, glamorous woman in a Carmen Miranda fruit had
shimmied pas us at what seemed like an achingly slow pace, pausing momentarily on the next step down to shake her
moneymaker.
We’re involved now. We’re integrated.
He added, becoming slightly hysterical. Do we join in? I’m going to join in.
Happily, the moment passed before we were forced to put our maracas where our mouths were, so to speak, and the
performer in question – the gloriously-named Lady TaTas – descended to the stage to perform an energetic (and
explicit) dance to Madonna’s Going Bananas
, swinging the aforementioned fruit around from her loins like an errant,
yellow phallus. As a troupe, “The Sinner Saint Burlesque” are crass and raunchy, in the best possible way, and aren’t
afraid to be unsexy at times; at the end of her performance, for instance, TaTa begins to fellate the banana, but ends
up cramming it whole inter her mouth like a naughty child, mush falling out of her mouth and into her cleavage. Their
compere, meanwhile, was a mouthy, heavily-tattooed Texan, delivering filthy one-liner after filthy one-liner with all
the gusto of a dirty old man, despite being a rather attractive woman in fine-inch heels – her comments about the
depressing nature of single-people food (and the calorie-burning benefits of energetic masturbation) might not have been
an ideal soundtrack for a date, but the wine-swigging singletons on the front row certainly appeared to nod in
agreement.
The reason that this particular Seattle burlesque troupe was in town, of course, was to promote the exhibition of Greg Holloway’s photography, Electric Burlesque, which was in situ at the Brickhouse, and which depicted the dancers themselves; colorful negatives lit from within, the images were a good aesthetic match for the crisp, luxe interior of the Brickhouse, and seemed to elicit a positive reaction from the diners and spectators in the burlesque show’s intermission. We wish we could say more, but – as we’re sure Greg, an apparent fan of burlesque, would understand – it isn’t easy to keep your mind on photography when corsets are being ripped off in the vicinity.
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ELECTRIC BURLESQUE ~ This London exhibition focuses on the traditional and neo-burlesque scene in Seattle – where the scenes are currently enjoying a major boom. Photographer Greg Holloway has taken shots of live performances, which are then printed directly on to sheet acrylic that can be backlit, creating a 3D effect. Prints are for sale – so you could take home your very own erotic performer.
The Brickhouse, 152c Brick Lane, E1 6RU (7247 005/www.thebrickhouse.co.uk) Until Mar 31.The London Word isn’t a listings guide, this is a place for London’s vibrant virtual community to schmooze, share their views, chat and absorb daily postings on culture, fashion, food, booze, health, hedonism, shops, shows, weird folklore and unashamed scandal. The word on the street:The London Word
Let me say right now that I fully expected to hate burlesque. When I was about 19, I was taken along to Spearmint Rhino in London and was utterly expecting to be all, ‘yeah, women power, taking advantage of male idiocy’. I had never had a problem with stripping until I actually saw it, and so I was floored and genuinely shocked to discover that I was disgusted by it. Go figure.
So, when the suggestion of attending a burlesque show in Shoreditch came up recently, I was understandably skeptical, particularly when those who raved about it used phrases like: ‘It’s really about exploring female sexuality, and feeling empowered’. Sure. Just like the strippers.
Sinner Saint Burlesque, the longest running burlesque show in Seattle, is currently visiting London and performing at the Brick House on Brick Lane, along with a mini photo-exhibition called Electric Burlesque, captured by Greg Holloway, which adorns the walls of the restaurant.
When the show began, it did seem rather like my suspicions would be justified – the lights were all but turned off and the five girls of the troupe strutted out wearing a series of glow-stick type strings that encircled their bodies rather than covering them. They wiggled and gyrated to a dance track. I sighed.
But then the actual show began. The ladies came out again, one by one to perform their stripping piece, and suddenly I was paying serious attention.
A curvy and sultry redhead with a particular skill in Middle Eastern-style dancing, swished her hips around the stage, making use of scarves like a rhythmic gymnast. A Hollywood starlet – in this case, a Tinseled Tart – used her routine to tell the story of an aging star panicking about her looks, only to rediscover feeling sexy in her own skin. And my personal favorite was the lady playing a tramp, waking up after a boozy night, the clothes removal complete with armpit sniffing. Definitely a far cry from standard sexiness, but incredibly powerful.
One stereotype of burlesque is definitely true – the super-skinny/big-tits combo which is so standard in most strip clubs, is clearly not welcome here. These girls, while in great shape, have real bodies, and aren’t afraid to shake them all over the stage. It adds to the intimacy of the show – you feel as though you are watching actual people.
Added to this is their obvious performance skill. Most are trained in dance of one form or another, and it shows. Countering these more serious aspects of the show are the outrageously glittery and ostentatious costumes and the hilarious names – Miss Patty Cupcake, Lolita ‘Ta Tas’ Valentino and Ember Divine, from the original troop in Seattle, leap to mind.
The thing about burlesque is that it is artistic entertainment. The ladies put a lot of thought into their routines, costumes and performances, and honestly, the fact that they get next-to-naked at the end is almost incidental. It’s definitely not about being a turn-on, and while it’s not exactly fun for all the family, it is certainly for both genders.
Apart from the Sinner Saint Burlesque troupe coming to Shoreditch, it would seem that burlesque is growing in popularity. The West End’s Cafe de Paris, CellarDoor in Covent Garden and the Pigalle Club in Piccadilly all put on regular burlesque nights. It’s something a bit different and worth checking out.