Ithaca bar The Range hosts a drag show every Thursday, with members of the college community participating.
Deafening cheers flood the country-themed bar as Veruka Dagger weaves her way through a captive audience. Onlookers clap and hold out dollar bills. The energy builds as Dagger jerks erratically before death-dropping. She sets an electric aura onto the audience before she leaves the stage, and the crowd whoops with delight. Veruka Dagger is the drag persona of House of Merlot performer, Ithaca College alum Joseph Simpson ’18.
The House of Merlot brings a diverse collective of drag performers to a local bar, The Range, every Thursday night. Drag houses, like the House of Merlot, are groups of performers who work together. These “Drag Nights” have been hosted at the bar since 2016, and students from the college have used them to explore the art form of drag — a theatrical performance in which a performer cross–dresses, lip-syncs and dances.
Simpson said he believes drag is a cathartic way to let go of social constrictions and that the House allows him to explore expression in a way that he can’t offstage. Drag Night at The Range brings in a lively crowd that mingles and engages throughout the show. Some are inspired to dance, melting into each other as performers set the tone.
“I would say that to me, drag means radical self-expression,” Simpson said. “I’m able to do stuff onstage that’s not appropriate during the daytime. There are really no boundaries, I feel. The drag I’m into isn’t always really pretty or safe drag. I think I do it because it gets such a strong response. I’ve brought weapons onstage. But instead of hurting others, I’ll tear up my clothes.”
Drag has an extensive history dating back to the 19th century. Because the practice has been predominantly pursued by the LGBTQ community, performing openly was a risk. Drag shows, or “balls,” were part of an underground culture, particularly in New York City in the ’80s. Balls became a haven for many queer performers and audience members because they were allowed to feel safe participating in the craft.
House Performer “Kale Green,” River Rushing, said that drag performances are always different because drag is not a singular, identifiable form of art.
“Drag cannot be confined to one specific thing,” Rushing said. “Drag is queer theater. Drag is exploring gender through art and theater. I feel like people compartmentalize drag as one thing, but it’s not. There’s so much more to drag that people think. Drag is whatever you want it to be. There are no rules.”
“They want to accommodate everybody,” Simpson said. “We’ve had performers who aren’t physically able to get onstage, so we clear the dance floor for them.
Dizzy DeSecretion and Kitana Scofflaw act together during their performance. (Connor Lange/The Ithacan)
The House lineups change regularly, and the performers each have their own signature styles. Simpson said that the individuality resulting from this is why the House is important to him.
“I would say that the shows are messy,” Simpson said. “When I’ve been to other places, I see performers who are a bit too polished, so in my head, they all really blend into one. I feel some humanity loss there. With the House shows, I would say that there are unique characters there, and I’m able to distinguish who’s who.”
Downtown Ithaca does not host many queer-specific events, which makes Drag Night an important aspect of local LGBTQ culture. The events are 21+, meaning that most college students are denied entry. However, performers do not have to be 21+, so there is still opportunity for younger students to get involved.
“I feel like drag is important to have in communities like Ithaca — communities that aren’t very urban,” Rushing said. “I feel like smaller towns need it, especially a town like here which is very queer. There are no gay bars, and the only consistently designated queer and drag spaces are held in Silky Jones and Drag Nights at The Range.”
Senior Rachel Kreidberg, Drag Night attendee, said that she was most surprised by the setting. The Range is a bar plastered with photos of old western icons such as Gene Autry, Billy The Kid and Buffalo Bill. Furnished with a chandelier made of antlers, along with moose-patterned light shades, the theme of the bar does not reflect what happens onstage.
“It’s like a group of Ithaca gays in the middle of Ithaca’s finest old men,” Kreidberg said. “You have all of these awesome, hyper-expressive kids, mostly from Cornell or Ithaca, who are just living it up and enjoying the space. It’s really cool. It’s a really great space to be in.”
Since the performers differ greatly from one another, Rushing said that a viewer must be prepared for a rollercoaster.
