The Value of Burlesque

Bacon Merkin

In an age where you could Google for 30 seconds and see any sexual antic you please and where you can watch a girl ‘pop her pussy’ on stage for 20 minutes without more than a cost of a beer – why would you pay to go see burlesque? A performance where the closest to full nudity you’ll see is a pair of tiny pasties and if you are really lucky a merkin.

First of all, I want to state that I am a fan of strippers and pornography for the most part. In fact, burlesque dancers are strippers – we both strip but there are differences. I am not saying that burlesque performers are any better than the women that work at strip clubs and porn, I’m just saying that there is so much value in burlesque as an audience member and it provides such a different type of entertainment than strip bars and xxx flicks.

If you just want to gawk at a naked woman and that’s it then burlesque isn’t for you. If you just want to see Victoria Secret model bodies then burlesque is not for you either. So, don’t come to a show expecting that because you will be disappointed. In burlesque a nearly naked woman is usually (not always) the pay off of a comedic, dramatic, cute (insert description here) dance performed by women (and men) of all shapes and sizes whose confidence usually oozes off the stage and captures the audience.

Vermilion and I performing burlesque duo.

Burlesque is all about the tease and the reveal. I like to think of burlesque performances as little skits with characters, plot lines and costumes being just as important as that final pastie shot. Burlesque also isn’t all about the naked person on stage, it’s not all about the performer – it’s about the audience. Audience interaction is one of the biggest differences in burlesque – the goal is to make you feel something other than a boner.

I could go on and on about what I personally believe burlesque is and what it gives to an audience, the best way to find out is to head to ashow and gather your own opinion.

Burlesque is a form of entertainment that knows no bounds and that truly is the appeal.