Qing Blaze Talks Draglesque as a Vehicle to Channel History

interviewed by Jo’Rie Tigerlily

photographs by mx. bex

So what is Qing Blaze’s origin story? 

I had another character I was working with before I created Qing Blaze. With that character, I wanted to make someone I felt was a challenge for me and push me to channel a superfemme version of myself. I liked the challenge for a short time but it was really hard for me to connect to her. Sometimes it wasn’t clicking when I was trying to think of certain concepts. Before the pandemic my masculinity was something I kinda codeswitched in and out of based on how I needed to present. During the pandemic, we got to sit down and to think a little bit more. I just started to really appreciate and realize the other side of me more with more personal space and time to explore. When it came time to come back outside, it got harder and harder for me to cover that side of myself up. And Qing was a really great way for me to work through that period and how I needed and wanted to communicate my gender identity. But, to answer your question, since I’m kind of all over the place, I actually saw a Snapchat filter with a beard on it. I was like, damn, he fine. Not long after that we were doing a show and I randomly decided to show up with a beard on. And that’s how Qing was born. 

It’s fun because I remember all of those things happening. I remember the Snapchat filter. I remember when you first showed up as Qing. And, yeah. And I remember the before times as well. So it’s really cool. I think you have a really dope origin story. Thank you for sharing that. I feel like it’s a very vulnerable journey that you took and that is really dope.

So we now know how Qing was born. But what was the journey for you getting to that name? Because previously you had a different character, right?

No. My previous character’s name was Francesca B. Blades. It’s a very Haitian name because everybody thinks my name is Francesca when they find out that my name is Fancy. And it’s not. But I chose that strictly for that reason. The B was in remembrance of Marsha Johnson, because my B was for, bitch, don’t worry about it. Her B was for being, her P was for being one of them. So I thought that was kind of funny. Blades for a few different reasons. My hair was really long and red at the time. And I’ve been working a little bit with Fire Poi and Vail Poi. I also smoke a good amount. I also really like the idea of just like any stage that I was going to be on, right in front of that. So it feels kind of corny now, but that’s why my last name became Blades.

So Qing, we found out about Francesca B. Blaze? But where did Qing come from? 

I was going to do Qing Francesca for a little bit because I wanted to play on the androgyny of it. I remember I talked to you a little bit about it, bouncing off some ideas, but ultimately wanted a name people would have to, like, put some respect on it. You know, like you can say a lot about me, but you’re going to call me King. You’re going to address me as this. I thought it was really dope for it to just be a name, like Prince is Prince’s name, like that’s just your name. And the spelling of the name came about again, just to play on the androgyny of it, to kind of blur more binary lines, to spell it with a Q rather than a K. But I don’t like how often it’s mispronounced.

What are some of the ways it’s mispronounced? 

I think the most popular one is Quing Blaze. Like people put a u in it, like Quing. And that’s a whole different word. But yeah, that’s a weird thing. It’s weird. But no, not Quing. Qing, not Quing. Not Queen. No.

You’re a big history nerd. Anybody that talks to you for an extended amount of time finds this out about you pretty quickly, I think. Your debut performance was inspired by Gladys Bentley but you also take a lot of inspiration from Stormé DeLarverie. But Stormé is still with us or passed away not long ago?

Yes, Stormé passed away not too long ago. RIP Pops!

RIP! We have actual video footage of Stormé giving interviews and talking about their life and their career and their art, which is really, really cool. So share a little bit about your deep dive into these two inspirations. And any other inspiration that has brought you to this point and made you more Qing Blaze.

Yeah, drag culture in general goes back to the late 1600s. The first time that you see people documented, especially drag kings, is with an Indigenous performer, Gowongo Mohawk (1889-1910). Gowongo was not able to find performance opportunities in cis form so they started playing around in drag and they were actually able to find theater gigs and things like that. Then, throughout history, you’ve seen it happen more and more. Unfortunately, drag kings are still one of the lesser known forms of drag. Like, I think everybody knows about queens at this point, but still not a lot of people have knowledge of drag kings and what we contribute. But. When I was going through the research, Stormé stood out to me for several reasons. Obviously I’m much more melanated than Stormé. But there was something about Stormé’s physicality and bone structure I can identify with. Their body was kind of lanky and we share a similar strong jawline and hairline. So it was really interesting finding this person that reminded me of myself. I was just very drawn to the aesthetic, this very sharp, clean aesthetic. It really reminded me of my grandfather. To this day, I still have iconic memories of my mother’s father’s style. His vibe was just so confident and he had this almost like regal air. I get it when I look at Stormé’s photographs from the past also. That’s also why I see Stormé as my fairy godfather, that’s Pops. When I learned about Gladys and how relentless she was to keep the masters to her own music with this unapologetic nature. As a dark skinned, larger body person, she worked so hard to get respect for her craft. Learning about the things they did, the shows they produced, the things that they are part of is so inspiring. It makes me really want to work a little harder to make sure that the work they did just doesn’t go forgotten about. 

