The dashing Goldie Peacock shares some drag tips at their latest workshop.
Inspired by some of the great drag performers of all time like Diane Torr, Dred, Murray Hill and of course RuPaul, Goldie Peacock is a Brooklyn-based drag king that’s been strutting across venue stages from Portland, Maine. to New York City, since discovering their sumptuous swag as a freshman at Oberlin College.
Named best dance performer by The Portland Phoenix in 2009, Peacock recently shared some of their dapper king skills in a workshop held in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
“Everyone knows about drag queens but not that many people know about kings and that bothers me. So I decided that I wanted to have a workshop in order to create more drag kings and also just create more visibility and knowledge on the subject and provide a venue for people to safely play with gender and have fun,” Peacock said.
During the three-hour workshop held in May at Chez Bushwick, a performance space, Peacock taught aspiring drag kings the basics to taking the stage. Demonstrating for students, Peacock transformed their partner into a full-fledged cowboi.
Participants were instructed on the dos and don’ts of makeup, facial hair, binding and yes of course, packing. Students learned the difference between a soft pack and a hard pack, the crucial need for cotton undies and an imaginative use for an apple.
Maya Carino, 19, said that right now the idea of performing in drag frightens her but that dressing up and being another person for a day was fun. She came to the workshop in order to learn about the culture.
“I kind of wanted to know more about the community and the people involved in drag kinging and the places and things to go and do and what other people are doing out there,” Carino said.
Peacock believes that there is no reason why there can’t be a drag king hosting his own show just like RuPaul hosts hers. And with social media, said Peacock, there has never been a better time to get involved.
“That’s part of why I’ve having this class. Because I feel we’re in a place where it’s a new frontier, kind of like the Wild West and we should just drag king it up.”
If you’ve ever dreamt of sauntering across a stage, you’re not too late to tap into Peacock’s awesomeness. Additional workshops will be held on July 7 (intro), 14 (intermediate) and 21 (advanced).