An ivory-skinned dancer with tamale-red lips and platinum blond hair stomps her glossy patent heels on a dimly lit stage. Like a peacock in heat, she waves her giant black feather fans over her hourglass figure pouring out of a glittering mermaid cocktail dress. She then slowly pulls off her dark satin gloves with her rosy mouth. As the saxophone wildly blows, the seductive entertainer unsnaps her garter belt, letting the metal buckles slap her thighs. She then lets the nude stockings slide down her smooth legs while looking up at her audience. The thunderous wolf whistles and excited howls are proof that the crowd cannot wait any longer for the throwback beauty to take it all off. The modern-day Marilyn Monroe with an eerie resemblance to Mae West hides behind her feathers and pulls off her bra. She slams both her wings and lingerie on the floor, revealing nothing more than a g-string, a waist cincher, and pasties barely covering her assets. The 26-year-old, known as La Cholita, throws up her signature move, an East L.A. sign, leaving both women and men begging for more. It’s no wonder this Mexicana is crowned as “The Latina Queen of Burlesque.”
La Cholita, a dazzling glamour girl meets streetwise chola, has never disappointed her growing legions of followers who fill up her sold-out shows around the world. From strip teasing for local residents in her native Los Angeles to entertaining pop superstar Christina Aguilera, La Cholita can easily transform into an Aztec goddess covered in thousands of Swarovski crystals, or a sexpot with a set of sombreros that leave nothing to the imagination. She takes a breather from swiveling her hips to talk about the irresistible world of burlesque, how she stays true to her people, and why cholas are bombshells with balls.
nocheLatina: What inspired you to become a burlesque performer?
La Cholita: It actually started when I was really young. I grew up with my grandfather and he was a zoot suiter from the ‘30s and ‘40s. He would show me all of his old pictures and it really instilled me the importance of glamour in one’s life. Back in those days the girls always had their nails and hair done. Even the guys who were in gangs wore suits. It was all about incorporating glamour every minute of your life. I looked up to people like Mae West and I would watch old Hollywood films wishing that I could be one of those showgirls. I went to a burlesque event about six-seven years ago and there were women from all over the world performing. There was Dita Von Teese, Tempest Storm, who used to dance with Bettie Page, and Dixie Evans. They seemed to encompass everything that I love. Every girl was in control of her hair, makeup, costume, and dance moves. At that moment, a light bulb went on and I knew that this is what I wanted to do.
nocheLatina: It’s interesting how you said that being a burlesque performer is about invoking glamour every minute because Dita has said something similar before.
La Cholita: Being a burlesque performer is more than just being a dancer, it’s a lifestyle. I think about it all the time, but it’s not a chore for me to do my nails or hair everyday. I enjoy it. I feel like myself when I’m done up.
nocheLatina: Were you raised in Los Angeles?
La Cholita: Yes, I was born and raised in Los Angeles. My mom was a single parent who worked really hard, so we moved around a lot. I went to different schools every year of my life, but Los Angeles has always been home for me. When I was 10, we moved to Canada and it was a total shock. My mom came to my room one day with a suitcase and said, ‘We’re moving and all you can take is what you can fit here.’ I’ve never seen snow before, so my first winter was in Canada where it was 20 degrees and it snowed four feet. Let’s just say that I’m really glad to be back in Cali!
nocheLatina: Did your mom take you to your first burlesque show?
La Cholita: Yes! There were burlesque shows happening in L.A., but I was underage so I was never allowed in. I even tried getting a fake ID and it didn’t work! My mom somehow found out that there was this show happening and it was going to have dancers from all over the world. She also wanted to know what it was like to see burlesque performers in action, so she took me and it was amazing. I even found out a little bit before the show that my grandmother from my dad’s side was a burlesque dancer back in the ‘30s and ‘40s. I found these pictures of her, but they were very vague because I didn’t know my dad at all. He died of cancer when I was 14. I eventually went to meet his side of the family and was told that my grandmother was a dancer, but they never said what kind. Then they would say that she was a circus performer, so I decided to do research on my own. I learned that back in those days the circus would have dancing girls in these tents where they would take off their clothes. I found those photos of her wearing gorgeous feathers, elaborate costumes with rhinestones, and pointed shoes.
nocheLatina: It seems like burlesque runs in your family.
La Cholita: I know! The odd thing is as soon as they heard that I became a burlesque performer, they completely cut me off from their lives and I never heard from them again.
nocheLatina: When did you begin performing?
La Cholita: It was about five years ago when I was around 21.
nocheLatina: In your own words, what’s a chola?
