Thread: Got any comedy burlesque ideas to share?

Hi there,
now before anyone gets their knickers in a knot about me asking for burlesque ideas, please understand that I am a bellydancer through and through, and have temporarily stepped into another world. I mean no harm to bellydance tradition, am not promoting a mongrel fusion, but I do have a bad habit of "volunteering" to try radically new (to me) dance concepts. I can fake the burlesque dance style but need to add a comical element. How does a person be funny while dancing? Can dance actually be gut-wrenchingly funny or can it only achieve a lukewarm response at best. I tried youtube but either I wasn't finding the right stuff or none of it was very funny. Or maybe it doesn't transfer to video well!

I welcome any suggestions or steerage in the right direction. Or just your thoughts. I'd rather not end up being the dancer the audience cringes over and is embarrassed for - though that might be funny! ..l;,

Thanks in advance

I think facial expression goes a long way. Also, have a story that your dance is telling that is simple and the audience can follow. There are several well recognized songs that you could use, I Dream of Jeanie, Snake Charmer, or Istanbul not Constantinople (They Might Be Giants) are all goofy, playful songs that would lend a touch of irony. Leave the striptease out of a belly dance burlesque routine--there's plenty of wiggle room and opportunity for sexy humor without pasties or raqs beaver coming into play.
Its important to find the balance, you want to poke fun at something but not be crass or insulting.

Thanks for your answer because I've never given much thought to facial expression when choreographing a dance and it would be crucial to burlesque. It will also be a challenge for me as I'm somewhat of an introverted dancer. Storytelling too would have to be clearer than in bellydance.

And I shudder at the thought of raks beaver with or without pasties. I'm wearing a flapper dress and not a bellydance costume. Hopefully there are no professional flappers out there that would take offense but you never know! My sincerest apologies to all serious flappers out there, but I'm going ahead with it anyway.

It's gonna be fun.

Think about storytelling and a visual gag of some kind.. I like the idea of Istanbul not Constantinople. That's a great song for something like this.

And its a fun, visually evocative song. Yup, I see an idea forming.

Or how about "I wish I could Shimmy like my sister Kate"?

I'm a burlesque dancer as well as a bellydancer. I put a lot more theatrical expression into my burlesque routines - surprised face, pouty face, flirty face, snooty face etc. depending on the piece - my face is pretty expressive when I dance anyway but I really kick it up in burlesque.

I also tend to put in some parts where I stand still and just do something theatrical with my arms to go with a part of the music, aka a wagging finger, blowing a kiss, shrugging etc. If the song I'm using has lyrics, I tend to choreograph theatrical gestures to accent them.

If you want to add a bit of the striptease element without actually stripping, you can wear a hat (I like a fedora or top hat), take it off, play with it, throw it to the side. I also favour a glove peel for a little bit of the naughty without actually getting undressed.