Bella Beretta, Biography

Possibly my favourite Burlesquer...






"It all began with a proclamation at the Waddles Diner table to my fathers’ friends when I was 4.

" When I grow up I wanna be a DRAG QUEEN ".

May I follow this by saying my father builds motorcycles and during summer months my Wednesday nights were spent at the Portland International Raceway for drag racing.

This experience quickly paired up with my over active imagination and my proclivity towards any career that involved a lot of waving and tiara wearing. On hearing the word drag queen I suddenly saw before me a glorious future waving at everyone on the racetrack...
holding roses and being adored as a gorgeous glorious queen of the drag racks...
yep folks, a drag queen.

25 years later if you look around my apartment (equal parts of cat hair, glitter and feathers, shaken and served over 20 USB cords) there is no doubt that indeed that was a self fulfilling prophecy.

I won’t bore you with a timeline of everything I have done hell; I won’t even bore me with that. But perhaps this opens a small window on the person behind the persona and a bit of a treasure map to my world and the things I love.

I was born Nicolle Lynnette Jeffries on May 29th, 1975 to my amazing parents Evelyn and Richard who, had they known what they were in for, might not have signed up for the ride but almost 30 years later, are pretty sure they have a great gig.

It has been reported that I was a sweet, headstrong and grouchy kid who never left the house without a costume. A particular favorite was unbuttoning the fur trim from my parkas and stuffing it down the back of my pants so I would have a tail. This love of accoutrements led to there being mandatory backpack check by the time I was 5 so that none of my creative ensembles made it to the school yard arena...or so they think.

I was also the neighborhood play tyrant and often fired people from my dance numbers and playing Barbie because "They never say the right lines and are trying to RUIN me!" ( direct quote, tantrum age 6)

In my life I have the blessing of an amazing sister and an awesome cousin (who might as well be a sister) and I had the unique pleasure of starting my burlesque endeavors with them in The Gun Street Girls. They are my best friends and my constant inspirations and I am always humbled at how well they have survived me .

I have always been on a one girl quest to do something outstanding. Much to the annoyance, awe and exasperation of those around me.Whether it's dancing, singing, playing saxophone, drawing or acting I have always wanted to push the limits and take my grand visions to a grand scale. Some times it's great-- other times it's well...Remember the Stonehenge scene in Spinal Tap?

I have sincerely done a whole lot of a little bit of everything and I look forward to a life filled with a lot more. Be it as a burlesque dancer, Fairy Princess,Astronaut or Ballerina....
who knows what will be next? I certainly don't.. and I live here.

Bella Beretta's Blog: http://berettaburlesque.typepad.com/stockings_on_the_run/