the main stage
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Community Arts Showcase
1:00-2:00pm
The Community Arts Showcase will feature performances by Lux (Aerialist), Brown Sugah (Drag), Jill Parker & Celestial Bodies (Tribal Fusion Belly Dance), Yvoni Amor (Dance/Femme Queen), Electra Qute (Drag), Dolores (Jazz Dancer), Rhea Listic (Drag), Sugar Hoops (Flow Artist), and Sparkle Royale (Drag). Opening performance by Emcee Frita Lay.
Premiere Showcase
2:30-3:45pm
The Premier Showcase will feature performances by Aria Vee (Drag), Miranda Moirai (Drag), Tee Sparks (Drag), Lisa Price (Dance), Fallon Angel (Drag), Electra Qute (Drag), Deviant Dance Tribe (Dance), Jack Vanity (Drag), Jill Parker & Celestial Bodies (Tribal Fusion Belly Dance), Sugar Hoops (Aerialist), and Benjamin Berry (Flow Artist). Opening performance by Emcee Samantha Vega.
CirqOvation headliner showcase
4:00-4:45pm
CirqOvation
Instagram: @cirqovation | www.cirqovation.com
Coming at you proudly from Central New York, CirqOvation, founded by Heather “Sora Sol” Iriye and “Joshua J. Superstar” Edelman, is a conglomerate of tight-knit artists who seek to fuse physical theatre, Vaudeville, street performance, and traditional circus in a vibrant array of energy and talent. Our team of artists are the best in the business and have worked for many big names including Disney, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Cirque du Soleil, NBC, and Britney Spears. We have worked all over the globe, from the Arctic Circle to Zambia. Our mission is to bring joy, laughter, and a kaleidoscope of moving art to the world, bringing humanity a little closer together with every performance. We are so excited to be performing at CNY Pride and are looking forward to sharing this day together!
cny pride main stage cast
Benjamin Berry
Instagram: @fruit_hoops | www.benjaminberry.com
Benjamin Berry (they/he) is a modern hoop dancer, circus artist, instructor, and performer based in Buffalo, NY who specializes in making creative movement accessible for all abilities. In 2015, they connected with the online hooping community by participating in Hooping Idol Season 5 and the Electric Forest Hoop Troupe contest, ultimately earning them Hooping.org's "Hooper of the Year 2015," as well as nominations for "Tutorial of the Year," "Instructor of the Year," and "Video of the Year." Since then, they have embarked on multiple cross-country workshop tours, having taught in over 50 cities nationwide. In 2021 they launched Accessible Circus Project, an initiative in partnership with the non-profit Accessible Festivals, to share free/subsidized circus props and instruction for all abilities to 500 individuals in one year.
Jill Parker & Celestial Bodies
Instagram: @jillparkerdance | @teambellysetgo
www.jillparkerdance.com | www.teambellysetgo.com
Jill Parker is known the world over as a pioneer in fusion and folk bellydance. She influenced the thriving bellydance scene that flourished first in San Francisco, California in the 1990's and 2000's, then around the world. After 33 years in San Francisco Jill is now based in Syracuse NY. She teaches and performs internationally, and now locally. She will be joined on stage by her two favorite local collaborators, the fabulous Jo Boring and TessaTrueheart of Cortland, New York's Belly Set Go Dance Studio.
Sugar Hoops
Instagram: @sugar.hoops
Sugar Hoops has been gracing the stage since 2015, starting as a risque circus performing and swiftly moving into burlesque. In that time, he has produced eight of his own shows with his partner Gala, performed for various performance companies, and is currently working for Show Starters Entertainment. His focus for the summer is reworking acts as well as creating new pieces that show him as Trans Butch, he has recently discovered himself to be. It is his absolute pleasure to be showcasing two brand new acts created specifically for pride and is honored to be a part of Syracuse Pride.
Deviant Dance Tribe
Instagram: @deviantdancetribe | www.deviantdancetribe.com
Deviant Dance Tribe is a grassroots, Adults Only, Dance & Fitness company from Syracuse, NY. As a popular studio for adult dance opportunities in CNY, Deviant Dance Tribe specializes in dance for everyday individuals and anchors their need to reclaim themselves through movement. Their adult class offerings include, Chairlesque, Pole Dancing, Barre, Yoga, Aerial Arts and a variety of Dance Disciplines. Deviant’s Chairlesque Performance Tribe includes individuals from various occupational fields, who unite with a common purpose… to express themselves through dance and performance. Over the past few years, these ladies have been dominating the Syracuse spotlight with their powerful & unforgettable acts. In this routine, they’ll show their diversity as performers as they stray away from a flirty, sassy demeanor to reveal their classically theatrical side.
