Stripped HQ

Women of Erotic Dance The origins of burlesque and striptease are hard to define and each culture and country has a different story of how erotic dance began. From the Parisian story of a woman slowly removing each article of clothing to find a flea, to the belly dancing of the Middle East and the infamous Moulin Rouge, women have been expressing themselves and their sexuality through exotic dance for centuries. Burlesque shows were often seen as comical and intelligent, satirising themes and issues of the day while still being an erotic and sensual performance. Italian courtesans were highly educated and skilled in reading, writing, current events, music and dance as well as sexual arts in order to captivate the men who were their patrons and were ultimately paying for their time. They may have become the mistress of a wealthy man but ultimately their role was to entertain and enchant, for a price of course! There is also the biblical story of Salome, who performed the dance of the seven veils for King Herod. He was so captivated by her performance that he told her that she could ask for anything in return. She asked for the head of John the Baptist on a plate and the request was granted. Throughout history, in all cultures there is erotic performance and dance. It is woven into the fabric of society and has always been present in one form or another. The sensual belly dancers, the can-can girls, Brazilian salsa and Latin dancers, the New York burlesque houses and the striptease artists of the past have all influenced our society and the nature of erotic dance today. Often highly misunderstood, ‘strippers’ are often seen as desperate women; amoral ‘sluts’ who are dumb, drugged up and exploited by a sleazy man in a cheap suit and gold tooth. Traditionally the female nude in a portrait was considered ‘high art’ and a moving female form was seen as vulgar. The word ‘stripper’ comes from the term striptease artist and the ‘strippers’ today are embracing that feeling of being a striptease artist with themed, choreographed shows and costumes. Many are skilled in the areas of burlesque, lap dancing, chair dancing, pole dancing, lyra, trapeze, silks, fire twirling and more. These days as striptease and burlesque become more mainstream it is seen that ‘stripping’ can be a celebration of female sexuality and a reclamation of female sexual power from the restraints of living in a patriarchal society. These new strippers are strong, smart and they treat their body as a commodity, much like an actress, model or dancer. When did being female and being naked mean that you were a bad person? Or that you must be stupid? They are highly skilled performance artists who are beginning to get recognition for their skills and realise that they should be proud of themselves and of their achievements. Their performances display female sexual independence and celebrate the female form. Strippers have existed in various forms throughout the ages but it is now that we are taking our first steps into mainstream society and challenging the status quo for acceptable sexual behaviour for women. I guess you could say we are the new feminists!