Best of Denver

The ten best local drag queen names

By Bree Davies Tue., Apr. 2 2013 at 6:59 AM
Categories: Best of Denver, Drag!, GLBTQ

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Brandon Marshall
Drama Drag in full effect.
The drag scene in Denver is bigger and better than ever -- in 2013, Miss Queen of Aces showed the city what it took to put on a successful and community-driven beauty-pageant fundraiser. Tracks' Drag Nation also took a turn in the spotlight for its Best Ongoing Drag Event. Inspired by the beautiful performers who give their all to these fantastic shows, here's a list of our favorite local drag-queen monikers.

See also:
- Photos: Drag Nation re-interprets Girls Gone Wild at Tracks
- Do I have what it takes to be a drag queen pageant judge?
- It ain't easy being queen: Luke List on the "anti-masculinity" stigma of drag performance


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Tags:

Charlie's, drag, Drag Nation, drag queen bingo, Hamburger Mary's, Miss Queen of Aces, RuPaul's Drag Race, Tracks
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Drag!

Photos: Drag Nation re-interprets Girls Gone Wild at Tracks

By Show and Tell Mon., Apr. 1 2013 at 12:00 PM
Categories: Drag!, Photos

girls gone wild drag night 1.jpg
All photos by Brandon Marshall.
For the latest Drag Nation night at Tracks, performers tackled "Girls Gone Wild." The night's energy and costumes certainly fit the theme as personalities including Nina Flowers and Chad Michaels strutted and danced their stuff. Continue reading for highlights from the evening, and visit our full slide show for more photos.

See also:
- Slide show: Girls Gone Wild Drag Nation at Tracks
- Slide show: Drama Drag at Tracks
- Slide show: Lady Gaga after-party at Tracks


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Drag!

Miss Queen of Aces pageant will choose the next ambassador of glam and good works

By Bree Davies Fri., Feb. 8 2013 at 8:01 AM
Categories: Drag!, Events

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Past pageant winners Shirley Delta Blow, Zoe O. and Daniella DeCoteau.
This Saturday, February 9, queens will be battling for the crown in the fourth annual Miss Queen of Aces pageant. One of the Colorado Gay Volleyball Association's biggest fundraisers of the year, the competition isn't just about beauty -- it's about serious talent, too.

See also:
- As Drag Machine's Shirley Delta Blow, actor Stuart Sanks tells drag's vibrant history
- Zoe O. wins Queen of Aces Pageant 2012
- Do I have what it takes to be a drag queen pageant judge?


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Tags:

CGVA, Daniella DeCoteau, drag, fundraiser, Queen of Aces, Shirley Delta Blow, Zoe O.
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Drag!

It's double the drag tonight at Tracks, with RuPaul's Drag Race and more

By Susan Froyd Mon., Jan. 28 2013 at 6:00 AM
Categories: Drag!, Nightlife

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The double race for the pinnacle of dragdom is on again: As Season 5 of RuPaul's Drag Race commences tonight, so does the Ultimate Queen Contest 2013 at Tracks, and it all comes packaged up together in one long, entertaining sashay through a Monday night.

See also:
- Queens Nina Flowers and Ongina bring art from Louis Recchia and Zoa Ace to life with Pop Drag
- Ginger Sexton asks you to help a queen out: Vote for her to get on RuPaul's Drag Race
- Twitter Tuesday: Everything you needed to know, from the Tweets of RuPaul

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Photos

Photos: The ten best scenes from Pop Art Drag Nation at Tracks

By Show and Tell Mon., Dec. 3 2012 at 11:00 AM
Categories: Drag!, Photos

pop art drag nation 1.jpg
All photos by Jim Wills.
Friday night saw the combination of two worlds and four big names at Tracks as drag queens Nina Flowers and Ongina channeled the art of Louis Recchia and Zoa Ace through live performances. The results were fierce, to say the least, and we're still reeling from our favorite scenes. Continue reading for the night's ten best images -- and visit our full slide show for more.

See also:
- Queens Nina Flowers and Ongina bring art from Louis Recchia and Zoa Ace to life with Pop Drag
- Slide show: Pop Art Drag Nation
- Don't call him queen: Paul Soileau talks about more-punk-than-drag persona Christeene Vale


More »

Tags:

Drag Nation, Nina Flowers, Ongina, photos, pop art, Tracks
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Drag!

Queens Nina Flowers and Ongina bring art from Louis Recchia and Zoa Ace to life with Pop Drag

By Bree Davies Thu., Nov. 29 2012 at 9:04 AM
Categories: Art, Drag!, GLBTQ

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Koko Brentano
Nina Flowers
As both the official photographer for the monthly Drag Nation and a longtime supporter of local art, Koko Brentano had a vision: to see the two worlds collide. Friday night's Pop Drag at EXDO Event Center is the result, a convergence of the work of artists Louis Recchia and Zoa Ace with the multidimensional performances of RuPaul's Drag Race alums Nina Flowers and Ongina -- plus a rotating cast of Drag Nation regulars.

