The Politics of Burlesque: A Dialogue Among Dancers

Everyone’s got something to say about the politics of burlesque. I wanted to hear from the performers themselves. So I invited dancers from across Canada to write a little about what “the politics of burlesque” mean for them. Some describe socially engaged acts, some talk about the reasons behind their decision to perform, and still others express a dedication to carving out specifically politicized space for themselves within the burlesque scene. While this slideshow strives to represent performers from different burlesque communities, it is important to point out that it not comprehensive, and more work needs to be done to represent the multiplicity of bodies and identities that appear in this genre (such as Indigenous, trans, and disabled performers). I hope this slideshow will open space for more burlesque performers to be heard in dialogue about the politics of the art form.

Photo by Olena Sullivan, photolena.ca

I was the first black neo-burlesque performer in the country, and I am still one of very few to this day. I love the glamorous costumes, the unabashed sexuality, and the creative autonomy that such a medium provides. When I perform burlesque I have creative control over every single aspect of my act and a lot of ability to influence audience perception. Many damaging stereotypes exist concerning the sexuality of black women, so having a medium to tell a different story is something I find incredibly empowering.

One of my favourite characters to play is the Church Lady. She is prim and proper yet passionate and playful. She takes the two most common black female sexual tropes—the de-sexualized “good” Mammy and the over-sexualized “bad” Jezebel—and turns them on their head, forcing the audience to confront their pre-conceived notions about what is and is not sexy and appropriate.

—CoCo La Crème

Photo courtesy of CoCo La Crème, photo by David Hawe

I’m a sex educator and activist in my work life, a burlesque artist on the side, and a black woman always. I bring all the complex aspects of myself and my politics into my performance because it’s important to me to do more than just look pretty on stage. I want to tell a new story, I want to give you something unexpected, and I want us to have a transformative experience together. I perform to create a space for myself to exist in a world that would rather make me invisible. Burlesque for me is therapy, art, activism, and exhibitionism all rolled into one sexy package! I wouldn’t give it up for anything!

—CoCo La Crème

About the Artist

CoCo La Crème is a dynamic Toronto burlesque artist who has been performing solo and with pioneering burlesque troupe Skin Tight Outta Sight for . . . many years. cocolacreme.com

Photo by Karen Chan, ihartvan@gmail.com

The Pickton piece is definitely a sensitive piece and not for every audience. I created the piece as an expression of frustration and anger, not over the Pickton case itself, but at the authorities’ and public’s easy disregard for these women’s lives because they were not standard members of society. Looking at the photos of the women’s faces that the police released in connection with the case really got to me. In all of them you saw so much humanity, individuality, and human spirit. I wanted to let these women live again, be respected again, be beautiful again—if only for a moment. The music in the piece is Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful,” and at the beginning I layered an audio clip from a news piece about the case. I wanted to give them life and then respectfully set them to rest. But I didn’t want to sugarcoat the situation.

—Burgundy Brixx

Photo by Karen Chan, ihartvan@gmail.com

The element of striptease involved in burlesque is something that...