Showgirl

Last updated

Show-girl (La Cocotte) at Scala Theatre, The Hague; by Isaac Israels Show-girl (La Cocotte) at Scala Theatre, The Hague, by Isaac Israels.jpg
Show-girl (La Cocotte) at Scala Theatre, The Hague; by Isaac Israëls

A showgirl is a female performer in a theatrical revue who wears an exotic and revealing costume and in some shows may appear topless. Showgirls are usually dancers, sometimes performing as chorus girls, burlesque dancers or fan dancers, [1] and many are classically trained with skills in ballet. The term showgirl is also sometimes used by strippers and some strip clubs use it as part of their business name. [2]

Contents

History

In eighteenth century England the term showgirl meant a young woman who acted in a showy way to attract male attention, but by the mid-nineteenth century the term had come to mean a singer and dancer in music hall acts. [1] Showgirls as we now understand them date from the late 1800s in Parisian music halls and cabarets such as the Moulin Rouge, Le Lido, and the Folies Bergère which first featured a nude showgirl in 1918. A popular showgirl dance was the can-can. [2] The trafficking of showgirls for the purposes of prostitution was the subject of a salacious novel[ which? ] by the nineteenth-century French author Ludovic Halévy. [3] The Ziegfeld Follies revue on Broadway introduced showgirls to the United States in 1907, and Busby Berkeley included them in his Hollywood films in the 1930s. The Bluebell Girls, a dance troupe created by the Irish dancer Margaret Kelly in 1932, performed at the Folies Bergère and Le Lido. By the 1950s there were permanent troupes of Bluebell Girls in Paris and Las Vegas and touring troupes that travelled around the world. [2]

Dancers from the revue show Jubilee! in 2005 JubileeDancersByPhilKonstantin.jpg
Dancers from the revue show Jubilee! in 2005

The first casino on the Las Vegas Strip to employ dancing girls as a diversion between acts was the El Rancho Vegas in 1941. [4] Showgirls with expensive costumes were presented in Las Vegas in 1952 at the Sands Casino for a show with Danny Thomas. [5] Initially opening and closing for headline acts, sometimes dancing around the headliner, showgirls later moved on to being the main attraction and stars of the show. During the 1950s and 1960s showgirls performed in every hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip. Competition between casinos led to increasingly lavish shows and costumes. [2] Major shows of the late 1950s included Donn Arden's Lido de Paris show at the Stardust, Jack Entratter’s Copa Girls at the Sands Hotel, and Harold Minsky’s Follies at the Desert Inn. Minsky introduced topless showgirls and these were then incorporated into The Lido de Paris, a show that ran for 31 years. [6] The popularity of showgirl shows in Las Vegas slowly declined after the 1960s, with all of the major shows closing by the early 21st century. [2]

Revues with showgirls

The showgirls of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies Psfollies.jpg
The showgirls of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies
Dancer (1924) by Pierre Carrier-Belleuse Dancer (1924), by Pierre Carrier-Belleuse.jpg
Dancer (1924) by Pierre Carrier-Belleuse

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabaret</span> Venue for a variety show of music and theatrical revue

Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, does not typically dance but usually sits at tables. Performances are usually introduced by a master of ceremonies (M.C.). The entertainment, as performed by an ensemble of actors and according to its European origins, is often oriented towards adult audiences and of a clearly underground nature. In the United States, striptease, burlesque, drag shows, or a solo vocalist with a pianist, as well as the venues which offer this entertainment, are often advertised as cabarets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folies Bergère</span> Music hall and theatre in Paris, France

The Folies Bergère is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trévise, with light entertainment including operettas, comic opera, popular songs, and gymnastics. It became the Folies Bergère on 13 September 1872, named after nearby Rue Bergère. The house was at the height of its fame and popularity from the 1890s' Belle Époque through the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropicana Las Vegas</span> Casino hotel in Nevada, United States

The Tropicana Las Vegas is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Bally's Corporation, on land leased from Gaming and Leisure Properties. The hotel-casino occupies 35 acres (14 ha) at the southeast corner of the Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard intersection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chorus line</span> Group of dancers who perform synchronized routines

A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. While synchronized dancing indicative of a chorus line was vogue during the first half of the 20th century, modern theatre uses the terms "ensemble" and "chorus" to indicate all supporting players in a stage production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Le Lido</span> Theatre in Paris, France

Le Lido is a musical theatre venue located on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. It opened in 1946 at 78 Avenue des Champs-Élysées and moved to its current location in 1977. Until its purchase by Accor in 2021, it was known for its exotic cabaret and burlesque shows including dancers, singers, and other performers. Famous names have performed there including: Edith Piaf, Siegfried and Roy, Hervé Vilard, Sylvie Vartan, Ray Vasquez, Renee Victor, Johnny Hallyday, Maurice Chevalier, Marlene Dietrich, Eartha Kitt, Josephine Baker, Kessler Twins, Elton John, Laurel & Hardy, Dalida, Shirley MacLaine, Mitzi Gaynor, Juliet Prowse, and Noël Coward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oyo Hotel & Casino</span> Casino hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada

Oyo Hotel & Casino is a casino hotel near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned by Highgate and Oyo Hotels & Homes, and its casino is operated by Paragon Gaming. It is located east of the Strip and next to the Tropicana resort. The hotel has 696 rooms with a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) casino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlene Charell</span>

Marlene Charell is a German entertainer and was the leading dancer and superstar at Le Lido in Paris from 1968 until the end of 1970. Her stage name is an amalgamation of the entertainers Marlene Dietrich and Erik Charell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiller Girls</span> Dance troupe

The Tiller Girls were among the most popular dance troupes of the 1890s, first formed by John Tiller in Manchester, England, in 1889. In theatre Tiller had noticed the overall effect of a chorus of dancers was often spoiled by lack of discipline. Tiller found that by linking arms the dancers could dance as one; he is credited with inventing precision dance. Possibly most famous for their high-kicking routines, the Tiller Girls were highly trained and precise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crazy Horse (cabaret)</span> Cabaret in Paris

Le Crazy Horse Saloon or Le Crazy Horse de Paris is a Parisian cabaret known for its stage shows performed by nude female dancers and for the diverse range of magic and variety 'turns' between each nude show and the next. Its owners have helped to create related cabaret and burlesque shows in other cities. Unrelated businesses have used the phrase "Crazy Horse" in their names.

