Pittsfield — Drag queen Poppy DaBubbly will be leading a “Bebop” children’s music and movement class on Sunday, Aug. 6 at 10 a.m. at Witch Slapped, located at 78 North St.
The class is for children ages two to four years old, and there is $15 admission for each child, with adults admitted for free with their children.
Poppy DaBubbly is the creation of Casi Kristant, a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, who lived in Chicago for some time before she and her husband moved to the Berkshires.
“I have many years of theater experience, and when I was in Chicago I was cast in a drag show that ran for three years, which is how I was introduced to the world of drag,” Kristant told The Berkshire Edge. “It was ‘Snow White and the Seven Drag Queens’, and I was cast as ‘Snow White’. To me, drag brings ultimate joy. Because I’m a cis female, I often get the question ‘If you are a woman, how can you do drag?’ I then have a wonderful conversation where I educate people that drag can be an expressive art form that explores genders. I’m exploring hyper-feminism with this character.”
Kristant said that Poppy DaBubbly is an exaggerated version of herself.
“I love big jewelry, big loud clothing and colors, wigs, lashes, sparkles, and all the glitter,” she said. “When I put all of that fun on, it feels like an instant party. I’ve always loved Halloween, costumes, and playing dress up.”
As for the name “Poppy DaBubbly”, Kristant said she got the “Poppy” part of the name from the California wildflower poppies, and “DaBubbly” from champagne.
“Whenever you pop a bottle of champagne in celebration, it’s joy when you see all the bubbles,” Kristant said. “Also, children love bubbles because it’s all about joy.”
Kristant is also a theater educator and has taught “The Art of Drag” classes at various locations over the years, including a camp in Santa Cruz, California.
“I’ve had hundreds of children take my drag classes, then they put on drag shows,” she said. “I’ve had so many students come up to me and tell me that they never felt so confident before. There is an additional element to drag because it’s so political right now, but these classes help to normalize it for people.”
Kristant said that at one of her drag camps, people made “very serious threats and we had to get local law enforcement involved.”
“After that particular event, I did some intense soul searching for a week or two because it is scary, and I have three children of my own,” she said. “To me, education is the key. There are always going to be people that are putting negative energy into the world. All we can do is continue to practice the positivity and joy that is about self-expression, and the freedom to explore that. I have received some threats of hate over time and it’s really hard. But a lot of times they just want engagement. The best way is to not engage and to continue to practice positivity.”
Kristant regularly holds events with Poppy DaBubbly at Witch Slapped, including “Bebop” events for children.
“‘Bebop’ was the nickname my father gave me as a baby because he used to tell me I was bopping around the house all the time, just constantly moving, and dancing,” Kristant said. “It’s also a jazz term that’s associated with harmony and rhythms. But when I think about it, I think about movement, helping young children develop skills around music, and helping them with kinesthetic response. I have taught for over 20 years, and this age group is really fun with music.”
Kristant said that she would like to expand her program offerings in the future.
“But since I’m new to the Berkshires, I’ve only been here for seven months, this is my way of introducing the program to see what kind of response I get,” she said. “Witch Slapped owner Danielle Munn has been instrumental in letting me explore and use her community space.”
While she has only been in the area for seven months, Kristant said that she feels that Berkshire County is welcoming to newcomers like her.
“‘Poppy’ was recently crowned Majesty of the Berkshires at a Pride Pageant in June,” she said. “I have also been volunteering with Berkshire Pride, which has been a wonderful introduction to this community. It’s a great way to help with keeping this community inclusive.”
For more information and to register for the class go to Witch Slapped’s website.
