Armenian Dance & Drag
“Try, Hye” by VERA!
This work encompasses dance, drag, theater, performance, comedy, and art as healing. “Try, Hye!” (“Try, Armenian!”) is a narrative arc of VERA! being taught by different queer SWANA diasporic dance teachers, learning the movement, experiencing trial and error, failure and success, culminating in a performance with those teachers, Step Up: SWANA Edition. The audience will see and experience the learning process, the void of cultural knowledge that queer SWANA people seek to fill, and celebrate the end culminating achievement.
Excerpt from “Try, Hye”
O Hye I Didn’t See You There
Journey into VERA!’s Performing Diaspora residency work, “Try, Hye (Armenian person),” and watch this hye try to learn Armenian and SWANA dances from queer diasporic SWANA teachers at Counterpulse. You will see: rehearsal BTS from day 1 and 2, VERA! trying to achieve the Armenian airplane arm lock with teacher Hrayr, getting whiplash from hairwhipping with Shady Bee, basking in the first ever Armenian drag queen and king rehearsal with Anoush Ellah, interwoven with live drag makeup application and testimonials, an original poem by Hrayr, and dad puns!
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Basinah
Basinah is a San Francisco based belly dance performer and instructor. She is a 10 time multi-award winner from state-wide and National competitions in both soloist and groups categories. Basinah is a founding member of Asheq Collective. She can be found performing locally at restaurants and events. @basinahdances
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Hrayr Varaz
Hrayr Varaz is a poet, linguist and advocate for Western Armenian language and culture. A graduate of UCLA and MIT, Varaz's passion for Armenian education and language revitalization shines through in his work, including his pocket-sized book of Twitter poems, #jivjiv. Varaz seeks to encourage language learners of all ages.“#twitterpoem”. @hrayr_huh_died
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Anoush Ellah
Fusing culture and Drag together, Anoush Ellah is an Armenian gender-bending Drag pop Princess that is on a mission to infiltrate spaces with Queerness and culture. @anoush_ellah
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Shadybee Diamond
Shadybee Diamond – the pronoun is Queen – Queen Shadybee is an Arabic Drag artist all the way from the Middle East. This Queen is a bellydancer and teaches it too. This Queen is also a seamstress, and does wig styling. The art of drag is the hope that Shadybee is living for and it keeps this queen creative, productive, and alive. @iamshadybee
Celebration: Queer Armenian Voices in Drag, Poetry and Sapphic RomCom
Join us for an electrifying evening celebrating the intersections of SWANA, Armenian and queer culture, featuring performances by beloved drag king VERA!, poetry by language advocate Hrayr Varaz, and a glimpse into the world of award-winning writer Taleen Voskuni. Experience an evening of creativity as we feature three exceptional individuals who embody activism and expression. From VERA!'s infectious laughter and advocacy for inclusivity in the drag community to Hrayr Varaz's innovative linguistic techniques and passion for Western Armenian revitalization, and Taleen Voskuni's storytelling that has received critical acclaim, this event promises to be a memorable celebration of art, identity and community. Join us for the magic of Queer Armenian Voices—you won't want to miss it.