Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. The word derives from the Italian ‘burlesco’, which itself derives from the Italian burla – a joke, ridicule or mockery.
I made lunch for my husband and older son one summer day,
I announced,
“I want to take five weeks off and learn Burlesque!”
“All right, that would be great to get you out of here,”
Said my son.
My husband was silent and seemed perplexed but calm. I went on to tell them about a program in Seattle Washington that teaches Burlesque. It is for all ages. I began to tell the history of Burlesque and about Vaudeville. We happened to be watching Gypsy the 1962 musical. This film is about the famous Burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee. They walked in on me and the film before lunch.
“I really don’t walk to hear this” said my son a couple of times.”
So, he went into the computer room to Skype out with his game-scary fiends. I then continued to talk telling my husband that as an older woman of fifty-four I think it would be curious to contact that fun and sexy side of myself again.
“Five weeks is too long,” he said.
I said with a convincing voice and with great concern,
“As a woman gets older, she becomes invisible. She is not a maiden anymore and not a grandmother-old-woman yet, and because I only have a wee bit of estrogen in my left toe, I think it would be fun to get those female juices going again?”
“But five weeks,” he said again.
I then went on to tell him that after I learn the art of Burlesque would not it be fun to open a small Burlesque house. We could have a bar that serves local microbrewery beers and even food.
I yelled!
“Hell, we could have bands play and bring back Vaudeville. We could ask comedians and acts to perform as well!!”
Then the twenty-year-old son yelled from the computer room,
“Why would you want to make a fool of yourself like that, you are insane but getting you away from here for some time would be great.”
“Five weeks is a long time,” said my husband for the third and last time.
Silence fell on the topic as my husband and I finished watching the film.
“Gypsy.”
I then said with passion,
“Ya see it is fun and they just tease. These women are interesting they are not slimy strippers that take all their clothes off in a degrading way. It is an art form… it is Burlesque. In a way it is making fun of all that in a creative way.”
The conversation stopped but I was still dreaming and thinking how fun it could be. I then whispered with a giggle and sly grin,
“Beer and Burlesque sounds good to me!!”
