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Drag superstar Violet Chachki dominates Portland Betty’s queer dance party
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Drag superstar Violet Chachki dominates Portland Betty’s queer dance party

Since her last stop in Portland at Revolution Hall in 2022 for her one-woman show Much more meDrag superstar Violet Chachki performed her burlesque act at Paris’ legendary Crazy Horse Saloon, making history as the first male performer on the 73-year-old cabaret theater stage (Chachki’s creator, Paul Dardo, is fluid type). THE RuPaul’s Drag Race The season 7 winner also added another high-fashion twist to her belt, lending her face and cleavage to Christian Louboutin’s new fetish-inspired perfume collection, which I’m influencing.

Chachki’s stage performance and DJ set on Halloween weekend at Betty – a quarterly queer dance party founded in 2021 by music and events producer Veruca as a potential birthday party for the centennial of the Late actress Betty White – on Friday, October 25, showcased the superstar’s commanding stage presence and gleaming professional polish, with no signs of wear after nearly a decade in the global spotlight.

Chachki walked down the stairs of Buckman’s neighborhood ballroom, The Evergreen, wearing a black latex dress, signature cinched corset and a black and white feather boa, resembling an ermine fur regal, with matching feather-lined latex gloves. Parting the crowd, she brought them all on stage in a number to Lemaitre’s song “Closer” with singer Jennie A. Chachki visibly laughing as Betty’s host Shandi Evans introduced her as “most important” hosting a podcast and thanked the hundreds of people, most of them in costumes. Portland guests for making her feel safe enough to be herself every time they visit. She also humbly mentioned that Paris Hilton is doing very well.

The second best act on Betty’s stage was Portland drag artist Tomboy, who performed like a Barbie pink square rotary phone, flashing giant rubber shoulder pads every time a call connected. If anyone at Betty was too young to have had a landline – a very real threat – Tomboy provided context clues with a mix of Carly Rae Jepsen, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé in between Shout-inspired scam calls. Beyond the absurd sensuality of the costume, Tomboy displayed considerable charm and charisma.