Ohh! Lala! Cherie! Burlesque Show

Line-up TBA

Art Director: Emma Mylan

The Plaza presents a fresh and exuberantly joyful burlesque night featuring international dancers, extraordinary performers and captivating fire and trapeze acts: sensual, sexy and exceptional. Stimulating for the ladies of the world and exciting for the gentlemen. Wrapped in "music that makes your heart rock" by DJ Grau and hosted by an international master of ceremonies who does far more than simply introduce the acts, your senses are sure to catch fire too...

Wheelchair spaces: The venue is wheelchair accessible. Early arrival 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 fairs 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 only in the 1990s, 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 biggest star is probably Dita von Teese-to create new shows and engage with the tradition of burlesque in new ways.

The New Burlesque

Based on the traditional forms of expression of burlesque, New Burlesque allows for a considerably broader range of styles. From classic striptease to modern dance, and from short theatrical pieces to comedy acts, anything goes, with the focus, as in classic burlesque, placed more on teasing, humorous allure (tease) than on undressing (strip). Despite the development of a whole range of independent forms of expression, the fundamental idea remains to emphasise the distinctive features of traditional burlesque-namely its quirky humour-through the use of extravagant costumes and humorous striptease or cabaret acts. The dancer performing in New Burlesque has little in common with a conventional stripper. As was customary in early burlesque, burlesque dancers create their own distinctive, artificial identities through stage names, costumes, emblems, carefully selected accessories and sophisticated stage performances. Their roles often draw on a different beauty ideal from the one generally accepted, and the performers 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 all typical of New Burlesque, which is why it is also regarded as "the cultured stepsister of striptease".