Mx. Pucks A'Plenty brings their burlesque talents to local venues as a performer, producer, and consultant, creating acts to share with Seattle audiences, and bringing new magic to the art. They are also the chair of the Seattle Burlesque and Cabaret Co-op, which will soon open a new venue in Ballard.

Introduction to burlesque

Pucks discovered burlesque almost 10 years ago, after having their son. While going through postpartum depression, they discovered the documentary A Wink and a Smile: The Art of Burlesque, in which they learned about the history of the art form and about a burlesque school in Seattle. They were then "bitten by the bug" — but not sure yet if they wanted to perform. They began going to a burlesque show as a treat every year for the next six years before eventually getting involved personally.

"I had the opportunity to produce a fundraiser" about five years ago, Pucks said. "We decided to do a cabaret show, and I met a bunch of Seattle burlesque performers [while] putting that show together. They encouraged me to put together a little burlesque act for the fundraiser, and so I did." Close to that time, they also had an opportunity to attend Miss Indigo Blue's Academy of Burlesque, and they have been performing ever since.


Performing burlesque

Initially, Pucks was drawn to burlesque because it was a completely different world from their daily life. "You lose yourself as an individual sometimes when you have a child [and] suddenly you're Mr. or Mrs. or Mx. Somebody's Mother," they said. Burlesque was a break from parenthood, an opportunity to be in "the complete opposite world of the one I was currently living in."

As they started performing and took the "Burlesque 101" course, they became more aware of burlesque's political roots and who performs it. "Being Black, fat, Queer, nonbinary, disabled, all these different things, it's very much so political statement [to be on stage]," they said, "because a lot of those lot of those identities, even by themselves, are discouraged from taking up space on stage."

"Black, femme bodies especially aren't particularly seen as graceful or elegant," they added, "so it's really fun to dive deep into blowing people's expectations."

Performing is one way that Pucks seeks to stand against oppression and express their creativity. When they perform, they said, "it's the closest thing to magic I've ever felt." They create acts for themselves and bring the energy that "you are lucky to see this thing that I've created for myself that I have decided to share with you" to a predominantly white audience, who they hope will stop to think about the space they take up and their privilege.

They say that supporting themselves through burlesque still feels like "a surreal thing." The face of burlesque has long been thin, white women. They wonder, "Could the face of burlesque in Seattle look like a fat, Black, Queer, nonbinary femme with no formal dance education and no formal college education altogether, who has somehow figured out a way to support themselves? Is that a face that the arts community wants to see?"

Pucks noted that burlesque has often been swept to the side as a less recognized art form in Seattle's scene. They said that Seattle was part of burlesque's resurgence in the 1990, and that "before the pandemic, you could literally see burlesque in Seattle almost any night of the week."

Pucks challenges everyone to go to a burlesque show. "I really believe there's a burlesque show for everyone, [whether] nerd-lesque and classic and neo-burlesque and [...] horror-lesque... there's amazing legends in the making that live in our area. There's a lot to be seen."

Proud moments

Pucks performed at the Savannah Burlesque Festival in 2018 and 2019, and they were crowned Mx. Congeniality of the latter festival. In 2019, they founded What the Funk?!, the Pacific Northwest's first all—people of color burlesque festival, which sold out all three nights.

Now, they are proud to be the chair of the Seattle Burlesque and Cabaret Co-op. The organization opens a new venue, the Give Inn, in Ballard this July.

"If you would have told me a year ago that me, as a Black, nonbinary, Queer person with no college education [and a] single parent, that I was going to own a portion of a venue, I would have laughed," they said.

In light of the 12 other people working with them on the venue, they are proud of the support they have. "The way that society is throwing things at you, it makes you question so much about yourself. And so the fact that there are so many people in this community that have faith in the stuff that I do and they believe in it [is] pretty huge."

Upcoming events

On July 11, the Give Inn's first show will be the Bossa Nova Burlesque Brunch from noon to 2 p.m. Alongside Pucks, the performers will include Moscato Extatique, Miss Boozy Cheeks, Celia Lipshutz, Carmen Caliente, and Jacqueline Hyde. VIP tickets include a brunch pack from a Ballard bakery.

From August 19 to 21, What the Funk?! returns, this year at the Triple Door. The festival will feature Miss Briq House, Moscato Extatique, GiGi Holliday, Samson Night, Lola Coquette, Willy Nilly, Ava D'Jor, and Monday Blues.

Pucks encourages everyone to attend What the Funk?!, saying that "there is something magical about Black and Brown joy, even if you are a non-POC person. There is something infectious about Black and Brown joy, and it's healing, and honestly I challenge anyone to listen to funk music and not feel happy."

See Mx. Pucks A'Plenty's work at linktr.ee/Mx.PucksAPlenty. Buy tickets to What the Funk?! at tickets.thetripledoor.net/eventperformances.asp?evt=1824 and tickets to Bossa Nova Burlesque Brunch at the-give-inn.ticketleap.com/bossa-nova-brunch/.

Photos courtesy of Mx. Pucks A'Plenty