Preparing to premiere a brand new Pride event in Long Island, Awhora Borealis is here to shine the brightest light this summer.
Thotyssey: Hi Awhora! It’s nearly June, are you ready for a Hot Drag Summer?
Awhora Borealis: Hi! Well, to be honest, I initially thought you asked if I was ready for a Hot Dog Summer, and I was confused and intrigued. But regardless, I am excited for this summer to get started!
Lol! As a Long Island queen, you’re closer to Fire Island than most. Do you get to go out there ever?
Funny enough, my first time out to Fire Island was last year! I went as my boy self. I am making it a goal to get out there more this summer. And who knows, maybe I’ll start performing there, too.
Are you a LI native?
I am, more or less. I moved around a bunch growing up, but Lindenhurst is my hometown. No matter where I go, I will always claim Lindenhurst as my home.
What made you want to give drag a shot, and when was Awhora created?
All straight men think they can do standup, and all gay men think they can do drag. I wanted to start drag back in 2016, but was too scared to do it. It wasn’t until 2022 that I was finally pushed to do it. Every summer my bosses hold a “Girl’s Day,” where all their female friends and family gather to hang out and celebrate womanhood. Typically, they hire a drag queen to perform a few numbers, do a few games, and hang out with them. One year (2022) they couldn’t find anyone available, so they asked me if I was interested. And thus Awhora Borealis was created.
Love that! How would you describe your drag today, as far as numbers and looks go?
These days, Awhora Borealis is the whore next door. She’s very slutty with a campy twist. The songs I typically do are very girly-pop: upbeat, high-tempo music that just makes you want to dance. If I do a ballad, it’s going to be stupid and fun. I would describe Awhoras’ current look as “bold drag clown.” I really look forward to leaning into the camp element of drag.
What’s it like being a Long Island queen? I know it comes with its own unique challenges–lots of straight or mixed audiences and spaces, gigs long distances apart, etc. Also, Long Island does come with a sizeable population of conservative types.
Being a Long Island queen has its challenges, but nothing I can’t handle. As for spaces/locations, it’s pretty typical to perform in restaurants and bars–but unfortunately, we don’t really have true gay spaces for queens to perform. So we’ve had to adapt.
Some of the challenges I’ve encountered are more on a taste level; since Long Island tends to have more straight audiences, the song choices are curated very carefully. When I first started, I would make mixes to lip sync to… but they never seemed to land. At first I thought I was making bad mixes, but I began to notice a lot of queens stopped making mixes. For one reason or another, they (the mixes) don’t seem to always land.
Interesting! Straight audiences and younger folks are probably confused by drag mixes, especially if their only exposure to drag performance is the lip sync assassination of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
I would definitely agree. I feel that most audiences think of Drag Race when it comes to drag; audiences are expecting flips, dips and dives all the time to some generic pop song. I am guilty of pandering to these audiences… but after all, it is still a business. Going forward, I’m definitely going to sneak in and introduce more queen-centric songs and mixes.
On a sad note… I know that the Long Island drag scene is pretty tight, so it must have been a terrible blow for many to lose local performer Sassy Temptress to illness recently. Did you know her?
I was very fortunate to know Sassy Temptress. I didn’t know her outside of drag, but working with her was truly a pleasure. She was such a talented artist and performer. I wish I had gotten more chances to work with her.
She will indeed be missed by so many, and this season we can all honor her work and life with our own art and efforts.
Yes. Summer is always an interesting time for drag artists with Pride Month and private events, as well as Fire Island.
You are actually premiering a new Long Island event… Lindenhurst Pride, on June 1st!
I have organized Lindenhurst’s first pride event in the form of a bar crawl. I am very excited to have partnered with local businesses to make this event happen. The event begins at 1pm and takes people through the downtown of Lindenhurst, highlighting local businesses who support the queer community. Afterwards, there is a drag show at Sand City Brewing from 5-7pm, followed by an after party. I am so happy to see how supportive the town has been thus far.
And looking ahead to June 15th, I see you’ll be part of another Pride Month event care of one of LI’s very few queer spaces, Halo in Oceanside. This will be the “Rainbow Renaissance Festival,” featuring Drag Race alum Yuhua Hamasaki and several favorite Long Island queens!
Yes! I am very excited to be a part of such a wonderful cast! It is great that queen spaces are beginning to pop up, but I wish they would receive more attention from the community. I look forward to celebrating Pride with great talents!
And you just hosted your latest installment of a brunch residency in Bay Shore. Will there be another one down the road?
Yes! Currently I am very blessed to have a monthly booking with King’s Chophouse! My next brunch with them is a Pride themed brunch on June 23rd.
What else is coming up for you?
Every two months I am booked at Hermanas Kitchen & Cocktail in Lindenhurst. My next show with them is June 12. And in July, myself and Eden DarkStar will be hosting a drag talent show. We are still hashing out the exact details, but it’s going to be a great summer!
Very exciting! Okay, lastly: what’s your favorite cosmetic item in your drag bag?
It would have to be my Wet n’ Wild palette. I know it’s not the greatest, but it’s what I started drag with… and it’s been quite the journey into making me who I am today.
Happy Pride, Awhora!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Awhora Borealis’ upcoming appearances, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Thotyssey 
she’s the best!
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