THE ART OF DRAG, AN Education FOR LADIES, GENTLEMEN AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN
Vinsantos Defonte and Gregory Gajus star in this documentary that introduces the viewer into the mind of Vinsantos and his New Orleans Drag Workshop, an institution devoted to freedom of expression that provides a career to its graduates and is based in Louisiana under Lady Vinsantos‘ wing
She is the one who pays the bills, and is the alter-ego of Vincenzo, who was born in the late 60s son of an upper middle class Italian living in America. We can see from vintage footage his father and his mother really loved Vincenzo. The love of parents nurtures a child that feels and sees the world differently. He grows up and struggles with reality, he is a difficult and contradictory person as shown from the beginning to the end of the film, he feels the Lady he is sucking the artist out and turns him into a product.
Although, since he was 10 years old, he has had the dream of having a musical show á la Moulin Rouge in Paris in the style of Josephine Baker and Satine. This becomes a reality after a videocall and then in six months he and his husband and a selected group of draguates will travel from The French Quarter to Le Marais.
Having a show is not an easy thing since it requires first of all inspiration… to compose the songs (music and lyrics), choreographies, wardrobe, make-up, etcetera. We watch the Graduation Ceremony of the workshop and the trip preparation process. Meanwhile, we get to know a few participants in the workshops: Gayle King Kong, she does what she does to celebrate women, and sometimes her make-up is terrible. Neon Burgundy a little bird that fled the nest, Fauxnique and her subversive acts, Tarah Cards who takes aspects of her character to apply in real life, allowing herself to feel more comfortable, and Franky Canga… a standout who states gender is an illusion, adopts drag as a form of self-expression and gives an astonishing declaration of principles with his Strange Fruit.
While packing for the trip the shoes, wigs, dresses, belts, jewelry, and accessories, Vincenzo thinks of the connection with his grandmother and his mother to whom he feels closer than ever, since, in a way, they have been with him/her getting into full character. Lady Vinsantos and her children are a family, there is motherhood similar but also different to the mainstream FX / Netflix´s Pose has pictured and presented to the world. After all, it is visibility that matters.
Showtime. Lady Vinsantos says: there is a pretty room where you can be yourselves and completely free.. At first glance the Drag show is frivolous but really looking closely we can see it has many layers, activism, politics, and pain, and we are enthralled to see what is really happening in the arena. Camp is also a secret language that allows people to deal with difficult things.
This is another way for our voices to be heard, drag, as comedy, questions power and authority undermining them. Magic is happening and people find its power, the future drag is in the hands of the new generations.
I loved the very last scene in Last Dance…. and you’ll see why when you watch it.
Last Dance was directed by Coline Abert
P.S. Following these ideas, read about the prestigious Turner Prize and Sin Wai Kin´s A Dream of Wholeness in Parts, as retweeted on April 13, 2022, by Queerguru here
Review by José Mayorga : Guatemala, Central America Lawyer and notary public, visual artist and editor of
El Azar Cultural. Lives and works in Guatemala City. Cinema lover, curious about the possibilities life brings and eager
to live the experience. 