Well, you’re doing great so far, because I’m sure there are plenty of people in the burlesque world that has no clue who these two people are and just you speaking their names and putting their energy on stage is doing the work. 

Thank you, babe.

You’re doing it. All right. So Qing on stage, Fancy off stage. What do Fancy and Qing have in common?

I mean, we share the same face and body lol.

Only Qing’s face usually has a beard, right? 

He has slightly more facial hair. I definitely know how to separate this character but Qing is the superhero version of Fancy. He’s a hyperized version of me. One thing I really try to keep in mind as I continue to craft this character is I try to think, what are some of the things that have been impactful for me and what are some of the stories I’d like to tell? Sometimes they’re stories really close to my heart, and sometimes it’s just some nasty shit I want to do, and you know, both deserve space. He’s the vehicle to lets me do that. We both draw inspiration from history. We’re both very nasty. So it’s exciting to have this whole other character I can use to distort people’s viewpoints. It allows me to bring an element of surrealism to the art form.

And you do it well, because I get to experience it firsthand where people are just like, Wow, I didn’t think I wanted that. And now I do. I don’t know how to handle this.

That’s very fun to witness in people. I mean, honestly, in some instances, I experience people fully question who they are and what they like and what their preferences are and things like that, which is really great, because oftentimes people box themselves into one thing because that’s what they’ve always been taught or that’s what they learned or that’s what society expects from them. Then they come into our little weirdo, queer spaces. And they experience you and lose their whole minds. I love it so much.

Qing has a couple of taglines. What are those taglines? 

So originally it was the Qing of High Class Raunchy and that came directly from Gladys Bentley when she said that she had the highest form of raunchiness. I thought that was really, really dope. “Richmond’s Baby Daddy” or “The Baby Daddy of Burlesque” are taglines I use a lot also.

If Fancy had a tagline, what would it be?

The realest one ever. LOL I have no idea what Fancy’s tagline would be.

I feel like that’s pretty accurate.

That’s funny. Yeah, I don’t know. I’m gonna ask myself that question every year, like an anniversary. 

You should. I support it. So other than being able to educate and transform yourself into this kind of other side of yourself where you’re able to explore more fully the masculine energy you hold within, what are your favorite things about performing?

When I’m performing, even when I don’t think I’ve done my best, or when I feel I could do better, I’m reminded that everybody’s good at something. This is something I’m good at. I feel that when I emcee a show also. I enjoy that. I enjoy a crowd of people. There is a crowd of people and a certain level of commitment you have to have to keep everybody’s attention in that room. I like doing things to make people, even if they’re all the way in the back of the crowd, feel like the only person that matters at that moment. I want them to feel included in the act. I like the fact that I am using skills I was taught as a young person in a completely different context. My mom was a Jehovah’s Witness. So I had to knock on people’s doors, like cold, on a Saturday morning and tell them Armageddon was coming for them if they didn’t buy a Watchtower magazine. You had to be tough to do that as a kid in the 90s. People slamming doors in your face and you get teased about it at school. Everything about that made me feel isolated as a kid.

I had to, at a really young age, give these presentations in front of the congregation. Almost set up these plays. Ahead of time they would give you a Bible verse and topic on a little card and you would have to make up the setting. You only had five minutes onstage. Everybody would clap for you at the end and then the elder would basically score you. It was weird. But you do that as a kid, and you deal with it as it is, because it wasn’t an easy experience for me as a child. But now, as an adult, I am really happy I can draw on some of those skills in a way that feels positive to me. I also really like the fact that, for Black, Brown people, people in marginalized communities, we’re taught to shrink ourselves down so other people can have more comfort. We’re taught to expect to get less pay, less attention or shine for accomplishments. Even when it comes to physical space, right? I saw it on a plane today. There was this femme-bodied person sitting next to a male bodied person. He had his arms out everywhere. The femme person was just shrunk down in their seat. I love being on stage because it is my job to take up every bit of space in that room that I can. And I think that for people told repeatedly you need to want less and ask for less and the best way to maintain your mental health is to expect less. We’re changing that everyday.

