Vedette (cabaret)

From the early twentieth century, it began to be used for the main female artists in cabaret shows such as burlesque, vaudeville, music hall or revue.

Among these are the Moulin Rouge and the Folies Bergère, pioneers of night shows in which the vedettes appeared on the scene half naked and doing Tableau vivant.

Famous French vedettes included the "Three Graces" of the Belle Époque: Émilienne d'Alençon, Liane de Pougy, and La Bella Otero.

In recent times the vedette shows have emphasized figures like Arielle Dombasle (known as the vedette-like Dolorès Sugar Rose) and Marlène Mourreau.

One of the first vedettes that stood out in Spain are La Bella Otero, a celebrated courtesan who settled in France, one of the most outstanding personages of the Belle Époque in the artistic circles and the gallant life of Paris;[7] Luisa Esteso, famous comedian actress; Encarnación Fernández, who had most of her career in Argentina;[8] Celia Gámez (of Argentine origin), one of the most popular stars of Spain in the first half of the twentieth century, and who owes much of the splendor of the Revues;[9] Paquita Garzón;[10] Rosario Guerrero (called "The Beautiful Guerrero"); Rosita Rodrigo; Tina de Jarque,[11] Rosario Soler "La Patita",[12] Paquita Escribano, Carmen Tórtola Valencia, specialist in oriental dances and pioneer of women's liberation,[13] and the sisters Laura and Victoria Pinillos.

[19] In the sixties, famous figures such as Mary Santpere, called "La Reina del Paralelo" (The Queen of the Parallel) reached the fame of Barcelona's homonymous street, where the greatest number of theaters were concentrated in the 20th century; Rosita Amores, pioneer of the erotic cabaret in the mid-1960s, and who knew how to outwit Franco's censorship in times when eroticism in Spain was confined to the private sphere, becoming a popular symbol of entertainment in the Valencian Community; Marisol Ayuso; Ingrid Garbo, of German origin; Vicky Lagos; Vicky Lusson; Katia Loritz;[20] Esperanza Roy, and Lina Morgan, one of the country's most momentous comic strips.

In the 1970s María José Cantudo starred in the first full-length female nude (seen through a mirror) of Spanish cinema;[22] Eva León Conde[23] and Barbara Rey were also popular vedettes of the period.

From the 1980s and 1990s stand out figures such as Lita Claver "La Maña";[24] Norma Duval, one of the last stars of the traditional magazine, a type of spectacle that during those years was in decline and that was maintained mainly thanks to the tourists who visited Paris;[25] Tania Doris, another one of the last representatives of the sort in Spain ; Paloma Hurtado, María José Nieto "Maripepa",[26] Rosa Valenty, Africa Pratt and the French Marlène Mourreau.

[33] In the 1960s figures appeared like Zulma Faiad,[34] Nélida Lobato,[35] Susana Brunetti, Norma Pons, Egle Martín[36] and the Puerto Rican Iris Chacón, called the "Vedette of America".

[43] In the 1990s, new vedettes appeared, some of whose fame would spread to the next decade, such as Cris Miró,[44] María Fernanda Callejón, the Puerto Rican Lourdes Chacón[45][46][47] and Monica Ayos.

[48] In the first years of the 21st century there has been a return of the revues in the Avenida Corrientes with figures like Florencia de la V,[49] María Eugenia Ritó,[50] Adabel Guerrero,[51] and Valeria Archimó.

Another famous "Exóticas" were Trudi Bora, Turanda, Joyce Cameron, Tanabonga, Tundra, Gemma, Eda Lorna, Kurumba, Bongala, Tula Montenegro, Brenda Conde, Josefina del Mar and Naná.

The main exponents of the genre were the Cubans María Antonieta Pons,[74] Amalia Aguilar,[75] Ninón Sevilla[76] and Rosa Carmina[77] as well the Mexican Meche Barba.

[87] On the other hand, the popular television program Variedades de medianoche (Varieties of the Midnight) contributed to the boom of these women and launched to the fame to dozens of them.

