Neo-Burlesque with the Fleur de Tease Halloween revue

With a one-night performance earlier this month at One Eyed Jacks, Fleur de Tease’s Halloween Revue delighted audiences with Vaudeville-style acts of magic, aerial dancing, costumes and comedy.

What makes Fleur de Tease unique is its flexible and nuanced interpretation of burlesque. A traditional burlesque show is a treat because the components are time-tested: seductive dancers with elaborate costumes, a witty host, music and magic. Done right, traditional burlesque takes you back to another era.

The downside is that after several shows, burlesque can seem formulaic. In order to remain relevant, artistic forms must evolve. Artists have to experiment and take risks if any art form is to progress.

The Halloween Revue did just that. With its grotesque make-up, costumes, and dancing, it offered a fresh, if appropriately creepy, take on burlesque.

One particular act, scoffed at by host Chris Lane, might have been seductive had it not been performed by an androgynous ghoul. Another highlight of the show was an aerial component by the Mystic Pony Aerial Troupe.

The dancers continually shifted between alluring choreography and pretending to be dead. The light-hearted creepiness throughout the show was certainly unsettling, but it had value: It demonstrated with flair that burlesque is not a static art form.

Emily Yonker writes about New Orleans for NolaVie.