From behind the black curtain, a woman draped in burgundy satin and sequins emerges under fiery red lights and with a coy look in her eyes and a pop from her hip, she demands the attention of every eye in the audience. Suddenly her bare leg escapes from the imprisonment of her cloak with more ivory skin to follow. The crowd cries for more.

The sultry art of burlesque is burgeoning in the heart of San Francisco. Each week, at least one burlesque show is offered somewhere in the city -- every one with its own spin on the Gilded Age erotic expression.

But while many are under the belief that burlesque is nothing more than clothes coming off, there is more under their sleeves than they give away for free.

Bombshell Betty's Burlesqueteers

Tucked away in the narrow opening of the Shelton Theatre, down the dimly lit side stairs, draped in rouge carpet, is the StageWerx Theater. Reminiscent of a 1920's speakeasy, the ticket girl in the movie palace kiosk welcomes people as they funnel into the theater seating room.

The February 23 show was a pseudo post-Valentine's Day theme. The Emcee, Odessa Lil', in an orange and black dominatrix inspired dress, welcomed the crowd with a thwack of her arm-length black riding crop and a cry for people to tell Valentine's horror stories.

"Men...you can't live with them and you can't skin them and make designer handbags," she said as she warmed up the crowd.

Bombshell Betty, the "professor of burlesque", joined the five-piece performance band, Fromagique, for a Mariyln Monroe inspired strip. The songstress accompanied the swing-inspired band, led by Randy Johnson, as she slowly slid out of her slick black satin dress.

Betty is currently teaching her own take on the strip tease four to six times a week, each covering different aspects and forms of burlesque. Usually 50 people are at the studio rehearsing and learning, but sometimes Betty teaches up to 100 burlesquers in-training.

One of the performers that came on stage several times was the infamous Sneak-a-Peek Sally. Her fluid movements and mastery of how to work a feather boa and remover her full-length white gloves with her front teeth kept the audience fixed to her every move.

"The first time I did a solo, it was so nerve racking and it was also the best thing ever," said SF State Alum, Erin Reichert (Sneak-a-Peek Sally.) "Everyone knows what is going to happen but this is about how you get there."

Riechert hasn't always been Sneak-a-Peek Sally. After learning about Betty's burlesque classes from a flyer, she started out under a different stage name. But after experiencing wardrobe malfunctions three performances in a row, Sneak-a-Peek Sally was born.

When it comes to dating, Riechert learned how to make it clear to her suitors that she wasn't going to sacrifice her performances for their egos.

"The men I date are really supportive. I tell them on the first date what I do and if they are hesitant, there isn't a second date."

She has seen this art-form breakup countless relationships and at least one marriage. She wants to make sure that it isn't a problem later on in the relationship.

Some of the audience members at the performance have been taking burlesque classes from Betty and look forward to seeing what could be their possible future.

"This environment seems inviting and warm," said Aimee Logan, a woman in the process of the first three introductory weeks of becoming a Burlesqueteer. "I thought, I am a fan of the voluptuous - I can do this."

The tail end of the performance included an ensemble dance with the recently graduated Burlesqueteers. "They're like Mouseketeers only they don't cry when you tell them to take their clothes off," said Emcee Lil'.

Betty returned to the stage for the most irreverent performance of the night that refutes the common stereotype of strutting bombshells. In her sequins and silk she began to pat her head and rubbed her stomach. Her next feat was add in hoping on one leg and chew some gum. As she marveled the crowd with her prowess she stripped with her bounces and applied lipstick as she reduced her apparel to underwear and tasseled pasties.

533 Sutter St., 8 p.m., $12-15 ticket price

El Rio's Red Hots Burlesque

Hidden in the backyard setting of El Rio, the Red Hot Burlesquers have been bringing in a crowd every Friday for a year.

Led by Dottie Lux, the Red Hots have their own interpretation of burlesque. Their usually theme-driven performances are often irreverent and ironic. The curvy girls here aren't afraid of mixing the repellent with the erotic.

