subject: Burlesque Clothing History of the Dancers [print this page] Mention the phrase "Burlesque Costumes" to many and they automatically think "strippers! This may have been true at the outset, when audacious English dancer, Lydia Thompson sailed the Atlantic to bring a new and very risqu form of entertainment to the USA in the form of her troupe of chorus girls, the "British Blondes who dared to show not just a bare ankle, but sometimes, a stockinged leg too. Shock Horror!
How This Most Colourful And Intriguing Story Started ..
Determined by nature even as a fourteen year old, Lydia new what she wanted to do with her life and it wasn't working in a mill, nor did she have the aspirations of becoming a lady of leisure. She was as smart as she was sassy and knew she just wanted to dance and entertain. So still a child, she left home in London to become a professional dancer, joining the corps of Ballet in 1852 and later taking part in many varied roles in the West End, where she won critics over time and time again for her charm, beauty and the perfect execution of her varied dance routines
Still in her teens, she boldly left her homeland and toured throughout Europe, developing her sassy style and returning to London, to acclaims of having become "one of the most eminent English Dancers".
Lydia met and married her husband in 1863, giving birth to her daughter the same year and returning to the stage very soon after. Unfortunately she was soon to suffer the tragedy and heartbreak of losing her husband in a racing accident the following year. Again, determined and with strength of character, Lydia joined Alexander Henderson's company and created the leading role in the Burlesque production of "Ixion" (from Greek mythology meaning fiery!) for the reopening of the Theatre Royal in Birkenhead.
The show was a mythical spoof where the female performers burlesque clothing required them to adorn revealing tights and playing male roles. This would have been deemed as nothing less than scandalous in the Victorian era, as most "proper" ladies went to extreme lengths with their clothing to cover the female form, under long skirts and frilled petticoats to retain their modesty and dignity.
The name Ixion would later become the stage name of the "British Blondes" and their Burlesque troupe. As they worked together, Henderson and Lydia's relationship developed and he became her new husband. Together, the pair began their new life sailing the Atlantic to introduce a theatrical troupe of chorus girls to an unsuspecting New York.
America was in the grip of a deep depression at the time of her arrival and despite her bawdy routines, being notoriously shocking at the time, she took the US by storm. It probably accountable to the fact that the US had never seen shows which were such an eclectic combination.
The flamboyant sassy routines included, singing, cross dressing, risqu jokes, saucy burlesque costumes, coarsely humorous sketches and, extravagant sets, providing a harmless much needed release from the constraints of daily reality at this dark time.
