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Center on Halsted celebrates Dreams of Drag
by Vern Hester
2024-03-11
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This article shared 11816 times since Mon Mar 11, 2024
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On March 9, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., in partnership with the Ralla Klepak Foundation, presented the Dreams of Drag Spring Cohort Class of 2024.
The event featured performances from a class of new drag artists (ages 16 through 24) and their mentors/instructors, and culminated with a group performance and a graduation ceremony. The program was facilitated by Center on Halsted's Youth and Family Services, which hosts drag educational courses to teach youth about the world of drag.
This latest event featuring the fifth cohort, played out in front of a packed rowdy Hoover Leppen Theater, where roughly half of the audience had never seen a drag show before.
Drag artist Zamora Love served as emcee to a new generation of performers, including Morticia Quinn, Ryot, Chrome Snatchica, Aiye Gai, Neon Whorra and Pheobe Phoniex. Local and professional artists also featured included Sasha Sota, Bonnie Mi, King the Drag King, Betta Fish and Star Girl.
Cohort members train for five weeks; each course culminating in a graduation show. This version of Dreams of Drag drew a near capacity crowd of family, friends, allies and drag lovers.
The 2024 Spring Cohort of Dreams of Drag was produced in partnership with the Ralla Klepak Foundation, which provides performing arts education to the disadvantaged while bringing future generations together through a mutual appreciation for the performing arts.
See centeronhalsted.org .
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This article shared 11816 times since Mon Mar 11, 2024
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