Aurora Pride Performer Spotlight: Coco Bardot

When we say anyone can do drag, we mean it.

Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Coco Bardot believes in Black girl magic and is living her showgirl dreams here in the Mile High City. As a cisgender, pansexual woman, she does not fit in the typical definition of drag. To Bardot, the art form is no different than athletes putting on a uniform or actors wearing a costume, and she claims it has given her a space to ultimately embrace her femininity.

Whether she’s entertaining crowds at Triangle’s drag brunch or hosting a comedy bingo at Ironton Distillery, Bardot is taking her craft, which includes burlesque and cosplay, to new heights. On top of that, Bardot is also a mother to a four-year-old daughter whom she brings to her shows and other LGBTQ events because she wants her child to see happy adults expressing themselves.

Bardot will be a headlining performer at this year’s Aurora Pride on August 5, and she took some time to catch up with OFM and talk more about what we can expect, how her journey with drag began, and more.

OFM: How excited are you to perform at this year’s Aurora Pride?

I am so excited! It’s my third year back, and every single year, I’ve been able to take my daughter and make it a whole family thing.

Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect from your set?

I always try to go a little bit old school, but prideful. I mean, you can’t discount if you might not hear “I’m Coming Out” or something else from Diana Ross. Plus, it’s also a family friendly thing, so I try to keep it very PG and cute. But yea, I’m thinking probably some Diana Ross, and my favorite Pride song, it fills me with pride to do it, is Lady Gaga’s “Come to Mama.” I can literally call all the kids and people to come up in the sand and just be there. That’s always nice.

What makes Aurora Pride so special to you?

I’ve lived in Aurora for a good three years. I live in Denver now, but I lived in Aurora for three years, and it wasn’t a Pride that I knew existed until I was asked. That’s terrible to say, but after coming out of 2020 and knowing this was happening literally a hop and a skip from where I used to live, it was nice to know that there was one more Pride opportunity for the season or the year. One more face-to-face, in-person Pride that’s not in downtown Denver.

Besides performing, what else are you looking forward to the most about this event?

The swag (laughs). I always try to come early enough before my set or when I’m supposed to be there so I can walk around and see what free stuff my daughter and I can get. Also, it’s shameless, but not shameless, how many compliments I can try and pull. If I’m just walking around and being beautiful, that’s a good way to pull people towards the stage. So, definitely the swag, the people I meet, and whatever food trucks you have is always enlightening and exciting to see.

What does Pride mean to you?

Pride is a moment of expression. I’ve been going to Pride since I was 18, and I’ve literally been going to Denver Pride every year since I was 18 years old. It’s definitely a moment where I can have full expression. Pride used to be during Father’s Day weekend, so it was always like a big middle finger to my actual dad, who’s not accepting. He would always call me and be like, where are you at? Are you doing that gay stuff? I’m like, I sure am!

So, Pride has always been a moment of expressing myself, as well as a little bit of rebellion. Now that I have a daughter, it’s another moment where I can show her what the community looks like and what other kids in the community look like. Other families like Bronco games, but our Bronco games are Pride.

I love that you bring your daughter to your shows and Pride events. With drag queens under attack right now by far-right conservatism and the anti-drag sentiment going around, what kind of message do you hope that sends to others?

There’s a niche for every type of person, and if that person wants to share it with their offspring, they should. If we can clean up the drag act to where it’s PG or PG-13, why shouldn’t we share it with our kids? I want to show my daughter that it’s OK for her to be able to express herself, however that may be. If she goes into the Army tomorrow, she can tell people that her mommy was a drag queen. She’s open to be as free and as loving as she wants to be.

Her first drag event was Denver Pride at six weeks old. We had her out and sun screened up as a newborn, and she’s been cheering mommy on. The only place I feel comfortable taking her, if it’s a drag show, is Triangle. Since I perform and host there, they are always OK with me bringing her. They bring her extra oranges, and they even give her earplugs if it’s too loud. I want to immerse her in what I do for a living and what I hope to do until I’m old, gray, and my back fails. She’ll know that mommy’s working hard and having fun. Work doesn’t have to be a boring, 9-5 type situation.

For those who don’t know, can you tell us how your journey with drag began?

I’ve been doing this for 11 years now, and my first performance/home bar was Club Q in Colorado Springs. I lived in the Springs, and that bar was in my life so much that I purposely moved a block away so I could walk to the bar and hang out on Thursday nights for karaoke and Friday for the drag show. I started doing shadow casts of Rocky Horror, and someone kind of mentioned, hey, you could make this into a drag thing, and it kind of took off from there. Started off as a lady in fishnets and corsets, and I am currently a lady in fishnets and corsets!

