Corsets made a comeback in the 1990s
and 2000s. Neo-Burlesque artists like Dita Von Teese took the stage
with vintage showgirl glamor, and films like Moulin Rouge! and
Chicago hearkened back to the aesthetics of 20th century
cabarets.
In the music world, we saw the debut
of “dark cabaret” as a genre. Appearing in 1995, this term is
used to describe rock music which borrows from the sounds and
atmosphere of burlesque and cabaret performances. Since these types
of shows were mostly comprised of female performers, it only makes
sense that some of dark cabarets most influential artists are women.
The three who stand out to me in particular are Melora Creager,
Amanda Palmer, and Emilie Autumn.
Melora Creager began her career as
rock cellist and the frontwoman of dark cabaret band Rasputina
writing music manifestos and performing with the drag community
of New York's East Village. She claims to have been one of the
earliest influencers of the steampunk movement. Creager's lyrics draw
heavily on strange and gruesome historical events, such as the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and the cannibalism of the Donner
Party. These themes are juxtaposed against her soft vocal style and
waifish, corseted appearance.
The Dresden Dolls made their
debut onto the dark cabaret scene in the early 2000s, led by the
talented Amanda Palmer. Forming a duo with Brian Vigliones, Palmer's
powerful vocals range from crooning to screaming. Many of their songs
are overtly theatrical in tone, featuring crashing sound effects,
dramatic pauses, and intense dynamic changes. An overarching lyrical
theme in much of their work is finding power in the role of an
oppressed female.
No one can beat Emilie Autumn,
however, when it comes to theatrics. Her elaborate, burlesque-themed
performances (featuring her personal troupe, The Bloody Crumpets) and
Victorian costumes have made her unmistakable. Autumn is a woman of
many talents: a skilled violinist (which drives much of her work), a
strong vocalist, a poet, a composer, and a novelist. Raising
awareness about mental illness is a strong driving force in her work,
particularly her 2012 album Fight Like a Girl.
All three of these women being
powerful, forward-thinking, and innovative artists, one might wonder
at the effectiveness of their choice to reach into the past
to harness the sounds and aesthetics of a bygone era. After all,
cabarets and burlesque performances were evidence of a male-dominated
culture in which a woman's charms could be bought and sold, weren't
they?
Actually, although the art of
burlesque did appeal to the tastes of the average working-class man,
these shows provided a platform for women to express themselves.
Burlesque performances originally
appeared in London theatres in the mid to late 1800s as a risque
comedy act accompanying two other acts. Usually parodying a famous
storyline, these performances featured musical numbers and bad puns.
In many cases, female performers in scandalous attire mockingly took
on the roles of men. The art of burlesque was about so much more than
merely shocking the audience with the display of a lady's legs (with
tights on, of course; let's not get too crazy). It was about calling
into question everything that the audience believed through satire--
social conventions, romantic ideals, and even a woman's place in the
world. Nothing could be sacred in the realm of the burlesque, and
nothing could be profane.
The art of burlesque did not only
empower female performers to publicly rejoice in the shape of their
own bodies. Artists like Lydia Thompson and her British Blondes,
whose appearance in New York helped to popularize the movement in the
U.S., were the masters of their own shows and maintained creative
jurisdiction.
It's only appropriate, then, that
strong, female artists like Creager, Palmer, and Autumn should look
to the art of burlesque for inspiration in their own work.
Dark Cabaret has been a recent favorite genre of mine, so much so that I've created a
Pinterest board dedicated to the subject. There you will find a lot more pictures of the lovely Melora Creager, Amanda Palmer, and Emilie Autumn.
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