My Burlesque Inspiration with Paris Chantilly
When I think about my journey into burlesque, there are two legendary performers who have inspired me more than anyone else. Sally Rand and Gypsy Rose Lee. Their artistry, confidence, and imagination shaped the world of burlesque and helped shape the performer I am today.
Sally Rand
Sally Rand was an American icon in the world of entertainment. Her real name was Helen Gould Beck, and from a young age she was drawn to dance. Inspired by the ballerina Anna Pavlova, she left home as a teenager to join a carnival, beginning a life filled with performance and creativity.
Throughout her early career, Sally worked in many roles. She became a cigarette girl, chorine, café dancer, artist’s model, and circus performer, all through a series of introductions and opportunities. She later joined a theatre company, which is where she began taking acting seriously for the first time.
During the 1920s, she appeared in several stage shows and went on to feature in films under the name Sally Rand, a name given to her by Cecil B. DeMille. Eventually, she returned to dance and combined her movement with imagination, tease, and exquisite feather placement, becoming one of the most famous exotic burlesque performers of her time.
Sally Rand held a long-standing role at the Paramount Club in 1932, where her iconic fan dance was born. Her Lady Godiva performance at the Chicago World’s Fair caused controversy and even led to her arrest, but the attention only increased her fame.
She later created the bubble dance, performing with a specially constructed translucent bubble, captivating audiences with playful imagination rather than explicit reveal. Sally continued performing her fan dance well into her sixties, with her final appearance taking place in Kansas City in nineteen seventy eight. She passed away in August 1979.
I absolutely love watching videos of Sally Rand. The way she moves with her fans is breathtaking. Her body lines are pure captured beauty. She inspired me to learn the art of fan dancing, a skill I have fallen completely in love with.
Fan dancing is now one of my most treasured performance skills. I own five sets of fans, including ostrich, peacock, and pheasant. I love dancing with all of them and creating routines full of imagination, allowing the audience to see the story through suggestion rather than reveal. Fan dancing is a beautiful art and one of my favourite props to perform with.
Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee was another huge inspiration for me. She was an American burlesque entertainer and vedette, best known for her elegant and witty striptease. She was also an actress, author, and playwright, earning her legendary status in the burlesque world.
Her career took off when a costume mishap caused a dress strap to fall, and the audience’s response encouraged her to turn that moment into her signature style. Rather than fast or exaggerated movements, Gypsy introduced a slower, more deliberate approach to stripping, paired with sharp humour and intellectual storytelling.
She became famous not only for her striptease but for her wit. Changing her stage name to Gypsy Rose Lee, she quickly became one of the biggest stars of her time, despite frequent arrests during raids on burlesque shows.
One of her most famous quotes has always stayed with me. If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing slowly. Very slowly.
Gypsy also worked in film and theatre, appearing in Hollywood productions and co producing musical revues. She viewed herself as a high class stripper and embraced the term ecdysiant as a dignified description of her profession.
She also became a successful author, writing mystery novels including The G String Murders and Mother Finds a Body. Gypsy Rose Lee passed away in nineteen seventy at the age of fifty nine.
One of my favourite films of all time is Gypsy, the nineteen sixty two musical based on her life. My grandma used to call me her little Gypsy Rose Lee when I was dressing up as a child, something I never fully understood at the time. I never imagined that later in life Gypsy would become one of my biggest burlesque inspirations.
Gypsy also reminds me of Cher, another huge inspiration of mine. The styling, costumes, and glamour from Cher’s early years with Sonny and Cher reflect that same bold, confident, and theatrical energy I love so much. Cher’s fearless fashion choices, strong stage presence, and unapologetic individuality have always inspired me to embrace self expression and celebrate confidence through performance, both on and off the stage.
Why These Women Inspire Me
Both Sally Rand and Gypsy Rose Lee showed the world that burlesque is about imagination, confidence, artistry, and storytelling. They proved that tease does not need to be rushed and that true power comes from owning the stage and embracing who you are.
Their influence lives on in everything I do, from my fan dancing to my performance style and teaching. They remind me why burlesque is such a powerful and empowering art form, and why I feel so proud to share it with others through Burlesque With Paris.