Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner.[1] The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exotic" or "burlesque" dancer.
The origins of striptease as a performance art are disputed and various dates and occasions have been given from
Striptease involves a slow, sensuous undressing. The stripper may prolong the undressing with delaying tactics such as the wearing of additional
Striptease and public nudity have been subject to legal and cultural prohibitions and other aesthetic considerations and taboos. Restrictions on venues may be through venue licensing requirements and constraints and a wide variety of national and local laws. These laws vary considerably around the world, and even between different parts of the same country. H. L. Mencken is credited with coining the word ecdysiast – from "ecdysis", meaning "to molt" – in response to a request from striptease artist Georgia Sothern, for a "more dignified" way to refer to her profession. Gypsy Rose Lee, one of the most famous striptease artists of all time, approved of the term.[4][5][6]
History
The origins of striptease as a performance art are disputed and various dates and occasions have been given from
There is a stripping aspect in the ancient Sumerian myth of the descent of the goddess
In ancient Greece, the lawgiver
An early version of striptease became popular in England at the time of the
Striptease became standard fare in the brothels of 18th century London, where the women, called "posture girls", would strip naked on tables for popular entertainment.[15]
Striptease was also combined with music, as in the 1720 German translation of the French La Guerre D'Espagne (Cologne: Pierre Marteau, 1707), where a
The dancers, to please their lovers the more, dropped their clothes and danced totally naked the nicest
An
Some claim the origin of the modern striptease lies in Oscar Wilde's play Salome (play), in 1893. In the Dance of the Seven Veils, the female protagonist dances for King Herod and slowly removes her veils until she lies naked.[19] After Wilde's play and Richard Strauss's operatic version of the same, first performed in 1905, the erotic "dance of the seven veils" became a standard routine for dancers in opera, vaudeville, film and burlesque. A famous early practitioner was Maud Allan, who in 1907 gave a private performance for King Edward VII.
French tradition
In the 1880s and 1890s, Parisian shows such as the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergère were featuring attractive scantily clad women dancing and tableaux vivants. In this environment, an act in the 1890s featured a woman who slowly removed her clothes in a vain search for a flea crawling on her body. The People's Almanac credits the act as the origin of modern striptease.
In 1905, the notorious Dutch dancer
American tradition
In the United States, striptease started in
The 1960s saw a revival of striptease in the form of topless
British tradition
In Britain in the 1930s, when Laura Henderson began presenting nude shows at the Windmill Theatre, London, censorship regulations prohibited naked girls from moving while appearing on-stage. To get around the prohibition, the models appeared in stationary tableaux vivants.[31][32] The Windmill girls also toured other London and provincial theatres, sometimes using ingenious devices such as rotating ropes to move their bodies round, though strictly speaking, staying within the letter of the law by not moving of their own volition. Another example of the way the shows stayed within the law was the fan dance, in which a naked dancer's body was concealed by her fans and those of her attendants, until the end of her act in when she posed nude for a brief interval whilst standing still.
In 1942,
By the 1950s, touring striptease acts were used to attract audiences to the dying music halls. Arthur Fox started his touring shows in 1948 and Paul Raymond started his in 1951. Paul Raymond later leased the Doric Ballroom in Soho and opened his private members club, the Raymond Revuebar, in 1958. This was one of the first of the private striptease members clubs in Britain.
In the 1960s, changes in the law brought about a boom of strip clubs in Soho with "fully nude" dancing and audience participation.
Japan
Striptease became popular in Japan after the end of
Today
Modern striptease acts typically follow the sequence established in
Recently pole dancing has come to dominate the world of striptease. In the late 20th century, pole dancing was practised in exotic dance clubs in Canada. These clubs grew up to become a thriving sector of the economy. Canadian style pole dancing, table dancing and lap dancing, organized by multi-national corporations such as Spearmint Rhino, was exported from North America to (among other countries) the United Kingdom, the nations of central Europe, Russia and Australia. In London, England a raft of such so-called "lap dancing clubs" grew up in the 1990s, featuring pole dancing on stage and private table dancing, though, despite media misrepresentation, lap-dancing in the sense of bodily contact was forbidden by law.[37]
"Feature shows" are used to generate interest from potential customers who otherwise would not visit the establishment but know the performer from other outlets. A headlining star of a striptease show is referred to as a feature dancer, and is often a performer with credits such as contest titles or appearances in adult films or magazines. The decades-old practice continued through the late 2000s (decade) to the present day with high-profile adult film performers such as Jenna Haze and Teagan Presley scheduling feature shows through the US.
