Representatives from The Big Girl Burlesque will be visiting my HDFS 5440 classroom on The Ohio State University Main Campus (Townshend Hall, Room 247) on Tuesday, February 16 from from 11:10 am to 12:30 pm.
If you are in another instructor’s 5440 or you’ve taken it with me previously… YES, you may come. But it’s standing room only, so you may need to grab a square of carpet. If you wish to bring a friend? The same thing applies. Make certain they are adults and tell them that chairs aren’t part of the bargain. Note: guests should not ask questions of speakers unless “paying” students have exhausted all of their inquiries.
The Big Girl Burlesque is a troupe of like-minded women who believe that size has nothing to do with sexy! They own their curves and love their bodies. They invite you to come see what a body positive burlesque experience can be!
Empowered, exciting and oh so erotic! Check out the Big Girl Burlesque at their monthly show: Sultry Saturday! It’s every 4th Saturday at The Blue Pickle!
Follow the Big Girls on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/biggirlburlesque
Twitter: Big_Girl_BurlyQ
BigGirlBurlesque.com
Coursework/Readings:
In addition to normal class readings, students were asked to read David Owen’s “Neo-Burlesque and the Resurgence of Roller Derby: Empowerment, Play, and Community.”
there is a sense of community at both events between performers and audience, and that the art form of burlesque is not about monetary gain or exclusively for the pleasure of men. The burlesque performer is continually in communication with the audience through eye contact, performer-initiated physical contact, and invited audible response. I draw a parallel to roller derby as another outlet for women to express themselves outside of a traditional patriarchal frame for an audience of both women and men, paying particular attention to the acceptance of a wide range of body types, the creation of community, and a celebration of strength and skill not usually associated with women.
Students are encouraged to visit Leonard (Yes, Spock!) Nimoy’s FULL BODY PROJECT featuring full bodied models in a variety of clothed and naked poses.
Many of the images in this post were captured by the talented lens of Lightning Images.
Supplemental Videos/Links:
A more common media portrayal of burlesque (Cher’s Welcome to Burlesque from the film: Burlesque)
Due to their age, the following videos are all in the public domain and are available at ARCHIVE.ORG
A vintage video clip from the 1930’s featuring Sally Rand:
https://archive.org/details/Stripper-DancerSallyRand
Undated, The performer known as Kalantan:
https://archive.org/details/Stripper-DancerKalantan
A 1940’s era burlesque performer:
https://archive.org/details/1940sWartimeStripper
Anita Parker 