A LIVING HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN BURLESQUE
Imogen Kelly, a pivotal figure on the burlesque scene, is helming an evening of dance, rare footage and sounds which will spirit the audience through the history of Australia’s exotic, erotic performance art.
Spanning Lola Montez with a spider in her knickers on the goldfields of 19th century Victoria through to the Golden Mile of 1970s Kings Cross and up to the new millennium satire of today, the show will also stop in at The Tivoli Girls, Mz Wicked and the water ballet of Annette Kellerman, among others.
A Living History of Burlesque aims to highlight the uniqueness of Australian burlesque: its wit, its satire, its habit of turning, as Kelly says, the whole art on its head.
The inspiration arrived via a trip to the Burlesque Hall of Fame in America. Being immersed in the scene and having researched the art for 22 years, Kelly realised she was perfectly placed to stage such a show, an event she feels is important given the obscurity of Australian burlesque.
The night will include performances from the living legends of the scene, such as Elizabeth Burton who travelled the world with her shows in the 1960s.
“It’s about giving them acknowledgement,” says Kelly. “About these women telling their stories. Cracking open this notion that youth is all we have.”
Feb 11, Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville, $30.99, 9550 3666, factorytheatre.com.au
