Contemporary Burlesque Is More Than Nostalgia
Burlesque is a contemporary buzzword all about fashion and costumes, music, theatre and literature. In fact it has an old pedigree which makes the current style revival as much a comment on today’s society as the past. It originated in parody, mocking, making fun of more serious works. Travesty, caricature and ‘over the top’ equally [...]
Burlesque Costumes & Moulin Rouge Outfits – The Neo-Burlesque Revival
Once upon a time, the word ‘burlesque’ referred to literary, musical or dramatic works that parodied or mocked their subjects in a way that intended to make people laugh. However, over the centuries, burlesque slowly yet surely transformed into something different. By the mid 19th century, the British developed Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as extravaganzas, [...]
Saloon Girls, Wild West Showgirls, The Can-Can
As the new countries of the USA and Canada rapidly grew and expanded during the 19th Century, the French colonialists embraced the opportunities to be had in the New World. They brought with them their music, dance, and entertainment in all its forms. Dancers who had entertained audiences in the music halls of Paris lost [...]
The Birth of the Can-Can
The origins of the can-can (or cancan) can be traced back to the working-class ballrooms of the Montparnasse, Paris in the 1830s. This area on the left bank of the River Seine was named after the home of the Nine Muses of the arts and sciences in Greek Mythology (Mount Parnassus), and during the 18th [...]
A Brief History of the Folies Bergère Music Hall in Paris
The Folies Bergère Music Hall in Paris has always been a microcosm of Parisian culture, incorporating all the elegance, gaudiness and comical eroticism of the great city’s nightlife. People all over the world think of this place whenever Paris is mentioned, and it is probably the best-known of all the city’s landmarks. The structure now [...]
A brief history of the Moulin Rouge music hall in Paris
On the 6th of October 1889, The Moulin Rouge Music Hall was opened in Paris France by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler. The Moulin Rouge (fr. red mill) was nicknamed “Le Premier Palais des Femmes,” (The First Palace of Women). Extravagant productions were performed with a combination of circus, dance, theatre and music hall. The [...]
