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Spectacles of Agency and Desire: Dance Histories and the Burlesque Stage

Zorita and Snake 2

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Zorita and her Snake Continued
Zorita's Snake Act
In Atlantic City in 1939 she debuted her snake act which was seen by the public as both innovative and exotic as well as cruel and improper (The Billboard 1939). A newspaper article about that performance describes that “The act which drew the fire of Commissioner Burnett was billed as “The consummation of a marriage between Zorita and a Snake.” The club was jammed last summer when it featured Zorita and her dance with a 16 foot snake. Two state investigators testified that the snake was “suggestive” and that Zorita was “nude” when she completed her act. Edward Kravis, the manager of the club, said it received no objection from patrons” (The Billboard 1939). Clearly opinions were mixed in terms of popularity and appropriateness of this act. Authorities fought to ban them while audience members seemed to have no complaints.

Legal Struggles and Activism
In Florida, she was active in lobbying a new bill that would allow her to perform with her snake. A Miami newspaper explains that “Gaiety Club snake dancer Zorita this week turned a state legislator’s proposed bill for outlawing possession of imported reptiles in Florida into a sock piece of publicity for herself with it, amendment of the proposed law to allow the use of the boa constrictors she uses in her act. Zorita had made a personal trip to Tallahassee as a one-woman “snake lobby” to get the change in the bill which — if passed in original form — would have required her to get a new type of partner for her routine” (Variety 1953). Zorita clearly had a political presence defending her art and went to extreme measures to keep her boa constrictor in her show.

Works Cited:
"Vaudeville-Burlesque: Snake Act Called Improper." (October 1939): 25. Proquest. The Billboard (Archive: 1894-1960), 51. 2 Dec. 2015.
"Vaudeville: New Florida Bill Would Allow Zorita's Retention of Aide in Act (snake)." (May 1953) : 47. Proquest. Variety (Archive 1905-2000), 190. 2 Dec. 2015.
"Vaudeville-Burlesque: Atlantic City Raps Liquor Law Breaks, Zorita Snake Act." (December 1939): 41. Proquest. The Billboard (Archive 1894-1960), 51. 2 Dec. 2015.
The Burlesque Companion: Families to Exotic Pets Constantly touring and performing night and day, being a stage Burlesque dancer can be a very lonely profession. Some performers have had husbands and children that support them, whereas others have gone through publicly scandalous divorces. Some even turned to exotic pets such as cheetahs and snakes for companionship. Over time, burlesque dancers have chosen a variety of companions to care for. This also ties in with the idea of the “Burlesque Celebrity” and how exoticism and power can come from outrageous animals and public displays. The idea of persona, the need to constantly reinvent oneself, and how a burlesque dancer is received and perceived by the media and public positively and negatively is all related to who and what a dancer associates themselves with.

Exotic animals have appeared in the burlesque world as early as the 1930s. Dances with Doves, a performance by early burlesque dancer Rosita Royce, involves her dancing with her exotic pet birds.