Back in London at Bar Wotever

Royal Vauxhall Tavern

Yo, it was quite a long time without visiting an island where I lived for quite a while... more than time to hit the stage again on the kind invitation of Ingo and discover the Royal Vauxhall Tavern! very nice stage with luxurious red curtains.... automatic screen rolling down on command.... backstage with a bathroom - what could an artist ask for more? Oh yes for sure the audience ;-)

And the audience was so warm welcoming, so attentive, mixing up all genders and styles in a very intimate atmosphere. I loved it and promised to be back in fall! Vancouver meets Berlin in London

One of the nicest moment was to find a friend from Vancouver just visiting for a couple of days and share our experiences on vessels and docks... to be seen soon on screen in a new performance..

Coming up soon ;-) stay tuned!

New London Skyline

all around the world... and back!

It all started last year, taking off some time in fall, somewhere between Vancouver and Sao Paulo, flying further to Amsterdam, Bilbao, Jakarta, New York.. and to Paris to complete the Tour at Le Divan du Monde, what a name - could there have been a better place to find some release after such a trip?

The film "Risk, Strech or Die" has been screened everywhere, and I was to be beamed with the multimedia show all around the places to accompany it !! discovering new audiences, new questions, new aspects of trangender life, new challenges which brought me nearer to myself... and further away from the film, which had been quite a trigger, a springboard, a chance to face own limits and new horizons.

International Drag King Extravaganza @ Vancouver

"Je chante.... dans le port de Vancouver..." I heard as a kid on the french radio Véronique Sanson singing that refrain so often that as I heard Risk, Stretch or Die was taken on in the Media &Arts Programme at IDKE9 PLUS the Dure Limite video clip as a performance at the Showcase: I HAD TO GO OVER THERE!!!www.idkevancouver.com

SHOWCASE /  SATURDAY NIGHT

Tonight is the Showcase evening, a packed movie theater for a show of the superlatives: great performers from so many countries... Ireland, Australia, the States, Canada... we all rock the place, acrobats, multimedia performances, theater,... I only wonder how I could eventually be the only live performer?! But boy, what a show. The most professional I ever experienced certainely, the most demanding, and the nicest by far...

Thanks Tania for all the shots of the whole week-end that you shared with us all:

Tania A. on flickr.com

The photographer Lary Campbell I met by chance on the bus 2 days ago is there too and makes one of the nicest pics! He says: "Océan - on the picture, your body replaces the word "man".  Fun, huh?" Thanks, Lary!

But the nicest, most pleasant moments are not to be shared here... or maybe a glimpse just to give you an idea of how it feels to meet brothers and sisters, get the warm feeling to be part of a welcoming community dedicated to define a new masculinity, with tenderness, openess and respect, far beyond the mere artistic creativity...

At any case: the sweetest hosts ever were Ed and Missy, thanks you from the heart for being so welcoming and so kind to me!

DRAGDOM / FRIDAY NIGHT The Penthouse Midnight Club is a... what do they call it... a gogo dancer club? a table dance club? whatever... I loved it at once :-)

The backstage upstairs is freeeeezing, and most of the time completely deserted from all performers... who of course don't want to miss the show hosted by Malaika Millions and Heywood!

Gosh, the audience is so excited and in a good mood... what a feeling to be challenged to bring them even further.. I was so happy as a nice couple from North Vancouver came to me and said: "you are bringing a new dimension here, because you are actually not only a drag king, we understood you as a man and a woman, we sincerely felt with you and in your body the real struggle between the genders".