So, since you brought up your religious background, how do you, well, it seems like you’re very far removed from it.

Yes. Way far. 

Looking back on Young Fancy, selling Watchtower door to door, did you ever have any inclination you would find yourself performing as a drag king later in life? Was this ever anything that little you had any ambitions or aspirations of? Or is this just a complete and utter departure from anything you ever imagined for you? 

I can’t tell you I imagined this exactly, but I can’t tell you I’m surprised. I knew as a kid I was different in a lot of ways. And I don’t just mean in the gay way. I knew I was a little different. I knew my need to create things was different. I knew I wasn’t getting the sense of family or support I would have ideally wanted from the people I was geographically near. I'm not saying I’m not appreciative of it, but like, I knew the things I needed to fuel me and feed me I didn’t necessarily have access to. There was definitely always a part of me that wanted to be on a stage.

We talked about Gladys, we talked about Stormé. Are there any other folks, historical or modern-day folks, you are inspired by, admire, seek to meet one day, anything of the sort? 

You know, honestly, this community is filled with so many really brilliant performers. The first king I saw aesthetically I was like, Okay, I like this, was Kory Edgewood out of Utah. I’ve never met Kory in person but they got a vibe. Kory’s not a glitter Qing and I say that with care, I love glitter kings too. But when I saw Kory’s particular brand, how they do their makeup and use the stage … I really liked that. Once I started digging around and traveling more to perform I came across a lot of amazing drag kings. Ricky Rośe was probably one of the first to just embrace me and make me feel I had a place in drag and not just burlesque. Qing Molasses continues to be amazing, one of the most gracious people I’ve ever met and just really welcoming me. And these two kings are in the D.C. scene. Drag kings in general don’t get a lot of shine, but Black and Brown kings especially don’t get a lot of shine. So I’m very, very grateful. 

What do you think the future of the art form looks like?

Honestly, drag has truly helped me understand that gender is a performance. Society tells us which gender we should perform based on how it sees us. Drag says, nah, we choose which one we want to perform. Drag allows you to tap into what power or confidence looks like for you. I see that a lot in burlesque also. That’s why I’m so protective of it. As we continue to think outside of binaries and the more we normalize what it’s like to live in different pockets of the queer community, drag will continue to grow. Despite how it is discriminated against. Drag doesn’t have to be onstage. It doesn’t have to be lip-syncing. It doesn’t have to be anything. I think it’s becoming more and more of something people can try on and figure out what it means for themselves. So I think the future looks really bright for it.

Let’s continue that thought. So in drag existing in places outside of the stage and in the regular world, how does that reflect for you in your personal style? How does Qing show up in your everyday looks? How does that manifest? 

Me and Qing share a lot of clothes. A lot of the items I use for him I also wear when I’m doing whatever grown-up people do in offices at my day job. That’s intentional, kinda goes back to the surreal nature of my art. Qing reminds me to slow down and pay attention. Do I smell good? I'm moisturized before I leave the house? That’s really cool because there are instances where I might just be my regular self with a depleting amount of energy, and I can literally feel him just being like, Hey, I got it. I got the ball. Don’t worry. 

I mentioned my grandfather before. I used to love to watch him get dressed. He took time to iron his garments, shoes were polished, cufflinks poppin, had his favorite colognes organized, a nice timepiece. He always noticed the details. He set the standard of how to treat him by the ways he cared for himself. As an adult I now understand the importance of it and the need for balance within it. I really like for my wardrobe to be functional. I love utility in clothing. I like clothing that challenges your comfort to a safe extent, you know? Balancing that with the art of being slightly overdressed. Then there’s this other part of me that lives in track pants and sweatshirts, and I think that’s cool, too. Also, shout out to the Diane Keaton. I don’t know if she knows but she’s lowkey a non-binary style blueprint.

So the photos that are going to accompany this interview are of your Gladys Bentley act, which is your debut. But you’ve had some time to create some new performances and do some other different things onstage. Do you have a favorite act so far? If so, what is it? 

I have favorite things about acts. One is attached to this play you and I wrote and produced and directed together and star in. The Wild Caldonia Rodeo. I get to portray one of my favorite cowboys, Nat Love. There is a Nat act that is a part of the show. It’s very special because of that and because it’s a role I was never supposed to play. The same with another act centered around Jesus. I got a whole uterus and I was told to be a girl. I really love these acts because it’s me saying, no, actually I’m a whole lot of things. You can see it or not, but I’m right here on stage and you can’t look away from it. Shout out to The Wild Caldonia Rodeo, also! I have a Tin Man act inspired by Nipsey Russell’s Tin Man from The Wiz. I loved the story and took the heartbreak he gave his character and made it work for Qing. I enjoy creating narratives, sometimes sensual or funny, that have a storyline to follow.

