The five best burlesque dancers of all time

Sequins, feathers and plenty of glitz: burlesque dancers certainly know how to put on a show. And as a nation, our appetite for burlesque is huge, from watching household names such as Dita Von Teese hustle on stage to learning our own moves in burlesque dance classes.

But when burlesque dancing first gained popularity in the UK in the late 18th century, it was under a rather different guise. "Burlesque" is a French word derived from the Spanish "burla", meaning joke, and these early performances were packed with bawdy references to literature, music and theatre, rather than scantily clad women.

The strip-tease element of the performances didn’t arrive until the next century, when the burlesque troupe The British Blondes caused a scandal by wearing above-the-knee hems on stage. Since then, burlesque has arguably evolved into an art form, with many performers maintaining long, successful careers.

Lydia Thompson

Americans have Thompson to thank for introducing them to burlesque. The British dancer, actor and comedian toured America from 1868 to 1869 with her burlesque troupe "The British Blondes". The girls caused a scandal with their short skirts and rapidly became the most in-demand entertainment in New York. Thompson returned to Britain in 1874 and continued her success as a burlesque dancer, with starring roles in a variety of productions across the country.

Gypsy Rose Lee

Hailed as one of the best strip-tease performers in the history of burlesque, Gypsy Rose Lee’s ascent to fame in the 1930s began purely by accident. The young Gypsy Rose, real name Rose Louise Hovick, was dancing on stage when the strap of her dress broke, causing it to fall to the floor. Going on the (very positive) reaction from the audience, she realised that combining stripping with dancing could be lucrative and she began performing her signature slow strip-teases in venues across America. She spent four years dancing as the star of the famed Minsky’s Burlesque in New York before heading to Hollywood in 1937 to attempt to launch an acting career. Her memoir, written 20 years later, was made into the musical "Gypsy".

^{Gypsy Rose Lee (REX)}

Sally Rand

Rand had a number of career incarcerations before finding success as a burlesque dancer in 1933. After running away with the carnival when she was a teenager and working in turn as a cigarette girl, dancer and model, Rand shot to fame when she performed a "Lady Godiva" stunt outside of the Chicago World Fair in 1933.

^{Sally Rand (REX)}

After being promptly arrested for indecent exposure the young star gained a notoriety that would later increase with performances of her famed feather dances, in which the audience was never quite sure whether she was naked (in reality, she always wore a flesh-coloured body stocking). Rand also created the bubble dance, in which she appeared on stage partially hidden behind a five-foot-high translucent bubble.

Mae West

West may be best remembered for her roles on the silver screen, but the starlet began her career as a burlesque dancer. She first started dancing professionally in 1907 in vaudeville at the tender age of 14, dressed in prim satin dresses. However, her routines emulated those of adult burlesque dancers, gaining her a notoriety that would infiltrate her entire career.

In 1910, she secretly married her dance partner Frank Wallace when she was 17 years old, before leaving him a year later when she arrived in New York and began her Broadway and film career.

Dita Von Teese

^{Dita Von Teese (REX)}

The dwindling popularity of burlesque dancing was revived in the early 1990s by Dita Von Teese, hailed “The Queen of Burlesque”. The former Mrs Marilyn Manson is famed for a number of elaborate stunts, including a performance at The New York Academy of Art in which she wore $5million of diamonds and nothing else. Von Teese's signature acts consist of dancing in a giant martini glass or with the world’s largest feathers, in a dance inspired by Sally Rand.