In December 2006, a
New Burlesque
In the latter 1990s, a number of solo performers and dance groups emerged to create
Male strippers
Until the 1970s, strippers in Western cultures were almost invariably female, performing to male audiences. Since then, male strippers have also become common. Before the 1970s, dancers of both sexes appeared largely in underground clubs or as part of a theatre experience, but the practice eventually became common enough on its own. Well-known troupes of male strippers include Dreamboys in the UK and Chippendales in the US. Male strippers have become a popular option to have at a bachelorette party.
Private dancing
A variation on striptease is private dancing, which often involves lap dancing or contact dancing. Here the performers, in addition to stripping for tips, also offer "private dances" which involve more attention for individual audience members. Variations include private dances like table dancing where the performer dances on or by customer's table rather than the customer being seated in a couch.
Striptease and the law
From ancient times to the present day, striptease was considered a form of
grounds. Such restrictions have been embodied in venue licensing regulations, and national and local laws, including liquor licensing restrictions.United States
Numerous U.S. jurisdictions have enacted laws regulating the striptease. One of the more notorious local ordinances is San Diego Municipal Code 33.3610,[39] specific and strict in response to allegations of corruption among local officials[40] which included contacts in the nude entertainment industry. Among its provisions is the "six-foot rule", copied by other municipalities, that requires that dancers maintain a six-foot (1.8 m) distance while performing.
Other rules forbid "full nudity". In some parts of the U.S., laws forbid the exposure of female (though not male) nipples, which must be covered by pasties.[2] In early 2010, the city of Detroit banned fully exposed breasts in its strip clubs, following the example of Houston, where a similar ordinance was implemented in 2008.[41] The city council has since softened the rules, eliminating the requirement for pasties[42] but keeping other restrictions. Both cities were reputed to have rampant occurrences of illicit activity linked to striptease establishments.[43][44] For some jurisdictions, even certain postures can be considered "indecent" (such as spreading the legs).[45][self-published source]
United Kingdom
In Britain in the 1930s, when the
Iceland
The legal status of striptease in Iceland was changed in 2010, when Iceland outlawed striptease.[49] Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Iceland's prime minister said: "The Nordic countries are leading the way on women's equality, recognizing women as equal citizens rather than commodities for sale."[50] The politician behind the bill, Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir, said: "It is not acceptable that women or people in general are a product to be sold."[50]
In popular culture
Film
1940s–1950s
Lady of Burlesque (known in the UK as Striptease Lady) (1943) based on the novel The G-String Murders (1941), by famous striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, stars Barbara Stanwyck as a stripper who gets involved in the investigation of murders at a burlesque house. A play by Gypsy Rose Lee entitled The Naked Genius (1943) was the inspiration for Doll Face (1945), a musical about a burlesque star (Vivian Blaine) who wants to become a legitimate actress.
Gilda (1946), showcases one of the most famous stripteases in cinematic history, performed by Rita Hayworth to "Put the Blame on Mame", though in the event she removes just her gloves, before the act is terminated by a jealous admirer. Murder at the Windmill (1949) (US title: Mystery at the Burlesque), directed by Val Guest is set at the Windmill Theatre, London and features Diana Decker, Jon Pertwee and Jimmy Edwards. Salome (1953) once again features Rita Hayworth doing a striptease act; this time as the famous biblical stripper Salome, performing the Dance of the Seven Veils. According to Hayworth's biographers this erotic dance routine was "the most demanding of her entire career", necessitating "endless takes and retakes".[52] Expresso Bongo (1959) is a British film which features striptease at a club in Soho, London.
1960s–1970s
In 1960, the film Beat Girl cast Christopher Lee as a sleazy Soho strip club owner who gets stabbed to death by a stripper. Gypsy (1962), features Natalie Wood as the famous burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee in her memorable rendition of "Let Me Entertain You". It was re-made for TV in 1993 Starring Bette Midler as Mama Rose and Cynthia Gibb as Gypsy Rose Lee. The Stripper (1963) featured Gypsy Rose Lee, herself, giving a trademark performance in the title role. A documentary film, Dawn in Piccadilly, was produced in 1962 at the Windmill Theatre. In 1964, We Never Closed (British Movietone) depicted the last night of the Windmill Theatre. In 1965, the feature film Viva Maria! starred Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau as two girls who perform a striptease act and get involved in revolutionary politics in South America.
