Polesque – An article by ‘Mr Burlesque’

‘Mister Burlesque’ Aka Rodney James is truly a passionate and inspiring Burlesque fitness dance instructor and performer from Australia.  In this article he gives us a brief history of Burlesque and its development around the world, and how it has inspired him to work on his unique and glamorous fitness regime which appeals to both burlesque lovers and pole lovers alike – POLESQUE!

He also talks about his Burlesque Beat fitness DVD program, its benefits and how it has changed the lives of women all around the world.

What is Burlesque?

Originally the term Burlesque referred to a bawdy humorous theatre show involving parody and sometimes grotesque exaggeration. The origin of the term ‘burlesque’ is strongly debated but most agree that this French term was borrowed from the Italian burlesco, in turn derived from the Spanish burla meaning joke.  Clearly, comedy and ‘send-up’ is central to Burlesque. 
Recently there has been a revival of interest in Burlesque, and we’ve seen the rise of nouveau-Burlesque groups such as Pussycat Dolls and now a major feature film Burlesque is about to be released.  Despite this new awareness of the art form, I am still being often asked what the difference is between Burlesque and simple strip tease.

The truth is, to me, they are both strings from the same bow.  In the United States in the 1930s, Burlesque houses were the equivalent of today’s strip clubs.  Burlesque pin up artists would list on their posters the venues where they would be performing next.  Striptease was part of the show, but clearly the performance and the identity and character of the performer were just as important as the nudity.  I suppose this is why I would often say that Burlesque is about the tease and not just the sleaze – there is more to it than simply exposing yourself!



Uk Burlesque to American Burlesque

British Burlesque, sometimes referred to as ‘Classical Burlesque’ has remained relatively unchanged for over 500 years.  Performances involve music and dance, and are bawdy and satirical, often with sexual connotations, but nudity is not strictly a part of the show.
Across the pond, this developed into the more commonly recognized American Burlesque, where performers in the 1950s such as Gypsy Rose Lee showcased it as a kind of over the top entertainment incorporating glamour, feathers, fans, exotic influences.   It is so American, extremely outrageous, extremely silly, extremely fun and over the top.  Here it became more closely linked to the removal of clothes.
Perhaps ironically, today many American performers are paying homage to the more satirical British style of Burlesque and by the same token, many British performers are strongly influenced by the American strip-tease tradition.

In Australia, we have experienced a range of influences, as both a nation of the Empire and now as the 51st State of America, our own Burlesque tradition is still developing.  I hope to be at the centre of this development and help share our unique take on the theatre, fun and over-the-top spectacle of Burlesque!

Burlesque is now becoming popular World wide - using technology to its fullest in creating great imagery pieces within the performances.  We are also seeing increasingly  pole dance being fused with Burlesque  as well as circus type acts involving trapeze, balancing acts and dance.  Burlesque is  forever evolving.   I share my love for this precious art form and the beauty is that there are no rules, rights or wrongs, just opportunities to create and perform to whatever tickles your fancy, blows your mind and we call it  Burlesque!



What attracted me to Burlesque?

What attracted me to the Burlesque world was its freedom of self expression and the dance and performance elements that came with it!  As a musical theatre performer it was the theatrical aspect of Burlesque and the focus on the tease rather than the sleaze, which attracted me!
I was designing dance-inspired fitness programs for women and I wanted to give them something more than just dance.  I believed there was nothing in the media or society to make any woman over the age of 18 to feel good about herself, and I wanted to help these women out and change this conception by developing confidence and fitness at the same time.  I did not want to simply go down the road of the ‘strip-to-be-fit’ style of class, so how would I do this?
So with a mix up of performance, fitness and dance, and my newfound discovery of the pride and acceptance of all shapes and sizes in Burlesque theatre, I developed Burlesque Beat.  I then turned this dance inspired fitness program into a DVD which is now being sold all over the world and I am thrilled to see how many women’s lives I have changed. 

What is Polesque?

Burlesque Beat attracts women from so many different cultures and backgrounds.  The Burlesque body movement formula I have developed brings a new degree of physicality to Burlesque performance and a great body workout at the same time!  Very much like pole dance.  The muscles I get my clients to use are the muscles people have thought that they had never had.  My classes are pole dancing without the pole.

I think why I used so much emphasis on the pole dance formula was because many women would say to me that they would love to get the workout that pole dance gives them and feel empowered like the girls seem to be so I thought I would come up with a stepping stone class that did not intimidate them as much cause the thought of holding their own body weight was frightening, so I had to get them thinking they were strong enough and sexy enough through a very similar workout however dance inspired.  Well now  my clients are addicted to the lovely pole!  Both psychological and physical benefits have turned my clients around and changed their own personal lives forever. Together, we have never looked back and I want to continue to share my passion and formula to all other women from all around the world.

Bring it all on I say!!
Love Mister Burlesque (Rodney James)