My Burlesque Inspiration - Tina La Tease

Dixie Evans

New burlesque is the revival and updating of the traditional American burlesque performance. Though based on the traditional Burlesque art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; neo-burlesque acts can range from anything from classic striptease to modern dance to theatrical mini - drams to comedic mayhem.

I am inspired by the glamour and grace of Cabaret style, but also the storytelling of traditional burlesque. I am a particular fan of pre-20th-century burlesque star Dixie Evans who was probably best remembered for her burlesque parody as Marilyn Monroe. Dixie Evans dropped out of high school and got a job picking and planting celery in fields outside L.A. Then she answered an ad for chorus girls in Hollywood. She got the gig and parlayed it into modeling jobs and burlesque performances.

In the 1950s was when Dixie got her big break when she met burlesque impresario Harold Minsky, who struck by her look-alike potential, billed her as the "Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque". The bleached hairdo helped her pass as the icon. And so did the hours she spent studying Monroe's quintessential look and mannerisms: lids heavy over her alluring eyes as she spoke in spurts of breathy baby talk.

Dixie Evans strived to make her acts seductive and relevant - sometimes peppering in satire from current events - rather than baring it all. Dixie Evans said "It wasn't about taking your clothes off," "It was the way you took them off."

In 1990 Dixie Evans took over her friend’s haven of burlesque memorabilia at a ranch in the desert. She started Miss Exotic World in 1991 which drew burlesque performers from around the country to the ranch. The museum is still going on now.

Burlesque is very well known, not only for the amazing costumes and finery but also for the use of magnificent props. 

I am a great fan of all props, but those that inspire me the most are the feminine and glamorous, the long satin gloves, feather boas, feather fans, and isis wings.