Lustrous Lights – An (Incomplete) History of Genres
The history of pole dance dates back nearly 800 years to the ancient Indian sport of Mallakhamb. Mallakhamb utilizes a wooden pole/post that athletes use to perform aerial tricks and yoga-like poses. In the late 1800’s, The U.S started to incorporate “Hoochie Coochie” dancers at circuses and fairs. Typically of Middle Eastern descent, these women would wear flashy outfits and jewelry and suggestively dance on circus poles to attract customers to the shows.
In the early 1900’s, Vaudeville became popular and women would use comedy and dance elements in their performances. But once Prohibition began, the sexy versions of Vaudeville, called Burlesque, went “underground” to speakeasies. Because of the limited spaces in speakeasies, performers often had to dance on top of bars or tables. Poles or pipes were used by the performers to hold onto while performing. Performers would dance suggestively while strip teasing.
Once Prohibition ended, Burlesque and striptease was made more public. Bar and restaurant owners started offering these types of performances in their clubs. In 1954, the first strip club was born in Portland, Oregon. Strip clubs continued to grow and became a staple in the U.S. throughout the 80’s and 90’s.
Fawnia Mondey moved to the U.S. and became a stripper in the early 90’s. She was surprised there wasn’t a “school” to learn how to dance and soon realized she was also losing weight and gaining strength from her work. She decided to start teaching classes to the new dancers at the club before the club would open for the night. In 1994, Mondey opened the first ever pole dance studio in Las Vegas, Pole Dance Studio, which is still open today.
Since then, pole has taken off as an empowering workout and form of artistic expression that is known around the world. In 2017, the Global Association of International Sports Federation named pole dancing a sport. Today, there are different types of pole dance from classic exotic to theatrical to artistic. There’s competitions, showcase performances, pole camps and even expos!
The Dance of the Seven Veils appeared first in the Bible and is danced by an unnamed female niece before King Herod Antipas birthday guests. As a gift for performing this dance, she can choose whatever she wants. Instead, she asks for The Head of John the Baptist on a silver platter. He reluctantly agrees. John the Baptist was imprisoned for criticizing the King’s marriage to Herodias, who was the former wife of Antipa’s half-brother Herold II. This dance had no name in the Bible. It gained popularity in 1894 when Oscar Wilde wrote a French play, which gave the unnamed niece and the dance a name.
In Oscar Wilde’s ‘Salome,’ the dance was changed from a public birthday dance to a private erotic dance for the king. Wilde does not describe the dance itself, but it is heavily hinted at the idea of “unveiling one’s truest form.” The Seven Veils comes from Christianity’s Seven Deadly Sins. The dancer is to toss a veil for each deadly sin that is represented (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth). The Victorians were enamored with Middle Eastern exotic dances, which explains why every performer since has done a “light belly dance” that borders on a folk tarantella dance (the tarantella dance originates from southern Italy).
The character of Salome has a deep desire to seduce John the Baptist and because he turned her down- she seeks revenge with his execution. She is the incarnation of female lust. It’s this play that people agree is the origin of “the striptease.”
Oscar Wilde may also have been heavily influenced by the poem “The Daughter of Herodias” (1870) by Arthur O’Shaughnessy.
Her long black hair danced round her like a snake
Allured to each charmed movement she did make;
Her voice came strangely sweet;
She sang, “O, Herod, wilt thou look on me—
Have I no beauty thy heart cares to see?”
And what her voice did sing her dancing feet
Seemed ever to repeat.
She sang, “O, Herod, wilt thou look on me?
What sweet I have, I have it all for thee;”
And through the dance and song
She freed and floated on the air her arms
Above dim veils that hid her bosom’s charms:
The passion of her singing was so strong
It drew all hearts along.
Her sweet arms were unfolded on the air,
They seemed like floating flowers the most fair—
White lilies the most choice;
And in the gradual bending of her hand
There lurked a grace that no man could withstand;
Yea, none knew whether hands, or feet, or voice,
Most made his heart rejoice.
The veils fell round her like thin coiling mists
Shot through by topaz suns, and amethysts,
And rubies she had on;
And out of them her jewelled body came,
And seemed to all quite like a slender flame
That curled and glided, and that burnt and shone
Most fair to look upon.
Then she began, on that well-polished floor,
Whose stones seemed taking radiance more and more
From steps too bright to see,
A certain measure that was like some spell
Of winding magic, wherein heaven and hell
Were joined to lull men’s souls eternally
In some mid ecstasy:
For it was so inexplicably wrought
Of soft alternate motions, that she taught
Each sweeping supple limb,
And in such intricate and wondrous ways
With bendings of her body, that the praise
Lost breath upon men’s lips, and all grew dim
Save her so bright and slim.
