Nudity in live performance

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Nudity in live performance, such as dance, theatre, and performance art, include the unclothed body either for realism or symbolic meaning. Nudity on stage has become generally accepted in Western cultures beginning in the 20th century.

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Nudity is employed to convey symbolic expressions as well as a means to allow more freedom of movement and in some cases to accentuate the characteristics of the body. In contrast to the traditional norm of separating nudity from sexuality nudity has evolved to being used in the 21st century to convey sexual meaning and expression or to arouse.

Dance

Adoree Villany VillanyStandingFromBack.jpg
Adorée Villany

Dance, as a sequence of human movement, may be ceremonial, social or one of the performing arts. Partial or complete nudity is a feature of ceremonial dances in some tropical countries. However, some claim that modern practices may be used to promote "ethnic tourism" rather than to revive authentic traditions. [1]

In Western traditions, dance costumes have evolved towards providing more freedom of movement and revealing more of the body; complete nakedness being the culmination of this process. [2]

In the 1910s in Europe number of solo female dancers performed in the nude. [3] [4] One was Adorée Villany. [5]

Nudity became part of classical ballet in 1972 in the performance of Flemming Flindt's Triumph of Death by the Royal Danish Ballet. While premiering in Denmark without comment regarding the nudity, the work's performance in the United States in 1976 was limited to four evening performances at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. [6]

Some contemporary choreographers consider nudity as one of the possible "costumes" available for dance, some seeing nudity as expressing deeper human qualities through dance which works against the sexual objectification of the body in commercial culture. [7] Proponents of such nudity hold that there is a distinction between sexual and non-sexual or sensual nudity [8] and that full nudity is used as an emotional expression and, often the only, means to fully accentuate body characteristics as a performer moves.

While nudity in social dance is not common, events such as "Naked Tango" have been held in Germany. [9]

In a 2012 article, dance critic Alastair Macaulay surveyed nudity on stage from its beginnings in the 1960s and finds it had been normalized in avant-garde modern dance, including erotic elements. Nudity is less often found in mainstream dance performances. [10]

Performance art

Participants preparing to be photographed by Spencer Tunick at the Sydney Opera House Sydney Opera House, nudism.jpg
Participants preparing to be photographed by Spencer Tunick at the Sydney Opera House

Photography of groups of nude people in public places has been done around the world with or without official cooperation. The gathering itself is proposed as performance art, while the resulting images become statements based upon the identities of the people posing and the location selected: urban, scenic landscapes, or sites of historical significance. The photographers including Spencer Tunick [11] [12] [13] and Henning von Berg state a variety of artistic, cultural, and political reasons for their work, while those being photographed may be professional models or unpaid volunteers attracted to the project for personal reasons.

Theater

Virginia Biddle, Ziegfeld performer, 1927 Virginia Biddle, 1927.jpg
Virginia Biddle, Ziegfeld performer, 1927

Models posing on stage nude or partially draped was a feature of tableaux vivants at London's Windmill Theatre and New York's Ziegfeld Follies in the early 20th century. [14] [15] English and United States law did not allow nude or topless performers to move on stage, but allowed them to stand motionless to imitate works of art. [16]

Reflecting the era, the American theater in the 1960s addressed issues including hypocrisy and freedom. By 1968 nudity was freely employed by playwrights, directors and producers not only on subjects of sexuality but regarding social injustice and war. [17] One of the first was the Broadway musical Hair in 1968, [18] which was benign compared to Dionysus in 69 , a modern version of The Bacchae that included a chorus of nude and partially nude actors who staged a birth ritual and interacted with the audience. [17]

Less common is the use of nudity in sexual plays with the sexual scenes mostly of a simulated nature. In recent years however such plays have also employed real sex or sexual acts being performed onstage. [19]

The issue of nudity in performances came into the spotlight again in the play Equus with the lead characters Alan and Jill having nude roles. The play attracted attention as Alan at the time was played by 17 year old Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame. [20]

Eventually nudity became an issue of personal integrity and privacy, with some actors choosing to perform nude, others not. [17] However, in spite of precautions to control cell phone use, videos of nude scenes on Broadway have been taken by audience members and posted online. Such videos take a brief nude scene out of context in violation of the performer's expectations, which may make them reluctant to do so in the future. [21]

