The art of the coverup

Greg Cook reports on the Great Burlesque Exposition at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge last night:

Daytime workshops this weekend address hand-sewing, "tantalizing shimmies," contracts, "tassel twirling," marketing, obscenity law, body image, and "dancing in shoes you shouldn't be walking in." Vendors sell corsets, lingerie, vintage clothing, leather, wigs and jewelry.

The evenings are devoted to burlesque shows, like the opening night's "The Rhinestone Revue," featuring a lineup of prominent dancers from across the country and winning performers from previous years' Boston burlesque expos. The audience for the first night is more women than men. There's a party atmosphere.

Compare to this dancer, from back in the day when Boston still had actual burlesque houses:

Bottom photo from the BPL Nightlife collection. Posted under this Creative Commons license.