With a certain vaudeville flare, Burlesque brings to mind images of the naughty-nightie, the sheer stocking and the tightly drawn bustier. And with a stack of epithets like that it might be easy to forget the history of humor that necessarily coincides with a good Burlesque show. In fact, the word as we know it originates from the Italian, burlesco, or burla, which means to parody or mock. In the 17th century, Burlesque became a literary term for ribald depictions of the “dignified” (which I love!). Then by the 20th century, in America, soubrettes appeared: elaborately costumed women who danced, sang, and told jokes while stripping down to their skivvy’s.
In the midst of this history, this Siamese twin of sexuality and comedy is where Iowa City’s own Les Dames du Burlesque finds their lineage. And this Thursday, just for you, Les Dames du Burlesque and IC Kings are putting on a Holiday Show.
If you are curious about what to expect, just roll a mixture of eroticism and gaiety out in some cookie dough sprinkled with green and red sugar crystals, flattened into the shape of Santa, reindeer and presents and you will get something that looks like an R-rated holiday extravaganza of bawdy, sexy and spectacular entertainment with Les Dames du Burlesque and IC Kings.
Join IC Kings and Les Dames du Burlesque this Thursday Dec. 5, at The Mill. The show starts at 8:30 pm with an admission cover of $8.
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