Everybody loves Bearonce!
We are delighted to have Bearonce Bear with us again in Art is a Drag
At 9pm, run over to the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center for a classic drag extravaganza to watch Bearonce and 12 other featured drag queens perform and entertain you.
Highlights from 3/12/2017 phone interview with Diego Larenas
How did you get started in drag?I started like I believe so many did . . . dressing up in mom's clothes.
But once I was old enough to get into nightclubs ... I will never forget going to Wilds in Orlando, my first drag club. I was in awe!
About 6 years ago, my best friend's boyfriend (now husband) was performing and he needed a backup dancer. He dragged me, and since Beyoncé is my favorite all-time artist it was meant-to-be that Bearonce would be my drag name.
About 6 years ago, my best friend's boyfriend (now husband) was performing and he needed a backup dancer. He dragged me, and since Beyoncé is my favorite all-time artist it was meant-to-be that Bearonce would be my drag name.
For that first time (and the next two) I shaved my face, so I wasn't really feeling my name. I'm a bear and shaving didn't fit. Finally I just started keeping my beard.
So, I showed up at The Copa, a club in Ocala, Florida, with my beard and a body suit. It was right about the same time that bearded-drag was becoming a 'thing'. But it took a drag queen I really respected to convince me to rock the body hair. The next time I went to the club I was Bearonce Bear - big, bearded and body hair.
Soon, what started as hobby became something significant as I got booked more and more.
I began to 'make a name for myself' and got on cast at Sawmill Campground. By the time I hosted Ocala Pride 2014 I had fully figured out who my character was.
The second one was at The Copa where I got first runner-up again to Raquel Payne.
The third one at Sawmill where I got third runner-up against hardcore female illusionists.
I only placed at all because of my act, my talent. I don't have the gowns. I'm not a traditional pageant queen type.
How was your first time on stage?
I was a nervous wreck. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't have hips, no padding. Just some thigh-high boots, fishnet stockings, a black one piece, red corset, huge hair and a white feather boa belt. One of the feathers was my demise that night because I stepped on one and slipped flat onto my ass, which then made my wig fall off. But . . . it was one of my biggest money-making nights in my drag career. I was tipped so much for one song it was ridiculous.
Favorite performance of your drag career?
My Heads Will Roll number that I did last year at Art is a Drag 2016.
Katy Perry's Dark Horse, where I come out as a witch, pour vinegar into a caldron with baking soda in it and drink it. I go behind stage and re-emerge as a horse-head helmet and horse legs.
What happened to your leg?
You noticed the boot in all the photos?
I told the "Art is a Drag" team that I wouldn't know the status of my foot when it comes to April 15. I know I'll be in the boot. But if it comes down to it, I have a complete act that I can do with my scooter. I just performed it this past weekend and people ate it up.
Dancing. I was at the Parliament House and was the DD, so there wasn't even alcohol involved. I was doing Ciera's 1,2 Step with my jacket wrapped around my waist. I stepped into the sleeve of my jacket and instead of falling I corrected my step in a way that really hurt, but I didn't stop. I kept dancing. By the end of the night I had a limp. When I got home I put my leg up and put ice on it. The next day it was getting bruised. The day after that it was turning purple and swelling so I went to urgent care. I broke my foot in two places.
The podiatrist said either surgery or a boot for 5-7 months. So, I'm in a boot.
What inspires your numbers?
When I listen to a song I think about how I would produce it.
Do you really think RuPaul's Drag Race did change the game as far as drag pageants go?
100% YES.
Don't get me wrong, I love the show, but I do think it's set up an expectation that is discouraging to beginners - if you're not at that crown-holding level or spotlight level, that you're nobody. There are so many people out there dressed to the nines, painted for the gods, getting 25-75$ gigs, and then they bring these girls in from the shows and pay them $2000-$5000.
So, I showed up at The Copa, a club in Ocala, Florida, with my beard and a body suit. It was right about the same time that bearded-drag was becoming a 'thing'. But it took a drag queen I really respected to convince me to rock the body hair. The next time I went to the club I was Bearonce Bear - big, bearded and body hair.
Soon, what started as hobby became something significant as I got booked more and more.
I began to 'make a name for myself' and got on cast at Sawmill Campground. By the time I hosted Ocala Pride 2014 I had fully figured out who my character was.
So, it took me about 3 years to fully settle into Bearonce Bear.
It's so you! I can't imagine Bearonce any other way?
I saw a FB post recently asking "has RPDR (RuPaul's Drag Race) ruined drag?" in the sense that everybody is coming out identical - everybody has the same eye, everybody has the same hair, the same synched waist . . . Obviously, I'm not a pageant queen, although I've been in 3 bar pageants and placed in every single one.
How did that go?
The first one was at this tiny little hole-in-the-wall bar in Ocala called The Pub where I came in second to a female impersonator who's won other crowns before.
It's so you! I can't imagine Bearonce any other way?
I saw a FB post recently asking "has RPDR (RuPaul's Drag Race) ruined drag?" in the sense that everybody is coming out identical - everybody has the same eye, everybody has the same hair, the same synched waist . . . Obviously, I'm not a pageant queen, although I've been in 3 bar pageants and placed in every single one.
How did that go?
