I love burlesque. I love it for a lot of reasons- the variety of personalities, the range of ideas, the vast amount of creativity, the costumes… the boobs. (Sometimes: the cock.)
Since I was a little girl, I've been a big old dork. I like video games and fantasy worlds. Dice are fun. I think a friday night playing scrabble with some wine is a pretty rocking evening. Again- big old dork.
Neo burlesque relies on so many tropes and cliches- in many ways, you can say EVERY act is based that way. The sultry seductress- the naughty nurse- the powerful policewoman- the nun gone wrong- the playful minx. These are all stereotypes that hold a specific image in each of our heads, with which burlesque often toys.
Additionally, we all bring the things we love- and that get our rocks off- to our burlesque. Classic burlesquers with a love for pinup style shine with Bettie Page influence in their numbers. There are ladies who base almost all their acts off of animals, because they find them to be the most inspiring source material.
So if I find rpgs and fighting games sexy and evocative (and I do, frankly), why shouldn't I express that in burlesque? Of course I should! Pop culture references are beautiful and in many ways perfect for burlesque because our own realities change our perceptions of their meanings, and so we all see them differently, just as we all might read the characteristics of a feline differently.
I hear a lot of arguments about how nerdlesque is just people cosplaying and getting naked and its just misappropriating and copying characters. I think you can reasonably say that this is what BAD BURLESQUE is, without applying it solely or specifically to nerdlesque. There are lots of bad regular burlesque acts that can be summed up as "OMG A HOUSEWIFE! Oh...and now I guess she's naked but why?" Or, "That dress is completely gorgeous!! But… ok, so I don't really know what else is happening here."
There are bad performances all over that haven't had enough thought put into why, or how, they are happening. But just as there are also many GOOD sparkly acts, there are also many GOOD nerdlesque acts, of all types.
I think it's fair to say that nerdlesque is nothing like cosplay, because cosplay rules dictate that you need to be as close to the costume as humanly possible. In nerdlesque, your costume is, sure, based on a character, but interpreted in your own way of what that character means to you. It doesn't have to be exact, it just has to be recognizable. That's why you can get away with something like Victoria Private's Robin (of Batman & Robin fame) act, where her Robin looks more like Mary Tyler Moore, swooning over Batman as "My Guy" plays in the background, than a super hero, and still have a successful act. To Victoria, the part of Robin that she wanted to explore was his devotion to his main man. You could never do that in the cosplay world; but you can do it in nerdlesque, and it makes sense.
This is what I love about nerdlesque, because if you've ever really loved a book or a movie or a game, you probably do what I do and wonder what happens to those characters OUTSIDE of that context. What does Spiderman read in the bathroom? Who does Frodo think about when he masturbates? Do you think Wonder Woman eats gluten? I mean seriously. What makes nerds NERDS is that we think about these characters like our friends and wonder how they're holding up on their off days. And THAT is what nerdlesque is about- looking at real life through the reflective lens of these pop culture icons.
Specifying the stripping out of a costume for no purpose problem to nerdlesque bothers me for two reasons. One being, as said before, I think it is a problem that applies to ALL burlesque, even something simply classic and sparkly. And the second being that, while I do think that nerdlesque has a large problem to consider, it is not that one.
Nerds are by nature obsessive and over thinking. I can see how, to a person who doesn't get the reference, an act might APPEAR to only being stripping out of cosplay- but usually it isn't. Even bad nerdlesque acts usually have a concept. The problem is that the many little easter eggs the performer probably worked hard to create in their number are usually only visible to people who understand the source. So, while someone who doesn't know anything about Star Wars may see a Darth Maul act as a cosplay strip, a Star Wars fan may see a whole different (and complete) story.
So, basically, this is the REAL problem we have: Accessibility.
You need to consider the audience. For a generic anything-goes burlesque show, you want your nerdlesque number to be accessible to everyone- of course. By this I mean: you want your number to catch the attention of non nerdy audience members, DESPITE and REGARDLESS OF the little details you put in that make your number referential. But even for most nerdlesque shows, where the audience is far more knowledgeable, they still may only get six out of seven of the comic books the acts are from. If they can't still enjoy that act, I do honestly think that's a failure for the performer.
I used this comparison recently and I think it is a good one. Naughty nurses and mischievous felines are so old hat, they don't really compare to nerdlesque because they are very universal. A better comparison would be Coney Island or I <3 NYC themed acts. How many performers do we know who have these? Your act may be incredible to NYC audiences, but take it to Seattle, and they probably won't get it. Nerdlesque performers, in many ways, are constantly creating I <3 NYC acts and bringing them to Seattle audiences.
This is the biggest issue for nerdlesque. To be viable, every act needs to be a double entendre, a concern which does not plague most other burlesque niches that I know of.
To be a little immodest here, I want to talk about my Sonic the Hedgehog number. I think this is a successful nerdlesque number for a general audience. If you KNOW Sonic, a classic Sega video game franchise character, you know that he's a smart little blue guy with a spiky head who spins in a ball, collects gold rings, puts 150% into everything, like chili dogs. If you don't, that's cool too- you don't have to.
My Sonic act is designed like a classic number. It's a headdress, a corset, a skirt, a rhinestone encrusted bra. There's fringe and sequins and tassels. It makes sense, as a classic act. It's pretty and fun to watch. You don't feel left out. I don't bring out anything that anyone can't understand.
But if you DO know Sonic- you ALSO notice that my blue umbrella I use at the beginning and the end looks like him when he's speeding along as a ball. You notice that my feather headdress is designed to resemble the spikes on his head. You notice that my tassels are the gold rings he collects. You notice that the instrumental track I've chosen sounds like it's straight out of a video game. You realize that what I've just done is complete the imaginary Burlesque Level of Sonic's adventure. High score! Two billion points! Take that, bad guys!
These are simple, fun little bonuses that don't take away from the appeal of the act for those unknowing, but still add a lot for those who are nerdy enough to notice them.
I think it does a disservice to to the entire burlesque community to misunderstand pointless stripping out of a costume as a problem specific to one nerdy niche. It lets bad performers of other persuasions off the hook for that, and frankly I'm far more pissed off by a person who only put 8,000 rhinestones on a costume and thinks that affords her stage time, than someone who put thought and hard work into a concept but hasn't been taught how to, OR EVEN THAT HE/SHE SHOULD, make it understandable to everyone.
It also does a disservice to nerdlesque by focusing its eyes on the wrong issues. What we need is for more nerdy performers to learn how to work a Shakespearean tongue on the fabric of their acts. If everyone thinks the only problem is having a story, they'll let down their guard once they've made one, not realizing that what they actually need is to make their story dual purposed.
Nerdiness is by nature exclusive, and in such an (almost exceedingly) inclusive art form as burlesque, I think we need to work harder to allow non-nerds to "get it" (in much the same way as the male nerd community needs to start welcoming us ladies into the clubhouse).
In order to grow, there needs to be more education and workshops intended for teaching the skills needed to make it accessible without losing its integrity, so that nerdlesque can continue to relate to the rest of the burlesque community instead of segregating itself and becoming disconnected. There has to be guidance from successful performers who understand the intent of nerdlesque and the work that goes into creating dual purposed acts.
Let's make it happen!
<3
Dangrrr
