Drag Artist Pussy Noir Takes the Stage at the Kennedy Center

She is daring, creative and distinctly her. She is Pussy Noir, a creative powerhouse who’s shaping D.C.’s drag and performance art scene with each high-heeled step she takes onstage.

Pussy Noir, a drag performance artist based in the District, combines fashion, body positivity and lip-syncing in her original, show-stopping acts. Her background as a fashion historian, opera singer and theatre performer gives her a certain je ne sais quoi that is distinctly Pussy Noir, allowing her to strut her stuff not only in nightclubs but also in more traditional venues such as museums and art galleries.

But no matter the act, Pussy Noir says she always wants audience members to walk away with a reaction, whether it’s physical, positive or profound.

“Usually, when I perform, I don’t perform just for myself,” she says. “My first goal is to make everyone feel something.”

Pussy Noir says growing up as an effeminate gay man, people suppressed her sense of being and her ideas, so she always aims to bring a sense of freedom to her performances. Reclaiming this suppression is also a key aspect of her identity and the inspiration for her stage name.

The story of Pussy Noir’s moniker began on a New York sidewalk where magazine vendors dubbed her Slim Black because of her thinness and dark wardrobe. Once she began performing, Pussy realized she needed a stage name, but Slim Black didn’t feel quite right.

“I named myself Slim Pussy because I thought of the idea of ‘pussy boy’ or ‘faggot,’ which [are] terms I was called very often growing up,” she says. “I was Slim Pussy for like three months and I was like, ‘That sounds weird, too.’”

As a self-described huge Francophile, she chose “Noir” as the latter half of her alias instead. This time, it stuck.

“I wanted to celebrate Blackness and reclaim the idea of being a faggot, so that’s where Pussy Noir came from.”

Pussy Noir. Photo courtesy of subject.

Pussy Noir’s next big performance is on June 5 as part of the 2021 Millennium Stage Summer Series, hosted by THE REACH at the Kennedy Center. This series of weekend festivals, which stretches from May 27 to October 2, aims to highlight artists who represent D.C.’s culturally rich communities that might not always get the spotlight.

This coming weekend, on June 3 to 5, the Kennedy Center invites locals to celebrate the District’s vibrant drag community and its history. Pussy Noir, who helped curate this event, is taking the main stage on Saturday at 7 p.m. Other featured events include sets from iconic local DJs, screenings of queer works from regional filmmakers and live music.

Pussy Noir says representing the drag scene of D.C. at a high-profile venue such as the Kennedy Center brings an incredible amount of visibility to the local queer community, and she’s excited to be a part of that.

“We get to introduce drag as a real artistic medium and that’s our goal behind doing this festival. Performing here is a really big deal for me.”

But it’s not her first time taking the stage at the Kennedy Center. As a child, Pussy Noir was a classically trained opera singer, dancer and actor. She performed in the Victorian Lyric Opera Company twice at age 14, sang at both of Bill Clinton’s inaugurations and joined the Kennedy Center’s Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera program. She says performing at the Kennedy Center as a drag artist is a completely different experience.

“After all these years, I finally got to the Kennedy Center as a drag performer, which is really interesting because I was singing opera all my life.”

Pussy Noir. Photo courtesy of subject.

In addition to her classical performance background, Pussy Noir pulls her stylish side into her performance art — a facet of herself that she was able to explore while in college at Sarah Lawrence College in New York.

She chose Sarah Lawrence not only for its reputation as a great performance art school but also because it allowed her to expand her worldview, explore her other interests and learn about herself along the way. Her college experience taught her how to appreciate her body and what it means to be sex-positive.

“I always tell people that going to the college I went to and naming myself Pussy Noir were the two best things I’ve ever done for myself. [Going to college] really allowed me to open up and be myself.”

The combination of her past experiences and multitude of interests plays into every element of who Pussy Noir is. Merely choosing one avenue to follow in life was not enough. She wanted to have her cake and eat it too, which is exactly what she did.

“I always hated when people said, ‘You need to pick something and stick with it.’ I knew that wasn’t the path for me. I finally found a path where all of these elements could work together.”

Follow Pussy Noir on Instagram @gracedrones or visit her website. Catch Pussy Noir’s podcast, “The Beauty Archeo,” on Apple Podcasts. Preregister for the 2021 Millennium Stage Summer Series here. Preregistration is required.

The REACH at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: 2700 F St. NW, DC; 202-467-4600; www.kennedy-center.org // @kennedycenter

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