American burlesque

A U.S. variety-theater tradition combining comedy, music, dance, parody, and spectacle. From the mid-20th century onward, it became especially associated with striptease.

Striptease: A performance in which clothing is gradually removed, often as part of a dance or theatrical act. The gradual reveal became burlesque’s defining feature in popular memory.
Victorian burlesque: A nineteenth-century theatrical genre that parodied popular plays, operas, and social conventions. American burlesque inherited parody and comic inversion from this stage tradition.
Gypsy Rose Lee: An American burlesque performer and writer known for witty, theatrical striptease. Her verbal sophistication made striptease a vehicle for comedy as well as display.
New York City cabaret card: A police-issued license required for many performers in New York City nightlife venues until 1967. The licensing system restricted performers and helped police burlesque’s public presence.
Burlesque comedy: Comic performance that uses parody, exaggeration, and incongruous imitation. Comic turns and parodies balanced the dance and undressing in burlesque bills.
Lydia Thompson: A British dancer and actress whose troupe popularized burlesque in the United States during the 1860s. Her troupe’s U.S. success helped establish burlesque as a distinct entertainment form.
Sally Rand: An American dancer whose fan dance became a signature act at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Her fan dance showed how props could suggest nudity while preserving concealment.
Comstock laws: U.S. laws and policies that criminalized the distribution of materials deemed obscene. Obscenity enforcement shaped the conditions under which erotic stage acts could operate.
Variety show: A stage or broadcast program made up of separate acts in different performance styles. Burlesque’s changing acts followed the variety-show format.
The British Blondes: Lydia Thompson’s theatrical troupe, known for burlesque performances in the United States. Their performances brought British burlesque conventions to American audiences.

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