Information about Strip Tease

Private dancer redirects here; for the Tina Turner album and song, see Private Dancer and Private Dancer (song)

A striptease or exotic dance is a form of erotic entertainment, usually a dance, in which the performer, known as a "stripper", gradually undresses to music.^[1] Stripteases are now performed mostly in strip clubs and (especially in the UK) pubs, though theatres and music halls have also been used as venues. The "teasing" part involves the slowness of undressing, while the audience is eager to see more nudity. Delay tactics include additional clothes being removed or putting clothes or hands in front of just undressed body parts. Emphasis is on the act of undressing along with sexually suggestive movement, rather than the state of being undressed. In the past the performance often finished as soon as the undressing was finished, though today striptease artists usually continue dancing whilst in a state of nudity ^{[2] [3]}.

Though today, the stripper often ends the performance "fully nude", (see picture), in historic and contemporary circumstances not every item of clothing has always been removed: due to legal and cultural prohibitions and other aesthetic considerations. For instance in some parts of the USA there are cultural taboos forbidding the exposure of female nipples, which have thus to be covered by the dancer (though no such taboo applies to the exposure of male nipples) ^[4]. Such restrictions have been embodied in venue licensing constraints and local laws. Also certain jurisdictions (chiefly in the USA), have forbidden postures considered "indecent" (such as spreading the legs). Shoes (often high heeled) are usually kept on (see picture), for practical and aesthetic reasons. The costume the stripper wears before disrobing can be an important part of the act. These are often fantasy themed: such as a schoolgirl uniform, maid's dress, policewoman's outfit etc. They are also known as whores and hoes.

Along with physical attractiveness and appropriate clothing, the main asset and tool used by the exotic dancer in recent years is the stripper pole.

In addition to night club entertainment, stripping can be a form of sexual play at home between partners. This can be done as an impromptu event or—perhaps for a special occasion—with elaborate planning involving fantasywear, music, special lighting, practised dance moves, and even dance moves that have been previously unpractised.

H.L. Mencken is credited with coining the word "ecdysiast", which means "a person who stripteases". He did so in response to a request from a stripteaser who requested a "more dignified" way to refer to her profession^[5].

Off-stage

Main article: lap dance

A variation on striptease is private dancing, which often involves lap dancing or contact dancing. Here the performers, in addition to stripping for tips, also offer "private dances" which involve more attention for individual audience members. Variations include private dances like table dancing where the performer dances on or by customer's table rather than the customer being seated in a couch. For certain events, including bachelor/bachorette parties, the stripper's job often involves holding games or contests with sexual themes.

The contact between a performer and a customer is regulated in ways that vary in response to local laws and club rules, ranging from "air dances" with minimal or no contact to "friction" lap dances at the dancer's discretion.

History

World origins

The origins of striptease as a performance art are disputed and various dates and occasions have been given from ancient Babylonia to twentieth century America. In terms of myth the first recorded striptease is related in the ancient Sumerian story of the descent of the goddess Inanna into the Underworld (or Kur). At each of the seven gates, she removed an article of clothing or a piece of jewelry. As long as she remained in hell, the earth was barren. When she returned, fecundity abounded. Some believe this myth was embodied in the dance of the seven veils of Salome, who danced for King Herod, as mentioned in the New Testament. However, although the Bible records Salome's dance, the first mention of her removing seven veils occurs in Oscar Wilde's play of 'Salome', in 1893: which some have claimed as the origin of modern striptease.^[6]. After Wilde's play and Strauss's operatic version of the same, the erotic 'dance of the seven veils', became a standard routine for dancers in opera, vaudeville, film and burlesque. A famous early practitioner was Maud Allan who in 1907 gave a private performance of the dance to King Edward VII.

Other possible influences on modern striptease were the dances of the Ghawazee "discovered" and seized upon by French colonists in nineteenth century North Africa and Egypt. The erotic dance of the bee performed by a woman known as Kuchuk Hanem, was witnessed and described by the French novelist Gustave Flaubert. In this dance the performer disrobes as she searches for an imaginary bee trapped within her garments. It is likely that the women performing these dances did not do so in an indigenous context, but rather, responded to the commercial climate for this type of entertainment. Middle Eastern belly dance, also known as Oriental Dancing, was popularized in the US after its introduction on the Midway at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago by a dancer known as Little Egypt.

