The most exciting part, for me, is that it’s only the beginning. I could have never guessed that I would have so many memorable experiences and gotten to do so many positive things for our community. I’ve been at Charlie’s for a year and 3 months and feel so grateful for the opportunities they have given me. I think it’s amazing that Charlie offers its employees the opportunity to be involved in an organization like AGRA which not only gives so much to our community but makes a point of preserving our gay Rodeo history through archives and preservation projects. As a native Arizonan, I have always felt it is important to continue the cultural legacies of our wild west roots. I attended the annual convention and, became inspired to compete for the title of Ms. After being an active member of AGRA for over a year, I felt compelled to become more involved. AGRA is a charitable organization that raises and donates thousands of dollars annually to various charities and produces the Arizona Gay Rodeo. I learned about AGRA (the Arizona Gay Rodeo Association) through my employment at Charlie’s Phoenix. I immediately knew that Charlie was a great fit for me. The very next day, I quit my day job and went straight to Charlie’s Phoenix for my first planning meeting. It was the first time Charlie’s Phoenix would have a cisgender female on staff. Shortly after, I met with general manager Michael Weidmann and he offered me the position of resident choreographer. After we returned from the National Pageant, he mentioned he would like to have me on staff as a choreographer for Charlie’s Phoenix. Through our positive experiences working together at the state pageant and the national pageant, it was clear that we had a unique working relationship.
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I had always been a fan of his work and jumped at the chance to do a project together. He reached out to me and asked if I would choreograph his talent routine for the Miss Gay Arizona 2018 Pageant. In 2018, I met Joshua Sipe (aka Claudia B), a pillar of our community, gifted performer and the show director at Charlie’s Phoenix. Once the word was out that I’d returned to dancing and choreographing, my calendar became filled with numerous projects. I was nervous to return but was relieved when immediately I was welcomed with open arms by my community.
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I went through a painful divorce and, after making time to heal, decided that I was going to commit myself fully to my choreography career. I went into semi-retirement, teaching a few classes a week at a children’s dance studio and focused on being a wife and stepmother.įive years later, after devoting myself to a marriage that had become abusive, I decided to take back my life. My co-promoters were very influential and guided me through navigating a world in which I was, quite often, the only cisgender female in the room.Įventually, the intense pace of the entertainment industry clashed with my desire to have a family of my own. Many of my clients were Drag Queen Beauty Pageant contestants who wanted Production style routines for the talent portion of their competition.Īfter a few successful years of choreographing for LGBTQ special events and pageants, I became a Pageant promoter for US of A Pageantry. She introduced me to my first drag queen and, after that show, I began working with drag performers from all over Arizona. I got my start as a choreographer in the drag world through a close friend who was a singer and needed help learning choreography. I have been dancing since I was a child and began teaching dance almost 30 years ago. We perform weekly in Charlie’s drag shows and at special events in the LGBTQ community. I direct and perform with our dance troupe, Charlie’s Show Dancers. I am the resident choreographer at Charlie’s Phoenix. Shannon, please share your story with us.
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Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Perkins.