Photo Gallery: Second HAUS AWARD at Trade // 7.26

On Tuesday night at Trade, the performing arts collective haus of bambi presented their second HAUS AWARD to local drag king and artist Molasses. The HAUS AWARD is a $1000 cash prize recognizing excellence in queer art making in the DMV.

Molasses originally got their start at D.C.’s Pretty Boi Drag in 2018 when they were casting new drag kings. From there, Molasses swept through the District’s queer nightlife as a principal performer at 9:30 club’s BENT night and a cast member JR’s BANSHEES. With their suave dance skills and commanding stage presence, Molasses is now gaining wider attention. They’ve performed twice at the Berlin Nightclub’s Saturday Night Drag Show in Chicago and have been in shows with national performers from “Dragula” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Locals can catch them now performing at As You Are’s monthly Half & Half which they also co-produce. At the awards, Molasses performed a gender-bending performance centered on Western motifs and donned a cowboy hat and petticoat.

During the ceremony, haus of bambi’s Director Robert Woofter presented Molasses the award following their performance and also brought the HAUS AWARD’s first winner Greg David on stage. Since David did not have a reception last year due to the pandemic, they also performed a riveting routine while wearing an inflated blue costume, which they eventually emerged from.

See the award and performance photos below. Follow Molasses on Instagram at @kingmolasses. To learn more about haus of bambi and the HAUS AWARDS visit their website here and follow them on Instagram at @hausofbambi. Photos by Brandon Chen.

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Brandon Chen