Felicia Atkins was an Australian born model. She was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for the April, 1958 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Bruno Bernard and Bill Bridges.

<i>Jubilee!</i> Former Las Vegas Strip spectacular revue

Jubilee! was a Las Vegas Strip-based spectacular revue. It opened on July 31, 1981 at an initial cost of 10 million dollars and was originally produced by Donn Arden. Donn Arden set the standard for all the spectacular Las Vegas shows that celebrated female beauty, in combination with a demand for only the best; in costumes, set, and talent. When it closed in 2016, this resident show at Bally's Las Vegas was the longest-running production show in Las Vegas. The Jubilee! showgirls were an icon of old Vegas. The show used costumes designed by Bob Mackie and Pete Menefee. UNLV Special Collections houses many of the original costume design drawings which can be accessed online through the Showgirls collection from UNLV Digital Collections. Many of the show's sets dated back to the original production and include the sinking of the Titanic and the bull used in Samson and Delilah. The bull was 27 feet tall and collapses down to 13 feet after it has been destroyed. The bull was the heaviest single piece of scenery in the show weighing 3 tons. It took 9 stagehands to move it from one position to another. Jubilee!'s longest serving principal dancer from the opening night until her departure 23 years later was Linda Green. The final closing cast consisted of 3 female singers, 3 male singers, 18 male dancers, 23 topless dancers, and 19 female dancers. Within the female covered and topless dancers, they were further categorized as "short" and "tall" dancers. A "short" dancer is a female dancer between 5 ft 8 in and 5 ft 9 in and a "tall" female dancer is between 5 ft 10 in and 6 ft 2 in. One may have been surprised at how tall the dancers were because of the proportions of the stage, which was three and a half stories high, giving the illusion that the performers are smaller in relationship to the stage.

Donn Arden was an American choreographer and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liliane Montevecchi</span> French-Italian actress and entertainer

Liliane Montevecchi was a French-Italian actress, dancer, and singer.

Melinda Saxe is a magician from Las Vegas, Nevada. She is best known for her television performances and Las Vegas stage shows in which she was billed as "the First Lady of Magic". She often is associated with the Drill of Death illusion, a signature trick developed for her by André Kole.

The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas is located on the campus of the Springs Preserve, in Las Vegas, Nevada and is one of seven Nevada State Museums operated by the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. The name was changed from the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society in 2008 when the museum moved from Lorenzi Park, Las Vegas to the Springs Preserve campus. The museum houses items from the development of Las Vegas as well as the natural history of the area. The museum is open Thursday through Monday, 9 am to 4 pm, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Kelly (dancer)</span> Musical artist

Margaret Leibovici OBE, known as Miss Bluebell, was an Irish dancer who was the founder of the Bluebell Girls dance troupe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vedette (cabaret)</span> Main female artists in cabaret and related stagecraft

A vedette is the main female artist of a show derived from cabaret and its subcategories of revue, vaudeville, music hall or burlesque. The purpose of the vedette is to entertain and captivate the public. Vedettes are expected to sing, dance and act on stage. Particularly accomplished artistes are considered super vedettes or first vedettes. Vedettes often appear alongside groups of dancers, flashy and revealing costumes, magicians, comedians, jugglers, or even performing animals. Vedettes specializing in burlesque generally do striptease and may also perform nude on stage.

Louis Edward Walters was a British-born American booking agent, theatrical producer and the founder of the famed Latin Quarter nightclub in New York. He was the father of journalist Barbara Walters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederic Apcar</span>

Frederic Apcar was a Russian-born French acrobatic dancer and producer/impresario best known for his pioneering "Vive Les Girls" and long-running "Casino de Paris" shows at the Dunes. These Parisian-inspired productions offered a colorful variety of acts featuring singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, acrobats, animal trainers and more.

<i>Folies Bergere at The Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas</i> Las Vegas showgirl revue (1959–2009)

Lasting almost 50 years, Les Folies Bergere was the longest running show in Las Vegas history.

References

  1. 1 2 Merrill, Jane (2018). The Showgirl Costume: An Illustrated History. McFarland. p. 4. ISBN   9781476634333.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "History of Showgirls". Oklahoma Showgirls. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012.
  3. McClary, Susan (1992). Georges Bizet: Carmen. Cambridge Opera Handbooks. Cambridge University Press. p. 38. ISBN   9780521398978.
  4. Gioia-Acres, Lisa (2013). Showgirls of Las Vegas. Arcadia Publishing. p. 8. ISBN   9780738596532.
  5. Mary Manning (15 May 2008). "Las Vegas Showgirls: Show and (a lot to) tell". Las Vegas Sun . Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  6. "Las Vegas: An Unconventional History". PBS . Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  7. J.D. Morris (13 June 2016). "Celebrating the Las Vegas showgirl: An icon lives on in one group's evolving passion project". Las Vegas Sun.
  8. Shteir, Rachel (2004). Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show . Oxford University Press. p.  153. ISBN   9780195300765.