The burlesque revival now has more fans than a fan dancer. Time Out in London has even had to introduce a new section to, ahem, cover it. And Rihanna, whose outfits get increasingly fetishistic, is reportedly in talks to front a chain of burlesque clubs.
Unlike stripping, burlesque is naughty but nice. It attracts as many women as men to the audience; and performers often share the stage with jugglers, magicians and acrobats. If you have any lingering doubts that it’s art, visit Dr Sketchy: he runs life-drawing classes using performers as models (drsketchylondon.co.uk).
In London, try the supper club Volupte (www.volupte-lounge.com), which offers Afternoon Tease on Saturdays and, on July 17, Pussy Galore, a Bond-themed evening where they’ll be shaking and you’ll be stirred; or the tongue-in-cheek Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club (workersplaytime.net).
Outside the capital, the Wet Spot in Leeds (thewetspotleeds.co.uk) stages a club on every third Saturday under the direction of founder Ryvita von Cheese. On July 3, Norwich’s The Talk is taken over by a night of Weimar decadence (achtung-cabaret.co.uk). Birmingham’s Asylum hosts its popular monthly night Heresy n Heelz on July 10 (heresynheelz.co.uk). And Derby’s 2,000-capacity Assembly Rooms stages the ambitious Delicious on July 31 (delicious-burlesque.com), with Roxy Velvet’s aerial birdcage routine and a newcomers’ competition.
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But don’t just dream it: be it. The Academy of Burlesque and Cabaret holds classes all over the country (burlesqueandcabaret.com).