Bella Fire shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Bella, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I do! I am feeling proud of my recent performances at the Southwest Regional BurlyPicks competition in late July. I listened to my mentors, trusted myself, and leaned into the characters of my acts. As a result, I was award champion in both the Classic and Neo Classic genres as well as won the Master of Tassels event. On August 30, I will compete at BurlyPicks Nationals in Classic and Neo Classic again here in Denver at HQ.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! I’m Bella Fire, retired Professor of Mathematics (yes, a PhD) who turned into a full-time entertainer. I am a traveling burlesque performer, emcee and event host, event producer, published model, pinup queen, and emerging actor. I love the journey I have been on and all the places I have been to on my travels.
I spent 29 years teaching mathematics and working is assessment in higher education, and continue to teach. Now, I teach dance and fitness rather than mathematics. My current classes include burlesque and heels classes every week in two locations in Denver, book private lessons and perform/host special events, and teach burlesque and heels specialty workshops along the front range. I love to teach dance fitness classes when I have the opportunity in my schedule as well.
I started my life over in 2016 after leaving a 26-year relationship. Modeling was the first step in my journey. It allowed me to see myself the way others did. I began my burlesque journey in 2018 which initiated my path of self-reclamation, self-empowerment, and manifesting the life I wanted to live. I retired from higher education in 2021 to spend more time on the stage and haven’t looked back. I am performing in two international festivals this fall. First, I will be on stage in the Austrailian Burlesque Festival in October celebrating my 55th birthday and in the Toronto Burlesque Festival in November.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
A woman in STEM in the 1990s wasn’t an easy choice. Most of my lower division classes in college had at most 8 women. As I transitioned into my upper division courses, there were at most 3 women. My first choice for a major was to be an Aerospace Engineer. My uncle was employed at Ball Aerospace, had worked on multiple projects with NASA, and I was hoping to eventually be an astronaut.
To complete my degree, I transfered to CSU where I eventually finished my major. However, it wasn’t in engineering. There was a day where I made a special trip previous to transfering to meet my advisor. He refused to shake my hand, give me a tour of the wing, and discuss my courses and recommended shedule. It was in this moment, I knew that I didn’t want to be an engineer. I had worked as a drafter in multiple firms, dealt with the male gaze and constant questioning of my abilities, and knew that I would battle it even more every single day as an engineer.
A chance meeting in another wing of the engineering building with a dean who took the time to ask me what I really enjoyed about academia, set me on a new path in Mathematics Education. However, one thing that remainded constant was being part of male dominated field. At the end of my academic career even with my advanced degree and working as a consultant for the State of Colorado on the Math Pathways redesign, there was always a man who would question my credentials.
Even in the entertainment world, men still question my education and expertise. My tagline in burlesque is Your Professor of the Provocative. I will share in my introductions that I am a retired Professor of Mathematics. After the show a few will ask me what I really did…
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The most defining wound of my life is my father’s disappearance. He walked away from his life in 2001 and remained missing for 10 years. His remains were eventually located and recovered in a remote wilderness area. His identity was eventually confirmed through dental records. I went to the site before the identification and confirmed it myself from the remains of clothing he was wearing. Someday I will write more about the heartbreak surrounding that time in my life. It’s a wound that will never heal but grows easier to manage with time.
There are days when it doesn’t feel like a fresh wound. Then, there are others when I can barely talk about it without tears in my eyes. Closure has been helpful. Not knowing… that’s something only those who have been through it can understand.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
A belief that I am committed to is the Equal Rights Amendment ratification is long overdue. Women’s rights now more than ever are at risk. The Christian Nationalist movement is on a mission to turn us back into property. It’s terrifying how quickly historical progress has been lost. It seems daily there is another attempt to overturn existing legislation that protects women and other marginalized groups and proposed legislation that continues to erode body autonomy, financial well-being, and voting rights across the nation for so many.
We are well beyond eras where men should be able to legislate anything related to women’s bodies and independence. I refuse to live in the reality that is the Handmaids Tale.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing?
I will regret not seizing every opportunity to live the best version of my life. I spent too many years being a smaller version of myself when it made someone else uncomfortable. My ex-husband, my department chair at one college, an academic dean at another, and this I will never do again. I hold dear the people who enjoy my company, encourage and cheer my success, and love the person that I have grown to be. I have found wisdom in hard lessons that have shown me to trust myself. In the last two years, I have pushed myself as a performer to expand the genres I perform in, build new skills set through training and education, and use props that I have purchased which have been sitting on a shelf far too long. With time, effort, persistence and a little luck, l have able to perform regionally, nationally, and internationally on a variety of stages and in historic places. I will continue to do so for as long as I look forward to being on the stage. I hope that anyone who reads this and has been waiting to make a life changing decision, takes a step in that direction or jumps into that new life with both feet.
I have learned hearing no or not at this time is better than not having tried at all. I have discovered it is important to know the spaces and places where I am welcomed and appreciated. I do my best to give gratitude and show grace to continue to grow personally and professionally. Balancing time for creating and performing with time for family and friends is essential. My goal for 2026 is to find a better balance with personal time and professional opportunities. I want to enjoy more time with those who matter most to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.modelmayhem.com/4206332
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bella.fire.colorado
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelly-ray-phd-b394588/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BellaFireCO/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12735724/
Image Credits
Black dress sitting – Jeremy Rill Photography
Striped sweater and skirt – Billy Montana
Silk with arch on the floor- Bill Strong
Spotted Robe – Bill Murphy in robe by Stratton Robes
Gold boa -GMark Art
Black jacket with metal art outside – Arclight Photography and Imagery
Seated in orange on couch – Leonard Anderson wearing Valdalism Designs
On stage at Kansas City Burlesque Festival 2023 wearing Velvet Zepher custom robe
Green romper on Chopper Bike published in Retro Lovely – Evil Smile Photography
