Burlesque & Punk Against Trump is happening this Friday

If all the talk about politics has you feeling an unpatriotic shade of blue, get ready to bang your heads and shimmy your hips at The Barbary this Friday.

Performance troupe Bare and the Bold Burlesque and entertainment blog Riot Nerd have teamed up to bring you Burlesque and Punk Against Trump. Brooklyn-based Kino Kimino and hometown representatives The Up Up Ups will play before the burlesque headliner extravaganza.

“The performances address the issue of the day — that day being Inauguration Day,” says burlesque performer Robert Kennedy. “Our goal is to put America’s best foot forward in a way to make people leave the room thinking we can get through this.”

Other burlesque performers include Liberty Rose, Taylor Sweet, Lady Lazarus and Kate Nyx. Although the show revolves around protesting against Donald Trump with art, don’t expect one of the burlesque performers to be in character as Trump.

“He gets enough media attention already,” says Kennedy.

While in the early stages of organizing the show, Riot Nerd co-founder Megan Hawkey wanted there to be a strong emphasis on feminism. She and Kennedy decided to do a raffle to benefit Planned Parenthood, featuring donated items from various local shops and artists. Hawkey wants to bring Planned Parenthood’s various services in to the spotlight during the show.

“I think people need to understand the social issues,” says Hawkey. “Maybe, people voted for him thinking that he can’t change anything. That’s scary. This is something that we definitely want to focus on.”

In addition to social issues, Kennedy and Hawkey both agree that Trump’s presidency will have an impact on art, especially here in Philadelphia.

“People will be looking for an outlet to express themselves that they maybe haven’t had a need for in the past 8-10 years,” says Kennedy. “It’s going to happen because we have such a strong art community throughout the city.”

Burlesque & Punk Against Trump takes place in the upstairs room of The Barbary at 951 Frankford Ave. The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.