Punk Rock Burlesque: Get Naughty with Aurora Pride
A little over a year ago, OUT FRONT spoke with Squeaky Springs and other members of Punk Rock Burlesque to explore who they are and what they do. Now, approaching their fifth anniversary, what are things looking like for this brash group of performers?
The first and most obvious change is the venues Punk Rock Burlesque are frequenting these days. Last year, you could find the troupe at Streets of London on a Sunday night. But now they’ve switched things up, instead performing at monthly pop-up shows all over Denver, including venues like The Larimer Lounge and the Marquis. They even have a speakeasy location.
“Going monthly has allowed us to do bigger performances,” founder and MC Squeaky Springs told OUT FRONT. The full roster of performers is currently at 81 people, and each show features between 15-20 performers. “Converting over to the pop-up shows has made it easier for us to reach bigger audiences.”
Running the troupe for five years has brought all kinds of ups and downs, and Springs has learned a lot from the experience. “I’ve learned to be flexible and fluid,” Springs said. Considering all the change and growth Punk Rock Burlesque has gone through over the past half a decade, these are extremely necessary skills.
The main thing that has become clear, though, is how important their audience is. “I’ve learned how incredible and supportive our audience is, and how transformative this art form can be.” Now with these new shows, the Punk Rock Burlesque crew is able to serve their audience better and have access to more people than ever before.
Giving access to this transformative artform is a big part of what Punk Rock Burlesque does. Folks from all levels of experience perform with the troupe. For the more seasoned performers, it’s an inclusive environment that’s more than welcome. Newbies are provided with a training program to help get them started.
“There’s a whole process to support them and make them feel comfortable,” Springs told us.
As of this writing, the performers for Punk Rock Burlesque’s upcoming Aurora Pride show have yet to be determined, but you can bet they will be just as diverse and interesting as ever. The core of their performance is going to be a surprise, but Springs wanted to set expectations for their daytime slot. “It’s going to be a little more toned down, since we’re performing during the day, and it’s a smaller time slot.” Springs told us. To see a show that’s more of their usual speed, you can check out their five-year anniversary show on August 3 at the Marquis.
The troupe is doing well and continuing to grow its members and audience. But what’s next? According to Springs, “we’re really happy with where we’re at, though we obviously want to keep growing and intriguing our audiences.”
One way they plan on doing this is by beginning to incorporate live music into their performances. The first of these is on July 14, where they’ll be performing at the Larimer Lounge with a live swing band. Beyond that, Springs just hopes that they can continue to take up space, be who they are, and be Denver’s rebel burlesque troupe.
Photo courtesy of Punk Rock Burlesque
