Cherdonna Shinatra is the stage name of Jody Kuehner (born 1979),[1] a Seattle-based, American dancer, drag queen and performance artist.[2] Kuehner won the Stranger Genius Award in Performance in 2015.[3]
Cherdonna Shinatra | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jody Keuhner 1979 or 1980 (age 43–44) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of South Florida (BA, BFA) |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Website | cherdonna |
Career
Performance style
Kuehner has been called a "female impersonator impersonator"[1] and describes her own performance as Cherdonna as "a female-bodied person, presenting as a male-bodied person, presenting as a female".[4][5] She has been mistaken for a man by some audience members who don't expect to see the "exaggerat[ed] femininity" displayed by a drag persona to have a female body.[6] After a performance in Seattle she had her breasts grabbed by a person who expected to find a prosthetic,[6] and she performed onstage several times with a male partner before he realized she was not also male.[1]
Keuhner incorporates many elements into her performances, including dance, theater, drag, burlesque, glitter, celebrity impersonations, audience interaction, and clowning.[7]
Dance instruction
Kuehner was artist in residence and instructor at Velocity Dance Center in 2014.[8]
Personal life
References
Further reading
- Kurtz, Katie (January 16, 2019). "Cherdonna Performs at the Frye Every Day for Three Months Straight". The Stranger. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- Richards, Becs (February 27, 2019). "Cherdonna Shinatra takes her subversive clowning to Frye Art Museum with 'DITCH'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
