Inkill, one of the “baby drags” born in this edition of the Gala Drag Queen of the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, will attempt redemption after a pre-selection that, in her words, “did not go as she imagined”. Inkill’s show, with costumes designed by Josep López and Sergio León (Drag La Tullida), is titled ‘In the name of democracy’ and ranks fourth among the 13 competing drags this year.
Having participated in Carnival events before, but never as a drag.
I am dedicated to contemporary dance and work as an instructor. I was a dancer for a drag for 5 years. From 2008 until my last Carnival in 2013, I danced for Drag Eiko.
What made you decide to take this step now?
I have always been fond of performing arts. I have my own company and I am also a performer in companies from both the Canary Islands and Barcelona, as well as in Germany. There was a moment when change was necessary. Due to personal reasons, I was not entirely in agreement with the performing arts sector and felt the need for innovation. In the midst of this process, drag emerged. It is something that has always fascinated me, being a drag is a fantasy that I have always carried, even in silence.
Who encouraged you to participate?
My partner. It’s because of him that I am here on this journey.
Do you still have your dance project?
I put it on hold before I got into drag. Of course, it’s my job and I have to pay the rent, so I keep doing things. Especially, I continue with my classes. Let’s say I have been quite lucky after the pandemic. Which is not really luck, it’s hard work, isn’t it? It has been perseverance. I am in this pause process for quite some time now. And yes, of course, if I get any job, I’ll go for it, but I no longer plan to create new shows.
Can you see yourself working in a non-artistic profession at any point?
I would try not to, because this is what I have done all my life. I started dancing at the age of 12 and was working by the time I was 18. I will always try to navigate in the art world, especially in relation to the body and the stage, but in different ways. For example, I started with urban dances until I was 23. From 23 until now, my focus has been on contemporary dance, until I decided to do drag. The richness lies in the difference.
Drag Inkill, finalist at the Drag Queen Gala in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria / lp/dlp
Would you say that your drag proposal is heavily focused on dance?
Well, I move, dance… but the focus is not on dance, but on the narrative. I have made sure that the show has a coherent sense from start to finish.
What can the audience expect from your performance?
The creative process has been the toughest thing I have ever done. I knew that the world of carnival is complicated, but we have had a lot of bad luck with many details. A job that should have taken two, three months was done in three weeks. It was insane. The last week, I almost threw in the towel. But well, the reality is that we are in the final. That means the jury saw something, despite the pre-selection not turning out the way I wanted it to.
What do you think was lacking?
Inkill was lacking. I was missing, which is the most important thing. In addition to refining certain aspects of the set and the choreography. I had a feeling of almost resignation on stage. And you see, I’m used to being on stage, but that feeling… I have rarely felt it. Of course, I had difficulties even two hours before getting on stage. And I was tired. Watching the video, I saw myself as almost unrecognizable. A tired body from sleepless nights. It was necessary to be there at the utmost capacity.
Have these weeks been used to refine things that didn’t work out?
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Yes, and rest. If one is not rested, if one does not stop the machine and sees things with a little perspective, one is not able to appreciate those small details that fail. They have been weeks of reflection and rest.
What does it mean to you to be in a final of the Gala Drag Queen of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria?
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It means many things. First, I am from Gran Canaria, but I have been living in Tenerife for ten years. And the world in which I have moved is totally different from the world of the carnival. For me it is very special because it is almost like returning to the origin. It is returning first home, to Gran Canaria, and secondly returning to the Carnival, which is something I always fantasized about as a child.
And the second?
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That the jury has seen something special in the proposal. I want to believe that this narrative I was talking about has been a good bet. Without taking away that drag spectacle, it can be seen how we really rack our brains to generate something that goes beyond a talent contest.
You now live in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
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Yes. I also lived in Germany for a year. In fact, I spent my life traveling until last year.
So you had to move your entire fantasy for the preselection.
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Exactly.
And did you stay in Gran Canaria?
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Yes, the reality is that we were lucky because this year – before, I don’t think it was like that – the organization of the Carnival allowed us to leave all the finalists’ stage sets there in a Belén María marquee. That really takes a load off our minds because the big stuff stays there and we don’t have to incur extra expenses for renting vans, trucks to move everything… It has been a logistical nightmare. Although in age I may be older than many of the other participating colleagues, I am a drag baby.
Are you considering changing the methodology for future editions?
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Completely. We are learning and taking notes from this first experience. For example, we believe that the stage set logistics should be done differently. Since I have a house in Gran Canaria and contacts, so probably the toughest and most complicated part to work on, in this case the stage set, could easily be done in Gran Canaria in the future. One keeps learning through experience.
He secured a sponsor in the summer, La Bowie Bar.
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One of the owners of Bowie is a friend. She had no idea what was going to happen or that I was looking for a sponsoring company. I had the idea in March. And of course, those things make me quite nervous, especially when friendships are mixed with work ties. I am one of those who think that each thing has its place. It was a resounding yes when she found out, and in this case, she has known how to make that separation and set those boundaries to indicate where the personal and professional territory lies. She is also the stage director, so she has been much more empathetic with the work processes in terms of how to support us.
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The process must have gone smoothly then.
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Yes, the only thing I regret is not having told her earlier.
