Author | Ballerina Bizet, Co-Drag Editor
For the past three years I have been a keen observer on all aspects of gay nightlife. I have seen performances ranging from abstract queens with beautiful movements covering themselves in spray paint to glamorous queens who you would mistake for a woman belting “Don’t Rain on My Parade” by Barbra Streisand, to everything in between. Through watching these shows, meeting (and living) with queens, and even sometimes myself performing I have developed not only an appreciation but also a true love for the art of drag. Don’t get me wrong—I have always thought drag was interesting and a cool concept but I did not know enough about it to appreciate its true artistic form. The understanding and experience I have gained through my nightlife journeys (and am still gaining, I am by no means an expert) have led me to see how drag embodies the same developments of other art forms i.e. dance, music, acting. Some may not see it that way, but after watching queens learn to walk in heels, master styling wigs and applying makeup, and develop their nightlife persona I see no difference between these processes and those of a dancer working to full physical expression or a pianist learning to master an instrument.
So some of you reading are probably thinking “duh, I already know this” and some may be thinking “huh?”. For those of you in the second camp, I would like to offer a few quick examples that may help you see drag in this light, or at least give it a second look. I could probably write an 8-page paper with reasons, but I’ll keep it on the short side for now. I’ll use dance as the main comparison since it is what I am most familiar with, as well as my chosen artistic medium (23 years and still going!!).
Origin and Evolution
Dance has many forms and styles from ballet, modern, and hip-hop to house, West African, Bharata Natyam, ballroom, jazz, swing, the list goes on and I know I am missing many. If you were to research some of these forms you would notice an evolution from “classical” to “contemporary or modern”, how concepts stem from an origin form to create new ideas or blend with other movement ideas to create ‘hybrids’. This is the evolution of art—taking ideas, abstracting them and pushing them into new territories; you will see similar developments in other artistic mediums as well. Drag is no different, with origins stemming back as early as 1870. Male actors would cross dress as for female roles in theatre and opera performances although this dissolved when Charles II allowed women to start performing on the London stage. Drag then became associated with broad low comedy and burlesque until about the 20th century when ideas on gender roles started becoming less constrictive. This brought a drag evolution that people today are familiar with where a performer creates their drag persona and uses it to execute their personal artistic expression. And even this form is having its own changes with abstractions of the classic female look and incorporation of other art mediums (Often you will find drag queens with professional training as a dancer, musician, or actor).
Developing the Skills
As previously mentioned, drag queens have to master certain performance and skill sets like any other performance artist. A dancer (specifically ballet) learns how balance and move in a pair of pointe shoes, in a similar manner to a drag queen learning how to balance and move in a pair of heels. As an actor learns how to apply makeup to enhance facial features or to change their look, so does a drag queen. A musician learns how to correctly place their body to play their instrument while a drag queen learns the angles and placement of their body for photos and promotion. When a singer learns breath control and how to move their mouth while singing, a drag queen actually learns the same thing (it is said that if you want to work on a perfect lip-sync, quietly sing or pretend to sing the lyrics). All of these artists know the meaning of perseverance, sacrifice, rejection, and fulfillment. All are willing to devote endless amounts of time to perfecting their artistic expression, to finding their voice through their chosen medium.
While the tools and mediums are different, all of these art forms possess a similar goal: successful artistic expression of the individual’s ideas and intentions. Drag is an art form I have come to appreciate and love more and more over the past few years and I can assure you it has not dwindled. It has introduced me to some wonderful friends and fantastic performers (many who are both). What started as a conversation three years ago with my friend and roommate (at the time) Azraea about her desire to perform as a drag queen in New York City and my interest to see it has blossomed into me happily being a part of in my own small way of this crazy, amazing, and artistic underground culture.
