Yana Alana is infamous for her nude, rude and lewd cabaret, and her Adelaide Cabaret Festival show is just as bawdy and outlandish.
In a risqué act of defiance this camp, bouffant, drag diva will appear on stage with her all-female band – fully clothed! A very special performance for those yearning for Yana to bear her soul, but not her ass. Yana will be Joined by The Paranas featuring Bec Matthews and Louise Goh to perform hit tacks by Nina Simone, Tom Waits, Shirley Bassey, Laurie Anderson and Joy Division.
These are just 5 of Yana Alana's comments on why women can do drag:
Let the children play dress ups
My favourite game as child was dress ups and mostly I was the princess, something I've cringed about but more recently come to understand as a way to play with my understanding of femininity, Too much make-up, veils, beads and long dresses. Indecently my brother and my friends of all genders also liked wearing dresses. We should let children play dress ups, it's so important for their development, imagination and breaking down the binary.{youtube}h4VBD825fWA{/youtube}
Find An Outlet
As a teenager I avoided dresses and makeup because it made me feel uncomfortable and exposed, it felt unnatural. I rejected elements of myself because it felt unsafe to dress the way I sometimes wanted too. In my 20s I created a character at queer night called 'Drag Kings', she was a hyper-feminine version of myself with lashes, wig, heels and big opinions. She was loved and I named her Yana Alana, because she was a poet and it rhymed. I performed as her frequently and gained confidence both as a performer and person. Performance nights and queer venues are an important space to develop work, take risks and take dress ups to the next level.Finding yourself behind a mask
Having a drag character to play behind can be liberating and even healing. It allows parts of your personality to integrate. I've heard from so many drag artists that in some situations in life they feel the outsider, the freak, the misfit, yet on stage, under lights, wig and a character they feel strong, as though they belong and even have an influence on the way people think. Most importantly they know they are strong because that character lives inside of them.Lip syncing is an artform – so is singing
Lip syncing, when it's done well, can be masterful and so cathartic. It took me a little while to find the courage to go from lip syncing to singing, but I'm glad I did. I feel I have more to say writing my own lyrics and using my own voice. You're still a drag artist if you use your own voice while singing, there are many who do and I'd love to see more.