See also:
- Slide show: Pop Art Drag Nation at Tracks
- Slideshow: Drama Drag at Tracks
- Dana Cain's Art Collection: Louis Recchia
- Don't call him queen: Paul Soileau talks about more-punk-than-drag persona Christeene Vale

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Tags:

Denver Dance, drag, Drag Nation, Koko Brentano, Louis Recchia, Nina Flowers, Ongina, Zoa Ace
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As Drag Machine's Shirley Delta Blow, actor Stuart Sanks tells drag's vibrant history

By Bree Davies Wed., Oct. 31 2012 at 9:31 AM
Categories: Drag!, GLBTQ, Theater

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Brian Landis Folkins
Miss Shirley Delta Blow
As Shirley Delta Blow, actor Stuart Sanks has been entertaining audiences through his charity-supporting drag shows at Hamburger Mary's. But his performances blow away standard drag routines -- the trained actor is known for his comedic timing and infamous retelling of Steel Magnolias using Barbie dolls, a feat that won him the "Queen of Aces" drag title in 2011. Emily Tarquin, co-curator of Off-Center, the versatile programming component of the Jones Theatre, caught wind of his work, and, after Sank did a few hosting stints at the venue, she asked him to turn the Shirley Delta Blow show into a full-on performance for the 2012 season.

And so Drag Machine was born. This Friday, November 2, Blow & Co. will travel through time in a tricked-out time machine (also known as the Jones Theatre covered in glitter gussied up to look like an airplane cockpit) to tell the story of drag and GLBTQ civil rights history. In advance of the three-show run, Sanks spoke with Westword about Drag Machine's creation, and what brought the actor to drag in the first place.

See also:
- It ain't easy being queen: Luke List on the "anti-masculinity" stigma of drag performance
- Slideshow: Drama Drag at Tracks
- Don't call him queen: Paul Soileau talks about more-punk-than-drag persona Christeene Vale

More »

Tags:

Colorado Gay Volleyball Association, drag, Drag Machine, Jones Theatre, Shirley Delta Blow, Stuart Sanks
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Leather, fire and Mondo: Behind the scenes at Exile Fetish Ball 2012 (NSFW)

By Show and Tell Mon., Aug. 27 2012 at 9:39 AM
Categories: Burlesque, Drag!, Fashion, Photos, Sex

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All photos by Jim Wills.
Revelers at Friday's Exile Fetish Ball at Tracks Nightclub strapped in and strapped on for a large-scale celebration of sex. The ball is an annual highlight on the kink scene, whose denizens stopped in for burlesque, drag, fireplay and suspension events in a night full of supercharged sexuality. Continue on for photos from the fetish-friendly fete.

See also:
- Slide show: Exile Fetish Ball 2012
- Exile Fetish Ball should whip it good on Friday

More »

Tags:

Exile Fetish Ball 2012, kink, Mondo, photos, Tracks Nightclub
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Denver County Fair!

Ruby Ann Boxcar brings trailer park truth to Denver County Fair

By Laura Bond Thu., Aug. 9 2012 at 9:53 AM
Categories: Art, Arts and Culture, Classes, DIY, Denver County Fair!, Drag!, GLBTQ

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Ruby Ann Boxcar is one of the bonafide stars of this year's Denver County Fair, which runs tomorrow through Sunday. Hailed as the Dame Edna of the Trailer Park, Boxcar is a performer, speaker, and the author of numerous cookbooks that celebrate the art of frugal, second-hand living. A big personality with hair to match, Boxcar will share some of her white-trash wisdom with fairgoers during several workshops and activities that explore everything from gastronomy to cheap-and-green crafting. We asked Boxcar, who visits Denver by way of her hometown of Panbgurm, Arkansas, to give us a taste of what she's cooking up this weekend.

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Denver County Fair, larkspur, Ruby Ann Boxcar
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GLBTQ

Don't call him queen: Paul Soileau talks about more-punk-than-drag persona Christeene Vale

By Bree Davies Thu., Jul. 19 2012 at 8:00 AM
Categories: Drag!, GLBTQ

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Paul Soileau is Christeene Vale, Rebecca Havemeyer...and Paul Soileau.
Austin, Texas weirdo Paul Soileau has done the drag thing: Within the confines of heels and pearls, the performer has seen plenty of success under the Rebecca Havemeyer moniker. But Soileau desired more for himself and the stage, and after scratching just below his own performance surface, he found Christeene Vale -- a sweaty, squeamish-looking but lovable character who invites you to spend the night with her this Friday, July 20 at the Denver FilmCenter.

As part of this weekend's Cinema Q Festival, the theater is devoting its 10 p.m. edition of The Watching Hour to a screening of Chistine's video collaborations with cinematographer PJ Ravel, as well as a performance with her music man, DJ JJ Booya. We caught up with Soileau while he was brunching with friends to talk about the birth of Christeene and her music.

See Also:
- It ain't easy being queen: Luke List on the "anti-masculinity" stigma of drag
- Over the weekend: Amanda Lepore's Drag Nation show at Tracks
- Breeality Bites: What a wonderful, genderqueer world!

More »

Tags:

90s, Christeene Vale, Cinema Q, Denver FilmCenter, DJ JJ Booya, PJ Ravel, RuPaul
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