There’s a kind of magic in the Daniels & Fisher Clock Tower, the kind that makes you feel like time bends a little. Built in 1911 as Denver’s proudest department store, it was once a place where appearances mattered and people were expected to fit a mold.

Now the same tower holds something much freer: burlesque.

I went to a show there recently, and it struck me how perfectly the setting fit the story. Burlesque is art, tease, comedy, sensuality, but most of all, it’s about authenticity. It’s people stepping onto a stage and saying, “This is me. Take it or leave it.” Every glove peeled off, every wink, every playful reveal felt like a celebration of being unapologetically yourself.

That’s what I love about it. Burlesque isn’t about men or women, it’s about people finding their voice when maybe it was lost, shaking off expectations, and owning their truth. Watching it inside a building that once symbolized “proper” appearances made the whole experience even sweeter.

I sat there, smiling into my glass, feeling like I was part of something timeless: laughter, rebellion, beauty, and freedom echoing through a tower that has seen more than a century of Denver nights.

And when the bells rang out above us, they felt like a standing ovation, echoing what burlesque itself whispers: be bold, be true, be free.