Ohh! Lala! Cherie! Burlesque Show

Line-up TBA

Art Director: Emma Mylan

Plaza presents a fresh and delightfully exuberant burlesque night featuring international dancers, extraordinary artists and captivating fire and trapeze performances: sensual, sexy and exceptional. Stimulating for ladies of the world and thrilling for gentlemen of distinction. Wrapped in "music that makes your heart rock" by DJ Grau and hosted by an international MC who does far more than simply emcee the evening, your senses are sure to catch fire too...

Wheelchair spaces: The venue is wheelchair accessible. Arriving early is recommended. Please purchase a ticket in advance and ask the box office staff for the event manager on the evening of the event. They will guide you to the best possible place.

What is Burlesque?

The influences and inspirations behind what is commonly known today as burlesque range from turn-of-the-century fairgrounds and circus romance to the Roaring Twenties and the glamorous films of the 1940s and 1950s, with their divas and pin-ups. Burlesque experienced its great renaissance in the 1990s, when it re-emerged as neo-burlesque or new burlesque in New York through Ami Goodheart's revue "Dutch Weismanns' Follies" and in Los Angeles through Michelle Carr's troupe "The Velvet Hammer Burlesque". These productions, inspired by the performances of great burlesque dancers such as Mae West, Betty Page, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dixie Evans and Lili St. Cyr, in turn inspired a new generation of dancers-whose greatest star is probably Dita van Teese-to create new shows and develop a new approach to the burlesque tradition.

The New Burlesque

Based on the traditional forms of expression found in burlesque, new burlesque allows for a considerably broader range of styles. From classic striptease to modern dance, and from short theatrical pieces to comedy routines, anything goes, with the focus-as in classic burlesque-being more on teasing, humorous allure (tease) than on taking clothes off (strip). Despite the development of a whole range of independent forms of expression, the fundamental idea remains to emphasise the distinctive character of traditional burlesque-namely its quirky humour-through the use of unusual costumes and humorous striptease or cabaret performances. The dancer performing in new burlesque has little in common with a conventional stripper. As was customary in the original burlesque, burlesque dancers create their own distinctive artificial identities through stage names, costumes, emblems, carefully selected accessories and a sophisticated stage presence. Their roles are often based on a beauty ideal different from the one generally accepted, and the artists also view themselves with a certain degree of irony. Playing with the underlying inspiration, flirting with eroticism (for example through pin-up poses and fetishes) and embracing imperfect bodies are typical of new burlesque, which is why it is also known as "the cultivated stepsister of striptease".