Today we’d like to introduce you to Sauvignon Blanca.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My drag journey technically began in 2018, when my partner Paul Chavarria ( @gayingmantis, a sensational designer, who also makes many of my costumes) and I were living in Marfa, Texas. We missed the nightlife while working out in Marfa, so we decided to throw a party at Cochineal. Dj’s, drag, the whole thing! We hosted multiple parties (Hallowqueen, Spring Queening, Queeñata, and HallowQueen 2) and spearheaded the town’s first major Pride, as well. Along with this, working a few shows in El Paso as nightlife slowly recovered during COVID.
When moving to Houston, that’s when I consider my true birth/rebirth, with Persephone’s Game of Drag. It is when I started to consistently do drag and grow as an artist.
From there is was a lot of trial and error, finding my voice, what type of drag “worked” for me. Much of my inspiration comes from science, club kids, and just wanting to have fun with how makeup, drag, costumes, headpieces ect. can transform my face and body. Where (what I consider) fashion, dancing, and just looking weird, intersect.
A lot of my drag comes from trying to fill gaps of what I would like to see in drag, club culture, and nightlife.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I wouldn’t really consider it bumpy, so much as making my own little smooth road. The biggest challenge was figuring out what I felt comfortably challenged with as an artist and a performer. I wouldn’t consider myself a classic drag-style artist, and from there, it was a lot of doing what I wanted to do, with all the praise and criticism. Wanting to look freaky, but also interesting, but also pretty, but fundamentally, strange.
I suppose the nice thing about doing “weird” drag is that if you can polish it and sell it, the right audience will appear. Most of my problems with drag were understanding whose praise and criticism had gravity. What do growth, improvement, and polish mean to me? Where and what audiences are receptive to my style of drag? What are the expectations for a show, do I fit the show / belong there? Treating it as a continuous journey, knowing that it’ll flop sometimes, but most importantly, showing up for your audience and your own vision of your own drag/art.
If you take risks other do not, you’ll fail and be rewarded like no one else. But at the end of the day, drag is supposed to be captivating and entertaining; we are performers, so we must show up for our people! And of course, speak up for our marginalized communities and our causes!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I primarily think my strengths are presenting costumes and looks that are strange and (hopefully) fashion-forward. I love appropriately challenging an audience. Make them laugh at something, force them to listen to absurd remixes and club music, but of course (again, hopefully), provide something entertaining. Or at least memorable.
I’m most proud of being welcomed into my little corner of Houston drag, the club kids, and celebrating the freaks and artists. While also working on important projects relevant to drag. I love that I have performed at my favorite Houston shows, getting to perform at venues such as Meow Wolf, working on the previously mentioned Pride Marfa, and being the Numbers Person for Meals on Heels. I just want people to celebrate the art of drag, make others pushing the boundaries of drag feel seen and supported, and try to do some good along the way.
I think what sets me apart is how I, or what I perform. I want people to not really know what to expect. Is it a ballad? Maybe. Will a plunger be stuck to my head as I’m dressed up like a turkey? Just as likely.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
First, I would say, be genuine to yourself and your interests; know you may have to compromise here and there, but keep the essence and the seed of your vision alive. Growth is uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as not having perspective.
Learn a drag craft, sewing, hair, headpieces, dancing skills, really just something that you can give back to drag and your own art form.
Show up to shows, find what you’d like to participate in, and do your research on venues.
Lastly, be curious, creative, and kind. It’s not hard, but it is a muscle you have to work. And for the love of all that is holy, have fun.
Pricing:
- Sliding scale, just don’t expect high end glitz and glam for pennies.
- Drag is expensive as hell.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @sauvignon.blanca