The punk-rock Cramps inspired show on February 20 wove together the music from the 70s garage band and the striptease style of generations before.

Lux entered the stage dressed in flesh-toned leggings that had been embellished with sketches of vascular and muscular systems and various anatomy additions. And as she reached into her "Expose Bush" thong for a red tampon, the crowd reacted as if they knew just what was going to happen next. Lux bit into the graphic prop and red liquid went gushing from between her clenched teeth.

Never one to mince words, Lux proclaimed at the end of her Cramps inspired performance, "I am a sick f---. I thought I would open it up with a little bit of gross."

Other performances included a bikini babe with a flowers that squirted water just shy of the front row and naughty S&M play.

"A group of us wanted to see the beautiful ladies tonight," said San Francisco resident Erin Graham, who went to a show for the first time on her birthday. "I loved the creativity. My favorite was Lady Flowers."

3158 Missions St., 7:30 p.m., $5-10 cover

Little Minsky's at Club Deluxe

Just past the fedora hats and full-length coats on the doormen, Club Deluxe's cocktail tables and stage space transforms into a speakeasy every second Thursday of the month. They welcome signers, musicians and burlesque performers reminiscent of a time filled with bootlegged liquor and swing music.

On March 12, the standing-room-only space roared with excitement as emcee Trauma Flintstone, the self-professed drag queen you can take home to mom, walked on stage in sparkling glory to announce that the ladies would be coming out after the crowd traveled back to 1921 with the satirical duo McPuzo & Trotsky. They performed their original songs of earlier times, such as "Warren G. Harding Is A Horse's Ass" and "It's Gin."

The burlesque performers that followed showed their technique and polish while many also added a generous helping of humor in their dances. Performer Ruby White transformed on stage from a voluptuous innocent with an oversized lollipop to a feral seductress stripping to Billy Idol's "Cradle of Love."

Co-Producer of the show, The Flying Fox, performed her hip popping routine in a curve hugging Morticia Adams inspired dress until she reviled her red jeweled skirt and the ruby pasty lips that covered her breasts. Emcee Flintstone referred to her as the "girl that always leaves you wanting more."

Little Minsky's mix of acts on stage is eclectic and changes weekly, as new acts are added in and swapped out to keep it all fresh and exciting.

"We prefer acts with a timeless quality that aren't explicitly modern," said co-producer of Little Minsky's, Douglas Good. "We've had belly dance, tango, flamenco, foot juggling, hand-balancing, comedy, magic, puppets and some that are more difficult to classify."

Flintstone brought the house down with an original song she has been performing at the shows where she performs. Before the first lyrics left her lips, the fans of her song cheered eagerly. One should know the song is actually more humorous and crude -- aptly titled "Titty F--- Me." Nearly the entire group of 100 plus patrons joined in the song in a roaring entrance to the final performers.

The program was by rounded out by Mariel a la Mode, who sang and de-robed to the country classic "Don't Fence Me In" and Delilah, who nailed Eartha Kitt's "I Want to Be Evil," sold the sweet as sugar attitude from the get-go. Stripping the soft pink parcels down to her black fishnets and barely-there thong only reinforced her silent screen facial expressions and striking representation of the church-girl-gone-bad persona.
At that point, the crowd could hardly ask for anything more as they raised for a standing ovation and all of the ladies were congratulated with thundering applause.

1511 Haight St., 10 p.m., $5 cover

So whether they are there to make you laugh, make you wince, make your pulse speed up, a night of burlesque is anything but mundane. Just jump in for an evening where you can truly embrace being overdressed amongst the purposely underdressed.

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Reminder to the newcomer of burlesque: Watching, screaming, cat calling, and other rowdy but respectful audience interactions are always welcomed. Touching and tipping tend to be frowned upon.

If you want to show more appreciation, wait and see if they pass a hat or go buy some merch - most of them have their signature tassels and other accessories that they want you to experiment with.