Erotic performances

Public performances that have the intent of arousing the erotic interest of an audience have an indeterminate history, generally associated with prostitution. Striptease did not end with performers entirely nude until the late twentieth century. Modern striptease and go-go dancing often have performers continuing to dance naked after stripping. [22] [23] Live sex shows have been marginalized after a brief period of acceptance, perhaps due to completion from interactive on-line performances, or because the enactment of pornographic scenarios on stage are "too real" for general public enjoyment. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striptease</span> Erotic dance

A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exotic" or "burlesque" dancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex show</span> Live performance of sexual activity

A sex show is a form of live performance that features one or more performers engaging in some form of sexual activity on stage for the entertainment or sexual gratification of spectators. Performers are paid either by the spectators or by the organisers of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripper</span> Striptease performer

A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G-string</span> Garment consisting of a strip of cloth between the legs

A G-string is a garment consisting of a narrow piece of material that covers the genitals, a string-like piece that passes between the buttocks, and a very thin waistband around the hips. There are designs for both women and men. Men's G-strings are similar to women's but have a front pouch that covers the genitals. G-strings are typically worn as underwear or swimwear or as part of the costume of an exotic dancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvin Ailey</span> American dancer and activist (1931–1989)

Alvin Ailey Jr. was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Center as havens for nurturing Black artists and expressing the universality of the African-American experience through dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strip club</span> Sexual entertainment venue

A strip club is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other erotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, and can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style. American-style strip clubs began to appear outside North America after World War II, arriving in Asia in the late 1980s and Europe in 1978, where they competed against the local English and French styles of striptease and erotic performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naked yoga</span> A form of yoga practiced without clothing

Naked yoga is the practice of yoga without clothes. It has existed since ancient times as a spiritual practice, and is mentioned in the 7th-10th century Bhagavata Purana and by the Ancient Greek geographer Strabo.

In film, nudity may be either graphic or suggestive, such as when a person appears to be naked but is covered by a sheet. Since the birth of film, depictions of any form of sexuality have been controversial, and in the case of most nude scenes, had to be justified as part of the story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gershwin Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Gershwin Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 51st Street, on the second floor of the Paramount Plaza office building, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Opened in 1972, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization and is named after brothers George and Ira Gershwin, who wrote several Broadway musicals. The Gershwin is Broadway's largest theater, with approximately 1,933 seats across two levels. Over the years, it has hosted musicals, dance companies, and concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Depictions of nudity</span> Visual representations of the nude human form

Depictions of nudity include all of the representations or portrayals of the unclothed human body in visual media. In a picture-making civilization, pictorial conventions continually reaffirm what is natural in human appearance, which is part of socialization. In Western societies, the contexts for depictions of nudity include information, art and pornography. Information includes both science and education. Any ambiguous image not easily fitting into one of these categories may be misinterpreted, leading to disputes. The most contentious disputes are between fine art and erotic images, which define the legal distinction of which images are permitted or prohibited.

The relationship between nudity and sexuality can be complicated. When people are nude, this often leads to sexual arousal, which is why indecent exposure is often considered a crime. There are also social movements to promote a greater degree of nudity, such as the topfreedom movement to promote female toplessness, as well as the movement to promote breastfeeding in public. Furthermore, some psychiatric disorders that can lead to greater nudity include exhibitionistic disorder, voyeuristic disorder, and gymnophobia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neo-burlesque</span> Performing arts genre

Neo-burlesque, or 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 can include anything ranging from classic striptease to modern dance to theatrical mini-dramas to comedic mayhem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of nudity</span> Social attitudes to nakedness

The history of nudity involves social attitudes to nakedness of the human body in different cultures in history. The use of clothing to cover the body is one of the changes that mark the end of the Neolithic, and the beginning of civilizations. Nudity has traditionally been the social norm for both men and women in hunter-gatherer cultures in warm climates, and it is still common among many indigenous peoples. The need to cover the body is associated with human migration out of the tropics into climates where clothes were needed as protection from sun, heat, and dust in the Middle East; or from cold and rain in Europe and Asia. The first use of animal skins and cloth may have been as adornment, along with body modification, body painting, and jewelry, invented first for other purposes, such as magic, decoration, cult, or prestige. The skills used in their making were later found to be practical as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nude (art)</span> Work of art that has as its primary subject the unclothed human body

The nude, as a form of visual art that focuses on the unclothed human figure, is an enduring tradition in Western art. It was a preoccupation of Ancient Greek art, and after a semi-dormant period in the Middle Ages returned to a central position with the Renaissance. Unclothed figures often also play a part in other types of art, such as history painting, including allegorical and religious art, portraiture, or the decorative arts. From prehistory to the earliest civilizations, nude female figures were generally understood to be symbols of fertility or well-being.

