Thursday, November 02, 2006

The Fine Art of Strip Tease


Burlesque was the finest art in the world.
The skillful seductive revelation of own private nudities in order to attract the attention of a most distracted audience in small, noisy and smoky venues, is a now forgotten practice that should be learned in any academy of dramatic art, and put in practice by any kind of performer. The psycological subtilties behind stripping and teasing principles, are lessons in true dramaturgy, suspence, expectation. If carefully learned, the secrets of taking all off can be today a healthy way to save many arts of the theatre. Shakespeare or Moliere would have without doubt written for it.
Burlesque reached his peak between the 50s and 60s: an age full of hopes, hedonism and a fascinating flavour of forthcoming decadence. In a certain way, was another side of the circus and his philosophy. From the classy night clubs of the world, to the travelling suburban girl shows; from the streets of Paris to the rural county fairs; from the emerging of a flashing Vegas Strips to the fading of a shadowy Times Square, around the globe gentlemen’s spare time was titillated by those innocent promises of sin.
This was a time of tempting capades and cavalcades, with a rich imagery in sex-o-rama, and a sure seduction enhanced by predictability: from the most unconvincing jungle sets eternally divided by the choice between zebras and leopards; to a space-age univers of aluminium foil; to the desperately infinite constellation of lingerie intime and bathing suits. All of that and more, set in the unlikeliest pre-Ikea furniture world made by uncessantly fliyng multicolor pillows, fake gilded thrones, colossal martini glasses and, of course, rides on giant cigars; or, in the most daring cases, innocent whips and boots inaugurating the age of bondage.
Crazy Horse de Paris was a late hip product of this age, before his touristic mutation into the likes of a boring visual handbook for Japanese housewives sipping cuba libres, or a reassuring tool for American businessmen having lives surrounded by feminine obesity. Even if Crazy Horse never interrupted his unique selection of the most beautiful women in the world, and the most unusual visual virtuosos of comedy and magic.
This European sanctuary is today brilliantly attempting to remove his patina of deja-vu with a new spirit.
The other evening, evening, a gala at the Crazy celebrated the arrival of the true great modern burlesque diva: the here depicted Dita Von Teese live and in person (privately the spouse of icon Marilyn Manson). Her act revives in the freshest way all the ingenuity, surrealism, and excitement you could expect from an erotic pastime: and a true carefully glittered bathtub filled by true floating soap bubbles was the excuse for the revelation of her very true curves.

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