By Journey Tupper
Since we’re just around the corner from the snowiest, coziest, merriest time of the year in the big Chi Town, I thought it would be fitting to focus on the shining star who not only knows her way around a stage, but also the ice rink. If you’ve never heard of this glistening beauty, let me bless your eyes. Her name is Denali Foxx. aka. “The Great One”
Known originally as Cordero Zuckerman, this drag queen has attained a multitude of skills which creates a list longer than one you can imagine. Her abilities range from Olympic level ice skating to slaying drag to having a 3rd degree black belt in martial arts. These attributes make it evident as to why she was chosen to compete on the upcoming season (13) of RuPaul’s Drag Race, hosted by none other than RuPaul himself.
Having only been apart of the drag community for 2 and a half years as well as being the first Alaskan queen to compete on Drag Race, Denali is paving a way for many wide-eyed aspiring artists. This Fairbanks, Alaskan rooted “Jewexican” beauty made the move to Chicago, IL and since then worked adamantly and gained herself a spotlight in pretty much everything she has done.
Most recently, she has performed in the Drop Dead Drag Pageant in our own 'Lake Street Shore Drive-In' just a few months back in October, taught her fellow queens how to perfect her gift of effortlessly skating on ice, and prepping for the premiere of Season 13 of Drag Race on January 1st of 2021.
What sets Denali Foxx apart from other major drag creators, in my opinion, is how she has mastered so many distinct qualities and applies them all to her art.
The main inspiration for her dress/makeup stem from her time growing up in Alaska. She tends to lean towards nature and winter influenced looks mixed with high fashion (of course).
Her local Chicago audience praises her for the way she consistently puts her all into every performance she executes. Whether that be with flips, turns, facial expressions, or looks.
Denali herself believes this ability comes from her headspace during these events. She has the capability to block out everything around her when she is in the zone, and it SHOWS!
For reference, please enjoy this clip of the queen herself beautifully executing a routine to “Let's Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez, posted Wednesday, December 9th on Reddit.
But though it may not look it, Queen Denali’s main weakness in her mind, is her acting skills. This is only comes from comparing her confidence in acting to other areas such as skating and performing.
As most know and have personally experienced as well, the introduction of the COVID-19 pandemic has altered people’s lives all around the world. It has shut down social abilities, increased mental health struggles, and completed shifted the economy as we know it. Throughout the past nine months, each country and state within has had to create boundaries in order to keep communities healthy but also remain a bit above water economically.
For those who have professions such as website builders or over the phone associates, their work lives have not been altered much but most artistic entrepreneurs generate income from performing publicly with the necessity of human interaction. Because during this time this is not at all possible, everyone has had to get creative.
This brings me to the idea of an ‘influencer’.
An influencer is known to be someone who has a pretty large online presence and who regularly posts content that a desired community thirsts for.
Across the board on all social medias there are over hundreds of thousands of different types of accounts that inspire hundreds of thousands of different people.
One specific community that social media is a prominent successor in is Drag.
The drag online community has a multitude of participants whether that be from posting or reacting to posts.
The videos or photos from these queens usually include makeup looks, previous performances, Question and Answer videos, and lifestyle shots.
As a main contributor to the drag community; Denali Foxx is a perfect example.
With social medias accounts on every platform she has established a massive fandom.
Her Instagram account, at this moment, has around 50 thousand followers and only continues to grow day by day. Her main content is a variety of drag looks that stem from her goal of wanting to inspire fellow drag enthusiasts. It’s evident that the hype from this upcoming season isn’t hurting her online presence either.
Denali Foxx is an artist that inspires and motivates so many people.
Just get ready to have your mind blown in 2021.
Y’all ain’t seen nothing yet.
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