By William Flockton

The curly, orange-haired drag performer pads their bra with dollar bills as the music starts to play after hours at the Lollicup coffee and tea shop. The dancer wearing high-heeled black boots struts down the makeshift runway, narrow enough to feel the audience’s breath on their skin. The dancer drops to the floor and crawls on all fours, sort of imitating a tiger, and then rolls onto their back as passersby peer through the steam-covered windows. 

CU Boulder student Jadyn Wise, whose drag name is Brendon Yaoi, hosted the first Teatime Drag Show to a packed house of about 50 people at the Taiwanese chain café on Aug. 29. 

“This started off as a brainchild of a friend group that just blossomed into this incredible event,” Wise said. “We were scared at first that we would not have very many people show up, but we sold out very, very quickly.” 

Six drag performers each danced on a platform smaller than a queen-sized mattress in a show that featured burlesque and sensual choreography in two acts.

Performer Banna Meanshot sees the advantage of the small setting.

“These intimate crowds, especially when they’re big and boisterous like this one, really give you the chance to connect with individuals in the audience and use that individual energy to help create a fun time for everyone in the room,” Meanshot said. 

The cafe got so crowded, people were turned away at the door. Blake Larson was one of the lucky people who got in.  

“I really appreciate it,” Larson said. “It feels very authentic and it’s inspiring because these are real people. I just love to see them do what they love in a local community that is not very populated with drag and queer people.” 

Wise now has plans for building an actual stage and hosting monthly drag shows on Friday nights. They say the drag scene in Boulder is lagging. In the past, DV8 Distillery was the main venue for Boulder’s queer community until it shut down early last year. Wise wants to create a consistent show for Boulder’s drag artists, especially those who aren’t able to get to Denver to perform. So far, Wise is pleased with the community’s reaction.

“I think it is very important to show people that drag is not this scary predatory thing that people seem to think it is,” he said. “It’s really a room full of love and full of energy that welcomes absolutely anybody.”  

The next Teatime Drag Show is set for Oct. 24.  Tickets are $15 at the door– a price that includes a free drink. The show is designed for adults 18 and older, and you can tip the dancers using Venmo.

Story edited by Leah Meyer