The Glam Femme’s next “Femme Voices” feature is Majic Dyke, a performance artist whose dancing helped them find their voice. Also known as the “King of Beards and Titties,” Majic uses dancing in the drag king space to bring joy to the LGBTQ+ community and awareness to the masses. They confront the idea of gender by expressing the fluidity that they have embraced within themselves and sharing this experience with others. To Majic, performing is not on only an art form, it gives life to a path towards self-love and freedom.
Read on to find out more about Majic!
Please introduce yourself. What is your name? Where are you located? What are your pronouns and how do you identify?
My name is Majic Dyke and I currently live in Maryland. I am genderqueer. All pronouns are welcome in my world, as long as they’re being used respectfully.
You are a performer and very appropriately dubbed the “King of Beards and Titties”. Tell us a little bit about that and anything else that you do.
My performance art has given me the space to explore my gender identity and show up in the world in a way that seems most fitting to me. I am an expansive and limitless being and my art is a reflection of that.
I’ve performed at everything from brunches and family friendly showcases to strip clubs and super raunchy kink spaces. “The King of Beards and Titties” is a title that represents the non-binary genderbending drag that I do. I wear glitter beards, I wear heels, I wear tight fitting body suits, I wear baggy jeans, I wear suits, I wear any and everything (and most times I wear nothing). The outside world tries very hard to police and dictate how I dress and how I express myself, but I’ve found liberation and freedom in my art.
How long have you been doing what you do? How and why did you start?
According to my mom, I started dancing long before I could walk, so that’s always been a part of me, but my drag career started at the beginning of 2017. My first time stepping on a stage as a king was with Pretty Boi Drag, which is a DC-based drag king production team. The story of how and why I started is kind of funny, and a tad bit sad, because when I reflect on my journey it’s hard to believe how far I’ve come.
Towards the end of 2016, I started seeing a therapist to deal with my social anxiety and major depressive episodes. One of the hardest things I had to face was my unhealthy self-isolation from the world. My therapist introduced me to an app called “Meetup” and essentially told me to go out and “make some friends.” So I got on the app and filtered all my options to only show me the LGBTQ+ events in the area because I figured if I was going to be out and about in the world, I wanted to be around people who I could relate to. Fast forward a few months later, I got an email invite to a drag king show and it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I had to put on my big boi pants, face my anxiety, and go out into the world on my own. Once I got to the bar and saw all the unapologetic queer black bodies on stage living their best lives, I knew that this was something I wanted to do.
Does performing make you feel like a part of a bigger community? If so, what is your biggest or most important contribution to this community?
The performance scene in Washington DC/Baltimore has introduced me to some of the most amazing individuals one could ever meet. There is so much solidarity within the spaces that we’ve created to showcase our talents, stories, and skills. Most of us share similarities in the struggles that come with our identities. This community taught me how to love myself in all my forms of existing and it also taught me how to love and understand my siblings in the LGBTQ+ community. I use my platforms to share that love and to uplift others.
My social media community consists of individuals of all genders, sexualities, identities, races, and experiences. I often speak on my own mental health struggles in the same space that I promote my shows and highlight the happy moments of my life. Living as my authentic self means that I embrace all parts of my journey and I share it all openly. My hope is to show others that they are not alone in their struggles. I try my best to pour my love in the community that has poured its love into me. My most important contribution is to exist as I am, and show others that they too, can live their lives for themselves – regardless of what the general society has to say about us.
Do you consider yourself a “creative”? What does that mean to you?
I am an artist and creating is an essential part of my being. I am a dancer, writer, photographer, videographer, and a performance artist, among many other things. Self-expression is crucial to my survival, so yes, I would call myself a creative. I grew up very anti-social, as most artists do, and it’s during these quiet times that I learned how to channel my emotions into other avenues. Being a creative means that I see the world as a blank canvas and I draw inspiration from my own experiences to leave an imprint on this canvas.
The Glam Femme seeks to explore the multi-dimensionality of queer women and folks of color. In what ways would you consider yourself multidimensional, if at all?
Most people know me as “Majic Dyke” the fearless genderbending drag king, some people know me as “Faith” the person who moves about in the world in a reserved manner. My family probably still sees me as that quiet and shy girl that grew up keeping to herself. Every person that I’ve ever met in this lifetime has their own idea of who I am, based on our experiences together.
If you were to ask about me to the people I’ve met at while working at the strip club, or my co-workers from the office, or my childhood friends, I’m sure the answers you’d receive would have you thinking they were speaking of three different people. Although the ways I show up in this world change day to day, who I am at my core remains constant. I am a vessel of love and that is the foundation of everything I do in life.
What struggles related to your intersectional experience do you face and how do you overcome them?
I am a masculine-presenting person in a female body. I am black. I am an African immigrant. I am genderqueer. When I’m drag and navigating the world, I look like a black man or a queer-bodied person. Each of these parts of my identities come with their own set of struggles and I often find myself thinking about the many things that could go wrong every time I step out into the world.
I fear for my life and the “what if’s” are endless. “What if I get pulled over while I’m in drag and the officers assume I’m a black male… What if I pull out my I.D. and they see the “F” marker and decide that I don’t deserve to live… What if I get attacked on my way home… What if one of these homophobic trolls I deal with online pop-up at one of my shows and decides to express their hatred in real life?”
It seems like every day there’s a headline about how the Trump administration is taking away the rights of marginalized groups, or stories about black bodies getting murdered, or hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community. All of these things weigh heavy on my mind. I cope with this by staying grounded and validating myself daily. I connect with people who are in the same boat and our shared experiences make life much more tolerable. I give myself permission to be happy and I dedicate each day of my life to making this world a better place by choosing to spread love to the people I encounter.
What is your favorite or most effective self-care method?
Unplugging from the world and disconnecting is how I recharge. I spend a lot of my time on social media because that is where most of my work takes place. Performing can also be a very energy consuming experience because there’s a level of expectation that is set on me when I’m in certain spaces. I love talking to people and entertaining the masses, but when I hit a point where it becomes draining, I retreat to my quiet place and unplug from everything.
Being in nature is my number one self-care method. I love forest bathing, which is just immersing myself in the natural world. The peace and tranquility that comes from laying down in the grass and having zero electronics or people around is what connects my heart, mind, body, and soul together.
What are you most proud of about yourself and what you have accomplished?
I am most proud of my ability to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone. The two-year mark of my drag journey is slowly approaching and when I reflect on my list of accomplishments, I think of all the opportunities that I’ve had to work with people that I admire the most.
Do you have any upcoming projects or goals?
My biggest goal for this year is to collaborate with as many artists as I can. I believe that we rise as a community when we work together. I recently got invited to perform at The Cocoa Butter Club in London so I’ll be preparing for that!
How can we see your work/contact you/etc.?
I post a lot all my work on my social media platforms, so you can follow me on my Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to stay updated on all things Majic!
Instagram: www.instagram.com/majic.dyke
Twitter: www.twitter.com/majicdyke
YouTube: www.youtube.com/majicdyke
