We were lucky to catch up with Golden Mystique recently and have shared our conversation below.

Golden, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

In the burlesque community, our legends are the performers who were twirling, strutting, and making burlesque what it is today before I was even a thought. Miss Topsy, Satans Angel, Toni Elling, Tiffany Carter, Lottie the Body, Trina Parks, Josephine Baker, Velvet Ice, Viva LaFever, Marinka, are a few legends I admire and whose stories have become part of our documented burlesque history. Some of these legends have passed on, some retired, and some still performing!

My time as a performer has been short in comparison to how long burlesque has been an art form but in that time I’ve established the mark I want to leave on this community.

When it’s all said and done, all I hope is to inspire- inspire my peers, my mentees, artists of all mediums. I think about our burlesque legends and read about them weekly if not daily and I can say they all inspire me to create and to keep our art form alive- the next generation is THE legacy.

There’s so much freedom in burlesque and as performers we can and do collectively set the trends, the rates, the expectations. I want my voice and my art to show that I held myself to the standards and beyond the expectations of my burly cohort/generation. And the next generation will raise that bar even higher.

My legacy will be who comes after me.

Golden, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

They call me the Queen from Queens but I started off my entertainment career in the Green Mountain state of Vermont. I moved there pregnant and wanting to raise my child in a sort of hippie solitude- and that’s what I got. Eventually, he got older, developed hobbies, passions, built friendships, and became his own person. That moment of realization- that moment of space let me explore my desire to be on stage… but in what capacity.
I’d always been a lover of burlesque- the history, the tease, the costumes! There wasn’t much of a scene in Vermont and the closest cabaret and burlesque classes were about two hours away from where I lived. I worked with community members in White River Junction, VT and they helped me step into the shoes and headspace of Golden Mystique and we produced an invite only burlesque show at the Main Street Museum.
My burlesque career has been rough but I’ve learned so much. I’ve adapted a plethora of skills and am part of a community I’ll never let go of.
Golden Mystique is a showgirl of mystery and I love her dearly but she also annoys me- she’s my Sasha Fierce.
What I do as a burlesque performer on stage doesn’t just come naturally – unless I’m being comedic- it takes discipline and I don’t think the general public understand the depth of this career/life. It’s more than glitter and sparkles, even though that’s our favorite part sometimes. It’s often about how you make the audience feel. I like to portray dark characters, contemporary themes, classic showgirl, and any other storyline that I can develop outside of my head. The audience is my co-star when it comes to performing, they’re shining as well, they’re up there twirling with me- they feel every stomp and shimmy.
I could go on indefinitely but between, producing, teaching, performing, and serving on the board of a burlesque education non-profit, BurlyCon, my life is burlesque and I do everything in my power to bring more people to enjoy the art on and offstage.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

When I started as a burlesque performer, I was in the bubble of a small, difficult to travel to state. Years after I started performing and creating was when I realized I don’t have to do any of it alone. The first couple of years, I didn’t seek, utilize or work to build community in burlesque- I wasn’t aware of the impact of the global burlesque scene and community.
I teach occasionally at the Atlanta School of Burlesque and when I moved here a couple of years ago, I was impressed but also envious of the Academy program. People can sign up for classes and learn from notable performers and learn with a group of peers. At the end of each “semester” the students perform in a professionally produced burlesque show in front of an audience of family, friends, and supporters.
That is a resource I wish I had and I didn’t know that was possible until I was fairly established as a performer. I get the entire idea of “self-made” but you need mentors and peers to keep you focused and motivated.
The resources and access I have now were attainable at the beginning of my career- I just didn’t research. And I tell every new performer I meet, to take the time to study and find your way in a community that relies on barter systems, networking, skill building, etc.
Burlesque isn’t going anywhere.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I am Black, queer, fat, and disabled – every day is resilience. I started burlesque in Vermont where less than 5% of the population is Black. Most of the work I was doing before burlesque was based on social justice, grassroots organizing, and I bought that into my burlesque career.
Burlesque is inherently political but I made my burlesque scream “I AM BLACK AND PROUD”. It was exhausting!
I was burnt out because I just wanted to create art. I almost quit many times because I couldn’t remove the racial justice component from my storylines. Resisting the idea that my art has to tell a story of resilience and strength has been challenging. I’m soft, I’m funny, and light on stage- I don’t want to use that time and space to educate predominately white crowds. Like I said, it was exhausting.
I remember making a statement that I would not be performing to anything other than music by Black artist- then I realized… who am I doing this for?
My existence is resilience enough- I can twirl around onstage with a Black Panther beret and a “Black Lives Matter” sign but I am Black and performing so obviously I matter.
This may be so long winded but I had to remove the idea of strong Black woman from my art to continue. Pulling myself out of that was difficult but once I did, I was thriving and I felt relief to be able to explore the range of MY burlesque story and journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: golden-mystique.coj=m
• Instagram: goldenmystiqueburly

Image Credits

Photo 1 &6 -Vividly Vivien Photography
Photo 2- David Tatum Photography
Photo 3- Noel Nichols Photography
Photo 8- Marc Turnley
Photo 5- Rob Strong
Photo 4- JCBarger Photography
Photo 7 Keith Johnson (Parade Images)