“They’re gonna be amazed, be stunned, be emotional, no one knows,” Rushing said. “We have so many dynamic performers, and you have no idea what they’re going to bring to the show. A performer might come out with something that really speaks to you, and then the next number, someone is onstage being tied up BDSM style.”
Carter Kohler ‘18, House performer “Dragon Phoenix,” said that Drag Nights can be a productive place to hang out for students, instead of going out to parties.
“It supports your local performers, and it is a safe space,” Kohler said. “There’s a lot going on. You can dance. You can get free popcorn. Get a drink. I think that it opens people’s minds a little bit. There’s drag stuff that happens on the campuses, but they’re few and far between. They’re big, but they’re not as frequent.”
Kohler said they believe drag shows can be entertaining for all who go because it’s always evolving.
“I think that drag is a very unique thing to do,” Kohler said. “It’s such a combination of a bunch of different things kinda squashed together and made really gay. Shows are always fun. They’re fun for whoever. You can’t not have a good time at a drag show. It’s just a nice space and a supportive atmosphere. People go to cheer on their friends and to be a part of a community.”
A legendary organization begins what it hopes is a return to prominence as Na’Vi claims the CIS slot at the DreamLeague Season 10 Minor
The CIS Qualifier for the DreamLeague Season 10 Minor has been concluded, and at the end of the action we now know which squad will be making the trip to Stockholm to represent the region and fight for both the title of Minor Champion and the final spot at the Kuala Lumpur Major. 4 squads made up the field for this qualifier, with 3 of them being returning teams from the Major Qualifier while the last (Team Empire) represented a new challenger in the region’s Pro Circuit qualifiers. In the end though, only 1 team could emerge victorious from this qualifier, with Na’Vi claiming that coveted spot at the Minor in October. Though only Na’Vi will be advancing to the DreamLeague Season 10 Minor, we should take a look at how each of the team’s in this qualifier performed, as these squads will more than likely form the crux of the tier 1 and tier 2 scenes within the CIS region this season. As with the previous recap posts for The Kuala Lumpur Major Qualifiers, we will be dividing the participants up based upon their final standings in the qualifier.
It’s been quite a long time since we’ve been able to say this in the Dota 2 world, but Na’Vi looked absolutely fantastic in the CIS region with its performance in this qualifier. The organization took a significant risk in rebuilding its lineup in the offseason, but that new roster appears to be picking up steam as Na’Vi looked like the best squad in the field. The team dropped just a single match in its qualifier run, pushing past Espada, Team Empire, and then Espada once again to claim its place in Stockholm for the first Minor of the Pro Circuit season. The entire roster played well in this qualifier run, but in particular, the team’s core trio of Crystallize, MagicaL, and Blizzy stepped up when they were needed most and helped guide the team to many of its victories. The team certainly looked more comfortable together in their matches, but now the true test for this roster is coming as Na’Vi prepares for its first action outside of its home region at the Minor. We’ll see just how far along this new Na’Vi lineup has come as it goes toe-to-toe with international opposition in Stockholm.
After an incredible turnaround in the Playoffs of the Major Qualifier saw Espada finish in 4th place, the squad entered this Minor Qualifier with a big concern regarding its consistency. This time around though, the squad didn’t appear to need quite a big of a warm up period as it did in its last qualifier appearance. Espada started its qualifier run with a 1-2 loss to Na’Vi, starting strong with a Game 1 win but showing a significant decline in its level of play through Games 2 and 3. That loss dropped the team into the Lower Bracket, but Espada once again displayed an impressive resiliency when elimination was on the line. The squad defeated Team Spirit 2-0, led by huge performances from the Carry/Mid duo of ILTW and Nix (combined 34-9-52 in 2 matches) that helped the team control the pace of the series. Espada followed up that performance with another impressive 2-0 showing against Team Empire in the Losers’ Finals, with ILTW once again coming through for his squad with a combined stat line of 38-4-15 in an absolutely incredible performance. That win put the squad in the Grand Finals of the qualifier for a rematch with Na’Vi, but this time around Espada wasn’t able to build up any momentum for itself. Despite the team’s best efforts, Espada was out killed 34-79 in back to back one sided matches to fall 0-2 to Na’Vi and end its qualifier run in 2nd place overall. While Espada will not be making the trip of Stockholm in October, this performance went a long way towards increasing the confidence levels in the squad. The team’s horrible Group Stage performance in the Major Qualifier appears more and more like a simple fluke or misstep to open the season, and Espada is hopefully back on track as it continues looking for opportunities to establish itself as a leader within the CIS region.
