Dita Von Teese performs The Fan Dance
Sally Rand (1904 – 1979) was a burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance. She also performed under the name Billie Beck.
‘What modern day burlesquer hasn’t been influenced by Sally Rand?’ ~ Dita Von Teese, Burlesque and the Art of the Teese/Fetish and the Art of the Teese
During the 1920s, she acted on stage and appeared in silent films. Cecil B. DeMille gave her the name Sally Rand, inspired by a Rand McNally atlas. She was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1927, seen as a rising movie star and selected as an awardee to be honoured at that years party.
Sally Rand with her Fans
After the introduction of sound film, she became a dancer, known for the fan dance, which she popularized starting at the Paramount Club in Chicago. Her most famous appearance was at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair entitled Century of Progress. Surprisingly, Sally was arrested many times for her burlesque performances. She was arrested four times in a single day during the Fair due to perceived indecent exposure after a fan dance performance. She also conceived and developed the bubble dance, in part to cope with wind while performing outdoors. She performed the fan dance on film in Bolero, released in 1934.
In 1936, she purchased The Music Box burlesque hall in San Francisco, which would later become the Great American Music Hall. She went on to star in her own “Sally Rand’s Nude Ranch” at the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco during the start of World War II in 1939 and 1940.
Sally was arrested twice in San Francisco in 1946 whilst performing at Club Savoy, and then whilst on trial, after the judge had granted her immunity should she be arrested for the same offense during the trial. This seems even more ridiculous when you consider that for her performance she was wearing long underwear and a note that read “CENSORED. S.F.P.D.” on stage!
Sally Rand at The Chicago
Worlds Fair 1934
Sally Rand continued to appear on stage doing her fan dance into the 1970s, her 60s, something that Dita was keen to point out during the filmed interview of the recent ‘Dita Von Teese in Paris’ 2012.
Appletree Days 
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