Where does burlesque come from?

The genre's origins are rooted in the 1840s, early in the Victorian era, a time of culture clashes between the social rules of established aristocracy and a working-class society. The genre often mocked such established entertainment forms as opera, Shakespearean drama, musicals, and ballet. The costuming (or lack thereof) increasingly focused on forms of dress considered inappropriate for polite society. Rules of Burlesque By the 1880s, the genre had created some rules for defining itself: * Minimal costuming, often focusing on the female form. * Sexually suggestive dialogue, dance, plotlines and staging. * Quick-witted humor, lacking complexity. * Short routines or sketches, with minimal plot cohesion across a show. Where did it go? In the 1930s, a social crackdown on burlesque shows led to their gradual downfall. The shows had slowly changed from ensemble ribald variety performances, to simple performances focusing mostly on the strip tease. The advent of various forms of ...