In the middle of Times Square, where crowds move past neon billboards at a relentless pace, Patricia Burck only needs a few seconds in one spot before a line starts to form. While posing for photographs on the plaza, visitors of all ages stop to wave, say hello, and wait their turn for a picture, bringing smiles from young children to adults as the line fluctuates and steadily grows longer.
After 14 years performing in cowboy boots, a custom-decorated bikini, a cowboy hat, and a guitar slung over her shoulder, Burck, better known as the Naked Cowgirl, has become a recognizable Times Square staple alongside landmarks like the Empire State Building.
From Mexico City to New York Dance Studios
Born in Mexico City in a family of nine sisters and one brother, Burck immigrated to the United States around 2000 with the help of her sister so she could continue her education. After finishing high school in the United States, she enrolled at LaGuardia Community College, where she studied for roughly two to three years.
To support herself through school, Burck worked grueling hours at a restaurant taking phone and delivery orders from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. before heading straight to her college classes. At age 21, she decided to leave both her restaurant job and college behind to pursue her longtime dream of becoming a professional belly dancer.
Throwing herself into dance full-time, Burck taught belly dancing classes at gyms and dance studios across the city and performed at different restaurants. Her belly dancing career also took her outside New York, including four trips to perform in Las Vegas. Having previously lived in Queens, she now calls Brooklyn home.
Stepping Into the Boots of the Naked Cowgirl
Burck’s path to Times Square began around 2010 through the local belly dancing scene, when she met and started dating the Naked Cowboy. At his invitation, she began belly dancing in Times Square, but they quickly noticed a problem with the format. Passersby would snap photos of her from a distance and keep walking rather than coming up to take pictures with her.
A year later, her husband suggested she set belly dancing aside in the plaza and step out as the Naked Cowgirl.
Her first day on the street tested her nerve immediately. It was the middle of winter, with temperatures hovering around 25 degrees, and Burck was both freezing and deeply shy about standing in front of massive crowds.
“I was thinking, oh my god, everybody’s going to look at me,” Burck recalled. “You know the millions of people that are going to watch you live and look at you, some of them are going to say nice things, some of them are going to say nasty things.”
Despite fearing she would not last, she made it through a 20-minute set without even feeling the cold. Adjusting to public reactions was difficult at first, especially when strangers made rude comments, but pushing through that initial fear gave her a lasting sense of confidence.
When Burck first started out as the Naked Cowgirl, she and one other woman were the only female performers working that beat in Times Square. Roughly two years later, up to 20 body-painted performers began working the plaza as well, and Burck made a point of getting along with everyone in the street-performer community.
A Genuine Love for Making People Smile
Fourteen years into her run in Times Square, Patricia Burck says the driving force behind her work is how much she genuinely loves doing it. Rather than treating the plaza simply as a way to make money, she thrives on the daily energy of the crowd, meeting visitors from all over the world and seeing their excitement when they tell her they recognize her from television and came to New York hoping to find the Naked Cowgirl.
Even on difficult days when she feels sad, tired, or frustrated before heading into Manhattan, stepping out into Times Square transforms her mood. She makes a point of putting on a huge smile for every photo and trying to be the happiest girl in the world so that everyone who meets her walks away smiling too.
To inspire others who may be hesitant to follow their own path, Burck shares a simple message: “do what makes you happy,”.
Winter Shifts, Custom Costumes, and Senior Centers
Unlike seasonal performers who pack up when temperatures drop, Burck works Times Square year-round, typically Wednesday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. unless she is booked for an out-of-town appearance. Surprisingly, she prefers working in the dead of winter over the summer heat because visitors appreciate the grit it takes to stand outside in the cold.
“The question they ask me 20 times: ‘Aren’t you cold? Aren’t you crazy?’” Burck said.
Behind the scenes, Burck designs and customizes her own wardrobe, embellishing her hats, boots, bikinis, and roughly 40 different tops by hand. Having loved singing since childhood, she also took vocal lessons with a Colombian singer and continues to practice playing a guitar that her husband gave her about eight years ago. Although the two are now separated, they remain on amicable terms and continue working together.
Whether booked alongside the Naked Cowboy or hired for solo appearances, her notoriety as the Naked Cowgirl has taken her to events in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Texas, and Florida, as well as onto apps where fans book her for personalized birthday and holiday video shout-outs.
Outside of Times Square, Burck has never let go of her first passion for belly dancing. For years, she has worked with an organization called BNS that sends her to senior centers across Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx to teach and perform belly dancing for older adults. She loves visiting the senior centers, noting that even when some of the residents do not get up to dance themselves, watching their faces light up brings her immense joy.
Life Off the Plaza and Looking Ahead
When she is off the clock, Patricia Burck keeps an active routine, hitting the gym almost every day, running in the park, and taking quiet walks along the beach to unwind. She also stays close with her family, and on Sundays her sister regularly comes into Manhattan to walk with her, watch her perform in Times Square, and film videos of her interactions with the crowd.
Looking toward the next chapter of her career, Burck is currently developing an official merchandise line to go along with her personal appearances. Her biggest long-term goal, however, is to bring her two worlds together by opening a dance studio of her own while continuing to grow the Naked Cowgirl brand she built from the pavement of Times Square.
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