When We Dance

Since 2006, drag and queerlesque has been a part of my life. Sometimes manager, sometimes producer or photographer; most of the time, I am behind the scenes organizing administrative and business tasks for the stage. In 2010, I co-founded the drag king centric troupe, Mustache Envy.

When talk of the 2020 pandemic began, our drag and queerlesque troupe was practicing a group number for our March monthly show. For many performers, drag is a lifestyle that encompasses your daily life and out of nowhere, it suddenly stopped due to the covid pandemic. On a Sunday, we were practicing steps; by Wednesday, most bars were closed and our Friday show was canceled. For the next 2.5 years, mostly everyone was at home due to stay-at-home orders and alot of performers tried to adapt with live on-line video shows but you don’t get the same audience interaction; most performers thrive off audience energy while on stage. It was tough…

When We Dance/d started as a photo/video pandemic project that engaged drag and queerlesque performers behind the scenes, capturing them both as their “everyday self” and performers. During a time when our daily lives were disrupted and we found ourselves cooped up in our homes or apartments, capturing these moments became an outlet that used to be a part of our norm. Some portions include an audio component, asking participants, “How were performances for you before the pandemic and how have you been through the thick of it?” When I began scheduling photo shoots, I was often told that it would be the first time they’ve gotten “dressed up” in months, where prior to the pandemic it could have been a daily, weekly, or monthly. Where do you go with that energy and how do you adapt? When We Danced gives you a glimpse of how the pandemic affected a few of these performers.

Post-pandemic, as part documentarian and to extend promoting drag visibility, I removed the past tense naming of the series and When We Dance continues as away to persist and support our drag community. In 2015, drag story hours became a target and attacks on drag in the U.S. escalated. Since early 2022, GLAAD found 161 incidents of anti-LGBTQ protests and threats targeting drag events. As of April 11 2025, the ACLU have been tracking 569 anti-lgbtq bills in the U.S. Mustache Envy Drag & Queerlesque came back to the stage June 2022 and our monthly shows are still going strong in 2025. Being back on stage finally felt like we were able to breathe again but drag is still under attack and visibility is how we confront those against drag. When We Dance continues…