La Cholita: The best way I can describe a chola is a bombshell with balls. Cholas are the home girls on the block, the ride or die chicks. They live life on the fast lane, yet they pay extra attention to their hair and makeup. They always outline their lips with black eyeliner to accentuate them, have these perfect arched eyebrows, and they always have their nails done. They inhabit all these feminine qualities, but they’re not afraid to throw down.
nocheLatina: In choosing that specific stage name for yourself, isn’t it maybe giving people the wrong impression of a lifestyle that, to some, is often associated with ganglife?
La Cholita: When I went to my first show I didn’t see any girls that I could relate to. Yes, I admire those performers for their glamour, but there was also a lot of copycat stuff. It’s not like they weren’t good at what they did, but everyone grows up with a different background. For me, cholas were part of my culture. Every number that I do is a love letter to the things that have inspired me. If cholas were my reality, then it had to be someone else’s reality too. I want to show people that you can use your background to become successful. You can turn your tragedies into triumphs. So far, I’ve had wonderful feedback, especially for my name. Fans thank me all the time for representing Latinas, their home girls from L.A. I hope that when someone sees one of my performances, they’ll also see cholas in a different light.
nocheLatina: Why are there few Latinas in burlesque?
La Cholita: I think a lot of it has to do with our culture. We’re extremely sensual, fiery, passionate, and voluptuous by nature. We’re also brought up to keep it under wraps and to save it for your husband. This creates the whole Madonna-whore complex that seems to haunt all Latinas. Unfortunately, burlesque isn’t something that many Latino parents would be accepting of. When I first started dancing, there really wasn’t any Latinas. Then, I started having these girls come up to me and express how happy they were to see my numbers filled with Mexican flags, mariachis, and images from Dia De Los Muertos. I was doing something completely different and now, it’s inspiring other Latinas to become burlesque performers, which is pretty cool.
nocheLatina: Why is burlesque so popular, especially with women?
La Cholita: I think it provides a sense of empowerment and it’s really stripping from a woman’s point of view. You’re stripping on your own terms and you decide what you want people to see. Any woman, regardless of color, shape, or size can be a burlesque dancer. In Hollywood, there are a lot of body types that wouldn’t be accepted, but in burlesque, your flaws are enticing and people can’t get enough of them! When I was dancing, I was at my heaviest. However, I never felt more beautiful or empowered in my whole life. Burlesque is all about foreplay, teasing, and being sexy. Those features about yourself that may make you insecure can turn on an entire audience. People go wild when you take off a glove. At a strip club, it’s all out there. There’s no build up, no element of surprise.
nocheLatina: Tell me more about your dance numbers.
La Cholita: My first number was ‘A Lowrider Loca.’ I came out in a waist cincher and I had my name written in old English with crystals going across my stomach. I had a low rider bike and huge hoop earrings, like a very glamorous chola. The next one was ‘Dia De Los Muertos’ where I wore a folklorico dress from Chiapas, Mexico. My latest one was all about mariachis. When I worked on my dress, I would wonder what Mae West would wear if she was a mariachi. For music, I have my own band that travels with me and I try to use a mix of mariachi in there as well. I have another routine that’s very mambo-inspired. This spring, I’m touring in Europe where I’ll debut some major numbers. I’ll be in Italy, Spain, Paris, Amsterdam, and Vienna.
nocheLatina: You were crowned Miss Viva Las Vegas, and you were the first Latina to do so, correct?
La Cholita: Yes, that was a very incredible experience! I entered the contest and the way it works is that anybody can enter, but you have to get a certain amount of votes. The top six girls with the most votes go to compete in Vegas. I had the highest votes out of anybody and at the show, I remember going up on stage and seeing a sea of people screaming. I believe there were about 5,000 in attendance. My grandfather, mother, and cousins were all there. When the mic was passed to me so I could say a little something, the crowd was so loud that I couldn’t even hear myself speak! Becoming Miss Viva Las Vegas opened a lot of doors for me. Performing is now my full-time job.
nocheLatina: How long is the burlesque movement expected to survive?
La Cholita: Burlesque has always been around and it will never leave. Have people ever stopped going to strip clubs? Of course not, strippers have always been around. Burlesque performers are like strippers, they will never stop having an audience. Burlesque just always come back in a different form. With the help of Dita Von Teese, burlesque has only gotten bigger in pop culture. People may say whatever they want about her, but she’s an amazing businesswoman who has successfully brought the burlesque community to a wider audience. I think people love anything that’s nostalgic and there will always be a place for burlesque. Besides, I haven’t gotten rich and famous yet.
To find out where La Cholita will be performing, click here.