[88] Among the legendary vedettes that illuminated the nightlife of Mexico City are Olga Breeskin also known as "Super Olga" who achieved great fame for her spectacular performances where she danced surrounded by dancers and exotic animals while playing the violin;[89] Angélica Chaín,[90] who achieved fame first in magazines, then start a career as a vedette and finally consecrate herself in the cinema; Amira Cruzat, famous for her show known as The Dressing Room of Amira Cruzat;[91] Lila Deneken "The Number One", important singer and the first Latin American star to present a show at the Monte-Carlo Sporting Club;[92] the Argentine Zulma Faiad who settled in Mexico much of the decade of the 1970s and reached a great fame in cinema and night centers;[93] Gloriella, popular star of the burlesque and numerous movies;[94] Princesa Lea,[95] very popular for presenting a show in which she bathed in a glass of champagne; Lyn May,[96] of Chinese ancestry, pioneer of the nudes and one of the principal stars of the burlesque; Rossy Mendoza,[97] known popularly as "The Body" or "The Shorter Waist", thanks to her impressive anatomy; Sasha Montenegro,[98] who on par of her film career performed live shows that attracted the public because of her popularity; The Brazilian Gina Montes, famous by her appearance in a popular TV Show;[99] Grace Renat, The Goddess of the Night,[91] Irma Serrano,[100] who scandalized at the time with her controversial theatrical spectacles in the enclosure of her property, the Theater Fru-Frú; Wanda Seux,[101] called "The Golden Bomb" and considered the "Barbie" of the vedettes for her thin figure and blonde hair; Thelma Tixou "The Girl of the Golden Body",[102] native of Argentina, famous for her stature and imposing physique, and star for several years of the famous cabaret El Capri, Isela Vega,[103] popular Mexican film actress, who scandalized audiences with her provocative shows in the stage, and Princesa Yamal,[104] famous by her Arabian exotic dances.

Other outstanding figures were Brigitte Aubé, Cleopatra,[105] Alejandra del Moral,[106] Mora Escudero,[107] Gioconda,[108] Ivonne Govea,[109] Iris Cristal,[110] Yolanda Liévana,[111] Norma Lee,[112] Mara Marú,[113] Miss Melina Mey,[114] Gina Morett, the transgender Jessica Muriel,[115] Valeria Pani,[116] Noelia Noel,[110] Gabriela Ríos,[117] Olga Ríos,[110] Lina Santos,[118] Merle Uribe[119] and Judith Velasco Herrera,[107] among many others.

Among them are figures such as Costa Rican Maribel Guardia,[122] Mexicans Lorena Herrera, Mariana Seoane,[123] the transgender Alejandra Bogue[124] and Ninel Conde and the Cubans Niurka Marcos[125] and Lis Vega.

[127] Of the most famous American vedettes, stand out May Yohé, one of the most valued figures of the vaudeville at the beginning of the century;[128] The aforementioned Josephine Baker, who ended up consecrating herself in France, where she was more popular than in her own country; Fanny Brice, star of the famous Ziegfeld Follies, queen of the theater, revues and later also star of cinema and the radio;[129] Sally Rand, actress and dancer, specializing in fan dancing, which she popularized at the Paramount Club, and who because of the postures considered indecent she adopted with the dance was sometimes arrested.

Also conceived the famous dance of the bubble;[130] Zorita, famous for her shows where she played double roles and for her dances where she used boas and other exotic animals;[131] Evelyn West, also known as "The Hubba Hubba Girl", a burlesque legend of the forties, fifties and sixties;[132] Ann Corio, who also works in several Hollywood films;[133] Mae West, who achieved tremendous fame, first in theater and then in Hollywood, where she scandalized censorship for her provocative behavior and spicy phrases.

Her innovations consisted of a casual style, against the spasmodic movements of other strippers (she emphasized the joke during the striptease) and brought a keen sense of humor to her performances.

These included Tempest Storm,[139] Lili St. Cyr,[140] Blaze Starr,[141] Kitten Natividad,[142] Tura Satana,[143] Bambi Jones[144] Princess Cheyenne,[145] and Satan's Angel.

[147] Today, among the most famous vedettes in the United States are Dita Von Teese, who was the star of Crazy Horse,[148] Julie Atlas Muz,[149] Michelle L'amour,[150] Amanda Lepore, Catherine D'lish,[151] Miss Dirty Martini,[152] the British Immodesty Blaze,[153] Angie Pontani,[154] Jo Weldon[155] and the Singaporean Sukki Singapora, the first international burlesque artist in Singapore.

[156] Other prominent vedettes who have appeared in the world are the Puerto Rican Iris Chacón,[37] the Brazilian Luz del Fuego,[157] the Venezuelans Haydée Balza and Diosa Canales,[158] the Cubans Chelo Alonso and Rita Montaner,[159] and the Peruvian Amparo Brambilla.