And through the swift mesh’d serpents of her hair
That lash’d and leapt on each place white and fair
Of bosom or of arm,
And through the blazing of the numberless
And whirling jewelled fires of her dress,
Her perfect face no passion could disarm
Of its reposeful charm.
Her head oft drooped as in some languid death
Beneath brim tastes of joy, and her rich breath
Heaved faintly from her breast;
Her long eyes, opened fervently and wide,
Did seem with endless rapture to abide
In some fair trance through which the soul possest
Love, ecstasy, and rest.
Although it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when burlesque started as a performance art (there are records of burlesque-type performances occurring during the 4th and 5th centuries BCE in Athens, Greece), the term wasn’t popularized until the the 18th century in Europe. The word “burlesque” comes from the Italian word “burla,” meaning a joke or mockery in relation to higher-brow/less accessible theatre during the 17th century.
While North America did have an active burlesque scene during the Victorian era, many people are familiar with the history and concepts of the burlesque performers in the 1930’s and 1940’s, as well as the Hollywood showgirls of the 1950’s. It was everywhere from clubs, circuses, to theatres and film. In North America, the prominence of burlesque dwindled after World War II through the 1970’s as censorship, civil unrest, and patriarchal values grew more ouvert.
The resurgence of burlesque in the 1990’s, known as the Neo-Burlesque era gave way to the artists that you can see in your communities and all over the world today. Burlesque has always been about pushing boundaries, remixing cultural norms and moments, and telling jokes. Our current moment includes an emphasis on self-possessed sensuality that is shared & celebrated with audiences on the performer’s terms. While not every burlesque performer performs for political reasons or is a sex worker, it is impossible to separate the history of burlesque from the stories of underrepresented populations like sex workers, Queer, disabled, and BIPOC; as well as discussions and politics around bodily autonomy.
From the strong through-thread of burlesque history, I have been inspired and allowed to create the acts presented at Lustrous Lights with Theatre Du Mississippi in Winona, Minnesota as Boo Dior.
“Frooty Lemon Stealing Whore”
As mentioned, it is impossible to separate the history and on-going relationship with sexwork to burlesque. In 2007, an adult film was created that includes a spoofy, over-dramatized intro and a young couple absent-mindedly appreciating their most valuable assets: their lemon trees. All the while, the neighborhood pest (Lemon Stealing Whore) sneaks in and swipes all the lemons. I found the intro to the film on tumblr around 2012 & it’s continued to be referenced throughout my life. I created this act to be an upbeat and silly callback to this character. To be clear, I love the character of the Lemon Stealing Whore & I believe she should be handsomely compensated with more money and lemons than her mesh bodysuit can hold; and it was important for me to communicate that I am not punching down on this character. The song, “FROOT” (MARINA, 2015) conveys a playfulness and drama that I aim to embody in this character.
The costume features a bedazzled vintage 1950’s casual dress that is stripped down to a club-wear bikini that proclaims “sex work is work.”
“Opal Angel”
This act is an exercise in clearing my head and trusting my body. It’s the first act I ever created with silk fans, which is complimentary to my performance style that tends to be very flowy and non-linear. I originally planned this act after hearing “Opal Angel” by Luna Li (2017) because it made me melt and feel like I was transported from dancing in my living room to an elevated state or magical realm. Recently, I’ve made the connection to the first time I heard “Dream Weaver” by Gary Wright (1975) as a child & felt the same. It seemed natural to combine the tracks to communicate the idea of time travel as a message of multigenerational resilience and relief; transitions from the material/troubled to a more magical/unburdened space with universal compassion as a companion and a way through the dark nights of the soul.
The costume includes a vintage, abstract floral-patterned dressing robe from the 1970’s and more contemporary, customized iridescent styled pieces, as well as a unicorn-horn heeled pole shoe for extra whimsy.
Resources:
Burlexe.com for articles
Books: “Horrible Prettiness: Burlesque and American Culture” by Robert C. Allen
Follow your favorite performers and producers on social media to get involved in your local scene!
Burlesqueregistry.com
The movie, “Burlesque” (2010) is not a source.
No Name Bar Winona, MN
Doors open at 7:30 pm | Show at 8:30 pm
A huge THANK YOU to our Lustrous Lights sponsor: Perennial Tattoo!
We are so grateful for their support of Theatre du Mississippi and this year’s Lustrous Lights Show, an event that celebrates queer joy, body positivity, and unapologetic self-expression.
Perennial Tattoo’s commitment to creating a welcoming, affirming space aligns beautifully with the heart of this show.
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Website: https://www.artbymollylyn.com/