Tales from the Crpyt of Slaytina featuring Salmo Nella, Kendii, and Ava Gansza
Art’s purpose is to become a medium for defiance and disturbance. Once it’s become a widely accepted idea or form, another interpretation will dare to counter its very core—twisting it, breaking it, and flipping it. Enter: Alternative drag. It emerges within the wide-ranging tableau of the drag community, fully adopting the subversiveness that traditional drag has slowly been shedding.
RELATED: Crypt of Slaytina: A Sanctuary for Alternative Drag Artists
Let’s dive in and discover more about three competitors of Slaytina’s recent Crypt Floorshow Drag Super Monster right now. A growling hello with besos to Salmo Nella, Kendii, and Ava Gansza!
How did you get started in drag?
Salmo Nella: “I started watching drag in 2009 when RuPaul’s Drag Race aired over at ETC. My curiosity peaked right there and then, but I was too afraid to explore since my family didn’t even know I was gay, and I was very active in church back then. When Drag Race Philippines was announced, I had the courage to explore the local drag scene thanks to Bekenemen Viewing Parties and to Baksilog, where I had my first public lipsync out of drag. Then, I met Lady Gagita and was introduced to actual and firsthand drag. Eventually, I tried putting on makeup and wigs, and through her ‘mothering,’ I became the crazy and loud drag queen that I am today.”
Kendii: “Like most queer teens, I used to do makeup and dress up in my bedroom. I just debuted a year ago in a drag event in Imus, Cavite, where I got to perform with Lady Morgana.”
Ava Gansza: “I occasionally cross-dressed when I was in high school. I also joined beauty pageants and cosplay events before I started doing drag. I started doing drag, like the full body fantasy from head to toe, last February 17, 2023, at Rapture Cafe Bar for their Thursdrag—a drag competition. I won the LPFYL, and after that, I joined Poison Drag Cartel. It was the best and most memorable birthday so far because I felt validated and belonged to the community.”
“My drag is a love letter to myself. Drag saves my life when I am in my darkest days. Drag gives me light and freedom to express myself and to tell people that drag is not a crime.”
Ava Gansza
Who or what are your biggest inspirations when it comes to your drag?
Ava Gansza: “My Cubao sisters in Rapture and Spectroom (Blackhole). People always think that Cubao drag is cheap, but they don’t know that they will always give you world-class performances. Go watch them perform! Support local drag!”
Kendii: “My drag is a channel of my confidence. Being body shamed by people, even by some of my closest friends, made me insecure. Drag became a medium where I was able to gain self-esteem, that no matter what form of body you are in, as long as you can bring entertainment to the crowd, you are good and special enough.”
Salmo Nella: “My biggest inspirations in drag were Manila Luzon and Latrice Royale. They were my first drag icons, and their style and flamboyance really resonated with me. Locally, it is Lady Gagita who really pushed me very, very hard to explore the performer in me. Tita Baby and Luka also were my icons since I am their fan on TikTok.”
“Drag became a medium where I was able to gain self-esteem, that no matter what form of body you are in, as long as you can bring entertainment to the crowd, you are good and special enough.”
Kendii
Describe your drag. What influenced your approach to your drag?
Kendii: “My drag is influenced by my experience in dancing. I was a member of a cheering squad and a dance group during high school and college. I consider performing as my edge.”
Salmo Nella: “My drag is very ‘mother’ to the younger kids, in and out of drag. I just wanted to have fun and play with the idea of being a quirky, crazy, relatable, and loving mother figure. I’m also a plus-size queen, so I’m repping for the big girls out there. I wanted to make a statement that big girls can also slay the stage! Big Momma didn’t come to play; she is here to slay! My uniqueness and my perceived weaknesses fuel me to do more and work hard for my drag. I wanted to be the gay icon that I did not have growing up. I wanted to be that big bitch, that dark morena bitch, that effeminate bitch that I did not see in mainstream media. I wanted to be that icon to young queer kids like me, who are also big and dark and do not conform to the standards. We can make it. We can make it even if we’re big, we’re dark, we’re fem!”
Ava Gansza: “My drag name came from the Xtravaganza, inspired by the House of Xtravaganza from the hit show Pose. I just played with the words and made it Ava Gansza. I got the Ava from Ava Max, and Vagan means avant-garde artist. SZA is from the music artist and a girl name meaning ‘victory.’ My drag is a love letter to myself. Drag saves my life when I am in my darkest days. Drag gives me light and freedom to express myself and to tell people that drag is not a crime.”
“I wanted to be the gay icon that I did not have growing up. I wanted to be that big bitch, that dark morena bitch, that effeminate bitch that I did not see in mainstream media.”
Salmo Nella
What is alternative drag?
Salmo Nella: “Alternative drag, for me, is a platform that I wanted to explore more. My knowledge about alternative drag is limited. But with icons such as Slaytina, WorshiptheGays, Malayaugh, KeyFang, Gersana Pilipina, and Travestea, I definitely am ready to learn more. I am very eager to explore what Salmo Nella can offer in alternative drag.”
Kendii: “Aside from what people know that alt drag is more on horror or filth, it is also a type of drag that pushes the boundaries of art. It allows performers like us to think outside the box and extract our creative juices to bring something new and provide entertainment in a whole new perspective.”
Ava Gansza: “Alternative drag came from the urge to be out of the box, to break the rules. It is kind of like an extreme sport for me because you don’t know whether the artist is going to do something absolutely insane on stage. It’s like a rollercoaster in the dark—you won’t know if it’s going to turn left or right, up or down.”
Tell us about the inspiration or the story behind your performance at Crypt of Slaytina
Kendii: “It was inspired by the series I love watching: Masterchef. I’m a camp performer, too, and I wanted to combine camp with alt drag in a way that the audience will get to see something new. I came up with a butcher outfit with real knives on my head to match the theme of the night, [Death Becomes Her]. I used vegetables and a pig head as props. Fortunately, the audience loved it, and other known drag queens in the industry commended my performance.”
Ava Gansza: “Drag is always political. My performance was a piece to remember one of the trailblazers of the LGBTQIA+ community. Venus Xtravaganza was an incredible woman who dreamed of being accepted by the world and making her fantasy a reality. She was one of the amazing people interviewed in Paris Is Burning and the main inspiration for the character Candy Ferocity in Pose. She was found dead in a hotel room in New York City. She was strangled in bed, and people found her body lifeless. My performance was a reminder of trans violence that’s still happening to this day.
Salmo Nella: “It was a backup concept since my original “Death Becomes Her” look didn’t make it. I was supposed to present a Gluttony concept, with a lechon body suit look—fit for a big girl like me. But I had to improvise. My friend and performance partner, Denver, and I put up the concept heavily inspired by the viral video of Ms. Elizabeth Oropesa asking for support from a particular presidential candidate after the elections. I was taken aback by the fact that these politicians, come elections, are like suitors. They will court you, ask for your hand, and will spoil you until they get your vote. They all disappear after they get elected. Isang linggong pag-ibig. Nawawala kapag nakuha na ang gusto. Matamis lang sa umpisa. The black lace dress by Sir Santi Obcena capped off the concept and made it more dramatic and more grieving.”
Photography ASHLEY SOMERA
