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Burlesque star says bending rules is part of the fun
Amar Singh29 Apr 2009
Dita Von Teese today called on burlesque performers to defy a London council's crackdown on their shows.
Von Teese, the American "Queen of Burlesque", said that bending the rules was part of the burlesque tradition, making performances "more appealing and exciting".
She said today: "It's not unusual for burlesque to be regulated because it always has been and the stars of burlesque from the past had to deal with it. The challenges of getting around the laws and the risqué element were always a part of what made burlesque exciting."
The Standard revealed that burlesque nights at venues such as the Roundhouse and Koko had been banned by Camden council unless the venues applied for the same licence required for lap-dancing clubs.
Von Teese, 36, said: "In America in the Thirties and Forties there were strict laws and the dancers had to adhere to them. This is why the pastie [nipple tassel] was invented, and the g-string was cleverly constructed! Some burlesque queens chose to break the laws, knowing that being photographed taken away in handcuffs was great publicity, and I love this element of burlesque.
"I've been stripping since 1991 and have travelled all over the world and had to be aware of the laws. Sometimes I complied and sometimes I didn't.
"Perhaps these clubs will install the historic "red light, green light" that they had in burlesque clubs to tell the performers whether the cops were in the house or not."
Von Teese, who has modelled for Jean Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood, is credited with reviving burlesque in recent years.
She recalled how she had to adjust her performance to keep within the boundaries of the law in her first show in the capital. "In the early Nineties, I was forced to go behind a curtain to remove each item of clothing, even my gloves. It was okay for me to be nude, but there were still laws in effect that did not allow for actual striptease in public."
Reader views (11)
Is it just me, or is 'licensing' a venue for burlesque performances simply another way for the local council to get more money out the public for... well, no-one really knows what.
- Colin Smith, Leeds, UK, 30/04/2009 16:06
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Well if we can do it without complaint in Aberdeen, why the hell are they having problems in London?
Maybe the folk complaining should be forced to sit and watch a show to see what they're complaining about. Half the time the girls on stage have more clothes on than the teeny bop clubbers out in town drunk!
- Blackjack Belle, Aberdeen, 30/04/2009 08:53
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If camden are aloud to inforce this then burlesque will die in camden, then as other boroughs will take on the rules and before we know it, burlesque could be only found along side lap dancers! all the work that we have all done to bring burlesque and variety arts back into the mainstream will be crushed. the time is now to peacefully stand-up and show the world what burlesque is and more inportantly what it is not.
So come on guys, lets rally together and have some fun too. i'll show you all some magic too.
yours magically,
Equador The Wizard
- Equador The Wizard, London, 30/04/2009 00:27
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Leave Dita alone. She's ok in my book.
- John, hornchurch Essex, 29/04/2009 17:41
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My self and Burlesque Performer Lola LaBelle will be holding a pastie protest on Camden High Street this weekend! currently rallying troupes for a march that is sure to stop traffic!
See you there
info@missbanburycross.com
- Banbury Cross, London, 29/04/2009 16:43
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We have come a long way since Phyllis Dixie,who was'nt allowed to move on stage,at least give Miss Teese a chance.
- David., Chertsey.UK., 29/04/2009 15:50
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she's fantatstic it's Brown thats obscene.....
- Ethan, UK, 29/04/2009 14:49
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I could possibly have been upset about this if she wasn't a munter
- Bob, Basildon. Essex, 29/04/2009 14:23
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I think that in the interests of public information, some pictures should be published of Miss Teese's act, so we can decide for ourselves how outrageous she is. Just for educational purposes, obviously...
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland, 29/04/2009 13:11
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Camden Council? I could understand prissy old Bromley banning it, but not Camden. What's become of the bohemian tradition in the borough?
- Mark, Venice, Italy, 29/04/2009 11:17
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why not get together with Jeremy Clarkson and break the rules together, ms teese? the offspring would be dangerous indeed.
- Stephen, london, uk, 29/04/2009 10:26
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