![]() ![]() Photo Credit: Alejandro Wang Jaeden Emery Soo performs as Man Baobao during Dog Days in Drag at Carnegie’s Taipei. I definitely hope that more folks like me will find themselves in this lovely community that centers and celebrates trans, gender-nonconforming, AFAB folks.” Jaeden Emery Soo, who performs as Man Baobao, told The News Lens, “In the king scene specifically, there are only two Taiwanese kings, me being the only one that grew up in Taiwan. Although the Taipei drag scene is on the rise with eager participation, a brief survey reveals a large proportion of foreign immigrant performers - of the current Kings 50 percent are Caucasians. There is even “guy drag” by the name of JC The Guy, a cis man performing male drag. Female drag queen Lady Angelica McDeath, for example, gave a stunning final performance at Blush before returning to South Africa. Just as the art of drag queening is dominated by cisgender male, kings are primarily performed by cisgender female or femmes.īut this does not mean all drag performance is of the gender-bending variety. Tan, a writer and director with multiple plays under her belt in her native Singapore, defines drag as a performance of gender. candidate Liting Tan cited Vesta Tilly, an English actress who specialized in male impersonation. Gender-Cultural Diversity in Drag and the Lack Thereof in TaiwanĪt a recent presentation at Taipei National University of Arts, M.A. From left: Taipei Popcorn, Amily Givenchy, Sawyer Darling, Jo, Bian TaiTai, Yolanda Milan. As a king, I've felt very accepted by the queens.”īlush Facebook Drag king Sawyer Darling poses with queens at Blush Party in Taipei, Taiwan. “These people like Popcorn and Nymphia Wind are really artists, and their dedication and talent would be really scary if they weren’t also lovely people. I wanted to have a first all-drag-king event and do it in style on a yacht for a majority AFAB crowd and we did it and it was an amazing special night”, Top Poki told The News Lens.Īlthough the Taipei drag scene is male-dominated, the community is primarily supportive and creative. “ common narrative around the world is for gay male culture to dominate social scenes. The party was a success, attended by quite a few queens and provided an inclusive, femme-centric space. Top Poki also masterminded the first Drag King Boat Party shortly after the debut at Blush, a queer-friendly art party held at B1 Taipei. Others have more nuances Taiwanese native Man Baobao came into his quadruple entendre name entirely by accident while the more straightforward Dan Dan Demolition is a combination of onomatopoeia and manifesto. Like queens, king names are often puns such as Irish native Nicole Klewendżer performing as Roman Coke and U.S.-born Luca Distraction. Chong’s name is a play on toppoki, a spicy chewy Korean rice snack. Performing as Top Poki, Chong would go on to place second in Taipei’s first Drag Ball, an all-genre drag competition. ![]() That’s where lawyer-by-day Katherine Chong started performing drag. The casual gathering allowed people to “man up” with makeup, cut contours that would make a queen gag, and create the illusion of facial hair with paint. Grimm kickstarted the Taipei King scene by holding the first Drag King Salon at their house. ![]() MOWES Facebook Participants at a Drag King Salon held by MOWES women’s community space. It's an art form that can take any shape that feels good to the one doing it.” “It's not just what you see on Drag Race or Dragula. “Drag is for everyone who wants to try it,” said Grimm. At the time both were in talks about creating space for drag kings in Taipei. I first met Skye Grimm, a Canadian drag performer, alongside boundary-breaking Kiwi Taipei Popcorn at the 2018 Spectrum Formosus, an annual queer art festival held in the Wenshan Mountains. In April 2019, Taipei’s first drag king crew was formed by a coalition of queer women and genderfluid artists who were united by the love of masculine impersonation and performance. Photo Source: Wang Newton Wang Newton poses in front of the Liberty Plaza in Taipei, Taiwan during 2018 Pride. ![]()
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