The French tradition

The People's Almanac credited the origin of striptease as we know it to an act in 1890s Paris in which a woman slowly removed her clothes in a vain search for a flea crawling on her body. At this time Parisian shows such as the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergere pioneered semi-nude dancing and tableaux vivants. One landmark was the appearance at the Moulin Rouge in 1907 of an actress called Germaine Aymos who entered dressed only in three very small shells. In the 1930s the famous Josephine Baker danced semi-nude at the Folies and other such performances were provided at the Tabarin. These shows were notable for their sophisticated choreography and dressing the girls in glitzy sequins and feathers. By the 1960s "fully nude" shows were provided at such places as Le Crazy Horse Saloon.^[7]

The American tradition

American striptease nurtured its roots in carnivals and Burlesque theatres featuring famous strippers such as Gypsy Rose Lee and Sally Rand. The vaudeville trapeze artist Charmion performed a "disrobing" act onstage as early as 1896 , which was captured in an Edison film, "Trapeze Disrobing Act" in 1901 . Another milestone for modern American striptease is the possibly legendary show at Minsky's Burlesque in April of 1925: The Night They Raided Minsky's. The art and business enjoyed prosperity as the United States economy grew out of the depression of the 1930s through the 1950s. In the sixties and seventies, with changing cultural expressions of sexuality, it declined in profitability and status. In the eighties and technology boom of the nineties, those in the profession enjoyed increased acceptance and better working conditions.

The British tradition

In Britain the Windmill Theatre, London, pioneered the art of striptease, from 1932 onwards (closing in 1964), though, in accordance with British law the nude girls were not allowed to move: appearing in stationary tableaux vivants. The Windmill girls also toured other London and provincial theatres, sometimes using ingenious devices such as rotating ropes to move their bodies round, though strictly speaking, staying within the letter of the law by not moving of their own volition. According to the film Mrs Henderson Presents, mice were also employed to get the nudes to move. Another way the law was bent was the fan dance, in which a naked dancer's body was concealed by her fans and those of her attendants, until the end of her act in when she posed naked for a brief interval whilst standing stock still. The Windmill girls were a major morale booster during wartime London as was the cartoon-strip stripper Jane, modelled on one of the Windmill girls, who appeared in the Daily Mirror.^[8]

By the 1950s touring striptease acts were used to attract audiences to the dying music halls. Changes in the law in the 1960s brought about a boom of strip clubs in Soho with 'fully nude' dancing and audience participation. Pubs were also used as a venue, most particularly in the East End with a concentration of such venues in the district of Shoreditch. Though often a target of local authority harassment, a remnant of these pubs survives to the present day. An interesting custom in these pubs is that the strippers walk round and collect money from the customers in a beer jug before each individual performance. Private dances of a more raunchy nature are sometimes available in a separate area of the pub ^[9].

Striptease in Japan

Striptease became popular in Japan after the end of World War II. When entrepreneur Shigeo Ozaki saw Gypsy Rose Lee perform, he started his own striptease revue in Tokyo's Shinjuku neighborhood. During the 1950s, Japanese "strip shows" became more sexually explicit and less dance-oriented, until they were eventually simply live sex shows.^[10]

Recent history

Recently pole dancing has come to dominate the world of striptease. Apparently this form of dancing can trace its origin to a performance by one Miss Belle Jangles at Mugwumps strip club in Oregon in 1968^[11]. From here it spread to Canada where, in the late 20th century, the exotic dance club grew up to become a thriving sector of the economy. Canadian style pole dancing, table dancing and lap dancing, organised by multi-national corporations such as Spearmint Rhino, was exported from North America to the United Kingdom, Central Europe, Russia, and Australia etc. In London, England a raft of such so-called 'lap dancing clubs' grew up in the 1990s, featuring pole dancing on stage and private table dancing, though, despite media misrepresentation, lap-dancing in the sense of bodily contact was forbidden by law^[12]

In America a notable contemporary practitioner of striptease is the rock singer Courtney Love. In one notorious incident in March 2004, she disrobed on prime-time American TV in front of host David Letterman while standing on his desk.^[13]

In December 2006, a Norwegian court ruled that striptease is an art form and made strip clubs exempt from value added tax.^[14]

New Burlesque

In the latter 1990s, a number of performers and dance groups have emerged to create New Burlesque, a revival of the classic burlesque of the early half of the twentieth century. New Burlesque focuses on dancing, costumes and entertainment (which may include comedy and singing) and generally eschews full nudity or toplessness. Some burlesquers of the past have become instructors and mentors to New Burlesque performers such as Velvet Hammer, Hope Talmon or Cyrelle St. James Co. and the Pontani Sisters. The pop group Pussycat Dolls began as a New Burlesque troupe.

