When people hear the word burlesque, it often elicits images of exotic performers in feathers teasing audiences with seductive stripteases, akin to the performance style of the infamous Gypsy Rose Lee. But to me, at its core and basic roots, burlesque is about satirizing cultural grandiosity and ostentatiousness through humor and intemperance. I've come to understand that the word burlesque is derived from the Italian word burla, meaning joke, ridicule, or mockery. For me, the original implication of this expression primarily referred to a style of comic exaggeration and, to a lesser extent, erotic exhibition.

As I see it, parody and provocation are at the core of burlesque, subverting hierarchies, lampooning culture and society, and celebrating and even questioning sexuality. I've observed that burlesque has historically mirrored societal and cultural anxieties, desires, and contradictions. This establishes my understanding of the three core principles of burlesque:

    1. Exaggeration: taking cultural norms to theatrical extremes.

    2. Satire: parodying social, political, and artistic conventions.

    3. Spectacle: combining visual splendor with embodied performance.

In my view, burlesque also encompasses two distinct styles:

    1. High Burlesque: treating trivial subjects in a lofty, serious style.

    2. Low Burlesque: treating serious or noble subjects in a low, coarse, or slapstick style

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To me, burlesque is not only a performing art and form of entertainment but also a cultural observation and statement in perpetual evolution, based on the cultural and societal mores and attitudes of any particular era or generation.

As I've learned, burlesque emerged as a literary form in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, using humor and exaggeration to comment on society, literature, and politics, revealing the comic absurdity of human nature. I see attributes of burlesque style in English Restoration comedies, with their sharp wit and risqué humor, clever wordplay, absurd situations, and critiques of upper-class excess. For instance, works like "Fanny Hill" by John Cleland and Henry Fielding's "Tom Jones" are examples of burlesque literature that resonate with me.

In my understanding, during the 18th century, reason, wit, and intellectual play were popular and well-received, allowing sharp humor and parody to flourish. I believe burlesque literature enabled ordinary readers to laugh at the pretensions of the aristocracy and intellectuals, making it democratic and crossing class rankings, emphasizing humor as a form of commentary. To me, burlesque was both entertainment and low-key dissent.

As burlesque evolved into a theatrical form in Europe, I see it rooted in comedic and satirical traditions that would later merge with the bawdy, irreverent style of burlesque as it became known in the 20th century.

In my perspective, 19th-century French vaudeville heavily influenced burlesque with its eclectic blend of music, dance, comedy, and social commentary, emphasizing clever plot twists, physical comedy, and catchy musical numbers. Pantomime, with its silent, universal language of physical and exaggerated gesture, also played a key role in shaping burlesque.

For me, burlesque often intersects with satire, as both mock and critique. However, I see satire typically having a sharper political or moral edge, while burlesque tends to be more playful, prioritizing humor for its own sake while exposing vanity, pomposity, or folly. Burlesque, to me, embodies a dual nature of both entertainment and levity, as well as critique and commentary.

Unknown to me at the time, I first did burlesque in high school when I appeared in a production of “Tom Jones” during my junior year. The play is based on Henry Fielding's 1749 novel, which as stated earlier, is considered to be burlesque literature.

As a young adult, I was a production manager for a comedy review called, “Sex Over 40,” which was later known as, “Love Over 40. The show consisted of burlesque comedy style sketches and solo variety performances. During this time, I was most fortunate to be mentored by the show’s star, comedian Nancy Austin. Nancy had been a well known comic in the 1960’s, coming to fame in the long-running comedy revue, “Bottoms Up.” Nancy gave me the opportunity to appear in a couple of sketches with her in the show and she ultimately taught me almost everything I know about comedy, particularly, burlesque sketch comedy.

Because of my work and association with Nancy Austin, I was offered a position with “Bottoms Up ‘93” where I was the Stage Manager and performed an over-the-top drag/stripper act known as Delilah Debris. Delilah had been a staple in the show which opened in Dallas, Texas and 1958 and would go on to have a run that lasted over 50 years.

What does burlesque mean to me? My journey with burlesque has been a fantastic road of discovery, from its literary roots to its theatrical evolution. Through my experiences as a production manager, performer, and student of the craft, I have learned to deeply appreciate the complexity and nuance of burlesque. It is an art form in which satire, wit, and theatricality converge, challenging societal norms and conventions. As I reflect on my own involvement in burlesque, from "Tom Jones" to "Bottoms Up '93," I am always reminded that burlesque is a dual entity consisting of  both entertainment and commentary as well as levity and critique. For me, burlesque is and will always be a celebration of the absurd, the playful, and the irreverent, a testament to the power of humor and satire in shaping our understanding of culture, society and the world at large.