I was asked some questions for an upcoming burlesque article in a local Kansas City magazine, and I wanted to share my answers with you! Let me know what you think!
xo,
Annie Cherry
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-How did you get into doing burlesque?
I started out as a belly dancer. Eventually I wanted to expand that performance into other areas. I wanted my dances to have a story behind them, sometimes a punchline. I wanted to incorporate fabulous costumes, as well as an element of surprise. I wanted to sing. I love the tough talking broads of early cinema. I also love early to mid-twentieth century pin-up art. Taking all of these elements as part of an equation, the natural solution seemed to be burlesque. I approached Miss Etta Vendetta about taking a chance on using me in her monthly Eyeful Tower show. She hired me, and we had a successful run. I was hooked. I was an Eyeful Tower regular, eventually joining the Burly-Q Girly Crew, and subsequently moving on to perform independently, and to teach burlesque at the City in Motion School of Dance. Now my partner in crime Lucky DeLuxe and I are producing and performing a series of variety shows called Cherry’s DeLuxe, to debut at Fringe Fest.
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-What do you like about it?
It is an open art form. As long as it’s engaging to the senses, and appealing in a sexy, fun and humorous manner, burlesque is pretty much open to your interpretation. The one thread that seems to tie it all together is “the reveal”. The peeling away of layers. It is an ideal mode of self expression for someone such as myself, who is a theatrical person with a love of costuming and humor, as well as singing and dancing. I love the ‘character’ of the burlesque girl. The diamond in the rough, take charge kind of lady, sexy and confident enough to not take herself too seriously.
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-What is your reaction when people compare it to stripping?
Honestly, I just don’t care any more. Any person that has witnessed a high-quality, well performed burlesque show should be able to tell the difference. I think if you were to put burlesque and stripping on a spectrum, they would be at opposite ends. There is bound to be, of course, some stripping that has burlesque elements, and some lower-brow burlesque that blurs the distinction between the two. Of course it is always important to remember that early burlesque was considered very low-brow, and only now that it’s in revival has it been elevated to the level of “art” in some peoples eyes.
Honestly, I just don’t care any more. Any person that has witnessed a high-quality, well performed burlesque show should be able to tell the difference. I think if you were to put burlesque and stripping on a spectrum, they would be at opposite ends. There is bound to be, of course, some stripping that has burlesque elements, and some lower-brow burlesque that blurs the distinction between the two. Of course it is always important to remember that early burlesque was considered very low-brow, and only now that it’s in revival has it been elevated to the level of “art” in some peoples eyes.
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-Why do you think there is a new energy behind this older art form?
All things old come new again. When a trend from the past is revived society tends to be very choosy, picking only the choice bits and leaving the rest buried. I think what we want to remember about burlesque’s early twentieth century wave is the glamor, the decadence, the purely gratuitous entertainment value. It is a contrast, and some might say a compliment, to our current sensibility of the stark, modern, and technological. Burlesque is fun for fun’s sake. And that’s something that we really need now, while we’re at war, as much as we did in the 1940’s, burlesque’s earlier heyday.
