Every seat in the house was packed opening night of the first ever Florida Burlesque Festival at Fort Lauderdale's Cinema Paradiso. Attendees scrambled to save seats for friends who were on their way.

“Burlesque is considered the art of the tease and the thing about tease is that it can be damn near anything,” Murphy Lawless, a nonbinary producer of the first RVA Burlesque Festival, said.

When people hear the term “burlesque” some still think of that 2010 film with Christina Aguilera. For others—like performers Lita Deadly, Jasper St. James and Dino Foxx—it’s a more nuanced label, one ...

Foxy Flambeaux, Praline DuPree, Kitty Twist from "Secrets in Lace Presented Bustout Burlesque in The Mystick" presented at the Royal Sonesta Hotel last September. NEW ORLEANS BURLESQUE FESTIVAL What: ...