As a cisgender woman, can you talk about how drag has helped you brace your femininity?

I am not the Coco you see on stage when you talk to me like this. I am a mom, and I rock overalls in the summer because it has many pockets for my daughter (laughs). Drag has always taken me up to my femininity, and it’s given me a moment to feel like that bitch. It’s definitely a financial game, but it’s also a creative outlet where I can be the Beyonce I wanted to be when I was a kid. The person I looked up to when I was a teen and everything, so I get to be that superhero version of Coco or Bae.

Unfortunately, there are some ignorant people who still believe drag should strictly be “men impersonating women.” Have you encountered this?

Oh, yes. Immediately from the beginning. When I was first encouraged to do drag, it was never as a drag king or female to male presenting. I was encouraged to do it as me. I was doing it for Rocky Horror, so what’s the difference with better makeup and hair? The few times I have had kickbacks on who I am and how I present in drag, it’s always been, well, you need to be a boy. Let me tell you, there’s not a masculine bone in this body whatsoever. Even when I do boy drag, I am just as femme as I want to be.

Besides that, it’s always come into being that I’m a woman and I’m a Black woman with a voice in drag. That’s how I’ve combatted it. It’s always been a struggle, but I’ve been in the scene for 11 years, and I’m still here. I’ve always progressed and embraced other parts of performance style that have made me appreciate my femininity a lot more. I do burlesque and drag, as well as cosplay and drag. So, besides the initial hate, no. This is who I am. I’m hired because I’m talented, not because I’m a girl in drag.

I’m glad you mentioned cosplay because you added that to your act just a couple years ago. How would you say that has elevated your drag and performance style?

Drag is already a form of cosplay. We’re cosplaying people like Beyonce, Celine Dion, and Janet Jackson, but being able to add the nerdy element into it and doing Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls, it’s amped up my performance style. It’s also made it a lot easier to come up with concepts and think about what this character would do or say in a three-to-four-minute mix.

What do you think makes the Denver drag community unique and stand out from other drag communities?

I call Denver a big little city. I’ve never lived in a city with so many gay bars within miles of each other, or just gay bars in existence. I’m used to being in places like Colorado Springs, where we only had two gay bars, or Phoenix, where we had seven, but they weren’t connected. One was in this city, the other was in Tucson, etc. So, just having the broadness of all different types of areas for gay culture in Denver is very different from what I’ve experienced.

Also, I appreciate the space for all types of drag. There’s more competition or open stage opportunities than I’ve ever seen for drag entertainers. When I started drag, I had to come out ready to perform. Be that girl, be on it, and be ready to take the critiques after a performance. Denver’s given newer performers an opportunity to grow into who they are without being vicious, needing to compete in competitions, or anything like that.

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your drag career?

It’s funny, I was just asked this recently. I’m currently in talks to get back into producing. I did it for a year and kind of faded out of it, but I’m in talks to start back up, where I can bring something new for Denver drag. There’s not a lot of Black femme representation in the drag or burlesque community here in the city, so I’m hoping to join forces with Black Pride and start something new there.

A very big goal of mine, and I always giggle, but why not Drag Race? We’ve had two winners already. Why couldn’t I do it? If there’s going to be a femme queen to do it in the U.S. for the first time, why shouldn’t it be me? I don’t know if I can be away from my daughter that long quite yet, so I may have to wait until she’s a little bit older, but that’s a big, big, goal.

Then more realistic and down to earth, it’s fostering a vibe for Black femmes here in the city through drag, burlesque, aerial performance, variety performance, all kinds. I’m looking to, if not produce, cultivate something with other people in the city so we have a moment to shine amongst ourselves.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?

Everyone can always catch me at Triangle Denver at least once a month hosting, so always come out for those drag brunches if you want the best voted “Best Drag Brunch” in the city. We also recently celebrated six months of Drag Bingo at Ironton Distillery, which is very nice. It’s a gay-friendly bar, and we know how anxiety-inducing it can be to get into gay-friendly spaces, so we’re hoping to do more there. Then just follow me on social media and stay tuned!

Stay up-to-date and connect with Bardot by following her on Facebook @coco.bardot.7, Instagram @theecocobardot, and TikTok @cocobcvnty. For more information on Aurora Pride, visit aurorapride.com.

Photos courtesy of Coco Bardot, Jay Cupcake, and Roxanna Carrasco