Cherdonna Shinatra
Cherdonna Shinatra | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jody Keuhner 1979 or 1980 (age 43–44) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of South Florida (BA, BFA) |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Website | cherdonna |
Cherdonna Shinatra is the stage name of Jody Kuehner (born 1979),[1] a Seattle-based, American dancer, drag queen and performance artist.[2] Kuehner won the Stranger Genius Award in Performance in 2015.[3]
Career[edit]
Performance style[edit]
Kuehner has been called a "female impersonator impersonator"[1] and describes her own performance as Cherdonna as "a female-bodied person, presenting as a male-bodied person, presenting as a female".[4][5] She has been mistaken for a man by some audience members who don't expect to see the "exaggerat[ed] femininity" displayed by a drag persona to have a female body.[6] After a performance in Seattle she had her breasts grabbed by a person who expected to find a prosthetic,[6] and she performed onstage several times with a male partner before he realized she was not also male.[1]
Keuhner incorporates many elements into her performances, including dance, theater, drag, burlesque, glitter, celebrity impersonations, audience interaction, and clowning.[7]
Performances and achievements[edit]
Jody Kuehner aka Cherdonna Shinatra uses dance, drag, theater, camp, feminist traditions, absurdity and subversive commentary to make art. She is a 2020 NEFA's National Dance Project finalist, 2017 Artist Trust Fellowship recipient, 2016 NEFA's National Dance Project awardee, and 2015 Stranger Genius Award winner. She has been presented locally at On the Boards, Washington Ensemble Theatre, Seattle Theatre Group, and the Henry Art Gallery. She has been presented nationally at the USF in Tampa FL, Go Drag! Festival, Berlin, Germany; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Centro de las Artes, Monterrey, Mexico; The Yard at Martha's Vineyard; American Dance Festival, Durham, North Carolina; and FringeArts in Philadelphia. Her exhibition DITCH was presented at the Frye Art Museum, Seattle; The Momentary at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas; Sarasota Art Museum, Florida; and Akron Art Museum, Ohio. DITCH was featured in ARTnews, i-D Magazine and NBC's 12 must-see LGBTQ art shows around the world.[8]
Dance instruction[edit]
Kuehner was artist in residence and instructor at Velocity Dance Center in 2014.[9]
Personal life[edit]
Kuehner describes herself as queer.[2][6][10]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Frizzelle, Christopher (September 10, 2014). "The Inexplicable, Fascinating Cherdonna Shinatra, the Drag Queen Who's Not a Drag Queen". The Stranger. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Serinus, Jason Victor (June 2, 2016). "Cherdonna Shinatra does it her way: 'Gender fluid' performer shakes off expectations". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ Frizzelle, Christopher (September 16, 2015). "Cherdonna, Winner of the 2015 Stranger Genius Award in Performance". The Stranger. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ Aaron Scott (April 23, 2016). "Drag Through The Back Door With Wigs The Size Of Texas". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019.
- ^ "Two NW Drag Queens Boldly Go Where No Queens Have Gone Before". Spreaker. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c Jacobson, Rebecca (April 27, 2016). "The Surprising Gender Bending of Drag Queen Cherdonna Shinatra". Portland Monthly. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ O'Kane, Kyle (February 23, 2018). "The History of Cherdonna Shinatra: From Name to Fame". FringeArts. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ Kuehner, Jody. "Jody Kuehner".
- ^ "Class descriptions and faculty bios: Professional/Advanced Contemporary with Jody Kuehner". Velocity Dance Center. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016.
- ^ Sommerfeld, Seth (October 13, 2014). "A Fiendish Conversation with Jody Kuehner (Cherdonna Shinatra)". Seattle Met. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
Further reading[edit]
- Kurtz, Katie (January 16, 2019). "Cherdonna Performs at the Frye Every Day for Three Months Straight". The Stranger. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- Richards, Becs (February 27, 2019). "Cherdonna Shinatra takes her subversive clowning to Frye Art Museum with 'DITCH'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
