Anyone who has watched RuPaul’s Drag Race will know that you don’t get drag without performance. Whether it’s a lip-sync for yo’ life, a big scale song and dance-off, or a legendary catwalk, drag queens are defined by their abilities to go big or go home. But something we are yet to see is an Irish dancing drag queen. That’s what Colorado-based Héruma Glamoure envisions as her signature act one day. “I definitely want to merge the worlds together,” she says.
Héruma, AKA The Drag Healer, or Joey Roca, is no stranger to performance. Joey, 27, started Irish dancing at the age of 13 with the Drake School in Florida, following in the footsteps of his sister, before transferring to the Kavanagh Porter Warren Academy at age 19. He quickly fell in love with Irish dancing, and would go on to achieve impressive placements of 5th at the American Nationals and 8th at the World Championships. Eventually, he ventured into professional shows, starting with Raglan Road in Orlando in 2015. This would lead to a string of other opportunities with numerous professional Irish dance shows including Magic of the Dance, Rhythm of the Dance, Prodijig, Titanic Dance, Irish Dance Theatre, and Celtic Illusion.
“[Irish dancing] will always hold a special place in my heart. There’s nothing like Irish dancing, right?” Héruma says. “It’s so unique and amazing…All the people I’ve met and interacted with over the years, that’s the best part for me, is the community.”
However much like everyone else, this past year has meant less dancing and more creative exploration. “It’s interesting though now, after being away from it for a while, I found drag,” Héruma says. Drag feels “much more at home”, though she adds that she’ll always be an Irish dancer at heart. She plans to soon buy ghillie light shoes for the first time and channel the grace and expression of the female leads in shows like Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. “I just love their grace and their arm movements. So I’d love to do a slip jig or something like that in drag.”
“I definitely want to merge the worlds together…I’d love to do a slip jig or something like that in drag.”
Héruma Glamoure
Watching RuPaul’s Drag race on tour would be the beginnings of Héruma’s love for drag, and it was during a UK tour with Rhythm of the Dance when she explored drag for the first time. “I really wanted to try it out, and I’ve never really done makeup before, other than a little bit of foundation,” she says. “But one of the girls on the tour helped me out and put me in drag. And that was technically the first time.”
However it wasn’t until lockdown that Héruma really started to delve into the art of drag, exploring her identity and finding her name, inspired by the messenger Greek god Hermes. “I just really want to bring that regal-ness to my drag. And Hermes is kind of an androgynous character, and so I love playing with that with drag as well,” she explains.
While she is still on a journey of self discovery, she does know that she’s something of a witch, “like a magician”, which inspired her to channel her drag into performative healing sessions. “I just always love dancing, putting on pop music, upbeat songs and dancing around in my room, dancing in the shower, singing in the shower, just without expectations or choreography,” she says. “Just really being in the moment, and feeling music, matching your body and your vibration with the music and the sounds is so powerful.”
“Anxiety is just a lot of energy, and the best way to move that energy for me is to dance.”
Héruma Glamoure
Expressive movement has proved to be such an effective healing device that she has integrated it into workshops to share with others, taking on the role of the “Drag Healer”. “We’ve all had the craziest year ever with the pandemic. And so just dancing in my room were some of the best times I’ve had,” she says. “So I wanted to share that with other people and spread that message and create a space where people could feel safe to dance.” Héruma’s sessions are for everyone – dancers and non-dancers alike – and aim to help people find an outlet for anxiety. Every session starts with EFT tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques). It’s a form of meditation that consists of gentle tapping on certain areas of the body, like acupuncture, to help people connect with the body and let go of judgements of the mind. “A lot of a lot of people I feel are maybe afraid to dance or don’t want to let go…I just want to get into the body and actually just feel the music.”
This is followed by ecstatic dance, which is exactly what it sounds like. “I do lead people through some movements, like a few little yoga postures, but ultimately I want people to have their own journey and really kind of surrender to the music.” she says. “I kind of let them go on their own journey. And that’s what ecstatic dancing is, just kind of letting your arms flail, whatever happens, happens.” Another version, shadow dancing, encourages people to look inwards to the darker parts of themselves with positive intentions of acknowledgement and healing.
For Héruma to reach a point where she could offer help to others, she first had to come to terms with her own experiences with anxiety, meaning introducing herself to the world came with some apprehension. “I grew up in a very strict, religious family,” she says. “They don’t even necessarily understand being gay. On top of that, dressing up in drag, it’s just a whole different world for them.” She adds: “I’m always worried about, ‘Is this the right thing? Or is this wrong?’ And drag is so empowering, because it’s allowed me to let go of that a little bit.”
“This feels right, and so it is right. That’s all that really matters.”
Héruma Glamoure
These underlying feelings from her strict upbringing inevitably remain in the back of her mind, but overcoming this was part of the process of introducing herself to the world. “I don’t know if there’s necessarily ever a right time to announce it to the world or put yourself out there. I think it’s kind of just one of those things that you have to let unfold and just kind of take a risk…without worrying about what other people are gonna think or say.”
Héruma insists that dance is transcendently powerful in finding an outlet for stress and anxiety, and can be a genuine healer. “If you’re struggling with anxiety, dance it out, talk it out,” she says. “What I have come to understand, and I think this is true for most people, is that anxiety is just a lot of energy… And the best way to move that energy for me is to dance.”
Compared to the routine and structure of Irish dancing, drag is a totally new journey in learning to both express herself and manage her inner critic. “With Irish dance we usually do our set dances solo, we’re the only person on stage…but even that, to me, is a cakewalk compared to getting all dressed up in drag,” she says. “It’s so interesting, because even though I’m putting all this makeup on, and kind of covering myself up, I feel so much more vulnerable in drag.” But following her gut, trusting the process, and embracing the challenge means that any uncertainty is overshadowed by instinct. “This feels right, and so it is right. That’s all that really matters.”
Follow Héruma Glamoure on Instagram.