Frita Lay, Emcee
Instagram: @frita_lays_college_night
Frita Lay is a CNY Native and Syracuse Drag Queen who has been hosting College Nights in Syracuse since 1999. Having been at Trexx since 2009, Frita also hosts a traveling college road show frequenting SUNY Potsdam, LeMoyne College, and more. Frita enjoys camping, spending time with friends, and lives in Cicero, NY with their partner of 24 years and 3 fur babies.
Sparkle Royale
Instagram: @misssparkleroyale
Hello All my SPARKS out there! I am your favorite melanin plus size drag queen MISS SPARKLE ROYALE! I’m 27 years old born and raised in Syracuse NY. I am a teacher by day, dancer instructor, And a drag queen by night. My goal is to always represent who I am to the fullest. I enjoy being a advocate and a leader for us brown LGBTQIA individuals. My message to you is to keep pushing! Think of your next move and achieve it! Love Sparks.
Rhea Listic
Instagram: @therhealistic
Rhea Listic is a drag queen from Syracuse NY. She has been performing for six years now. Rhea has had the pleasure of performing all over NY state. Rhea is a host at Trexx Nightclub in Syracuse on the third Saturday of every month. She won the title of MX. Pie Palooza Supreme at the fall pride festival last year and hopes to run in more pageants in the near future.
Electra Qute
Instagram: @theelectraqute
My name is Electra Qute and I am your high energy diva from CNY. I am 28 and have been doing drag performance for 5 years and what an amazing ride it's been. When describing my drag I like to tell people that my art form is versatile and is subject to interpretation. You truly never know what I might do and I like to keep it that way. I am very much driven by the thought of, you can do anything and everything as long as your heart is in it and that breaking the mold is a revolutionary perspective. I am also a promoter/event coordinator for CNY Fashion Week, an activist, and representative of my queer community.
Brown Sugah
Instagram: @itsbrownsugah
Bryan Straub is a drag queen that also goes by the name of Brown Sugah. Who gracefully got the name from his biggest fan and supporter, his father! Sugah has been doing drag a little over a year and has enjoyed every second of it, and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon! Sugah was a winner of the friendly comp of fresh face and loves performing anywhere she can get her hands on! Some of her goals are that she eventually wants to move to the city and pursue her live singing with mixing in drag as well! And as always; keep it sweet, just like sugah 😉
Yvoni Amor
Instagram and Facebook: @yvoniamor
Yvoni Amor is a young Black Transgender woman who wants to redefine drag and show people that theres more to the art than just makeup and lip syncing. Yvoni loves dancing, crediting dance for being one of the reasons she is still alive today. Her goal is to see how far dancing can take her in the world of entertainment. Outside of dancing and entertaining, she just wants to be a voice for the beings that were in her position and to bring positivity back to the world.
Dolores
Instagram: @lolo_419
Dolores is a greater Syracuse area native who, from a young age, has always been fascinated with all styles of movement and dance. She is trained in a variety of different styles and disciplines but specializes is Broadway style and hip hop infused jazz. Over the past 16 years she has danced, performed, competed, and taught with a number of different schools, studios, and professional organizations across NYS. Dolores is currently a member of the Deviant Dance Tribe, where she teaches jazz, heels & hairography, floor play, and hip hop. You can also catch her performing with Deviant's Performance Chair Tribe!
Lux
Instagram : @tylistheking
Previously a Martial Artist performing alongside a demo team, Lux began his journey into aerial arts through pole about 5 years ago. He relocated to CNY from a small town and dreams of growing his skill and expertise in what he calls a fascinating sport. Also, a multi-faceted fire and flow artist, Lux is proficient in multiple props including hoops, staff, and fans. Crediting Maestro Maestra as one of his biggest inspirations, supporters, and mentors, Lux has worked tirelessly with Maestro training in ballet over the last year to enhance his strength and grace. Lux is now a Pole Instructor at Deviant Dance Tribe in Fayetteville, NY.
