Sugar Babies, a Broadway musical, debuted in 1982. The show brought together a mix of comedic sketches and musical performances, featuring various classic songs. Known for its unique combination of talent and nostalgia, it became a notable production in the theatrical landscape of its time.
During the 1960s through the 1990s, Davenport stood at the heart of a thriving erotic‑entertainment circuit in the Quad Cities. Its geography, nightlife culture, and steady demand for live performance created consistent work for stripteasers and nude dancers who moved fluidly across nearby city and state lines. While the regional network shaped the flow of…
From riverboats to vaudeville stages, Davenport, Iowa was no stranger to spectacle. Between the 1860s and 1940s, this Mississippi River city became a surprising hub for traveling burlesque troupes, variety acts, and risqué revues that blurred the line between entertainment and rebellion. As the city industrialized and its theaters flourished, burlesque evolved from bawdy satire…
Burlesque at the Iowa State Fair wasn’t just a novelty—it was a tradition woven into the fabric of the midway. While newspapers didn’t chronicle it every year, the girlie shows were a familiar draw for decades, offering a mix of comedy, dance, and risqué glamour. These performances thrived in the shadows of Ferris wheels and…
Carter Lake, Iowa, has always been a geographical curiosity—an Iowa town tucked inside Nebraska. From the 1960s through the 1980s, it became more than a cartographic oddity: it was a nightlife enclave where striptease clubs thrived, drawing crowds from Omaha and beyond. The Apache Lounge | 1960s In the 1960s, the Apache Lounge set the…
American burlesque history is usually traced to Lydia Thompson’s “British Blondes” in New York, but the Hyers Sisters were already performing burlesque‑style operettas on the West Coast by the late 1860s. Touring from California and billed in 1879 as “The Only Colored Burlesque Troupe in the World,” Anna and Emma Hyers used satire and musical…
Born in 1926 in Kansas City, Missouri, Iretha Tucker—née Greer—was a firecracker on stage and a force in midcentury Black entertainment. Known as the “Shake Dancer Supreme” of the Ebony Dancers, she earned the nickname “Pepper Pot” for her sizzling energy and hip-shaking flair. Her performances in the early 1950s drew loud applause and glowing…
In the heart of Kansas City’s vibrant Black entertainment scene, a dazzling troupe emerged in 1950 that blended rhythm, spectacle, and unapologetic showmanship: The Ebony Dancers. Composed of eight to ten dynamic performers—including singers, acrobats, and shake dancers—this ensemble captivated audiences with their electrifying stage presence and genre-blurring acts. From Kansas City nightclubs to cabaret…
In the golden age of jazz and burlesque, Madeline Jackson, professionally known as Sahji, emerged as one of the most mesmerizing performers of her time.Born in around 1919, Sahji rose to theatrical prominence in the 1930s and 1940s as a “shake dancer”—a style rooted in rhythm, sensuality, and improvisation. Her performances were often described as…
Aida Overton Walker (1880 – 1914) was a transformative figure in American performance history. As a dancer, singer, choreographer, and cultural advocate, she elevated African American artistry in an era of racial segregation and strict gender constraints. Her legacy is one of grace, defiance, and enduring influence. Early Life & Performance | 1880-1899 Aida was…
In the late 1930s, as tensions escalated in East Asia and the United States edged toward war, a young woman named Lin Tsen Chan arrived in America under circumstances that newspapers described as harrowing. By the early 1940s, she was performing burlesque in San Francisco—an unlikely path shaped by global conflict, migration, and the racialized…
Long before Falls City became known for quiet streets and prairie charm, it played host to a livelier, more provocative chapter of American entertainment history. Burlesque—equal parts satire, spectacle, and subversion—once flickered across its vaudeville stages and traveling tents, offering rural audiences a taste of urban glamour and risqué wit. This article traces the forgotten…
Carmen Holiday was a Mexican-American dancer whose career blurred the lines between striptease, theater, and social commentary. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she trained in Latin, jazz, and belly dance before launching into the spotlight with a spontaneous striptease that won her a go-go contest in 1960s Las Vegas. From that moment on, Carmen…
In the world of mid-century burlesque and drag performance, few figures were as visually arresting and artistically daring as Lestra La Monte. Born Lester LaMonte in 1900 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lestra carved out a niche for herself in the vaudeville and drag circuits with a signature style that was as ephemeral as it was unforgettable:…
In the quiet corners of southeast Nebraska, performance history flickers between preservation and mystery. Auburn may not boast the grand marquees of Lincoln or Omaha, but its opera houses and community stages once echoed with traveling shows, vaudeville patter, and perhaps—just perhaps—a touch of burlesque’s glimmering irreverence. From Calvert’s depot-town days to the construction of…
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
