As Sofia Erdakos-Roizman neared the age of 13, her Bat Mitzvah date drew closer.
It is customary to participate in some kind of community service in preparation for this Jewish coming-of-age celebration so her mother, Lady Desire, helped her create Fierce: A Youth Drag Camp Extravaganza. The free drag camp for kids ages 8-16 will be from noon-4 p.m. Aug 12-14 at William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St.
“Sofia wanted to find a Bat Mitzvah project that spoke of her authentic self and family life,” Lady Desire said. “Having interests in the makeup, SFX genre and traditional, her love of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ as well as her brother’s aspirations of being a drag queen performer, led her to decide [to create] an event which utilizes all of those passions and enables kids like her brother to have a safe and welcoming space to explore their fierceness.”
A group of volunteers quickly formed to plan the event. They met several times to brainstorm possible dates and activities, obtained donations of supplies and booked a time at William Way. Lady Desire said the volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure that the camp would run smoothly all the way through the performance on the final day.
“Since this is a kids’ show, it is going to obviously not be as if an adult will put on a performance,” Lady Desire noted, “but each number the kids will perform will be as polished as they feel they need it, and much of the choreography can be improvisational.”
Sofia and her brother Max both have a concrete vision of their drag personas, as they will be performing at Harrisburg Pride prior to the camp. However, the campers are not expected to come in with a plan.
Lady Desire, Sofia and a number of volunteers will guide the campers’ self-exploration through various stations (music, makeup, hair, costuming and choreography), culminating in a performance on the last day of camp.
“Some of the kids may identify [as LGBT] at this point, but since the kids’ ages range between 8-16, some are not in an age where they may know yet,” Lady Desire said. “We are focused on allowing the kids to drag to a gender they are comfortable with, not necessarily the opposite gender. Kids are free to explore the art of drag for self-expression.”
Fierce is completely free for the kids attending. There is also no registration required.
“Kids can simply show up and will go through a short explanation and signature of waivers (makeup and photography) by parents/guardians at the beginning of camp,” Lady Desire explained.
She expects the camp to consist of 10-15 kids. Lady Desire and Sofia hope that the camp will become an annual event. In order to reach this goal, they are asking for a $5 donation at the performance to fund next year’s camp.
For more information, see www.facebook.com/events/1761894710723709.