Cabaret

As a trained actor, dancer, writer, director and graduate with an MA in Dance Studies I feel that this whole issue is ludicrous. I have seen ballet and modern dance at Sadlers Wells that strictly speaking are no different from the criteria laid down by Camden Council in terms of removing clothing in a sexual fashion or being sexually arousing. It's a question of context. When people are fighting wars and there is a deluge of violent behaviour in the streets why is the council worried about people getting sexually aroused? And how does curtailing Burlesque protect children who aren't ever likely to see any such performances? Surely they should be more concerned about the morally dubious Page 3 girl with her breasts on show on any tube or bus used by children? Burlesque had its first heyday in the 1940's/50's and it seems the general populous was far better behaved then. Why is nudity such a threat to society. Far more damage is done to humans thanks to conflicts between religions and I don't hear the cries to ban those!

“Camden’s licensing policy, which was widely consulted upon and approved in 2008, states that any premises in the borough that wish to offer entertainment involving nudity, striptease or other entertainment of an adult nature will need approval from the Licensing Authority – burlesque falls within this criteria.”
So will Camden's Licensing Authority close down the Borough's cinemas if they dare to show films such as:
"Mrs. Henderson Presents?" A film with 12A rating, meaning it has been approved for viewing, for children of that age and above, in adult company. For those unfamiliar with the film, it depicts the famous Windmill Theatre in war time. It has full frontal nudity, including Bob Hoskins naked. And Judy Dench gives us a plummy recital of the 'F' word, all this and nubile young actresses flashing all their lady bits. It was argued, at the time depicted in the film, that if the girls didn't move, they were models. What does the Licensing Authority make of that?
And will art galleries portraying Rubenesque women in a state of nakedness also come under the Nudity remit?
And what of art schools and their students? Will they need a licence to sketch and paint naked models?
And if you take this to it's silliest degree, then newsagents will also come under the remit for daring to display and sell salacious literature, even to the point of red top tabloids, that portay a topless model in the so called page three pose!
It's all about money, when you see the price of the Licence, all will become clear.

Sad indeed.
I find it intriguing that Sad Censor thinks that 'Burlesque reinforces the idea that the female body can only be liberated if it is sexualised (with fishnets and corsets in this case).' Burlesque is not about showing that liberation can only be achieved through sexualisation, but that we, as human beings, have a sexual nature that is a part of who there are. Liberation includes allowing individuals to create and enjoy art concerning this part of human nature as they chose, without being viewed as 'smutty' or 'dirty'. A display of sexuality by a woman is only and objectification in the eye of the beholder, I see no reason why it should exclude all other facets of an individual’s personality.

As a burlesque artist for over 30 years I have been involved in quite a few censorship battles. So, I thought that it might be a good idea to contact Camden Council directly to discover exactly what their guidelines and rules are. On Thursday 7th May I spoke with a member of their Press office who had no idea precisely when or why a license might be necessary or indeed how much it might cost (she was also very defensive). She then put me through to their Licensing Team who after questioning my reasons for wanting to know and almost refusing to tell me anything because I don't live in Camden(???) gave me a reference number and assured me that someone would contact me within 24 hours. Friday - zilch! So I called again yesterday, twice. It seems that I have only so far been connected to their front-line but I wonder, just how far away is that front-line from the bureaucrats who make the decisions on such matters? They are obviously SOfar away that they are unable to pick up a phone and give me some valid answers otherwise surely they would call me back?
We have to fight this one as it just another infringement on the rights of the performers and the public who wish to be entertained by them!

The gorgeous Banbury Cross and Lola LaBelle are organising a protest in response to Camden's crazy new restrictions....check out their facebook page for all the details
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=74199728647&am p;ref=mf#/event.php?eid=74199728647

Regardless of the issues of whether or not burlesque is empowering or an objectification of women (I am personally of the opinion that it is most definitely positive and empowering, and in fact allows women to parody and critique the objectification of their bodies), it is not really the job of the council to make moral judgements on an issue as complex as this; one of the main points for me, is does burlesque attract an audience and the sort of behaviour that these licensing laws are in place to crack down on? I am a burlesque performer, and so from experience I can say that the vast majority of burlesque audiences are incredibly polite, and as it happens mainly female; a burlesque event will not attract the type of people that could be a threat or nusiance to an area, in the way that some 'adult' forms of entertainment potentially could. Therefore the council does not have grounds for banning burlesque in the interest of public welfare, and is simply imposing it's personal judgements on other people in a way in which, in my opinion, it has no right to do so. Burlesque is performed to adults who have paid to see it and no-one outside of the event has to have anything to do with it, or recieve any negative experiences as a result of it - I have never heard of any incidents of anti-social behaviour caused by the presence of a burlesque event in an area. Therefore why should it be banned? It is not the place of the council to impose it's personal moral judgements on people who are not causing harm to others.

well that just sucks... entertainment of any kind (comedy, live music, burlesque) seems to be workng under tighter and tighter restrictions - put together for no real good reason other than micro managment of problem areas of late night entertainment. In this case, burlesque has been thrown in with the likes of strip clubs and lap dancing to cover ... Read moreany gaps in the licencing laws... despite burlesque having a completely different agendas and audiences... crap - and yet places like Stringfellow's are ok? ok, its a different borough, but i cant even think of many places in camden that have the same kind of shows? This is another (after the loss of the electric ballroom) example of camden losing its identity and joining the ranks of 'anywhere high street uk'.

It seems to me that the main difference between stripping and burlesque is a class one - the former is done by women out of economic necessity and the later by "educated" bourgois women who have been bought a Islington city pad by daddy, and who think emulating the sex trade is empowering.
It is interesting that Tempest Rose says that burlesque goes back over a hundred years. So does cock fighting and the origins of black and white minstrel shows! The idea that the 'female form' in itself is something is something to be packaged, traded displayed in the name of 'art' goes back much further.
Burlesque reinforces the idea that the female body can only be liberated if it is sexualised (with fishnets and corsets in this case). Can women only be liberated, and if so why do so few men do the same?
Is it is a victory for misogyny that some apparently intelligent women reinforce the objectification of women in the name of liberation. I fully support Camden's tougher licencing laws, which previously made no distinction between greasy spoon caffs and strip clubs (faux-intellectual/middle class or otherwise). What next? A resurgence in cholera and the work houses? We don't live in Victorian times, and thank God for that.

I am a professional burlesque performer and camden resident and I am disgusted at the stance Camden council are taking on this.
This seems to me to be a sad censorship not only of art but of the female form. One of the most positive features of the modern burlesque scene is its celebration of the female body as powerful and beautiful and not as an object of sexual gratification which is what Camden is implying by bracketing burlesque in the same vein as strip clubs.
Burlesque is a theatrical art that has been around for well over 100 years that brings together comedy, satire and parody with theatrical skills such as singing and dance and circus skills along with an appreciation of the human form. I have seen more nudity in major West End shows and on prime time television that I have seen in most burlesque clubs! The blossoming of the new burlesque scene is also part of a wider wonderful and much needed resurgence in the UK cabaret and variety scene, it would be a far worse crime than seeing a nipple tassel to have this ruined by a council that obviously has no idea what it is talking about!