The
Pussycat Dolls are an American
pop girl group, and dance
ensemble founded by
choreographer Robin Antin in 1995. The group began as a
burlesque troupe based in
Los Angeles, before being "re-cast" as a
music group in 2003, then diversified into
Reality TV programs, a
Las Vegas act and venue, and other ventures overseen by Antin and her partners. The music group released their first
single in 2004, and have gone on to international commercial success. They recently released their second studio album
Doll Domination on September 23, 2008.
History
Burlesque
1995-2003
Robin Antin began exploring the idea of a modern
burlesque troupe in 1993 with her friend
Christina Applegate.
[Pussycat Dolls Biography][reviewjournal.com - Neon: Beyond Burlesque] The dance troupe's first performance was in 1995. During this period, they performed with numerous guest vocalists, with a repertoire of 1950s and 1960s
pop standards while dressed in
lingerie or old-fashioned
pin-up costumes.
They secured a Thursday night residency at
Los Angeles nightclub
The Viper Room, where they stayed from 1995 - 2001. The troupe received wider press coverage in June 1999, when
Playboy ran a Pussycat Dolls pictorial, featuring at least seven contemporary members. Three years later, the Dolls moved to
The Roxy. The group became internationally popular and was featured in magazines, television specials for
MTV and
VH1, ad campaigns, and movies. Some of the Pussycat Dolls appeared in the 2002 film
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, dancing to "
The Pink Panther Theme". They were also featured in
Pink's "
Trouble" music video
