The Sexy History of Boulder Burlesque
Advice from Mademois Elle Tangerine of Boulder Burlesque
Mademois Elle Tangerine is the current owner and director of Boulder Burlesque performance troupe, a mission-based performance art company working to heighten sacred sexuality, raise the fire in each performer, and create and embody confidence in one another. She is also the founder of Permission Productions, a local, sex-positive, consent-based production company which features both Boulder Burlesque performers and other local talent performing at events throughout the Boulder area.
On the history of Boulder Burlesque…
“Boulder Burlesque was created during the undergraduate work of founder Mad Ame Merci while studying contemplative psychotherapy at Naropa University. The intention behind Boulder Burlesque was to create a space where all genders, particularly female-presenting people, could have a safe area to discuss and break down aspects of self-image, body image, trauma around sexuality, to find power and liberation with each other using tools like circling and group discussion as a core support to offer that foundation before stepping into our performative selves in creation of the burlesque persona. Opening and closing circles is a way of grounding ourselves and checking in with each other, allowing us to arrive, do real work with each other, be vulnerable, and find trust.”
On the Performative Persona…
“The word ‘persona,’ rather than a character (like a drag or burlesque character), inhabits that aspect of something that’s integrated inside yourself. It’s bringing out an element of who you already are into a bigger lens. Taking on the persona is that added layer of strength to give oneself the power to embrace bigger definitions of self that may otherwise be scary or inaccessible.
“Being large or being seen through performative truth telling can be so healing. That is something I think drag and burlesque both invite an opportunity for. By practicing these characteristics or attributes, which we define within our personas, we get to learn from them. By bringing that language into our awareness, we create that reality for ourselves. Regardless of how separate we keep our personal life from professional life, it is a way of learning and actively shifting self into a new perspective. That is one of the greatest powers of carrying a burlesque or drag persona.”
Related article: Let This Be a Love Letter- Boulder Burlesque’s Annual Valentine’s Show
On Burlesque and Drag Personas as Acts of Subversion…
“With drag, there’s an inherent bigness: exaggeration, emphasis, drawing of the giant eyeliner, drawing of the big story of hyperbolizing gender, and poking at why it’s such a big deal for us to be caged up in the gender binary. Drag flips that on its backside. Burlesque began as a constant subversion.
“Lydia Thompson and the British Blondes who brought burlesque to the United States in the late 1800s would take up male roles to create stories. Each performance piece, in drag or burlesque, is an idea floating around being caught and held in a living moment. That’s where a lot of the power in performance art is drawn because we get to tell a living story in a five-minute act.
Literally moving through that inspiration is a way of having that story carried in the body, a way of shifting out of old patterns and calling in new patterns, ingraining them in yourself and allowing the audience to witness that and share in the understanding and learning.”
On the Similarities Between Burlesque and Drag…
“What I’ve seen in drag: the farce and caricature; lip-synching, which is a traditional element; a lot of play and audience interaction. All of these elements can carry in burlesque as well. For example, the farcical elements are all tied back to the Vaudevillian roots of these genres. Vaudeville was the circus circuit that came up during the late 1800s, early 1900s.
“Specifically speaking, in the United States, it was the sideshow, traveling circus, variety act, and freak show culture. It was a business model of traveling entertainers that burlesque originally grew its business model from and originally drew its performance space from before landing in larger venues.”
On Evolving Gender Perceptions Through Performance Art…
“The history of burlesque and drag are very much interwoven with queer history; these performance spaces have been a space where queer folks can find an alternative career for themselves and still be out, representing their true sexual identity, finding a way out of careers that may not let them be present in that space.
“As our culture learns about blending the gender spectrum, we can also blend and incorporate the energy levels in these performance elements. There is more space for those two groups to step in with each other. I hope that in this new decade, these mediums of performance continue to be a very active expression of emerging queerness, allowing stories to be told about the moment we are in.”
Related article: Dyshowpia to Celebrate Queer Science and Burlesque
Advice to a Future Performer…
“Show up. When you first show up, whether that be in an audition space or checking out a show, be honest with yourself. If rising to explore a challenge is something you want to do, know there will be people there to meet you and support you. Know there are so many different avenues of expression.
“Often, people can have fear about stepping up and saying ‘I can do that,’ thinking about burlesque as a very sexually charged space. Come be present; see what’s going on, talk to somebody, and you will find a lot of reassurance. In seeing others on stage, you may see yourself on stage. A big part of healing is within the community. As much as the people who participate in Boulder Burlesque find their own power and expression, we get so much feedback from the audience. The audience also gets to feed on that richness and take home their own idea that they can empower themselves in their own way. You don’t need to be on stage to feel it.”
Advice to a Future Audience Member…
“Get there early; sit in the front row, and you will have the ride of your life. We’ll take good care of you; don’t worry!”
Interested in learning more about Boulder Burlesque? Visit boulderburlesque.com, or read about the troupe’s upcoming Valentine’s Day show “Let this be a Love Letter” at outfrontmagazine.com
Photo by Brice Jackson