Also produced in 1965 was Carousella, a documentary about Soho striptease artistes, directed by John Irvin. Another documentary film, which looked at the unglamorous side of striptease, is the 1966 film called,"Strip", filmed at the Phoenix Club in Soho.
1980s–1990s
In addition to lesser-known videos such as A Night at the Revuebar (1983), the 1980s also featured mainstream films involving stripping. These included
Massive Attack : Eleven Promos. "Be Thankful For What You've Got" (1992), directed by Baillie Walsh, includes one dance routine by Ritzy Sparkle at the Raymond Revuebar Theatre.
2000s–present
Television
- BBC Panorama (1964) episode produced for the last night of the Windmill Theatre in 1964. Richard Dimbleby interviews Sheila van Damm.
- Get Smart (1967) CONTROL scientist Dr. Steele also works as a stripper, with her lab located at the striptease theatre.
- "If it Moves it's Rude-The Story of the Windmill Theatre" (1969). A BBC television documentary on the Windmill Theatre.
- For the Record: Paul Raymond (1969), the British stripclub owner Paul Raymond told his own story, on LWT.
- Peek a Boo (1978), alternative name The One and Only Phyllis Dixey, stars Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Murney, Michael Elphick, Elaine Paige and Patricia Hodge. Drama documentary on Phyllis Dixey.
- General Von Klinkerhoffen.
- Neighbours (1985) The character of Daphne is originally a stripper at Des's bucks party, and eventually goes on to marry him.
- Jefferson D'Arcy, and the NO MA'AM crew spending a night at the Nudie Bar.
- BBC2. A series of 12 documentary programmes screened from October 28, 1996 to November 20, 1996. Some programmes featured the Raymond Revuebar Theatre.
- Humor es...los comediantes (1999) youth serum, and then performs a striptease, taking off her sweater, skirt, scarf, and even her wig, revealing a black sheer bodysuitand pants...and Pierce herself. Pierce began cohosting the series the next year.
- Bada Bingstrip club.
- Normal, Ohio (2000)
- Stripsearch (2001–), an ongoing Australian reality television show which centers around the training of male strippers.
- Sex in the 70s-The King of Soho (2005), ITN. A television documentary on Paul Raymond.A longer version of the documentary was produced in 2008 after the death of Paul Raymond under the title,"Soho Sex King-The Paul Raymond Story".
- in Sos mi vida (2006), there were two striptease scenes which performed by Natalia Oreiro and Facundo Arana.
- Alex Nunezresorts to stripping after her mother and herself do not have enough money to pay the rent on their apartment.
- Various episodes of the Law & Orderseries have the cast conducting interviews in strip clubs.
- True Stories: Best Undressed (2010) A documentary about the Miss Nude Australia Contest which is for dancers. Partly filmed from the Crazy Horse Revue, Adelaide, Australia. Screened 22-6-2010 on Channel 4.
- Confessions of a Male Stripper (2013), The Dreamboys were featured in an hour-long documentary special on Channel 4 exploring the life of male strippers.
Theatre
- fur coat striptease performances of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" in Cole Porter's Broadway musical Leave It to Me![51]
- The Full Monty (2000) is an Americanized stage adaptation of the 1997 British film of the same name, in which a group of unemployed male steelworkers put together a strip act at a local club.
- prostituteand stripper in a small London club called The Red Rat, where she meets a multi-dimension man named Doctor Henry Jekyll, who turns into his evil persona Mr. Edward Hyde. Lucy performs the song ‘Bring on the Men’ during a show at the Red Rat (which was later replaced with ‘Good ‘n’ Evil’ in the Broadway production, some claiming ‘Bring on the Men’ was too ‘risqué’.).
- Ladies Night is a New Zealand stage comedy about unemployed male workers who put on a strip show at a club as a way to raise some money. A version was also written for the United Kingdom. There are many parallels with The Full Monty, although Ladies Night predates that film.
- Barely Phyllis is a play about Phyllis Dixey which was first staged at the Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield in 2009.
