So rather than delve straight into talking about burlesque I thought I would consider what is a Fringe Festival. In my mind such a festival is largely not curated and happens on the fringes of a main festival which is curated. This means that a fringe should be available to one and all, professional or amateur to participate, in any art form.
I feel it should be a platform for artists to be able to try out new and risky ideas.
So, if a Fringe Festival is largely one “art” form, then it probably is curated and not really a fringe event.
Given the open nature of fringe then burlesque should be welcome to be a part of the event, but if this is at the expense of diversity then I start to question what is going on.
As a female performer who is quite comfortable with my body and not a prude by any means, I would like to see more women involved that don’t feel the need to show some tittie in order to be involved. Or vice versa..... guys that want to simply create without feeling pressured to be a particular kind of show man.
So is burlesque art? There are a million sites that talk about the art of burlesque, but the references are the same as the art of strip tease. Maybe this is something that burlesque artists need to address? There is also an art to cooking. But does that make it art?
Art is well known for its ability to encourage dialogue. Some of the burlesque shows I saw at the fringe last year succeeded in this respect. They had messages in their show, albeit in a satirical manner.
So.... See you at the burlesque. I’ll be having a bevvie and enjoying myself immensely, but I don’t know if I will feel like I am at a fringe art event, but I will be having a good time.
And just for invasion day in a couple of day (Australia Day)... here is a swell image to get you in the mood.
great post
ReplyDeletei often find myself cringing with that awkward feeling of being embarrassed for a complete stranger when im confronted by burlesque. And theres never really an apprpriate space to slag it off with small town scenes making sure its moves there swiftly.
Persoanlly, ive never understood it, much like belly dancing, as being anything other than a dick stroke for men, regardless of the feminism and empowerment behind it. But maybe thats cos im a dude? Go figure.
Is burleasque art? well, everything is art. But is it good art? not even close.
Its a fashionable throwback to the good old days before strippers knew how to work a pole and swipe a credit card with their cheeks. Even the girls at the Moulin Rogue blew all the guys after the show back in the day.
um,,, i think ill stop there
I worked for Sugar Blue as camera operator and projectionist for a year during their time at The Bakery some years ago and I must say I was impressed by the quality of the majority of entertainment they provided as far as that genre of variety show goes. I would also say that some of the burlesque performances were executed quite creatively professionally and tastefully.
ReplyDeleteI think its definitely an art form as far as performance goes but I don't consider it fringe. Well not any more anyway. Its an over kill now. A lot of people have jumped on the band wagon and run with and Fringe World seem to be blowing it out of proportion.
This festival is either confused or deceitful. It calls itself Fringe but it doesn't really deliver the essence of a fringe art event. Its more like a giant circus variety show spectacular which is fine but it should probably go under a different name.
answer. no. don't mix cakes with frogs. its entertainment. art and its necessary forms of experimentation entail a critical edge that pushes the boundaries of conventional media, representation, and philosophical inquiry. The fringe should support the kind of work that allows for often unpredictable experimentation in performative art. Performance may happen as a one of event, not-rehearsed (for the eyes of curator and the selection panel), thoroughly planned out with a serious proposal and importantly not always appealing to the masses and even aching to integrate the spectators into the work. Art can often be intense and it does not have the need to fit into the same category of entertaining the bums on seats. I think that Fringe used to do this once upon a time. What happened is that it became commercialised to retain its support from sponsors, funding bodies etc, the act which can often compromise a critical edge. The distinction is that art is meant to be a form of liberation from these hideous representational confines of brusque commercialism.
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