Cocò le Mokò

Introducing Cocò le Mokò

Cocò le Mokò moves through the burlesque world with a mix of sharp humor and quiet elegance that’s entirely her own. She created her stage persona in 2014, blending comedy with a refined, almost vintage sense of style that hints at the character behind the glamour.

Her path has taken her from the Vertigo Burlesque Festival to a scholarship at La Bottega degli Artisti in Rome, and later into The Golden Eggs Revue, the troupe led by Albadoro Gala. In 2018 she received the Critics’ Award at the V Caput Mundi International Burlesque Award, a moment that pushed her further into her craft and into the world of clowning—another tool she uses to balance seduction with playfulness.

Since then, Cocò has brought her idea of burlesque across Europe, from Hamburg’s iconic Home of Burlesque to Stuttgart, Milan, Lecce, and the eclectic queer cabaret of Masseria Wave.

For her, burlesque isn’t just about removing layers—it’s about creating a moment. Her performances sit somewhere between mischief and poetry, inviting the audience into a space where humor, sensuality, and a bit of magic all meet.

What inspired you to become a burlesque dancer?

One day my dance teacher asked me if I wanted to join in a Burlesque class, because she didn’t have enough students. It was the beginning, it was something new, unusual, so I participated and started seeing live shows, and I decided that I wanted to be like those beautiful women, so I started studying.

What about pinups? What influenced you to do pinup photos?

The world of pin-ups is closely linked to the world of burlesque, for example many of the situations we see in Gil Elvgren’s postcards are a source of inspiration for burlesque performers. I adore Betty Page, she is an icon for the Burlesque world, I take a lot of inspiration from her, but also from Marilyn Monroe, Dixie Evans. In Italy we have many icons, I am inspired also by Monica Vitti, Gina Lollobrigida and Anna Magnani.

What other arts are you involved in?

Ah well, I’m very curious so I experiment a lot. In addition to burlesque, I studied dance for ten years, since 2019 I’ve been studying clowns and who knows what I’ll come up with in the future!

What artist/writer inspires you the most?

I have a degree in Contemporary Art History, so I draw my inspiration mostly from visual artists, painters and photographers or from a lot of movies. From Jean-Honoré Fragonard to David LaChapelle and from Quentin Tarantino to Totò.

What long term goals do you have?

I would like Burlesque Comedy to conquer the world! Ahahahah for me I would like to tour the USA and I would like to produce a show… You always have to think big!

Do you think your environment, where you live, has an effect on the type of art you create?

Absolutely, if I didn’t live in Italy, in Rome, my burlesque would be different. Facial expressions and gestures are very important in my acts, as well as a taste for beauty, because, as you know, I live in the most beautiful city in the world.

What would you say to people who say what you do is sexualizing women?

Women’s bodies are sexualized and commodified on a daily basis, by the media, by people, by advertising, there is no need to do burlesque to sexualize the female body, just take a walk and look at shop windows or posters in the street. Doing burlesque is exactly the opposite, we don’t undergo a sexualization of our bodies, because we are aware and masters of our bodies and we have the power and the freedom to show it and use it as we prefer. I consider doing burlesque a political act, we lay ourselves bare on a stage and claim the freedom to do so.

What do you think the popular culture will be like in ten years?

Oh, that’s a great question, I can’t answer it because I can’t foresee such a distant future, if you think about what has happened in the last two years alone. But I think we will be more and more connected and at the same time more and more alone. We have to remember to stay human, work less and fuck more.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve been asked to do in your profession?

Oh well, a lot has happened to me, the funniest being when a friend and colleague of mine asked me to use a rubber chicken during the performance. And I said, oh ok I’ll hide it between my thighs. It was very funny.

What projects are you working on now?

At this moment I am working on three new burlesque numbers, studying the music and the choreography. I am fixing costumes because we throw out our poor clothes and they wear out very soon. I am also working on a podcast of erotic stories in Italian, I hope to publish it soon. As always I do a lot of things together, to feel alive.

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