Samantha Vega, Emcee
Instagram: @queensamanthavega
Samantha Vega is a Rochester based Queen and longtime fan favorite across clubs and productions in Syracuse, NY. A multi-title holder, some of Samantha's accolades include Miss Gary Rochester 2007, Miss Gay Syracuse 2008, Miss CNY Entertainer of the Year 2008, Miss Gay Pride Buffalo 2010, and winner of the coveted Salt City Drag Battle in both 2019 and 2020. Samantha Vega appears regularly at Wunderbar in Syracuse.
Lisa Price
Instagram: @deviantdancetribe | www.deviantdancetribe.com
Lisa Price is the founder of Deviant Dance Tribe, an Adults Only, Dance & Fitness company who specializes in dance for everyday individuals and anchors their need to reclaim themselves through movement. This born & bred New Yorker has been gracing stages with her fierce style for over 20 years. Lisa’s unique choreographic expressions stem from her experiences growing up in NYC as a multi-disciplined dancer, theater-lover & club kid. In this Chairlesque performance, Lisa dances with pride & intension to reveal the beauty that lives inside us all.
Aria Vee
Instagram, Twitter, TikTok: @theariavee | Facebook: @ Aria Vee
Aria Vee is a local 21-year-old drag queen/artist who has been a drag entertainer for around a year and some change! Aria started during lockdown performing in digital shows on zoom and Instagram live. Once things opened back up Aria began performing on stage (fully vaccinated and masked) which led up to today! She performs frequently and across New York State. Aria credits such establishments as Trexx and Wunderbar as being a home to her. In June of 2021, Aria won the Fresh Face competition at Wunderbar, which she credits for being a full circle moment commemorating an early drag career win one year ago. At an Aria show you can expect to see a high energy performance that will get you on your feet clapping, shiny costumes, and sickening hair! Aria is so excited to bring her talent to the 2022 CNY pride festival and can’t wait to see you all there!
Jack Vanity
Instagram: @jack_vanity
Drag king Jack Vanity has performed under many names across New York State for the past four years. Originating his career at SUNY Purchase College while earning a degree in theatre during the day, Jack began to slowly branch out around Westchester and Brooklyn before the pandemic, before re-emerging in his final form in a play about a trans drag king. From there, Jack took on a life of his own, and after coming home from college, began to perform around Syracuse, Rochester, and most recently Watertown. He is the first drag king to win SUNY Purchase's Fall Ball drag competition over all, the first drag king to win Wunderbar's Fresh Face Pageant in November 2021, and the Season 3 Winner of the Cub Competition at ROAR in Rochester, a title which he'll be returning to defend on June 29th, 2022. He hopes to continue breaking down barriers in performances for other kings. When not on stage, Jack's alter ego Hale Fishman is part-time drag historian and playwright with a focus on writing for trans and queer bodies.
Miranda Moirai
Instagram: m_moirai | Facebook: Jai Mason Miranda Moirai
Miss Miranda Moirai has been performing in drag since 2008, and has been seen all through out the tri-state area in numerous clubs, performances venues, and stages. Originally from Delhi, NY, she is a trained ballet dancer, and a graduate of the Rod Serling School of Fine Arts. Due to the pandemic, Miranda still holds the title of Miss Gay Pride Syracuse, and is beyond happy to still be able to represent! As a performer, Miranda is a classically trained dancer and singer, and uses these skills to enhance her performances. Adding to, she is a known force in the pageant scene, and has won the crowns of: “Best Entertainer 2010”; Miss Gay Chemung County 2010, Miss Trexx 2013, and Miss Berkshire 2019. Lastly, Miranda also takes pride in being the creator of her own costumes, and makes over 90% of her wardrobe. Currently now she lives in Troy, NY and continues to perform both in drag locally and state wide; while also as a professional dancer with the “Albany Berkshire Ballet”, and other community arts venues/showcases in the Capital district.
Fallon Angel
All social media: @FallonXAngel
Fallon Angel is a recent graduate of SUNY Fredonia, pursuing her Drag career across New York State. Angel has performed in various cities spanning from Buffalo to Syracuse and Little Falls. Inspired by Filipino pageantry and classic queer icons, Angel has fallen from the heavens and is living like a devil located in CNY. Beyond the artform of drag performance, Fallon Angel is pursuing her career in higher education and aims to foster inclusive communities committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion of all students.
