Category: History of Burlesque
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Respectable Transgression: Womanless Weddings, Mock Weddings, and the Performance of Gender
The article explores historic mock weddings and womanless weddings, highlighting their roles as spaces permitting temporary gender nonconformity, while underscoring… Read more.
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Striptease for the Trees
In the fall of 2000, logging roads in Northern California’s redwood country became the unlikely stage for one of the… Read more.
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A Little Vegas in Lesterville: The Exotic Dance & Burlesque Legacy of Swede’s Bar
Swede’s Bar in Lesterville, South Dakota, occupies a unique place in regional history: a tiny town tavern that transformed into… Read more.
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Mickey Sparano’s A-Go-Go Empire | Omaha, NE
At the height of Omaha’s nightlife boom, Mickey Sparano built an A-Go-Go empire that drew an eclectic roster of performers.… Read more.
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History of Angelo’s Cocktail Lounge and the Di Giacomo Venues in Omaha, NE
Angelo’s Cocktail Lounge began its life at 1017 South 10th Street, operating by the early 1950s in the heart of… Read more.
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Burlesque at the Wagner Opera House | Moline, IL
In the American Midwest of the 1890s and early 1900s, an “opera house” was less a temple to grand opera… Read more.
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Dancers, Decency, and Double Standards: Iowa’s 1986 Nude Dance Scandal
In the spring of 1986, a bachelor party at a rural tavern outside Des Moines unexpectedly became the center of… Read more.
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The Life and Career of Alene Hoover
Erna Alene Hoover—born in Harlan, Iowa, on April 12 or 13, 1912—emerged from the Midwest with a determination that would… Read more.
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Burlesque Reading List
This content features a comprehensive list of books and publications focused on burlesque and its historical context. Authored by various… Read more.
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The Legacy of the Dreamland Theatre in Tulsa
The Dreamland Theatre stood at the heart of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, a community built through Black entrepreneurship, mutual support, and… Read more.
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Sugar Babies: The Burlesque Musical
Sugar Babies, a Broadway musical, debuted in 1982. The show brought together a mix of comedic sketches and musical performances,… Read more.
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Burlesque in Davenport, IA | Part 2
During the 1960s through the 1990s, Davenport stood at the heart of a thriving erotic‑entertainment circuit in the Quad Cities.… Read more.
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Burlesque in Davenport, IA | Part 1
From riverboats to vaudeville stages, Davenport, Iowa was no stranger to spectacle. Between the 1860s and 1940s, this Mississippi River… Read more.
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Greene’s Opera House | Cedar Rapids, IA
Greene’s Opera House emerged as a cultural hub in Cedar Rapids during the late 19th century, offering residents access to… Read more.
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Sam T. Jack: Pioneer of Black Burlesque in America
In the late 19th century, American burlesque was evolving from Victorian parody into a bold, risqué form of variety entertainment.… Read more.
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Belle Howitt: Icon of British Burlesque
Belle Howitt was a celebrated soubrette of the British Blondes troupe. She appeared in productions such as Ixion, Poll and… Read more.
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Alice Oakes & The Oakes Company: Comic Opera on Tour
“In the early seventies the only travelling opera company of a comic character was that headed by Alice Oakes. She… Read more.
