I'm doing a bit of research about the history of burlesque and have come a little unstuck.
Researching Lili St. Cyr, it's clear that her acts often had a comedy thread throughout - from her "flying g-string" to making love with a parrot.
But then, researching Sally Rand, I've come a little unstuck in
understanding how her acts came to be seen on/connected with burlesque stages.
This (somewhat unreliable)
Geocities page suggests that Sally Rand made the move from chorus-girl to leading striptease artist in order to make more money during the difficult American Depression era.
"Sometime in her late 20's, the ever resourceful Sally, having dropped out of Columbia University, when the depression set in, got the idea that she could increase her fame (and not incidentally her bank account) by combining a talent for artistic dance with the always present demand on the part of hormone driven members of the male sex for a glimpse of feminine pulchritude."
Does anyone have a more reliable source for this statement?
It's clear that her acts caused some controversy for being "lewd", as did many of the old theatrical burlesques - could this be the cross-over?
Would Sally Rand's acts have been deemed comedic at the time they were performed, but the humour is lost on a modern audience?
Did Sally Rand ever describe herself as a burlesque performer?
By which means did Sally Rand come to be considered as "burlesque"?
In a similar vein, American artist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loie_Fuller crossed over from burlesque theatre into extravagant dance performances... Perhaps Vicky Butterfly will know;
were her serpentine acts ever performed within the framework of a burlesque show, or were they always of a different performance world?
Burlesque History Research: non-comedy acts in burlesque shows...
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