Becoming a Drag Superstar

      Dipping a brush onto a contour makeup pallet and circling his lips with red lipstick, Ronnie VanZant looks back at his reflection while he sheds his male figure and transforms into his female, drag queen persona.

      VanZant has been performing in Denton as Nayda Montana for about three and a half years; a UNT student by day and a local superstar by night.

      He discovered the art of drag when he moved from East Texas and stepped out into the public eye during his debut performance in the first UNT UPC drag competition. Striving to find an avenue to express himself in that would open up new opportunities and relationships, VanZant created a character that would transform his life forever.

      “When I first moved to Denton I had three really close friends who I went through a tornado with; we called ourselves the ‘Tornado Survivors’,” VanZant said while constraining his waist with a corset and layering on pantyhose tights. “I was trying to come up with a name and they said I should do a version of the word tornado, but make it pretty,” he said. “Nayda, like there’s a tor-nayda in town. For my last name, Hannah Montana was what I considered my drag life to be; a normal girl by day, but at night I put on some makeup and I’m a celebrity.”

      While performing in Glitterbomb at Andy’s Bar on the Denton Square and Crossroads Bar on North Elm Street, Montana lip-syncs and dances to popular female vocalists while collecting tips from Denton locals.

      “I have always really enjoyed seeing Nayda perform,” said Devin Reynolds, a Glitterbomb cast member. “Drag is a way for people to express themselves that is truly unlike anything else and is a representation of how the LGBT community has contributed to performance art. Nayda always comes up with something really original and entertaining; I’m glad she is involved in the show.”

      VanZant has fulfilled his dreams of performing alongside globally recognized drag queens such as Alyssa Edwards, Laganja Estranja, and Shangela from the Emmy award-winning show RuPaul’s Drag Race. Last November he was able to participate in the Austin International Drag Festival which was his first appearance as Montana out of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

      “It was awesome to see Nayda be able to dance with Alyssa Edwards at the last UPC drag show because she is his idol,” said Jessie McBride, a UNT junior and fellow drag performer. “They death-dropped on the stage at the same time and it became a highlight of the night.”

      Trial and error has taught VanZant how to become more comfortable about his aesthetic and the energy he brings to the stage. He records just about every performance and tries to develop new styles that will take his routines to new heights. 

      “My favorite show I performed in was a pride show where I did the song Confident by Demi Lovato,” VanZant said. “It was bittersweet and sentimental because there was a moment when I was on stage and thought, “Oh my God, look how far I’ve come.” I was super nervous in the past because I didn’t know what I was doing, but now I was doing the same song so much better.”

      Drag has been a positive reinforcement in VanZant’s pursuit for his bachelor’s degree due to his rule of “studying before performing, because school comes first.” He is a senior and scheduled to graduate this spring.

      Being Nayda Montana has led VanZant to meet new people, develop friendships, and learn more about himself than he had ever initially intended. By creating bonds with other drag queen performers, he has built a family with other men who also found a haven while being on stage.

      You can find him performing as Nayda Montana at Station 4 in Dallas on Thursdays. He is teaching the basics of drag at the Denton Academy of Drag and Burlesque on March 30.

      “I hope to really make a name for myself in the drag community and have my art appreciated by the masses,” Nayda Montana said. “Drag makes me feel like nothing can bring me down.”