The first one was at this tiny little hole-in-the-wall bar in Ocala called The Pub where I came in second to a female impersonator who's won other crowns before.
The second one was at The Copa where I got first runner-up again to Raquel Payne.
The third one at Sawmill where I got third runner-up against hardcore female illusionists.
I only placed at all because of my act, my talent. I don't have the gowns. I'm not a traditional pageant queen type.
How was your first time on stage?
I was a nervous wreck. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't have hips, no padding. Just some thigh-high boots, fishnet stockings, a black one piece, red corset, huge hair and a white feather boa belt. One of the feathers was my demise that night because I stepped on one and slipped flat onto my ass, which then made my wig fall off. But . . . it was one of my biggest money-making nights in my drag career. I was tipped so much for one song it was ridiculous.Favorite performance of your drag career?
My Heads Will Roll number that I did last year at Art is a Drag 2016.
Katy Perry's Dark Horse, where I come out as a witch, pour vinegar into a caldron with baking soda in it and drink it. I go behind stage and re-emerge as a horse-head helmet and horse legs.
What happened to your leg?
You noticed the boot in all the photos?
I told the "Art is a Drag" team that I wouldn't know the status of my foot when it comes to April 15. I know I'll be in the boot. But if it comes down to it, I have a complete act that I can do with my scooter. I just performed it this past weekend and people ate it up.
Dancing. I was at the Parliament House and was the DD, so there wasn't even alcohol involved. I was doing Ciera's 1,2 Step with my jacket wrapped around my waist. I stepped into the sleeve of my jacket and instead of falling I corrected my step in a way that really hurt, but I didn't stop. I kept dancing. By the end of the night I had a limp. When I got home I put my leg up and put ice on it. The next day it was getting bruised. The day after that it was turning purple and swelling so I went to urgent care. I broke my foot in two places.
The podiatrist said either surgery or a boot for 5-7 months. So, I'm in a boot.
What inspires your numbers?
When I listen to a song I think about how I would produce it.
Do you really think RuPaul's Drag Race did change the game as far as drag pageants go?
100% YES.
Don't get me wrong, I love the show, but I do think it's set up an expectation that is discouraging to beginners - if you're not at that crown-holding level or spotlight level, that you're nobody. There are so many people out there dressed to the nines, painted for the gods, getting 25-75$ gigs, and then they bring these girls in from the shows and pay them $2000-$5000.
I understand that names are being booked to draw in the crowds, but then the crowd is there to support the person, not the venue. They are bringing in the reality stars like NeNe Leakes and yes the house is packed. But very talented people are getting lost in the mix because people are having to budget around these high-paid headliners and its squeezing out the great local performers.
If you had a talk show, who would be your first guest and why?
Julia Roberts. She is my all-time favorite actress. Whenever you hear her in an interview she just seems real, and that smile.
Pretty Woman is my all-time favorite movie. I have 3 versions of that movie - the original, the 20th anniversary edition and then the 25th anniversary edition with all of the deleted scenes put back into the movie.
Do you have a favorite artist?
Whenever I go to Key West I make a point of going to the Peter Lik Gallery and I love the art of Steve Walker too.
What music do you have in your car?
One of three - Beyonce, Sia or anything tribal dance, like I'm at the club.
What music do you listen to when you're getting ready to go on stage?
Good calming music makes me do a better job with painting my face, like Sia or Adelle. It helps me focus.
Do you have a celebrity crush?
Beyoncé.
I'm a gold-star gay, never had sex with a woman, but Beyoncé transcends gender.
What is something on your bucket list?
I want to go skydiving, except you have to be under 225 since you jump tandem. I was 225 when I came out of my mom.
#Drag #Art #CostumeDesign #Bears #BeardedBear #BearonceBear #ArtisaDrag #ArtWorks #DragQueen #Drag #PerformanceArt #Paintings #ContemporaryArt #Diversity #EqualRights #Tolerance #RiseUp #LiveandLetLive #OrlandoStrong #LGBTQ
If you had a talk show, who would be your first guest and why?
Julia Roberts. She is my all-time favorite actress. Whenever you hear her in an interview she just seems real, and that smile.
Pretty Woman is my all-time favorite movie. I have 3 versions of that movie - the original, the 20th anniversary edition and then the 25th anniversary edition with all of the deleted scenes put back into the movie.
Whenever I go to Key West I make a point of going to the Peter Lik Gallery and I love the art of Steve Walker too.
What music do you have in your car?
One of three - Beyonce, Sia or anything tribal dance, like I'm at the club.
What music do you listen to when you're getting ready to go on stage?
Good calming music makes me do a better job with painting my face, like Sia or Adelle. It helps me focus.
Do you have a celebrity crush?
Beyoncé.
I'm a gold-star gay, never had sex with a woman, but Beyoncé transcends gender.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Freeze-time.
I want to go skydiving, except you have to be under 225 since you jump tandem. I was 225 when I came out of my mom.
#Drag #Art #CostumeDesign #Bears #BeardedBear #BearonceBear #ArtisaDrag #ArtWorks #DragQueen #Drag #PerformanceArt #Paintings #ContemporaryArt #Diversity #EqualRights #Tolerance #RiseUp #LiveandLetLive #OrlandoStrong #LGBTQ
