Burlesque Personas and Sexual Energy on Stage

Burlesque in Toronto has long mixed ticketed festivals, small collectives and interactive cabaret formats. Performers who sing as well as dance often build a stage persona, a heightened character through which sexuality becomes subject matter and raw material for performance, and profiles of the scene commonly describe how that character differs from the performer offstage.

A persona built on the gaze

A common character in burlesque is the classic bombshell, a figure whose acknowledged power is to attract attention and make a room hold its breath. Performers sometimes describe this character as an icon of desire. Offstage, many describe themselves as quite different, even shy, and some say their longer-term wish is to make audiences laugh, since comedy is a central ingredient of the genre.

Sexual energy as creative material

Performers in the genre often speak of sexual energy as a strong creative resource that can be directed toward fantasy, creation, enlightenment or play. Some describe it as something that shows up in dreams and moods and note the contrast between people who are subtly sexy and those who are blunt about it. Others say the same energy can be channelled into non-sexual outlets, including acting, dance, sport, meditation and yoga. A recurring idea is that sex starts in the mind and imagination.

Formats in the Toronto scene

Toronto's cabaret community offers several formats. Collectives stage themed productions, after-show cabarets let audiences pick the performers' songs and costumes, and annual festivals present burlesque and boylesque to newcomers as well as regulars. Regular monthly shows give emerging performers a stage, and singing acts sit alongside dance, comedy and variety.

The details of individual shows and festivals change from year to year, so this article describes formats rather than a current schedule.

Writing, study and interest in stigma

Many performers also write poetry, stories and songs, and some pursue university study alongside stage work. Interest in how stigma tied to poverty, race, gender and career status feeds into sexual identity is common among performers and scholars of the field. Courses in sexuality studies are offered at several Canadian universities, and performers sometimes describe sex as a subject that keeps working its way into their lives.