On the other side of the river, Foxy Tann and the Wham Bam Thank You Ma’ams started their own troupe based out of St. Paul. Wilson began her performance career as an emcee at the Gay ‘90s drag show during the late 1990s. She always had a flare for the theatrical and thought she might give burlesque a try. In 2005, Wilson started her own troupe with the goal of creating a bolder form of burlesque. The troupe has been together for three years now and has enjoyed a short, but wildly successful career. In fact, they were crowned Best Troupe at the 2006 Miss Exotic World Pageant in Las Vegas and will be touring England this Spring.
At the dawn of the 21st century, Minneapolis once again has emerged as an unlikely hub of burlesque activity. Today there are a wide variety of burlesque revues to choose from. The split of LCR, though messy at the time, attributed to the diversity of the burlesque scene that we see today. "Although I didn’t really like it at the time," says Haubner, "[the split] was really good for burlesque in general." It allowed people to explore different avenues of burlesque and created a truly diverse burlesque scene, with something for everyone.
For traditional, upside-down-style burlesque, the original Le Cirque Rouge offers a classic fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants feel. Lili’s, on the other hand, tries to deliver a more formulated, organized style, while conserving the classic vaudeville flavor. "Classy?" says Wilson, "That is so not me." And she’s not lying. Foxy Tann and the Wham Bam Thank You Ma’ams have a louder, bolder, sassier feel than any of the other troupes — not to mention they are the most racially diverse. And those craving something more modern will appreciate Dr. Farrago’s experimental and contemporary style. With a touch of gender-bending and leather, Dr. Farrago’s takes the cake for pushing burlesque boundaries.
Burlesque seems to be alive and well in the Twin Cities. Why then, are some people completely oblivious to the burgeoning burlesque scene that is seemingly all around them?
Look Who’s Watching
"My main audience consists of adults from every walk of life," says Jennings." We have an audience that’s straight, gay, transsexual, business men and women, mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette parties, hippies, freaks, college students…" Although burlesque audiences are fairly diverse, there is still one major demographic that remains relatively unrepresented. "We still have to tap into the suburbs," says Haubner. Suburbanites, it seems, are still too afraid to venture into the city and explore some of the alternative entertainment that is offered.
Despite recent news coverage (The Star Tribune published a cover story on burlesque in 2005), there is still an unusually high level of ignorance about burlesque. Perhaps people are simply leery about what a burlesque show might have in store. "The very general public thinks of burlesque as being The Pussycat Dolls or the Suicide Girls, or even the infamous burlesque performer BOB," explains Caouette, "LCR is and was never anything like that. Mainstream burlesque seems to be a lot about mockery and emulation of ‘50s bombshells or pin-ups, and we were more influenced by art, da
nce, and costume of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, as well — more vaudeville than ‘50s pin-up."
And yet, the stereotype persists. Caouette goes on to tell a story about a couple of men who demanded their money back because the girls were not "taking enough off."
To be completely fair, "burlesque-ignorant" folks aren’t entirely to blame for their lack of knowledge about the nature of burlesque. Advertising by the burlesque community is largely word-of-mouth. Most people that show up are often the heard-it-through-the-grapevine type. "People show up not knowing what to expect," says Buchanan, "We get a variety of people-jocks, college kids, average Joes, people from the strip clubs. They’ll come up to me at the end and say ‘I had no idea this was here. I love it!’"
The troupes do advertise, but they often count on this type of enthusiasm to spread the word about what they’re doing. There are a few exceptions, however: Lili’s Burlesque Revue has been advertising their pants off through promotional flyers, printed ads, and their website to rein in a more suburban crowd. It seems to be working. Their performance at the Ritz sold out two nights in a row—all two-hundred-and-fifty seats.
Trouble in Paradise
Many performers, however, are concerned about the bad rap that burlesque has been getting lately. Troupes have been running into legal trouble left and right, but much of the difficulty stems from the fact that "burlesque" is not a legally defined word. The city simply does not know how to deal with such a show, and as a result, the troupes find themselves getting in trouble — and unclear as to what wrong they have committed. For instance, The Independent was fined when Lili’s performed there in 2006. The venue received a citation, even though the dancers were careful not to strip down to anything beyond bras and panties. "I received a call from one of the managers of the venue who was very confused about the citation," explains Dubois, "The only thing I ever heard after that was that they were fined because our name was on the poster: Lili’s Burlesque Revue — the word being the offense."
According to Minneapolis legislation, a venue with a Class A license can host stage shows, skits, vaudeville, theater, etc. and can have amplified music, an unlimited number of performers, and "all legal forms of entertainment (including adult) dancing." But even Class A license holders are subject to some restrictions. One problem: the dreaded "underbreast." In Minneapolis it is unlawful at most venues for females to expose the underside of their breasts or even any part of their derrieres. Burlesque revues have gotten around this legislation by creating triangular-shaped pasties and wearing sexy, but not-so-revealing panties. The troupes, however, did not realize that such exposure was an offense until they got fined. "We at Lili’s are rather in the dark on the licensing issue," said Gina Louise, "Most of our knowledge is based on what we have read in the news and what we can gather through talking with friends in the restaurant, bar, and entertainment industries." As a result, most of the troupes have been fined on several occasions without realizing that they were doing anything wrong. They have learned what the laws are (or what laws are being enforced) by trial and error, because it is nearly impossible to find concrete legislation that directly applies to burlesque.
Despite their efforts to comply with city regulations, the troupes are still occasionally fined. Some of the instances of "law-breaking" have been so nit-picky that some performers are wondering if burlesque is being unfairly targeted. For instance, Wilson lamented that new Class A-type venues in Minneapolis now have to sign a waiver stating that they will not host "semi-nude" performers. It is actions like these that cause performers such as Gina Louise to question the motives of the city. "We have heard that in order to receive a liquor license, the Bedlam Theater had to sign an agreement saying they wouldn’t present shows with nudity or partial nudity," she said. "Are the rules the same for other theaters, or not? Is burlesque being targeted, and if so why? If Ground Zero is allowed to host Bondage-and-Go-Go, as they have for so many years, why can’t we do our burlesque show in any 21+ venue across the Twin Cities? And what about drag shows? How are we any different? Yes, a burlesque show is for grown-ups, but so is everything else that happens at a bar."
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