At the El Rancho Vegas in 1956, Lili St. Cyr drops undergarments on her mostly male admirers, none of whom seem to mind. (Image: Vintage Las Vegas)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFrom the Topless<\/h2>\n Burlesque first arrived in Las Vegas the day after Christmas 1950, when Gypsy Rose Lee kicked off a two-week residency at the Desert Inn.<\/p>\n
Its surprise popularity paved the way for Lily St. Cyr to drop her undergarments on the audience while swinging in a birdcage above them at the El Rancho in 1956, and then for Tempest Storm, the highest-paid burlesque dancer of all time, to titillate the Dunes in 1957.<\/p>\n
After that peak, burlesque took a back seat, at least in Las Vegas, to the topless showgirl, who became the actual icon of Sin City.<\/strong><\/p>\nBut neo-burlesque reclaimed the art form in the 1990s, quietly at first, as women with a post-feminist worldview took center stage, embracing not only their own sexuality, but autonomy over their own bodies.<\/p>\n
Holly Madison gave the genre two big boosts — by headlining in \u201cPeepshow\u201d at Planet Hollywood from 2009 through 2013, and then by lending her name to an actual 1920s burlesque club at Mandalay Bay.<\/p>\n
Miss Conceptions<\/h2>\n Among the many misconceptions people have about neo-burlesque, according to Buttercup, is that it differs from older versions because it\u2019s performed for laughs — usually at how quaint its notions of naughty behavior seem by today\u2019s standards — as much as actual titillation.<\/p>\n
But burlesque was always <\/em>staged for laughs. The word derives from the Italian \u201cburla,\u201d which means to mock.<\/p>\nButtercup is a burlesque dancer and instructor who is also the program manager at Las Vegas\u2019 Burlesque Hall of Fame. (Image: Bettina May)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cThese women were pushing the boundaries of their day,\u201d said Buttercup, a burlesque performer and instructor, and the program assistant at the Burlesque Hall of Fame, which, by the way, is also located in Las Vegas, on the same \u201cCity Cast\u201d podcast episode.<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cThey were taking songs that were popular, changing the lyrics to be more base or sexual, and they were changing their acts night after night, which meant getting repeat clientele who were excited to hear new material each time,\u201d Buttercup said.<\/p>\n
What is<\/em> different about neo-burlesque is that it\u2019s more inclusive than the first wave. Von Teese’s show, for instance, places both men and women in costumes originally meant for showgirls who fit a very specific aesthetic.<\/p>\nAlso, while most of burlesque\u2019s early Las Vegas audiences consisted of men, the women now outnumber them.<\/p>\n
It can be quite an empowering experience to watch other women use their bodies, exercise their autonomy, use their voices and take up space, especially in a world where women are generally not given those liberties,\u201d Buttercup said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Buttercup also performs in her own burlesque show, \u201cSinful,\u201d which can be seen next at the Fat Cat Las Vegas on May 11.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Burlesque has existed as an American art form since the 1860s, but it\u2019s peaking again, and Las Vegas seems to be where. “Dita Las Vegas: A Jubilant Review,” opened by the international queen of burlesque Dita Von Teese last October in the Jubilee Theater at Horseshoe Las Vegas, is one of four burlesque shows now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":317795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3313,81886],"tags":[86995,90589,88815,86994,85215,90588,23,82012,83158,85428,90590],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Did Burlesque Just Replace the Las Vegas Showgirl Show? - Casino.org<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n