With an almost entirely new lineup for this Pro Circuit season, the expectations for Team Empire coming into this Minor Qualifier were somewhat lower than what the squad had seen in recent years. The team’s first performance in a Pro Circuit qualifier this season was certainly not the worst that we’ve so far, but there was still quite a lot to be desired from Team Empire’s play in the DreamLeague Season 10 Minor CIS Qualifier. The team began its qualifier run looking relatively strong, dropping Game 1 against Team Spirit before out killing its opponent by a score of 63-29 in Game 2 and 3 to claim a 2-1 victory in the series. Unfortunately for the team, that initial victory would prove to be its only success in the qualifier, as thing took a decidedly downward turn for it in its subsequent series. The squad was dismantled by Na’Vi in the Winners’ Finals, putting together just 19 kills across 2 matches as Team Empire suffered a one sided 0-2 defeat to fall into the Lower Bracket to face Espada. While Team Empire was able to put up a bit more of a fight in this series, the end result did not change, as the squad was handed another 0-2 defeat to bring its run in the Minor Qualifier to an end. With this qualifier representing some of the current roster’s first official matches together outside of the Open Qualifiers, Team Empire wasn’t exactly expected to run the table and brush past its regional rivals. That being said, the team’s poor performance and 0-4 record in its final 2 series is a potential cause for concern moving forward in terms of its ability to play at a consistent level.
Following a 3rd place finish at The Kuala Lumpur Major CIS Qualifier, there was a degree of optimism surrounding this Team Spirit roster as it prepared for its second Pro Circuit qualifier run of the season. The squad’s largely European roster had shown that it was capable of standing among the heavy hitters in the CIS region, and the team entered this qualifier with confidence that it could claim the sole CIS slot at the DreamLeague Season 10 Minor. That confidence seemed to evaporate fairly quickly though, as Team Spirit struggled significantly in this 4 team field en route to a 4th place finish overall. The team managed to win its first match of the qualifier against Team Empire thanks to a late-game surge led by a fantastic showing from Nine (14-2-6). However, the team lost all semblance of momentum in the matches that followed, as Team Spirit was out killed by its opponent 29-63 in Games 2 and 3 and trailed in terms of net worth for the entirety of both matches to suffer a 1-2 series loss. Things didn’t get much better for Team Spirit in its next series, as Espada simply ran the squad over in back to back blowout losses that ended Team Spirit’s run in the qualifier with a dismal 1-4 overall record. The team simply didn’t look like the same squad that came 1 series away from qualifying for The Kuala Lumpur Major, and now we have some serious questions for Team Spirit in regards to its consistency. Moving forward in the Pro Circuit season, we will likely be asking ourselves which version of Team Spirit will show up at a given event: the one that looked so promising and nearly found success in the Major Qualifier, or the one that looked completely out of sorts and bombed out of this Minor Qualifier?
Wonderful advice! That’s the same way I treat others, it’s not about pleasing them; but our Heavenly Father! He sees the goodness within, the love within our heart and soul!
Even though I do not know you well enough, and even though I may never meet you, I know… I can sense you are a kind-hearted true gentleman. You are always nice, and you treat everyone with respect. Hats off to you! 😊 Although, most people undervalue kindness, I believe kindness is a sign of strength.
A sign of strength indeed! Thank you for your kind words! The Bible says to be Christ like, that’s the destination; my heart will forever stay the course! Blessings to you! 🙏🏽