Known for their bountiful assets, GLAM nominated gogo dancer Jay Quack is a Brooklyn phenom.
Thotyssey: Jay hello! Thanks for chatting today! Are you preparing any sort of Thanksgiving plans?
Jay Quack: Hey! Thank you for having me. This year I’m planning on staying in the city for Thanksgiving. I’ll probably have some sisters over for a Friendsgiving moment that weekend.
Fun! Congrats on your recent Best Gogo Boy Glam nomination!
Thank you so much!
This is, I think, your second nom?
It is! I was nominated last year as well.
Are you already planning a cute look for the show in January?
I’ve got some ideas in the works! As you can guess, I like to show off the assets.
Giving the people what they want!
Exactly… gotta thank everyone for the nomination somehow.
Much to discuss in regards to the nightlife world, but first we should cover the origin story: where are you from, and did you grow up with art and performance in your life?
I’m from Baltimore, originally. And yes, I’ve been fortunate enough to be surrounded by performance and culture for most of my life. I grew up doing the school plays, but I didn’t really started dancing until the end of high school.
Did dance bring you to NYC?
It did, more or less. I went to school for musical theatre, and the plan was always to move to New York to pursue that afterwards… but I graduated right at the beginning of the pandemic. During the lockdowns, I kind of lost the Broadway itch just because there wasn’t a lot being produced… and what little was, wasn’t really to my tastes very often. But I still had an urge to dance and to create in general, and I’ve known forever that New York is where I want to do that.
How did you find nightlife and gogo’ing?
So I’ve always loved nightlife and drag in particular. Where Broadway started to feel a little contrived and corporate, going to a drag show always felt raw and vulnerable and real — and when I got to the city, I knew that was more my path. But funny enough, the first nightlife moment I was a part of was “Fagtasia’s” version of Chicago last February; so Broadway’s always found its way in. Baby Love, the creative force behind “Fagtasia,” took a chance on me as a little twink with a mustache with no nightlife experience, and I’ve been performing with “Fagtasia” ever since. Back then, I was still using my full last name, Quackenbush. But she whacked the “-bush,” and now it’s just Quack. From there, I started going out much more often, and taking my clothes off at parties (if you come to my sets, you know I get hot). A couple party producers, namely Luis Fernando and Janelle No. 5, noticed that I could turn a party in a thong… and I’ve been on the box ever since.
What’s the key to standing out and getting attention in the gogo world? Especially on nights where there are multiple dancers at once?
Well I love working with other dancers, so if there’s enough room on the box to really give everyone a show, I love those moments. But when I started gogo-ing more consistently, I told myself I never wanted to rely on the looks or the ass; I wanted to stand out for my energy and for my dancing. I really treat it like I’m the vibe captain. If someone looks shy or scared to get on the floor, I try to invite them in, show them it’s not so scary, that we’re all there for a good time. It’s hard to resist a naked guy inviting you to dance!
Agreed! So this was just announced: “The Hunger Gaymes” at 3 Dollar Bill on December 11th, hosted by Atomic Annie and Angel Au with an amazing cast including Drag Race star Dawn and yourself! What more can you tell us about this show?
I’m actually working on my mix for the show as we speak. The lineup is absolutely stacked, so it’s sure to be an incredible show. I’ll be doing a number as Peeta, iconically played by Josh Hutcherson in the movies. I don’t want to give away too much, but Peeta is known for his baking skills… so there’s a chance that cake will be involved.
Delicious! What else are you up to in the near or distant future, as far as gogo’ing or other things?
As far as gogo activities, you can catch me at The Rosemont on most weekends and other sporadic gigs around the city. I don’t have anything else on the books right now, but I have ideas for my own shows that I’d like to produce at some point. I’ve also started writing and directing video projects more recently; they’re always at least a little gay. So lots on the way… just don’t ask me when!
Exciting! Okay last question: what’s the weirdest, wildest, or just most memorable experience you’ve had while gogo dancing?
So I’ve got a bit of a reputation among a lot of the girls at this point for starting every gogo set absolutely slicked up in baby oil. Everyone knows not to hug me too tight early in the night, lol. Anyways, there was one night about a year ago where I was gogo-ing at Rosemont, and a little of the oil got on the platform I was dancing on. Either that, or someone spilled a drink or something — because when I was throwing it back, I stepped on a wet spot and absolutely launched myself backwards over the divider there. Fortunately there were some kind gays enjoying the show who caught me and pushed me back up onto the platform. It was a shock, but I got to live my crowd-surfing fantasy for a moment. I’ve kept a gym towel in my gogo kit ever since, in case of emergency baby oil spills.
That’s slickening! Thanks Jay, and congrats again!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Jay Quack’s upcoming appearances, and follow them on Instagram.
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