We were lucky to catch up with Jacqueline Kerr recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jacqueline , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My troupe overall has been the most important thing to me in my life. I’ve had many projects as a child and teen and young adult that I started and failed and found myself abandoning after they didn’t pan out the way I expected them to but then I found burlesque. With my troupe, once I got it up and running, I saw the potential of so many creatives around me. I wasn’t seeing people based off their sexuality or body or abilities, I was seeing people who had a genuine passion they wanted to share with the world.

Pursuing burlesque and making it open and accessible to dedicated people has meant so much to me. Being one of the handfuls of troupes that showcases different bodies and sees the beauty in them and encourages them to be themselves has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I stumbled into burlesque on accident. I was part of a small comedy troupe who sometimes performed 18+ skits, and one of those just happened to be a burlesque spoof. I was contacted by a local troupe who asked me to audition and it took off from there. I saw changed in the community that I wanted to make, and stereotypes I wanted to break, and that became my main focus when I moved into owning my own troupe. We perform at all sorts of incredible live events and have been lucky enough to also do a few virtual performances.

Our specialty is nerdlesque. We take pop culture favorites and parodize them, while still keeping true to the character as much as we can in a three and a half minute song. From aerial arts to singers to acrobatics, we do it all. With a sweet nerdy twist.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love having people come up to me after shows telling me how happy they were to see people like them on the stage, or that they loved the creative freedom that my troupe is allowed to have with their acts. It makes me feel so happy because in the end my goal is for people to put their own love into what they do.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

One of the biggest hurdles in burlesque from the outside community is people being really surprised as to what we do, or that not all performers look like the ones they see online. The beauty of burlesque is that people are empowered to celebrate themselves. Performers of all sizes, genders, and backgrounds can all take the stage and be glittery and powerful. I myself am an asexual troupe leader in an art that is so highly sexualized. It is an art, and thats how I see it.

Contact Info:

• Website: speakeasysirens.com
• Instagram: speakeasysirens
• Facebook: facebook.com/speakeasysirens
• Youtube: youtube.com/speakeasysirens

Image Credits
Blonde photo, and Shrek photos: @Smallbeephotography Uhura and Miss Frizzle: @kuromamephotos