An Insiders' Look at Chicago Burlesque Meet the performers featured in the Provocative Play exhibition at the Hokin Gallery

Crocodile Lightning

Instagram: @crocodilelightning

Crocodile uses the art of striptease to rekindle the connection with her body and femme sensuality. Similarly, she uses performance art both to unpack the socially constructed notions of gender and to express her courage, vulnerability, and resilience. 

Crowned the Queen Ambassador of the Noire Pageant, Crocodile  collaborates with local performers Egypt Blaque Knyle and Perle Noire to create access and representation for performers of color and queer artists through various community-based projects. Crocodile incorporates self-compassion and mindfulness practices in her performances and teachings by inviting the audience to challenge the status quo and awaken to the moment-to-moment vitality of life.  

Crocodile Lightning is a high-voltage temptress whose face tells a tale and whose gaze electrifies with a blast of humor, a splash of sensuality, and a flash of naughtiness.

Cruel Valentine

Instagram: @cruelvalentine

Cruel addresses the issues that are most important to them: the history of civil rights, equity, access, and lifting the voices of the marginalized. Known as “Chicago’s Own Community Chest,” they are an award-winning, international burlesque entertainer and a lifelong singer, actor, dancer, writer, and artist.  

Cruel began performing the art of burlesque in 2007. Since then, they have spent over the past decade performing their way across the nation and abroad, racking up multiple awards and honors. With extensive experience in theater, music, and dance, Cruel is a triple threat, fusing multiple styles in their dynamic performances. 

A dedicated storyteller, they are never afraid to “go there” or to make a mess with their art.

Ruby Spencer

Instagram: @rubyspencerchi

Ruby Spencer radiates glamour that harkens back to the days of early pin-ups and classic showgirls. Inspired by vintage and classic musicals, Ruby grew up watching shiny stars perform elaborate musical numbers and fashion montages, shaping her feelings from an early age around performing and introducing her early on to required skill sets.

In burlesque Ruby found an art form that allows her to live out her dream of evoking the persona of a by-gone Hollywood starlet. Her performances, much like her meticulously crafted costumes, sparkle and enchant audiences around the city.

Erica Mckeehen

I recently graduated with an MA in Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago, and my passion and background is in photography. As a Curatorial Assistant at the Museum of Contemporary Photography and aspiring arts leader, I am overall focused on pursuing a position in a gallery or museum setting that leverages my passion for and experience working and curating in the photographic arts. I am currently pursuing an MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago and am expected to graduate in 2023.