Tee Sparks
Instagram: ttsparks85 | Facebook Page: @T-sparkxxx
Hailing from Boston, Tee Sparks has been an active advocate in the LGBTQ2+ community for over 20 years, volunteering and educating himself to become a community leader. He begun performing drag nearly 20 years ago, crediting it for inspiring the journey of finding his identity as a trans-man. He uses drag as an outlet for creative expression and to raise awareness around the transgender community’s fight for equality and inclusivity in our country. The current reigning Mr. Trans Massachusetts 2022, he also owns a traveling show called Tee Sparks Production, scheduled to appear next at Hydrotechnics Festival.
Wesley Claire
Instagram: @wesxthexmess | Facebook Page: @Wesley Claire
Obligatory list of accolades… a music degree earned from a prestigious conservatory; famous headliners they’ve opened for; how many albums they’ve recorded; et cetera, et cetera, all in an attempt to convince you of their “legitimacy”; when really, none of those things matter when it comes to how the artist actually sounds. Wesley Claire, on the other hand, has no need for such conventional tools to convince you, for the moment she steps on stage and sings her first note, you’ll already know you’re experiencing something rare and beautiful. But then again, nothing about Wesley is conventional. Her eclectic style defies categorization; one moment she’s rocking out with a raw soulfulness reminiscent of Janis Joplin, the next she’s soothing you with a lullaby that is calming by even Norah Jones’ standards. It’s this wildly dynamic range that brings together fans of all shapes and sizes to share a love of Wesley’s unbridled authenticity. She is, by every sense of the phrase, the real deal.
Harlow Holiday
Festival Entertainment Director & Main Stage Mistress of Ceremonies
Instagram: @harlowholiday | Facebook Page: @Harlow Holiday
Make way for Harlow Holiday! This magnificent body-positive maven is bringing glitz and glamour full tilt. Harlow is a fiercely proud indigenous performer who loves to give back to her community. A Human Service turned Theater professional by day and a Burlesquer by night, Mrs. Holiday has shimmied up and down the East coast including fabulous Canada. She is the co-founder and current Director of Salt City Burlesque in Syracuse, NY where glitter and gusto are never in short supply. She is also a board member for CNY Pride, Inc. as well as a designer. You can find this sparkle enthusiast’s one-of-a-kind creations on her Instagram Le Petit Couturier. Be sure to follow her adventures through social media, to find out where you can catch her next!
DJ Shaykey
Instagram: @definitionofshaykey and @shaykey82
Sharyol Brownlee best known as DJ Shaykey is a military veteran originally from Brooklyn, New York. Dj Shaykey found love for music at a young age, she would record songs from the radio creating her own mix tapes. She began rocking parties and events for family and friends before relocating to Syracuse, NY in 2014. In 2017 she decided to take her Djing career much farther enrolling in Scratch DJ Academy where she study the art of mixing from various accomplish Dj’s like, Dj pioneer Grand Wizzard Theodore, DMC USA National Champion Esquire and many others who help shape her to become a open format DJ. While at scratch DJ Shaykey also took up music production, learning how to make her own beats, remixes, and producing her own sound. After graduating from scratch she began to earn residences at clubs in Syracuse. She has DJ for upcoming Artist Ava Knew at Cayuga Festival, guest Dj for Syracuse University’s senior class fashion show 2019, as well as guest DJ for Lord & Taylor 2019 Mother’s Day fashion show. In 2020 DJ Shaykey became the official Dj for Camillus Cuse camp fitness club. During the pandemic she stayed busy hosting and guest appearing on numerous virtual dance parties. Dj Shaykey loves playing at weddings. In 2021 DJ Shaykey became a DJ instructor for central New York first DJ center On The One located at Destiny USA. She also performed at the first annual DJ festival at the New York State Fair. Dj Shaykey prides herself on creating custom tailored sets for each client with creative mashup and high energy mixes, Dj Shaykey keeps heads nodding, feet moving and guests leaving with huge smiles and sore feet. “My goal is to make every event unique and memorable “ Dj Shaykey will have all ages delighted on the dance floor and even make you sing out loud your favorite songs!