burlesque

1. an artistic work, esp literary or dramatic, satirizing a subject by caricaturing it

2. a play of the 17th--19th centuries that parodied some contemporary dramatic fashion or event

3. US and Canadian Theatre a bawdy comedy show of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the striptease eventually became one of its chief elements

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Burlesque

(1) A genre of comic parody poetry. The comic effect in burlesque is determined by the contrast between the theme and the character of its interpretation: either a deliberately “lofty” theme receives a trivially routine treatment and is presented in an explicitly “low” style (Big Morgante by Pulci, The Aeneid Transposed Into the Ukrainian Language by I. P. Kotliarevskii) or a “low” theme is realized by means of a traditionally “lofty” style—the so-called heroicomic poem (the ancient parody of Homer, Batrachomyomachia, and The Lectern by Boileau).

In Europe burlesque was especially popular in the 17th and early 18th century (the poem Virgile Travesti by the French poet P. Scarron), and in Russia at the end of the 18th century (the heroicomic poem Elisei, or Bacchus Infuriated by V. Maikov and the travesty Virgils Aeneid, Inside Out by N. Osipov) as a reaction to the conventional solemnity of the heroic poem of the classicists. Elements of burlesque may be found in Mystery Bouffe by V. Mayakovsky and in the satirical poem by A. Tvardovskii, Terkin in the Next World.

(2) A musical piece that is humorous, at times comical or whimsical, in character. It is related to the capriccio and humoresque. There are burlesques by J. S. Bach (Partita, no. 3), R. Schumann (Pages From an Album, for piano), M. Reger, B. Bartok, and R. Strauss (Burleske, for pianoforte and orchestra).

(3) A short comic parody opera, similar to vaudeville. It originated in Italy and gained popularity in France, Ireland, and Great Britain.

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References in periodicals archive

English burlesque is chiefly dramatic, notable exceptions being Samuel Butler's satiric poem Hudibras (1663-78), an indictment of Puritan hypocrisy; the mock-heroic couplets of John Dryden and Alexander Pope; and the prose burlesques of Jonathan Swift and Henry Fielding.

burlesque

Here, some competitors tell us what burlesque means to them

Burley chaps; Risque business as boys take to the stage for new competition

She has produced award-winning cabaret for more than 10 years and has worked with such cabaret luminaries as Amanda Palmer and stars of America's Got Talent Piff the Magic Dragon and Tape Face as well as having performed alongside burlesque legends such as Immodesty Blaize and Dirty Martini.

Burl along to CatStrand for fun and fabulous show

We want to set the standard for all burlesque performers, that they are paid for their craft whenever they hit the stage," Elfatah said.

International Burlesque Faire Comes to Philadelphia

Comedy is key to many burlesque routines which normally, but not always, involve women in risque clothing stripping down to g-strings and nipple covers in imaginative ways - think Dita Von Teese and that huge cocktail glass.

Bum tassels, twerking and body confidence - meet west London's rising burlesque stars; A "fancy stripper", a funny girl and a twerking instructor are among west London's rising burlesque stars

While Whitelies Burlesque and House of Tease have become permanent fixtures here, HoH is the newest addition on the sultry scene, and they are adding their own soulful flavor.

House of Hathor brings diversity to expat burlesque scene

Conceived by the company's creator, Angie Hobin, the troupe is made up of some of the country's most well-known burlesque performers and rising stars.

Toil & Trouble (and Pasties): A rising burlesque troupe is taking on the works of Shakespeare

27, the group will host a burlesque show centered on the theme "Disrobing the Decades" at the Scottish Rite.

Burlesque workshop and show make for a sultry August

"Some burlesque acts do take their clothes off and we will be featuring a selection of the best of these acts during the festival, but some actors and comedians take their clothes off too.

Everything burlesque and cabaret

On Friday, she'll be back in Liverpool, on stage for the first time since she was 16 and in panto, in An Evening of Burlesque at the Empire.

Mum encouraged me to be a dancer; 'BUT THEN SHE SAW THE FILM SHOWGIRLS', BURLESQUE STAR FALLON D TELLS DAWN COLLINSON

Laura Michelle Siedlecki is the owner of Dollhouse Burlesque, one of the only schools of its kind in the Midlands.

Dancing Queen; Mum-of-three Laura opens burlesque dance school in city centre