Other audiences

Male strippers

Until the 1970s, strippers were almost invariably female, performing to male audiences. Since then, male strippers, performing to female audiences, have also become common. Male and female strippers also perform for gay and lesbian audiences respectively, as well as for both sexes in pansexual contexts. Before the 1970s dancers of both sexes appeared largely in underground clubs or as part of a theatre experience, but the practice eventually became common enough on its own. One of the more well-known troupes of male strippers are the Chippendales dancers. The record-holder for Guinness World Records "oldest male stripper" is Bernie Barker, who was 63 at the age of his induction.^[15]

For gay males

Gay male strip clubs feature men who appear initially in skimpy undergarments (which may be removed if full nudity is allowed) and socks. Fondling the strippers sometimes occurs, even if legally prohibited. Many mainstream gay bars and nightclubs employ Go-Go boys, who gyrate and dance in little more than a bikini brief and pair of shoes, typically for tips.

Stripper Anthems

• "The Stripper" (1962) is a piece of instrumental music composed by David Rose. It evinces a jazz influence, and evokes the feel of music used to accompany striptease artists.
• "Patricia the Stripper" (1975) by Chris de Burgh.
• "Girls, Girls, Girls" (1987) By Mötley Crüe.
• "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (1986) is a song first made famous by Joe Cocker and then again by Tom Jones in 1997. The song originally was written by Randy Newman and appeared on his Sail Away album in 1972. Cocker's version appeared in the movie 9 1/2 Weeks, while Jones' version was used in the film version of The Full Monty. Both versions had the feel of modern-day striptease; yet the Cocker version is the considered the most memorable being used by both female and male striptease artists. It was rumored that the producers of The Full Monty couldn't get the rights to the actual tune by Cocker, but they could do a version of the song with another singer. It happened again months later when Carmen Electra made her debut on Baywatch that she did a PG-rated striptease when she was on the 1997-1998 season; using another singer to record the same tune.

In film

• Gilda (1946), showcases one of the most famous stripteases in cinematic history, performed by Rita Hayworth to "Put the Blame on Mame"), though in the event she removes just one glove, before the act is terminated by a jealous admirer.
• Salome (1953) once again features Rita Hayworth doing a striptease act; this time as the famous biblical stripper Salome, performing the Dance of the Seven Veils.
• Gypsy (1962), Featuring Natalie Wood as the famous burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee in her memorable rendition of Let Me Entertain You. Re-made for TV in 1993 Starring Bette Midler as Mama Rose and Cynthia Gibb as Gypsy Rose Lee.
• The Stripper (1963) featuring Gypsy Rose Lee, herself, giving a trademark performance in the title role.
• Viva Maria! (1965) stars Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau as two girls, both named Maria, who perform a striptease act as 'Las Marias Desnudas' in a travelling show which tours South America.
• The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968), gives a possibly legendary account of the birth of striptease at Minsky's Burlesque theatre in New York.
• Ichijo's Wet Lust (Ichijo Sayuri: Nureta Yokujo) (1973), Japanese director Tatsumi Kumashiro's award-winning pink film featuring the country's most famous stripper, Ichijo Sayuri, starring as herself.^[16]
• Flashdance (1983) The story of blue-collar worker Alexandra (Alex) Owens (Jennifer Beals), who works as an exotic dancer in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania bar at night and at a steel mill as a welder during the day.
• 9 1/2 Weeks (1986) Featured a striptease by Kim Basinger takin' it all off to the tune of "You Can Leave Your Hat On" by Joe Cocker.
• Exotica (1994), directed by Atom Egoyan, set in a Canadian lap-dance club, portrays a man's (Bruce Greenwood) obsession with a schoolgirl stripper named Christina (Mia Kirshner).
• Showgirls (1995), directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Elizabeth Berkley and Gina Gershon.
• Striptease (1996), adaptation of the novel starring Demi Moore.
• The Full Monty (1997) A story of British ex-steel workers who form a Chippendales-style dance revue and decide to strip naked to make an extra buck. Featured songs are an updated version of David Rose's big hit The Stripper and Tom Jones's version of "You Can Leave Your Hat On".
• Stripsearch (2001-), an ongoing Australian reality television show which features the training of male strippers.
• Los Debutantes (2003), a Chilean film, set in a strip-club in Santiago.
• Closer (2004), Natalie Portman plays Alice, a young stripper just arrived in London from America.
• Mrs Henderson Presents (2005), gives a portrayal of the early years of the Windmill Theatre.
• (2007), In the two part season 6 finale titled "Don't You Want Me" Alex Nuñez resorts to stripping after her mother and herself don't have enough money for debt or their apartment.

See also

• Burlesque
• Cabaret
• Dances
• Bubble dance
• Dance of the seven veils
• Erotic dance
• Fan dance
• Gown-and-glove dance
• Burlesque Hall of Fame
• Fantasywear
• DreamStripper
• List of strippers

Bibliography

• Toni Bentley, 2002. Sisters of Salome
• Lara Clifton, 2002. Baby Oil and Ice: Striptease in East London.
• Shteir, Rachel, 2004. Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show. Oxford University Press.

References

External links

• The Naked Truth (support and information website by and about exotic dancers in Canada)