Immodesty Blaize, the Venus of femininity

   Generosity, exuberance, greatness and a tune that I can’t get out of my head : Dance of The Knight by famous Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, known for his broad repertoire (from symphonies to concertos, ballet and movietracks). It is magnificent, dark and mostly so dramatic that one can feel  Romeo and Juliet’s tragic sense just by listening to it. It is then not a coincidence that Dance of the Knights is the theme of Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet. By using that song in her show, Immodesty Blaize simply impressed me because she managed to make it her own. Judge for yourself : 

Burlesque cheval par leonowens

   From Prokofiev’s work, she took the dramatic dimension to personify a strong woman. If you took a look at the video, you probably have noticed that at the end of her performance, she stares at her audience with a look that I understand as “Look at me, I am all-mighty because I represent femininity in all its splendor". Immodesty shows so much ease and confidence that she could almost be a super heroine.

   When I was younger, I would hide under my parents’ bed to read the adventures of Modesty Blaise, spy and adventuress whose past and origins are mysterious, as well as her charm. She embodies the perfect va va voom woman: she is captivating, strong and attractive. You may wonder why I would read the adventures of Modesty Blaise under my parents’ bed. It is because I knew this comic strip was slightly erotic, and hiding made me feel like I was a kind of spy like Modesty. That is why when I first saw Immodesty Blaize, it was like sawing the personification of the heroin that marked my childhood. Same face and same va va voom attitude.

Immodesty Blaize...

...and her alter ego Modesty Blaise

         

However, Immodesty differs from her alter ego Modesty simply by her name. She chose to be totally immodest and also burlesque. She is immodest as she embodies the feminine sexuality with no complex. As she says it herself, “I am a stripper”. But she is also burlesque since she still makes her audience laugh since the art of burlesque is mostly self-mockery. And you can understand it just by looking at her face.

I will conclude with this one expression: “Be va va voom ! It’ll help you get rid of your complexes!”

Shug’A’Very

(translated from French by Absolute B.)

Va va voom: It is an onomatopeia imitating the sound of nice cars engines from the 50's and 60's. It became an expression characterizing a woman with a free sexuality.