The Power of Burlesque and Drag: A Chat with Bettie Belladonna and Brody Danger

We caught up with Melissa Gassien, stage name Bettie Belladonna about her work in Denver with Meow Wolf and as a burlesque entertainer, and we also chatted with Brody Miller, aka Brody Danger, about their connection to the local community through drag. From Bettie Page worship to the power of art in community, the two had a lot of insights to share. 

How did you get into performing, and what do you love about it? 

Melissa: As long as I can remember, I’ve been into vintage fashion. I used to watch old movies with my Mom and drool over the costumes and performers. Watching Vera-Ellen dance in White Christmas lit a costuming spark in me, and I knew I wanted to honor that style all while making it my own. When I discovered that Bettie Page made the majority of her own costumes, I knew the burlesque world was something I had to be a part of. The creativity plus empowerment that the art form provides is like nothing else. It’s a world filled with amazing individuals, insanely intelligent creations plus ideas, and just the right amount of weirdness, variety, and kink. I love that performing provides a platform for my voice to be heard.

I decided to dip my toe into the burly waters in Florida, where one of my favorite bars was hosting a “Pants Off Dance Off” competition.  While the other participants did it as a joke with their friends, I came prepared with a set of handmade pasties and sequined undies.  Lucky for me, one of the local burlesque stars was in the audience and offered me a spot in their troupe—the Bada Bing Babes—immediately upon winning the competition. 

Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to be the 2019 Dragoncon “Pin-ups By The Pool” winner with my Pin-up Venom look, as well as being crowned the 2018 Queen “Most High” at the Mile High Burlesque Festival here in Denver.  Recently, I got to perform for three of my burly bucket list shows, including the New Mexico Burlesque Festival, the opening act of the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, and, of course, Main Stage at Denver’s PrideFest!   

Brody: I met my good friend (and drag mentor) Gavin Danger in 2011. I was the assistant stage manager for a show called “Drag Machine” (written by my other good friend Shirley Delta Blow), and I was so captivated by Gavin. They had a confidence and a swagger I had never seen. We became fast friends, and throughout many late nights of drinking, I would always tell them I wanted to be like them, and they had to teach me how to do it. Fast forward a few years, and they were preparing to leave Denver, and as their last performance, they asked a bunch of their friends to share the stage with them. It was a very “put your money where your mouth is” moment. I was terrified, but took the stage with them in December of 2015 and never looked back. 

Once I began performing as Brody Danger, it became clear that that way of expression was something I’d been missing in my life. I thought I just loved being on stage (which I do), but once the pandemic hit I realized that really what I loved was the freedom of gender expression and being seen in a different light: a light that only seemed possible on stage. Brody Danger helped me find Brody Miller, which has been a terrifyingly beautiful journey. Drag saved my life—It gave me the power and confidence to become myself. It led me to the love of my life, Bettie Belladonna. 

Who knew you had to first pretend to be someone else to discover you’d actually been pretending to be you your whole life? Wild. 

Bettie and I first met backstage at The Clocktower Cabaret in 2017. I was still fairly new to the burlesque scene. I think we’d both tell you there was an instant connection, but we were both otherwise attached at the time, so I just remember always being excited when we ended up being booked in the same show. We had a fun, innocently flirty friendship until a few years later when the stars would align for us to explore being more.  

Since then, we’ve had the honor of performing together on the main stage of Denver PrideFest and even overseas at the Berlin Boylesque & Drag Festival. We’ve been featured on Netflix’s How To Build A Sex Room and created and produced our own production called “Fly Me To The Moon,” a Pan Am-inspired, vintage-themed burlesque and variety show.  There is no better feeling than sharing the spotlight together. It’s a dream, really. 

How did you get connected to Meow Wolf, and what about them is such a good fit for you work-wise? 

Melissa: To say that getting the Director of Operations position at Meow Wolf was a dream come true is an understatement. It is everything I’ve wanted for my career and so much more. In my previous careers, my creativity was appreciated, but underutilized. I spent 15 years working with Marriott International, where they pride themselves on consistency — Going outside the norm back then wasn’t celebrated.  Being unleashed in the converged worlds at Meow Wolf Denver’s Convergence Station has been a true game changer. My operations brain and my creative brain get to have a field day together, and I get to push the envelope and see what this amazing space can truly be capable of. 

I have a team of intelligent dreamers I get the honor of leading, and they always turn my wacky ideas into true magic for travelers to enjoy. If you haven’t been to one of our Adulti-Verse parties or Danceportations, I implore you to come explore! 

One of my all-time favorites so far has been Drag-A-Verse: a night where we hosted our favorite local Kings and Queens to perform in the worlds of Convergence Station.  We had performances throughout the night from Geo Conjure, Penny Spectacular, Vicious Pryce, LaLa Queen, Camila Spanic,  Nikko Nuche, Buffalo Barbie, and Bootzy Edwards Collynz.  Brody Danger and Lance Ass hosted our epic Lip Sync Battle for travelers to try their hand at performing—no surprise that the wonderful DJ Markie won the battle! The incredible Shirley Delta Blow was our graceful host and even did a round of Drag Queen Storytime.  Seeing over a thousand people crowd the railings of Numina to listen to Shirley read “Perfectly Norman” is a moment I’ll never forget.  

