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    Startling Portraits Of Neo-Burlesque Artists Reveal The Spirit Behind Each Performer

    Award-winning photographer Leland Bobbé captures images of New York's neo-burlesque artists. NSFW.

    Boo Bess and Cheekie Lane

    Burlesque performance art has been evolving for centuries, but was first introduced to New York by British performer Lydia Thompson in 1868, according to burlesque star Dita von Teese in The Independent.

    Neo-burlesque, which emerged in New York in the 1990s, combines a broad range of alternative styles with the traditional form of American burlesque.

    Photographer Leland Bobbé worked alongside his producer wife, Robin, to create images of New York's neo-burlesque performers that "removed them from the stage and served to highlight the formalised essence of their character as individuals and as a persona".

    Amber Ray and Perle Noire

    Bobbé told BuzzFeed that the power of neo-burlesque is rooted in the charisma the performer exerts over the audience, and that nudity is a secondary element to the art and the individual.

    Albert Cadabra and Creamy Stevens

    "My intention was to capture the glamour and impact that neo-burlesque performers bring to the stage in straight-ahead, real, and honest studio portraits," says Bobbé.

    “I was able to reveal the essence of their character as individuals, showing each performer’s personal approach to the art form of burlesque.”

    Madame Rosebud and La Maia

    Ms Tickle and Juli Atlas Muz

    Bobbé has created a collection of over 100 portraits of performers.

    The photographs exhibit an honest grittiness, capturing a diverse array of body types portraying confidence and comfort in one's own skin rather than an airbrushed representation of fantasy.

    World Famous *BOB* and Nasty Canasta