Signal Boost Request the Third: Burlesque Bombing November 9, 2010

Okay, I'm totally showing my hand here, but you guys - I TOTALLY LOVE BURLESQUE. I could run my mouth off like a fanboy about the many reasons I adore it, but it really comes down to this: It's sexy and playful in a way that allows the performer to show off not just their routine, or their tassels, or any other body parts or articles of clothing... but who they are by virtue of their creativity. It's not polished into a product to be blister-packed and sold at Best Buy - it's a joyous, ephemeral moment of celebration & positivity of being in the moment and flipping the bird at a world where there's so many signals and noises trying to manage who you are and what you think towards an end that you are not even a partial architect of.

 

Really, it's a big fat YES in the night to so many things that spend all day chanting "NO".

 

With something that gives me such joy, it's to be expected that I may be a bit protective of it. Which is where you come in. Allow me to quote Paco Fish:

 

PLEASE bear with me. 

 

'Burlesque' (the movie) is going to be released in two weeks to mainstream audiences everywhere, who will be convinced that what's happening in that movie is burlesque.  We all know better.  And we need to tell the world.  Otherwise, our art form is going to be further degraded, trivialized, bastardized, and vulgarized into something that it is not.  But, we have an opportunity to be heard by mainstream audiences, somewhat.

 

To promote the movie, 'Burlesque' held a dance contest for $5k & a spot on MTV.  The 20 finalists' auditions are linked here: http://burlesque.mtv.com/ .  They are great dancers, all of them, but only ONE is actually doing burlesque!  Our community NEEDS to unite and vote EVERY DAY for ANNA N. from Las Vegas so that she can be the winner of the contest, go on MTV, and actually perform burlesque, instead of modern dance, ballet, hip hop dance, break dancing, popping & locking, or any of the other dancing that the other finalists do.

 

If burlesque means anything to you, it's imperative that you vote Anna N. onto MTV so she can set the mainstream straight on WHAT burlesque means to you.  Please don't let this movie bastardize and corrupt our art form.

 

PLEASE KEEP BURLESQUE ALIVE!!  VOTE FOR ANNA N. at http://burlesque.mtv.com/

 

And please spread this message everywhere you can. For the record, I do not know Anna N. personally nor peripherally.  So I have no vested interest in her personal success, but she is the only voice we have who might be on MTV in the next two weeks. 

 

I have nothing against any of the other forms of dance - hell, I stand back and salute, because it requires a level of dedication and physical coordination that I simply do not have. But let Burlesque be Burlesque, and not the next thing that gets completely transformed as it gets co-opted and re-packaged to sell something to everyone. So set yourself a daily reminder, and oh NOES spend some more time watching burlesque videos & making sure sexy stays fun.