Burlesque performer encouraged women of all sizes to love their bodies and themselves
When Erica Rose began her burlesque career three years ago, she was nervous about stepping onto the stage for the first time. The thought of performing in a revealing outfit, not just in front of strangers but also her family and friends who had come to see her debut, left her feeling terrified.
Just before she was about to go on, another performer, Patrice Mendoza, stopped her. Rose was busy filling a glove with glitter, planning to remove it and shower the stage with sparkles during her performance.
“She (Patrice Mendoza) actually saved me from making a really big mistake,” said Rose. “She explained to me that girls in burlesque hate glitter because it gets everywhere, it is never ending, hard to clean up and gets on everybody.”
Rose, who performs as Rose’ BuTae, says that from that moment forward, Mendoza was her mentor, friend, and role model, inspiring not only her but also other full-figured women in the local burlesque scene to embrace their beauty.
Mendoza, a well-known performer in the Kansas City burlesque community, passed away on March 8 at the age of 49.
During the day, Mendoza worked as a customer service agent for an insurance company, but by night, she performed as Lola Loquacious. Her family and friends remember her as someone who felt most alive on stage.
“I never imagined my mom would take up burlesque,” said her daughter, Landon Mendoza. “When she was dancing and singing at a show during a performance she just seemed so happy.”
Mendoza didn’t begin performing until 2016, although she had been involved in the backstage production side of burlesque for some time before then.
As a plus-sized woman who always encouraged others to pursue what made them happy, Mendoza decided to take the leap herself. On stage, under the persona of Lola Loquacious, Mendoza captivated audiences with her vibrant personality and strong stage presence.
Mendoza was best known in the burlesque scene for her kindhearted nature and her ability to make anyone feel welcome and capable of owning the stage. Rose, who identifies as a “curvy” woman, says that seeing someone like Mendoza perform was both refreshing and important for bigger women to witness.
“Her personality was just as big as her body,” said Rose. “She knew that a lot of bigger women were not seen as having desirable body types and she really wanted to challenge that and she did.”
Rose said Mendoza’s presence in the local burlesque scene reflected the true essence of the art form because she embodied the spirit of burlesque through her bold energy and unapologetic performances, which celebrated the diversity of the female form.
Mendoza’s wife, Nikki Marshall, recalls that the first time she saw Mendoza perform on stage, she couldn’t take her eyes off her.
“I met her through a co-worker who was also in burlesque,” said Marshall. “She produced a show and the first time I saw her I thought she was amazing. The crowd was blown away and when we talked for the first time, I kept thinking her smile was the absolute best. It was infectious and contagious.”
Marshall and Mendoza celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary this past January. Though her wife is gone, Marshall is happy to reflect on the impact Mendoza had on so many women.
“She really inspired not only burlesque performers but women in general to always be comfortable in their own skin,” said Mendoza’s widow.
Mendoza’s daughter, Landon Mendoza, is thankful that she had a mother who was as fearless and daring as a parent as she was on stage. She says that she and her older brother were always encouraged and supported by their mom to be their true selves.
“I have always grown up as a very shy and quiet person,” said the young Mendoza. “She (here mom) always told me that if there was something that I couldn’t say, she would say it for me.”
Mendoza says that her mother had a profound love for her family and always made sure they knew they could turn to her no matter what. She believes her mother aimed to prepare her children for the inevitable encounters with people who would try to tear them down.
Since Mendoza’s passing, Marshall has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of condolences from those her wife had touched. It’s only now that she fully understands the broad and lasting impact Mendoza’s uplifting words of wisdom and encouragement had on the lives of so many women in the Kansas City area.
“When she loved, she loved hard,” said Marshall. “She loved deeply and she would do anything, absolutely anything, to help, support, talk through any difficulties that someone in her life or just a person she came in contact with might be having.
Other Remembrances
Ronald Proctor Sr.
Ronald Proctor Sr., a retired United States Postal worker, died March 16. He was 69.
Proctor was born in Kansas City on Oct. 14, 1955, to Don and Joan Proctor.
He graduated from Lincoln High School where he participated in school athletics including football and basketball. Proctor later enlisted in the United States Air Force where he worked as a jet engine mechanic. In 1973 he married Lita Wallace.
After leaving the Air Force Proctor worked various jobs until accepting a position at the United States Postal Service as a mail carrier until his retirement in 2019.
He is remembered by his wife Lita; children, Toya Wroten, Ron Proctor Jr. and Kayla Proctor Hunt: along with a host of family and friends.
Freida Moss
Freida Moss, a retired court secretary, died March 5. She was 95.
Moss was born in Kansas City on June 16, 1930, to Genoa Brown and Samuel Vaughn.
She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1947 and attended Lincoln Junior College where she graduated in 1949. She married Clifton Moss in 1951 and the couple went on to have three children.
Moss worked as the secretary to Carl Roman Johnson, the first Black judge of the Municipal Courts of Kansas City, until her retirement in 1986.
She is remembered by her children, Clifton Moss Jr., Charles Moss and Caron D. Williams; along with a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