See also
- Bubble dance
- Burlesque
- Cabaret
- Exhibitionism
- Erotic dance
- Fan dance
- Funeral strippers
- Go-Go dancing
- Gown-and-glove striptease
- Lap dance
- List of strip clubs
- List of strippers
- Pole dance
- Strip club
- Table dance
References
- ^ Richard Wortley (1976) A Pictorial History of Striptease: 11.
- ^ a b Richard Wortley (1976) A Pictorial History of Striptease.
- ^ ISBN 9781899344857.
- ^ "Fathers I Have Known – H.L. Mencken, H. Allen Smith" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2004-12-13.
- ^ Mencken, Henry Louis (1923). The American language: an inquiry into the development of English in the United States (3 ed.). A. A. Knopf.
- ^ "Gypsy and the Ecdysiasts". May 21, 2010. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ Image from Der spanische, teutsche, und niederländische Krieg oder: des Marquis von ... curieuser Lebens-Lauff, vol. 2 (Franckfurt/ Leipzig, 1720), p.238
- ^ "First known use of striptease 1932". Merriam-Webster.
- ISBN 978-0-8342-0895-7.
- ISBN 978-0-415-41233-9.
- ISBN 978-0-450-00234-2.
- ^ As described by Ovid, Fasti 4.133ff.; Juvenal, Satire 6.250–251; Lactantius, Divine Institutes 20.6; Phyllis Culham, "Women in the Roman Republic," in The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Republic (Cambridge University Press, 2004), p. 144; Christopher H. Hallett, The Roman Nude: Heroic Portrait Statuary 200 B.C.–A.D. 300 (Oxford University Press, 2005), p. 84.
- ISBN 978-0-292-70270-7.
- ^ Robert Hendrickson (1997) QPB Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins. New York, Facts on File, Inc: 227
- ^ "The Shocking History of striptease". Archived from the original on 2013-08-16.
- ^ The German text reads "Die Tänzerinnen, um ihren Amant desto besser zu gefallen, zohen ihre Kleider ab, und tantzten gantz nackend die schönsten Entrèen und Ballets; einer von den Printzen dirigirte dann diese entzückende Music, und stunde die Schaubühne niemand als diesen Verliebten offen.", Der spanische, teutsche, und niederländische Krieg oder: des Marquis von ... curieuser Lebens-Lauff, Bd. 2 (Franckfurt/ Leipzig, 1720), S.238, recapitulated in Olaf Simons, Marteaus Europa oder der Roman, bevor er Literatur wurde (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2001), pp.617–635.
- ISBN 978-0-230-60328-8.
- ISBN 978-0-9623998-1-7.
- ^ Toni Bentley (2002) Sisters of Salome: 31
- ^ Denise Noe. "Mata Hari is Born". www.crimelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ Mata Hari Archived August 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Striptease, in Mythologies by Roland Barthes, translated by Annette Lavers. Hill and Wang, bar New York, 1984
- ^ Richard Wortley (1976) A Pictorial History of Striptease: 29-53
- ^ "The New Victory Cinema". Newvictory.org. 1995-12-11. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ "Nudity, Noise Pay Off in Bay Area Night Clubs", Los Angeles Times, February 14, 1965, p. G5.
- ^ California Solons May Bring End To Go-Go-Girl Shows In State, Panama City News, September 15, 1969, p. 12A.
- ^ "Naked Profits". The New Yorker. July 12, 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- ^ "1964". Answers.com. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- ^ Arguments Heard On Nude Dancing, Los Angeles Times, April 16, 1969, p. C1.
- ^ Lap Victory. How a DA's decision to drop prostitution charges against lap dancers will change the sexual culture of S.F. -- and, perhaps, the country. Archived 2009-04-06 at the Wayback Machine SF Weekly, 8 September 2004
- Daily Telegraph, 24 November 2005
- ^ "Windmill Girls meet for reunion and remember dancing days in old Soho". Islington Tribune.
- ^ ISBN 9780954944407.
- ^ ISBN 9781411651784. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ISBN 978-0-19-512750-8.
- ISBN 9781134688692.
- ^ Vlad Lapidos (1996) The Good Striptease Guide to London. Tredegar Press.
- ^ BBC News. Stripping is art, Norway decides. December 6, 2006.
