Stripping Preconceptions

The Dance and Physical Theatre section of the Fringe programme is a strange mixture. There is plenty of flamenco, contemporary and things calling themselves butoh, with a slice of cabaret and burlesque, just to make sure that any essential definition is impossible. Like the best pieces, the very idea of 'dance' is hard to pin down: the most comprehensive descriptions tend to be blandly obvious.

Burlesque is an interesting example of a dance form that is emerging as both a grass-roots community and a professional, slick form. Viva Misadventure, who holds classes at both Glasgow's Dance House and Edinburgh's Dance Base, straddles this divide: her performances are driven by years of showgirl experience and finesse; her classes are inclusive and popular.

Ultimately, the two ends of burlesque may separate, as the more professional performers head towards live art or technical excellence, while the classes become an entity in their own right. At the moment, it is possible to see both approaches in a single club night.

The recent Glasgow Cabaret Festival, and the plethora of late-night shows at the Fringe, prove that burlesque is still on the rise. Almost by default, since it features always controversial nudity, it has an outlaw status, not quite respectable. It blurs stereotypes with the presence of a mostly female audience, and the line between promoters and performers is completely shattered. High Tease is run by Sunday Blue, Rockaburley by Cat Aclysmic and Daiquiri Dusk, all of whom are renowned performers in their own right.

Burlesque is exciting for the quality of Scottish performers and the way it deals with the question of individual vision and community cohesion. Despite its interest in decadence, and the suspicion it receives from outside, burlesque offers space for fascinating solos that are heading towards the difficult space of "physical theatre". And like contemporary, it has an internal dialogue between tradition and change: the upcoming nights at High Tease see faithful recreations of 1930s cabaret, such as those by Gypsy Charms, and fan-dances, alongside modern satire and the Kitsch Cats' contemporary vaudeville.

Because burlesque sits at the edge of 'dance', it illuminates many of the characteristics of the medium. It build a strong connection between people, models, new ways of expression, and society, offering a space for personal creativity and imagination. The glamour extends into the audience, tearing up the divide of the the stage's limits.

At the same time, it makes the definition even harder. Dance and Physical Theatre is just a tag, a way to find articles on the internet rather than really categorise performance.