Event: Legends of Drag
Part of Spring 2023 Arts & Cultural Programs
Featuring Caracol de Cuba, Dina Jacobs, Egyptt LaBeija, Ruby Rims, and Simone with emcee Linda Simpson
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Gallery
About the Event
This year, in celebration of NYC Pride Month, we partnered with the creative team behind the new portrait book Legends of Drag (Abrams, 2022) to present a live, on-site revue at the Memorial featuring six, fabulous drag elders—Caracol de Cuba, Dina Jacobs, Egyptt LaBeija, Ruby Rims, and Simone, with Linda Simpson serving as emcee—all of whom paved the way for the drag renaissance of today. Campy, brash, witty, and most of all talented dancers, lip-synch artists, and live singers, these queens are survivors, thrivers, and cultural ambassadors. As both drag performers and trans folks have increasingly become political targets and scapegoats, uplifting these trailblazers and sharing in their wisdom and joy is one of the most potent antidotes available in our arsenal.
About the Artists
Legends of Drag, a new photography book by Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus, celebrates queer elders who have long been cultural and spiritual leaders within their communities. Hanson is an artist, creative director, and lifelong drag performer based in Brooklyn. Their work has been published in the New York Times, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Rolling Stone, New York Magazine, Vice, Out, and The Guardian among others. As drag artist Amber Alert, she has performed internationally with the Bushwig festival and appeared on PAPER, HuffPost, and Revry TV. Hanson holds a dual B.A. with honors in photography & film studies from Wesleyan University (2012). Antheus is a floral designer, writer, diviner, and devotee of the goddess Flora, living in Brooklyn. His work has been featured in Vogue, the New York Times, the New Inquiry, and Contagion Press.
Originally from Havana, Caracol de Cuba is known as The Grandmother of Drag in NYC's Latina drag scene. Her Celia Cruz impersonation is world-class, and she performed at the very first drag brunch to take place at Newark Airport. in 2022, she was crowned the first Miss Black Pride International.
Dina Jacobs joins us from Houston but traces her roots back to Hawaii. She's performed from Brazil to Canada and left an indelible mark on the drag scenes of Atlanta and Chicago. Dina is still globetrotting into her 70s and was featured in a recent editorial in The Guardian. Dina's live vocal act inspired a fledgling RuPaul to sing, after seeing Dina’s show in Atlanta. She has won more titles than she can count, girls drop out when they find out Dina is competing.
Egyptt La Beija is the Overall Godmother of the Legendary House of LaBeija. She has been a fixture of the ballroom scene since the 90s, where she's known as a "Statement," and you can be sure all the emcees know her name. As a showgirl, Egyptt travels internationally, and she's performed in Legends of Drag revues in NYC, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Egyptt is the subject of an upcoming HBO documentary, so stay tuned for that! In addition to mentoring countless younger queens, Egyptt also lends her time to the Audre Lorde Project and Bronx LGBTQ Center.
Over the past 50 years, Ruby Rims has worked at all of the top cabaret venues in New York City. The Manhattan Association of Cabaret Artists honored Ruby with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. Numerous appearances on The Phil Donahue Show throughout the 80s thrust her into the national spotlight. Ruby has lived with AIDS since the 1990s, defying all odds. As she puts it: "they didn't think I'd be here long. I was like, 'sorry I still have too many dresses to wear.'" Ruby recently celebrated her 69th birthday with a sold-out revue at Judson Memorial Church.
Simone got her start performing in the 90s working the Tunnel and The Limelight and was the first queen to perform at Lips. In 2021, she received a grant from the City Artist Corps to continue doing public performances at Stonewall each weekend throughout the summer. More than any other trans entertainer, Simone carries on the spirit of Marsha & Sylvia and the street queens of this city.
After more than 30 years as a drag queen, Linda Simpson (Emcee) continues to dazzle her fans with her witty demeanor, fine-tuned camp sensibility, and unique blend of sass and class. And let’s not forget her stunning appearance! Since emerging from the East Village drag scene in the late 1980s, the multi-faced queen has racked up a mile-long list of creative endeavors, including nightlife work galore as a hostess and party promoter; publishing the “revolutionary gay magazine” My Comrade; writing and starring in four different plays; and extensive work as a journalist, often in cahoots with her male alter ego, Les Simpson.
Support
Legends of Drag programs are made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Support for Legends of Drag and Dance for a Memorial 2 is provided, in part, by the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Avenue 8, and amika, with flowers provided in partnership with UrbanStems, hotel rooms generously provided in partnership with Staypineapple, and hydration courtesy of Essentia Water.
Photo Credits: Deonté Lee/BFA.com, © BFA; Shealyn McFadden