Talk some more about The Wild Caldonia Rodeo and Nu Rodeo Caldonia.

Yeah, Nu Rodeo Caldonia. I can’t remember which one of us saw it first but somewhere online we found a vintage group photo. The picture reminded me of our friend group and we laughed about it for a little bit and then we learned these folks were a femme queer art collective working in Brooklyn, New York between ‘82 and ‘85. They operated under the name Rodeo Caldonia. Caldonia was a term used in the blues. BB Qing sang in “Caledonia” about a caldonia being a hard-headed, good looking woman. They chose rodeo to describe how wild life can be. We loved that. Then later at a thrift store, we found a record from a group called the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. We got the same vibes from them and with some research we learned that the Rodeo Caldonia members were inspired by them. There were also these 40-year gaps in time between each of them. And we were finding this at yet another 40-year interval. So the International Sweethearts of Rhythm being in the 1940s, while the Rodeo Caldonia in the 1980s, and now here we 40 years after that. That all felt so circular. We wanted to produce, to build more community and create more opportunities for people to learn about fringe arts. And just to get the most out of the friendships and this amazing talent we have in our Richmond, Virginia circuit. So many of my favorite performers are right here in Richmond and are the most amazing people. For the past couple years now, right? 

Yeah. Time flies when you’re having fun!

It does. So I’m extremely proud of this community. So The Wild Caldonia Rodeo came out of a Nu Rodeo Caldonia meeting. We wanted to have an urban cowboy-themed show at first but it evolved into a full stage play. The Wild Caldonia Rodeo is a theatrical burlesque western inspired by real people, places, and events. We have a killer cast we collaborated with and my very lovely partner and co-producer in life is this amazing theater person and with that we made something really beautiful.  We’ve shown it three times in the past year. I hope we can do it again in 2024.

So in taking part in all of this, all of these performance elements and putting yourself on stage in these very specific ways—you’ve already talked about how you’re able to experiment or explore the different personality that Qing is and that Qing brings out of you—but are there any healing components or therapeutic things that come out for you when you are given space to perform as well?

Yeah, there are a lot. I identify as trans non-binary. For me, that means I feel the connection to both traditional gender markers, some more than others, and that how I identify does not line up with traditional heteronormativity. This art gives me space to continue to explore what that means for me. So being able to create this character and to establish that Qing’s pronouns are he, him, to be able to establish that this is how you will address this person, this is the respect this person demands, is very reassuring to me. Because it sucks to be misgendered. When I’m not in my beard or with my people, it happens all the time so I’m grateful to have Qing in my back pocket. I’m proud of the work I’m doing, so even when people call me Qing when I’m out of drag, to me it’s a reflection of the work you and I are doing with Nu Rodeo Caldonia. I have moments where I’m having a really hard time, when I’m beating myself up, when anxiety and depression are right up front and center but this work has been a way to channel some of that.

What is the future for Qing Blaze? More inspiring and holding space for baby queers in the community, more performances, more glittery dicks? What’s going to happen next? 

You and I ride off into the sunset! But that’s in the future. For now I want to keep having fun and working. The cold season is here so it’s time for planning. Working on acts and things like that. Then in the new year, I’m looking forward to traveling and performing. You and I have a really great opportunity to go participate in the Panama Burlesque Festival. I’m really excited about that.

I am excited, too!

I think that we have another play. That’s coming around, so I’m really excited.  We’ve done a lot of work, like a lot of work in the past year, especially, and I'm really looking forward to 2024, enjoying the fruits of that labor and putting in more work. I’m so grateful we get to run around and take our clothes off! It’s a lot of work, but it’s so much fun. I feel very much like the work makes me feel wealthy. So I want to experience more wealth in this upcoming year with you.

That’s so nice. Yeah, I love the way you said that. Well, that concludes this interview, Qing Blaze! Thank you so much for your time. We’ll put an asterisk that I’m talking in a British accent for this part of the interview. What else do you want to say? 

I want the people to follow and support our shit: @nurodeocaldonia. I want them to look out for you and your booty bouncing around @jorietigerlily. I want them to follow me on my Instagrams @qingblaze. I want them to think about what their legacy is, what they want to contribute and what makes them feel good. That’s it. 

That’s it. Yay. Good job, you.

Thanks babe.