World's Biggest Burlesque Dance in London

Dancers donning lacy corsets, slinky fishnets and stiletto heels descended upon London's Trafalgar Square this morning in an attempt to break the record for the world's largest burlesque number. The burlesque troupe, comprised of Virgin Holiday staff and other burlesque enthusiasts, took part in a saucy, five-minute routine on the steps of the National Portrait Gallery.

Burlesque, is a form of musical and theatrical parody in which an opera or piece of classical theatre is adapted in a broad, often risqué style very different from that for which it was originally known. Burlesque originated around the beginning of the Victorian era, when the social rules of established aristocracy and working-class society clashed. The genre often mocked such established entertainment forms as opera, Shakespearean drama and ballet. The burlesque was a logical descendant of ballad opera and other forms of comic musical entertainments.

Photo: AFP / Getty Images / REUTERS