Hey Tippers, Here at Tipped we notice that there's a revival of burlesque in the London nightlife. There is even a festival going on this week, from the 2nd - 5th of April. The London Burlesque Festival will feature a variety of acts ranging from the nostalgic traditional style of Burlesque's early years to 50's 'Bump and Grind', as well as more modern avant-garde interpretations that are growing in popularity with Neo Burlesque's younger set. To give you a little insight of the burlesque in London, we asked Tipper Natasha Kaufman to talk about her favourite burlesque show, which is held monthly in The Working Men's Club in Bethnal Green.
Tucked behind the back streets of Bethnal Green High Street 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. The performance does not sway from the classic burlesque traditions and was complete with a lavish display of tassels, corsets, fake fur and fish nets. While watching what many may consider to be a glamourised 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 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, while others were less sexual. One character dressed up in a big green dinosaur costume for a short comedy sketch, and one conjurer 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, your friends and your 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. There is the infamous 1940s inspired Pigalle Club in Soho, Volupte Lounge by Chancery Lane and Madame JoJo's, 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. | 
