The History of Burlesque in the South

The History of Burlesque in the South

Long before modern nightlife and digital platforms, Southern women were already turning tease into triumph. From Storyville to traveling revues, burlesque offered something radical in a culture ruled by restraint, a stage, a voice, a freedom wrapped in lace and laughter. The South did not abandon burlesque, it transformed it, carrying its spirit through decades of resistance, reinvention, and revival that still glitters today.

This story continues inside the digital issue of La Ligne Rouge, tracing the full legacy of Southern burlesque from Storyville to the modern revival.