- ^ "Ch03Art03Division36" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ Philip J. LaVelle (19 July 2005). "More bad news? What else is new? – Blemishes keep city in national spotlight". The San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ "Houston topless clubs lose case, may respond to Supreme Court with pasties". Canada.com. 2008-03-29. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ "Detroit Passes New Strip Club Rules - Detroit Local News Story - WDIV Detroit". Archived from the original on June 9, 2011.
- ^ Time Waster (2011-06-06). "Another Houston Strip Club Raided". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ Fantasee Blu (11 November 2009). "Detroit City Council To Vote On Strip Club Restrictions". Detroit: Kiss-FM. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ]
- ISBN 0-521-43437-8, page 803
- ^ "Sexual Entertainment Venues: Guidance for England and Wales" (PDF). Home Office. March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- ^ Orbach, Max (2008-06-11). "Tough new rules on strip club openings". Echo. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
- ^ "Iceland Review Online: Daily News from Iceland, Current Affairs, Business, Politics, Sports, Culture". Icelandreview.com. 2010-03-24. Archived from the original on 2013-12-01. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ a b Clark, Tracy (2010-03-26). "Iceland's stripping ban - Broadsheet". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-55704-380-1
- ^ Edward Z. Epstein and Joseph Morella (1984) Rita: The Life of Rita Hayworth. London, Comet: 200
- Allmovie. Archived from the originalon July 18, 2012. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
Further reading
- Toni Bentley, 2002. Sisters of Salome.
- Bernson, Jessica (2016). The Naked Result: How Exotic Dance Became Big Business. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199846207.
- Arthur Fox, 1962. Striptease with the Lid Off. Empso Ltd., Manchester.
- Arthur Fox, 1962. "Striptease Business". Empso Ltd., Manchester.
- Murray Goldstein, 2005. Naked Jungle - Soho Stripped Bare. Silverback Press.
- Lucinda Jarrett, 1997. Stripping in Time: a history of erotic dancing. Pandora (HarperCollins), London.
- Holly Knox, 1988. Sally Rand, From Films to Fans. Maverick Publications, Bend, U.S.A. ISBN 0-89288-172-0.
- Michelle Lamour, 2006. The Most Naked Woman. Utopian Novelty Company, Chicago, Ill.
- Philip Purser and Jenny Wilkes, 1978. The One and Only Phyllis Dixey. Futura Publications, London. ISBN 0-7088-1436-0.
- Roye, The Phyllis Dixey Album (The Spotlight on Beauty Series No. 3.) The Camera Studies Club, Elstree.
- Roye, 1942. Phyllis in Censorland. The Camera Studies Club, London.
- Andy Saunders, 2004. Jane: a Pin Up at War. ISBN 1-84415-027-5. (Jane (Chrystabel Leighton-Porter) was a well known cartoon and photographic model. Jane was also a tableau model and appeared in theatres in Britain.)
- Rachel Shteir, 2004. Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show. Oxford University Press.
- A. W. Stencell, 1999. Girl Show: Into the Canvas World of Bump and Grind. ECW Press, Toronto, Canada. ISBN 1-55022-371-2.
- Tempest Storm & Bill Boyd, 1987. Tempest Storm; The Lady is a Vamp. Peacetree, U.S.A.
- Sheila van Damm, 1957. No Excuses. Putnam, London
- Sheila van Damm, 1967. We Never Closed. Robert Hale, London. ISBN 0-7091-0247-X.
- Vivian van Damm, 1952. Tonight and Every Night. Stanley Paul, London.
- Antonio Vianovi, 2002. Lili St Cyr: Her Intimate Secrets: Profili Album. Glamour Associated, Italy.
- Dita Von Teese, 2006. Burlesque and the Art of Striptease. Regan Books, New York, NY. ISBN 0-06-059167-6
- Paul Willetts, 2010 (August). Members Only: the Life and Times of Paul Raymond. Serpent's Tail Ltd., London. ISBN 9781846687150.
- Richard Wortley, 1969. Skin Deep in Soho. Jarrolds Publishers, London. ISBN 0-09-087830-2
- Richard Wortley, 1976. The Pictorial History of Striptease. Octopus Books, London. (Later edition by the Treasury Press, London. ISBN 0-907407-12-9.)
External links
- Media related to Striptease at Wikimedia Commons