Tipped

Subtle but sexy

April 01, 2008

Tucked behind the back streets of Bethnal Greens High St is a retro Working Men’s Club with an intimate and a nostalgic atmosphere that takes you back to the 1970s when the club first emerged on the underground social scene to provide a concoction of music, comedy and dancing. Thirty years since the start of the club’s recreational development you can still expect a night filled with mischievous pleasure and electrifying tunes. Every month this vintage venue in the heart of the East End hosts a burlesque bonanza where up and coming artists perform a variety of acts from mime to magic to strip tease all satirical and with a saucy edge. Burlesque which means ‘in an upside down style’ started in the nineteenth century as a populist blend of satire, performance arts and entertainment and was a platform where women could express themselves in all their glorious and voluptuous forms. To my delight this present night did not sway for the classic burlesque traditions and was complete with a lavish display of nipple tassels, corsets, fake fur and fish nets. While watching what many may consider to be a glamorised version of a seductive strip show I wonder whether conventional reasons still motivated the burlesque dancers of today. Lucy Angell John a regular artist at the Working Men’s Club and a pole dancing teacher admitted that “As a women in today’s society there is a lot of pressure especially in the media to look a certain way, but when I am on stage in all my dazzling costumes I find this is one time when I can completely be myself and be accepted for being me.” Being socially accepted was something that the main magicians were not in the least bothered by as their act centred on producing a mass possession of cigarettes out of thin air and then having the audacity to smoke them all inside the venue. Their message was a blatant and humorous two fingers up at the recent smoking ban.
Some performances were stereotypically indulgent and exotic others were less sexual. One character dressed up as a big green dinosaur for a short comedy sketch and one conjuror sang inside a large wooden box. Such a wide assortment of creative pieces reaffirmed what Lucy Angell believes that ‘burlesque is not exclusively for a male gaze and that one should distance one’s self from its association with seedy lap dance bars.” For an alluring night that offers an immense escape from ‘political correctness’ take yourself, friends and partner to this unique experience where if you’re not aroused you’re sure to be amused. For the party animals out there when the show finishes an eclectic DJ takes to the floor playing a collection of chic disco tunes. As burlesque is a flourishing genre in London there are plenty of places that offer a night of richness and excitement. The infamous 1940s inspired Pigalle Club in Soho, Volupte by Chancery Lane and The Sound Theatre in Leicester Square are to name but a few. One thing’s for few sure if you go to a burlesque night you are guaranteed something different, diverse and exceptionally delicious.

Tags: Dance, music