![]() Like many, drag artists are facing huge financial blows during these unprecedented times. They describe the experience as “a full scale reimagining of what my drag art is, and what it is going to be moving forward after COVID.”Īmateur and can be found on, and Dust plans to release a second album later this month. I was a full amateur but with the utmost amount of passion,” says Dust.įrom creating a social media marketing plan, to mixing and mastering, to designing the album cover-Dust did everything themselves. I didn’t know what to listen for, what to do. “I started recording in my kitchen, not knowing anything about making music. At the end of March, when COVID-19 restrictions were ramping up in Vancouver, Dust set out to make an album. He’s even considering starting a YouTube channel.ĭust also found themselves inspired to try out a new medium. I find that really rewarding,” Duke says, adding that he may continue making drag videos after the pandemic. “Getting to watch the transition from the idea-the stick figure doodles, the raw clips- into the edited, transitioned, filtered final product. PST.Ĭalgary drag star Duke Carson had never tried video performance before the pandemic, and is surprised to find himself really enjoying the process. PST and Quaranclowns on Instagram Live, Mondays at 3:00 p.m. Satanix is currently hosting two shows online, Storytelling with Satanix on Instagram Live, Fridays at 3:00 p.m. We’ll see if I decide to host in person stuff after this all ends.” “It got a lot easier when everything went online. “I’d been wanting to get into for a while, but wasn’t sure about how I was going to,” says Satanix. For Vancouver-based drag and makeup artist Satanix, the experience has given them an opportunity to try event hosting for the first time in the drag community. The pandemic is forcing drag artists to rethink, revamp and reconsider their art. “So all my eyeshadow will be the background that I’m in front of.” “I’ll do my make up and not realize that I did it in a shade of green that means my computer is reading my eyes as a green screen,” Dank says. If I have to sit, for example, that can change the whole dynamic of the performance,” says Dank, adding that the learning curve has been amusing at times. I can’t have my camera too high or too low. I have a certain lamp I always have to move around. “I reorganize my living room every time I have a show. It’s really magical to bring this group of people together.”įor Dank Sinatra, a Toronto-based “drag thing” who regularly performs for Commercial Drag Online, learning how to optimize their home space has been one of the biggest challenges of the experience. We now have performers from all across Canada: from Vancouver to Alberta, Manitoba, Victoria, and Toronto. Over the last month or so, it’s really evolved. ![]() “People stepped in and assisted in making the online show smoother, funner and more cohesive. ![]() They describe the debut as good, but not great, and have since worked out some technology kinks with the help of the community. ![]() It didn’t take long after COVID-19 safety measures were imposed for Dust to organize Commercial Drag’s first online show. “By being resilient we could come up with a response, rather than a reaction. “That’s when I realized that our drag community is resilient,” says Dust. When venues around the city began to shut down due to COVID-19, Dust says it felt like something important was being ripped away from the community.Īfter reflecting on the history of Commercial Drag in Vancouver, Dust realized that the show had been displaced from different venues around the city since it first started. Pre-pandemic, Dust hosted and regularly performed at East Vancouver’s beloved bi-monthly drag show, Commercial Drag. “Behind the scenes, I’m trying to create that same energy of people feeling loved, appreciated and valued that they would have felt at a live show,” says Dust. Their weekly online show starts in half an hour, but beforehand, Dust makes sure there’s an opportunity for the other performers to hype each other up over a group chat. On a Sunday night at 7:30 p.m., Vancouver-based drag artist Dust can be found at home with their makeup on, laptop out and phone in hand. ![]()
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