Erich Karl Löwenberg, known as Erik Charell, was a German theatre and film director, dancer and actor. He is best known as the creator of musical revues and operettas, such as The White Horse Inn and The Congress Dances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nudity</span> Scientific and cultural information about human nudity

Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair and living in hospitable climates. As humans became behaviorally modern, body adornments such as jewelry, tattoos, body paint and scarification became part of non-verbal communications, indicating a person's social and individual characteristics. Indigenous peoples in warm climates used clothing for decorative, symbolic or ceremonial purposes but were often nude, having neither the need to protect the body from the elements nor any conception of nakedness being shameful. In many societies, both ancient and contemporary, children might be naked until the beginning of puberty. Women may not cover their breasts, being associated with nursing babies more than with sexuality.

<i>Oh! Calcutta!</i> Avant-garde, risque theatrical revue (1969)

Oh! Calcutta! is an avant-garde, risqué theatrical revue created by British drama critic Kenneth Tynan. The show, consisting of sketches on sex-related topics, debuted Off-Broadway in 1969 and then in the West End in 1970. It ran in London for over 3,900 performances, and in New York initially for 1,314. Revivals enjoyed even longer runs, including a 1976 Broadway revival that ran for 5,959 performances, making the show the longest-running revue in Broadway history, the second longest-running revival, and the eighth longest-running Broadway show ever.

The legal status of striptease varies considerably among different countries and the various jurisdictions of the United States. Striptease is considered a form of public nudity and subject to changing legal and cultural attitudes on moral and decency grounds. Some countries do not have any restrictions on performances of striptease. In some countries, public nudity is outlawed directly, while in other countries it may be suppressed or regulated indirectly through devices such as restrictions on venues through planning laws, or licensing regulations, or liquor licensing and other restrictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adorée Villany</span> French dancer and choreographer

Adorée Via (Viola) Villany was the stage name for a dancer and choreographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Childhood nudity</span> Scientific and cultural information about nudity in human children

In contemporary societies, the appropriateness of childhood nudity in various social situations is controversial, with many differences in behavior worldwide. Depending upon conceptions of childhood innocence and sexuality in general, societies may regard social nudity before puberty as normal, as acceptable within same-sex groups, or unacceptable.

References

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  2. Sparshott, Francis (1995). "Some aspects of nudity in theatre dance". Dance Chronicle. 18 (2): 303–310. doi:10.1080/01472529508569206.
  3. Toepfer, Karl Eric (1997). Empire of Ecstasy: Nudity and Movement in German Body Culture, 1910-1935. University of California Press. ISBN   9780520918276.
  4. Dickinson, Edward Ross (1 January 2011). "Must We Dance Naked?; Art, Beauty, and Law in Munich and Paris, 1911–1913". Journal of the History of Sexuality. 20 (1): 95–132. PMID   21488420 . Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  5. "The Nude Dancer – Adorée Villany: Art, the Female Body and Morals during WW1 | Playing Pasts" . Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  6. Mork, Ebbe (16 May 1976). "Nudity Is Natural for The Royal Danish Ballet" . The New York Times. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  7. Cappelle, Laura; Whittenburg, Zachary (1 April 2014). "Baring It All". Dance Magazine.
  8. "Sensual Vs. Sexual, The difference between sensuality and sexuality".
  9. Nethers, Jocelyn (2013). "I Went 'Cause I Had Nothing On...". Dance Today. Vol. 58, no. 146. p. 56.
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  13. Van Gelder, Lawrence (12 May 2008). "Austrians Strip for Lens". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  14. Chapman, Helen (20 July 2018). "Windmill Girls meet for reunion and remember dancing days in old Soho". Islington Tribune.
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  18. Libbey, Peter (29 April 2018). "When 'Hair' Opened on Broadway, It Courted Controversy From the Start" . The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  19. "Live-sex play challenges obscenity laws".
  20. Staff writers (28 July 2006). "Naked stage role for Potter star". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 January 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
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