I first found out about Meow Wolf while watching the Origin Story on a flight back to Denver.  I had heard rumblings about the House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe, but never got a chance to visit due to the pandemic. When I saw that Convergence Station was opening, I felt the universe tell me something. I was so inspired by Matt King, one of our Meow Wolf Founders. Getting the joy of working alongside that wizard was a highlight of my career. Being a part of a certified B-Corporation also meant that we were doing the right thing as a company for the environment, the community, and our employees.  

Brody: I actually got to perform for Meow Wolf’s Grand Opening VIP party. I like to think I’m the first person to ever twirl tassels in the Perplexiplex. The other running joke is that everyone Bettie works with has only ever seen me mostly naked. I think I met their CEO while being topless in leather shorts. It’s such a welcoming and inclusive space, which can be rare these days. It’s fun to have a second home where you can come as you are—wear whatever, be whoever, just be YOU. We need those spaces so much right now. 

Why is it so important to you to uplift and promote the queer community?

Melissa:  My oldest sister came out as a lesbian to me when I was 11 years old. She also took me to my very first Pride parade in Seattle, WA. It was life-changing. Seeing the love and power that poured out of the LGBTQIA+ community that day was awe-inspiring.   When I started to grasp the challenges my sister faced, including carrying a notarized form that *hopefully* would allow her access to her partner in a hospital in the event of an emergency was eye-opening. 

As a kid, I couldn’t grasp the idea that you would be denied access to someone you love because of your sexual orientation. I’ve always considered myself an ally, but it wasn’t until meeting Brody that I fully realized there was more to myself and my own sexuality.  Fast forward to 2020 and watching Brody’s face as they saw themself in a mirror for the first time sans bandages from their top surgery. Brody was finally Brody both inside and out. Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone deserves to be authentically themself. It’s important to listen and help elevate the voices of those around you.

Using my platform as a performer and as the Director of Operations at Meow Wolf has allowed my voice to be louder than ever before. I’m supported and encouraged as a queer female leader at Meow Wolf. We host voter registration events, promote queer artists, and showcase local queer talent at every turn. Meow Wolf won the 2023 DIVA Safe Space award. We even recently hosted OFM’s Queer Bazaar (and hope to have another one happening this fall!) The love of my life Brody Danger produces incredible shows with all queer lineups, and I even had the opportunity to open up for Orville Peck and Lucero at Mission Ballroom with Brody’s Raucous Revue. I vowed to use my voice and not fade into the noise of hatred.  

Brody: It’s hard to believe, but we’re still under attack in 2024. Every day we’re watching as our rights are threatened while people still worry about what bathroom we use. It’s wild because Bettie and I just finished watching the 2022 A League of Their Own TV series, and I kept being torn between “I can’t believe how far we’ve come; could you imagine a time when we couldn’t be in love?” and “How are we still fighting this hard after all this time?” But what I do know is that I don’t think we can ever underestimate the power of simply being visible. I often think how different my life may have been had I had the freedom to know who I was earlier in my youth. I think it’s so amazing that these kids now are growing up with the language to identify themselves earlier and hopefully through film and media knowing that they are not alone in these feelings. 

We were so blessed to meet so many amazing folks after Netflix’s How to Build A Sex Room aired. They were thanking us for telling our story and acknowledging how amazing it was to see a love like ours showcased in such a public way. That’s what it’s all about — seeing ourselves reflected in the media and letting other people out there know that they are not alone. My favorite moments after drag shows are when a parent comes up to me because their child has recently come out to them, and they didn’t know where to turn, so they came and saw “Drag Decades” at The Clocktower Cabaret. I’ve many times been told my performance gave them hope and joy, and that they now felt less alone and like they knew their child was going to be ok. It’s a very powerful and humbling idea that we truly can change minds just by existing. And that’s why I vowed years ago — when I decided to get top surgery and change my name — that I would continue to live as authentically and visibly as I could in order to encourage others to do the same.

Do you have anything cool coming up that you want to promote? 

Melissa: So many cool things on the horizon!  I’ll be performing every Thursday in October for Alice in Wonderland Burlesque Revue at the Clocktower Cabaret. Keep an eye out for upcoming productions of Fly Me To The Moon. This is the love child of Brody and I, and our love of all things Pan Am and vintage travel!  

At Meow Wolf, we’re bringing back our Cosmic Howl for the month of October. This year we’re doing our first double header Danceportation weekend with Sub.mission Bass Invasion Takeover 10/25 and Emo Night 10/26.  I’m super stoked to have our first burlesque production from Bender Flames performed inside Sips (with a Z) September 5 and 6. Come play in our worlds at these fantastical events!

Is there anything else you’d like to add? 

Melissa: Mae West said it best: “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!”  If I’m doing things that my 11-year-old self would be proud of, then I think I’m doing it right.  Be the person you needed when you were younger. 

Brody: Amen to that! The world is too unpredictable, and life is too short not to do everything you can to live life to the fullest. Be honest with yourself, and live your life as authentically as you can. I promise when you do, everything starts to come together. I never could have dreamed my life would look like this—but look at us now! Pure queer trans joy. 

Second Star to the Right Bookstore is a welcoming safe space, and loves to offer books to readers of all ages, with a focus on children. As a cozy bookstore, we offer a quaint event space inside the bookstore, and out in our backyard, from birthday parties to weddings, we hope to create memories with you. Find us on S. Pearl Street, and on Instagram: @secondstartotherightbooks

Photo courtesy of Ivy Owens