Los Angeles Times; Mature Burlesque

Photo © Mel Melcon-All Rights Reserved

In order to break from the gloom of September 11 and its coverage, I thought I'd feature something both different and uplifting. From The Los Angeles Times, this audio slideshow seems perfect to do just that...it's about Monday Night Tease, which is the longest-running weekly burlesque show in Los Angeles. It's known as a venue for dancers of all shapes and shades, as well as for its cheeky humor.

The audio slideshow features Lili VonSchtupp, who draws crowds to bar in Hollywood every week to celebrate real women with real bodies. "One of the troupes taking the stage just before midnight at VonSchtupp’s weekly Monday Night Tease calls itself the Rubenesque Burlesque. For four minutes, the women shake, bounce and bump to a hip-hop song, eventually stripping down to black leather bras. When those come off, the crowd at Three Clubs erupts. They hoot approvingly at these dancers, each of whom weighs over 200 pounds."

According to Wikipedia, American burlesque shows were originally an offshoot of Victorian burlesque in Britain, and when those went out of favor at the end of the 19th centruy, the American style of burlesque flourished, but with increasing focus on female nudity.