Burlesque culture began in Vaudeville, Paris, in the 1800’s and spread throughout Europe. A British showgirl, by the name of Lydia Thompson, was one of the first to bring her troupe of blonde beauties to New York and started a trend that reached its Golden Age from the 1930’s through the 60’s. As laws eased up in the 60’s, modern strip clubs began to reign, and took the place of burlesque parlours. The art of burlesque lost its appeal to mass audiences.
As today’s ‘culture looks back in time for inspiration, it seems that the fine art of burlesque has re-emerged with ultra-popular clubs such as Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce. Ivan Kane, one-time actor/screenwriter, now dubbed “the Nightclub Guru” according to the New York Times, has single-handedly redefined the lost art of burlesque.
A New York native, he opened his first burlesque club in Hollywood, which is an overwhelming success. Appealing to the star set such as Mick Jagger, Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and more, he has duplicated this hot property in Las Vegas. At the exclusive Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce offers an authentic east coast flair, an underground Hollywood club design, with a true Las Vegas atmosphere. The nightclub entrance gives you the feel of an early American? speakeasy combined with the excitement of a Vegas strip club. Inside you will find a true club feel and a beautiful stage that features Ivan Kane’s signature curtain of thousands of strands of beaded pearls, which the girls incorporate into their routines. The pre-show excitement of great music, hot bar action and dancing puts the crowd in the perfect mood for the show. A show that will blow you away.
As the lights dim, the corner of the stage revolves and an incredible three-piece band comes out and starts to jam. The drummer, horn player, and stand up bass player play a combination of rock and cool jazz. The musicianship is phenomenal. I was surprised to see how much energy they pumped out with only three of them. As they played various medleys, I could not believe they broke into Edgar Winter’s classic Frankenstein? with such intensity. They were so good I forgot the show was only beginning. The dress and stage presence of these players really got the crowd going as the first of two burlesque dancers came out.
To the left of the stage, a beautiful brunette appeared, well dressed, and smoking a cigar. As she strutted her 1950’s sex appeal across the stage, the audience was screaming. She slowly got into the grove of the music and danced from one end of the stage top the other. As she slowly stripped down to almost her bare minimum, she grabbed some hanging pearl strings and proceeded to show off her true athletic ability that would rival any gymnast in town. The combination of her dance moves and acrobatics had everyone amazed. Her interaction with the band seemed like a lesson for women on how to seduce a man. As she teased the horn player and flirted with the bassist, the drummer smiled like a guy who just went to his first strip club. Soon the dancer was sitting on the drummers lap as he continued to play with the band. The dancer smiled at the audience with such a teasing grin everyone could not help but laugh. As the dancer started to end her show, she exited the same entrance she came in and left with a standing ovation. Believe it or not, she was just the warm up act.
Soon the star of the show appeared also from stage left. A long-legged blonde that looked like professional dancer without an ounce of body fat. With a similar dance routine, this blonde goddess brought the house down. Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce, the premier nightclub and burlesque of Las Vegas, is located in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Even the musicians had a hard time not watching her as she danced by them. She was the newest of Ivan Kane?s dance ensemble as she won out over 100 other dancers who auditioned for the show.
The sex appeal and professionalism is the best Las Vegas has to offer. I would truly recommend this burlesque revue for men who want first class excitement and for women who want to see how the pros do it. This is the ultimate Las Vegas burlesque show!
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Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
3930 Las Vegas Boulevard South #200B
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Ph: 702.632.9442
Fax: 702.632.9443
Open 10pm ’til dawn, Wednesdays from 2am, Tuesdays dark.
Continuous Burlesque Shows Nightly ~
Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce ~ Hollywood
5574 Melrose Ave
Hollywood, CA. 90038
Ph: 323.465.4242 ext 14
Fax: 323.467.7183
Open Wednesday through Saturday 9pm to 2am
Two Burlesque Shows Nightly ~ Each Different!
Corporate Office:
Ivan Kane Enterprises
450 N. Rossmore Avenue
Suite 1004
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Tel: 323.465.4242 ext 14
Fax: 323.467.7183
Photography: Film Magic
