Tuesday, November 12, 2019

SMOKE AND MIRRORS

In an already very crowded drag world bursting at the seams, one better have a schtick and something very creative if you want to hold the attention, or have bigger dreams.

And this week's Grande Dame, Sasha Velour is one such queen who I feel is one of the most creative and memorable and unique to hit the scene since RuPaul herself. Sasha is a gender-fluid drag queen and visual artist. Through multi-media performance, advocacy, and design, Velour’s work maps out new frontiers for drag and creates new spaces for LGBTQ artists to flourish and thrive. Sasha Velour came to national attention in 2017, when she won season 9 of RuPaul' s Drag Race. But if you were in on the night scene or drag scene, you were well aware of Ms Velour long before that.. Her finale lip-sync to “So Emotional” by Whitney Houston was called “the performance of the year” by the AV Club and named one of “TV’s Best Musical Moments on Television” by Entertainment Weekly.Velour frequently uses her platform to not only showcase her incredible ensembles, but also discuss politics, queer history, and LGBTQ+ issues. She was billed as a keynote speaker at the 2018 Teen Vogue Summit in New York City, and in December 2018, she took the stage at The Smithsonian for “The Long Conversation,” an event with leaders from around the world. Velour invested her Drag Race prize money back into “Nightgowns,” the monthly drag show she had been producing since 2015 in Brooklyn. Serving as its host, director, and in-house lighting designer, Velour has turned Nightgowns into one of the most esteemed live drag shows in the world. If you haven't seen it...it 's a NYC must see. I feel her drag and performances have brought drag to an entirely new level of performance art.



I'm excitied to see Sasha when she brings her show , Smoke and Mirrors to Philadelphia next week. Smoke & Mirrors, Sasha Velour's first one-queen theatre tour, is an effortless blend of drag, visual art, and magic. Velour introduces audiences to a whole new side of her artistry, through 13 dazzling and genre-busting lip-synch performances, all directed and choreographed by the queen herself. You'll be on the edge of your seat as she explodes into rose petals, vanishes in a poof of smoke, saws herself in half, conjures a rainstorm, even transforms into a tree in front of your eyes (to name just a few). But the real magic is the way that these illusions and deceptions serve to unmask deeper truths, sparking fresh analysis of gender, fame, family, and the importance of dreaming big and living life over-the-top.. So  if your to be in Philly or live in Philly,  next  Friday, November 22 at 8:00 she'll be the Merriam Theater. Tickets here. A little velour bird tells me they are going fast.Without giving too much away, here is one number she'll be doing, a favorite of mine and a Shirey Bassey number. to boot She is just incredible. 

21 comments:

  1. I find Sasha Velour hot both in and out of drag.
    I'm all confuzzled now.
    Plus she's fiercely talented.

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    1. Sasha understands dramatic tension so well. she must be incredible in the bedroom

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  2. That will be a great show! Looking forward to your post telling us all about it. Sasha Velour is so very daring and creative.

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  3. Her drag is BEYOND! Just beyond!!!!!!!

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  4. AN ARTIST really. And beyond gorgeous to boot. I wish she come to town here, I'd love to see her in person.

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  5. This queen is taking drag to a whole new level. This is art in its purest form. She is drop dead stunning.

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  6. MISTRESS!!!!! I have tickets for it too! We should meet up. Sasha is truly so captivating and beautiful, an amazing artist and performer who has the ability to make you feel the emotions she's trying to transmit, which is something not many people can do.

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  7. HAUNTING. MESMERIZING. BRILLIANT. The intensity of this performance is palpable. I shook for the gods!

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  8. Sasha is truly a groundbreaking queen. Adore her. Her performances are RADICAL, MAGICAL, AND LIBERAL.

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  9. Her eyes and make up technique is the most beautiful I have ever seen. And that clip? She is just pure MAGIC!

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  10. Oh man, is this overflowing. I dare even say she might even have more creativity then Ru herself.

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  11. This is the most enchanting performance I have ever seen a queen do!. I was entranced and transfixed through this whole performance... Sasha never disappoints.

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  12. Have a wonderful, wonderful time!
    xoxoxoxox :-)

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  13. Our own Jimmy Emerson will soon open his new club with drag performances. The whole city is anticipating this and hoping it can become as world renown as others.

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  14. This made my scalp prickle. I couldn't take my eyes off her.
    Have a fabulous time! Xx

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  15. She sure won over that crowd!

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  16. Sasha doesn't need to do the split, death drop, or any stunt but she can still murder you on a lip sync ♡

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  17. I can see why she won.

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  18. this got me so emotional.

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  19. She IS incredible. And any queen that does Miss Bassey is a goddess.
    Now I wanna go see her!

    XoXo

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  20. Such brilliance. To be able to entertain, inspire, and educate. A gift to everyone.

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Go ahead darling, tell me something fabulous!