Broken Babes Brings Inclusivity to the Art of Burlesque

Allie Soreass had no plans or ambitions to become a burlesque performer after moving back to Colorado in 2007, let alone make burlesque more accessible for those with disabilities by starting an alternative troupe.

Soreass (they/them) had always been a fan of the art form and regularly checked out all the local talent at shows around the city whenever possible. But their interest was undoubtedly heightened after a boozy birthday at a burlesque show at the former 3 Kings Tavern (now HQ) almost a decade ago, when Soreass unexpectedly ended up at center stage getting chastised by Denver's longest-running burlesque group, Ooh La La Presents.

“These performers were like, ‘Come up on stage and get spanked.’ My best friend at the time urged me and was like, ‘Go do it,'” Soreass recalls, remembering being "nervous" and "in my shell."

But the public flogging went well, and Soreass, who'd found a new hobby, was even tapped to become the group’s stage kitten that night. In burlesque, the kitten (or panda) refers to the person who cleans up the stage, collecting all the tips and loose pieces of lingerie, between acts.

“I went up there, and after the show, everyone was like, ‘You need to be on stage.’ That night the group was like, ‘Come up with a stage name by 8 a.m. tomorrow and we’ll let you kitten our show,’” Soreass says.

“I panicked. I had known nothing about burlesque. I was terrified. I was not sober," Soreass says. "I went home with my friend and was like, ‘Let’s figure this out.'"

Inspired by the spanking and a long-held affinity for dinosaurs, Soreass's burlesque career began to unfold.

“I love dinosaurs. I have dinosaur tattoos all over my body. I was going through dinosaur names and found ‘Allie Soreass,’” the performer proclaims, adding that their disability — specifically having shorter arms with no wrists — is commonly referred to as “T. rex syndrome,” too.

“It all kind of lined up and fit in with each other,” Soreass says. “I’m everyone’s favorite dinosaur.”
After kittening for a year, Soreass joined several local burlesque groups and formed a bond with fellow performer Bella Brujita. Because both had to work through disabilities to perform — and therefore were seemingly always on the mend — they would call each other “broken babes."

“It was kind of our inside joke; we were just the two broken babes of the group because we were always wrapped in some sort of ACE bandage after the show,” Soreass recalls. “We’d be in the corner with ice on our bodies. Or we would come to the show, and I would be like, ‘I need Icy Hot.’ Like, ‘I’m going to go home and eat an edible. I’m going to feel this tomorrow.’ We were just the broken babes of the group, so that’s what we called each other.”

But neither the barrage of bumps and bruises nor their unique challenges stopped the performers. If anything, it inspired the duo: Soreass and Brujita, who now lives in Wyoming, saw a need for more accessible burlesque options, which is why they decided to start Broken Babes Burlesque in August 2021.

“We were really frustrated as performers, because a lot of stages in Denver were not accessible,” Soreass explains. “We both have disabilities, mostly with chronic pain. We don’t use wheelchairs or anything, but we definitely felt the effects of needing ramps and less stairs.”

The first official Broken Babes show was at Bar Nun. It sold out, and the community let Broken Babes know that what it was doing was appreciated, and necessary. “After that show, we heard...from the community in burlesque that there needed to be more shows that were accessible for performers and audience members,” Soreass shares. “Things became very overwhelming very quickly because of so many people reaching out to us and our shows selling out, which was great."


Broken Babes fostered a non-judgmental atmosphere that welcomes anyone to perform, from newbies who would like to give burlesque a go to seasoned and up-and-coming artists who want to showcase their craft. “We want everybody to be able to enjoy our shows and also feel welcomed to perform with us," Soreass says. "We try to make things as inclusive as possible."

“Especially doing burlesque, you really are being vulnerable," Rex adds. "And giving someone a safe space to be able to feel that they can do that is really cool. At the end of the day, we want to create a space for people to create.”

Broken Babes has hosted comedians, drag shows and poetry readings throughout the past two-plus years, but one of the group's most popular offerings is the annual Rip Your Heart Out Valentine’s event, which takes place at the Crypt this year on Wednesday, February 21. ShaNae Ross, Gila Moonstar, Lady Godiva, Madame Velvet Rose, Serious Leigh and Misty Mandana are all on the bill, with local comedian Jeff Stonic serving as emcee.

The theme allows participants to really play with the idea of heartbreak and horror. The first year was the “goriest,” Soreass recalls: “We just kept a plastic tarp down for the whole show, because everyone had some sort of fake blood."

“One person cleaned up clothes,” Rex remembers. “I wore scrubs, specifically, because I was cleaning up and going to be covered in blood.”

Fake blood or not, Rip Your Heart Out continues to be a must-see, along with the nun-centric Broken Babes show in November. “The alternative-performance scene doesn’t really get a lot of showcases except for Halloween, so this is definitely a show where they can go either way — you can see it as the sad side of Valentine’s, like heartbreak, or full gore. It really just depends on the performer,” Soreass explains.

The six artists this year are all new to Rip Your Heart Out, though Mandana most recently served as the Broken Babes kitten. But they also reflect the event's dedication to showcasing the city’s BIPOC talent. “We really focused on having a full BIPOC cast this month just to honor Black History Month and showcase our BIPOC performers who deserve more spaces in creative outlets,” Soreass says.

“I’m excited to see what everyone brings," they add. "We have singers. We have comedians. We have the classics, then we have the alternative drag performers, too. It’s going to be a good mix of ripping people’s hearts out.”

Billed as “Denver’s hottest blind baddie,” Lady Godiva lost 90 percent of her eyesight as a child. She explains that dance has been a way to "find freedom in my body while navigating a world that is built for able-bodied people."

After Rip Your Heart Out, the Broken Babes will host a drag brunch at Western Sky Bar & Taproom in March. Supporting and promoting the LGBTQ+ community is one of the group’s initiatives. But anyone can be part of or check out the Broken Babes.

“We’ve had a bunch of people from the trans community come to us saying that they didn’t feel safe in certain spaces and they feel safe in our space,” Soreass explains. “But also, we don’t only produce shows just for disabled artists. I would say most of our shows are heavily produced with that in mind, but we have people who don’t have any relation to any of those needs."

For Rex, being part of Broken Babes is about having a consistent creative outlet and a love for burlesque. “I really like the storytelling of burlesque, and being able to do that within a creative space, like, ‘I have three minutes to tell this story,’” Rex says. “As much as I think I’m witty...I’m not a comedian, so this is another way I can be silly and do weird stuff and make people go, ‘Oh?’”

The surreal aspects of the art form are what appeal to Soreass, who says, “For me, it’s the fantasy. I didn’t have confidence before I started, and I was watching all these beautiful humans on stage performing in these costumes I could never fathom having.

“It was that fantasy of: ‘I wonder if I could do that?’" they add. "You always have that little thought of, ‘What if I was up there?’ It’s that type of fantasy.”

Rip Your Heart Out, 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 21, the Crypt, 1618 East 17th Avenue. Tickets are $15-$20.