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  GenderFantasy rehearsal photo by Wayne Bund. My first thought upon leaving Kaj-Anne Pepper‘s first full length dance and performance art piece GenderFantasy was: “How in the hell do you clean that much glitter from beneath a foreskin?”
And though that question may be 70% joke, it actually says a lot about the absurd vs. mundane that GenderFantasy embodies so well. The piece, featuring 3 dancers in addition to Pepper, Lillian Rosetti, Michael Zero Reed, and Keyon Gaskin, begins with dancing you might recognize as current and, though I hesitate to say familiar, at least recognizable. But the movements go beyond what we would generally call contemporary dance. Mostly this technique works, although occasionally I did wish for some longer stretches of repetition and synchronicity. And yet somehow, though you might not enjoy or be be comfortable with every dance, it does make a beautiful and interesting whole.
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 Kaj-Anne Pepper has been a performer, dancer, drag star and multi-modal artist in Portland for several years. We have come to expect great things and Pepper’s upcoming full length show, GenderFantasy, is highly anticipated. It opens this Thursday for a 4 day run at the Headwaters Studio (55 NE Farragut) and amidst the madness Pepper took a moment to talk with qPDX about his process, the show, and those involved in collaborative art. […]
  Claw vs. Claw plays Saturday at the 1 year anniversary of Rebel Girl Don’t forget Electrogals, which continues all week. And check out an interview with founder Heather Perkins from earlier in the week.
Thursday
Fist: Electro queer night – New dance night at a new venue. And we like new and different don’t we? Jams from DJ Hookerface so be prepared. This is an electro night and Hooker and I used to rave a decade ago so shit’s gonna be real, and hella danceable.
Smutty Clown open mic – Here in P-Town we like to make everything dirty. So naturally, we already had dirty poetry, now we need dirty comedy. I’m a huge fan of the innuendo myself, as anyone who has spent time with me after 5 o’clock can tell you. I also appreciate sexy comedians. So who knows what to expect from those signing up but it’s hosted by Whitney Streed and Sterling Clark (basically the template they used for Portlandia‘s “…all the hot girls wear glasses… line) so you know it’ll be off to a good start.
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  "Not Enough! chimera" painted by Sergio Torres and decorated by Not Enough! volunteers. It is a representation of the Not Enough! chimeric spirit. Disparate heterogeneity united in one. Photo by Mary Christmas. This weekend sees the second annual Not Enough! Festival, a weekend long event aimed at creating more opportunities for queer art and music in a collaborative setting. The art/music/film/performance festival that showcases, encourages and supports new work by queer folks regardless of experience and/or “skill” level will take place throughout the weekend at Cathedral Park Place.
qPDX sat down with creators Sheana Corbridge and Edgar Frias to talk about what to expect from Not Enough’s sophomore outing and how it came about.
qPDX: What’s your involvement with Not Enough!?
Sheana Corbridge: I started it with Marlena Chavez, Sergio Torres and Edgar Frias last year and the group of organizers has grown to around 10. I mostly deal with music and bands and took the title of Executive Director last year-but we all work fairly equally within the group. I played in a band last year, my first band playing drums and I am playing guitar in a band this year.
 Preview Kaj-Anne Pepper's GenderFantasy this Friday at Bent Thursday
DJ Challenge and Gaga look alike contest for AIDSwalk – A benefit for the upcoming walk to bring attention to AIDS (cuz the fight is not over my friends) this Gaga look alike contest can also win you tickets to Ke$ha. Gay cliché as it may be I bet there will be many good costumes provoking laughter and gasps alike. And though I don’t know what the DJ challenge entails I’m excited to see Mr. Charming (Gaycation) participate in it. If it was DJ Hero on the Wii I might even give them a run for their money…
Big Eyes, Tacocat, Forever, & Guantanamo BayWatch – Punk rock at the Fleetwood Shac.
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  Butt Plug Klub welcomes Kaj-Anne Pepper back to PDSex What else do you really need to do this weekend but ensconce yourself in QDoc? OK, fine. Here’s a bunch of other cool stuff, but I’m tired, so commentary is short.
Thursday
Dirtbag! – No less a fabulous femme kickass DJ than she ever was, Gutter Glamour has reemerged from the chrysalis as Bruce la Bruiser. Joined by guest Freddie Fagula the DJ duo will get you on the floor and make you weep all in one. It’s a free party in the heart of Alberta that will slyly introduce new wave to the pop laden queer scene and I, for one, embrace the infiltration.
Sweet Tea at the Fixin’ To – I think it’s awesome that there’s a neighborhood queer night up in St Johns. And really I’ve been meaning to go. But when there’s so much awesome Thursday action in inner NoPo it’s hard to truck out to the 8000 block. Still, I hear it’s awesome. Let me know?
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  Rae Spoon plays tonight at Saratoga Rae Spoon with Tender Forever – I don’t know too much about Rae Spoon but this musician from Montreal produces dance-able electro-pop with a deep sense of longing. And he’s apparently a big deal as excitement for this show has reached a fever pitch. I mean, he is real cute in a pink sailor hat. He’s be joined by the equally longing filled local (well, now) Tender Forever. Her beats range from dark and melancholy to nearly pop electronic and always include something interesting like video background or controlling a virtual drum snare with Wiimotes. Ok, I have to admit I’m pretty damn excited too.
Friday
Bent features CJ & the Dolls – In a very special pre-tour event, CJ & the Dolls, will be performing at and generally fluffing the crowd at this weekend’s Bent. It’ll be just a taste of what’s to come from the band, as we’ve got a project in the works. And if you thought there was excitement for Thursday night, it ain’t got nothin’ on FriGay the 13th (thanks for that one Mr Charming). The crowd will be filled with intense sexy doll makeup and fierce nails courtesy pre-party nail-fest from Nailed by Ally.
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  Milk-n-Hunny Saturday at Red Cap Whether you are with your biological family or a chosen one, I hope all have a day full of food to be thankful for. I know I’m certainly thankful to live in a city with so much to do, even on a holiday weekend. So use those extra days off!
Wednesday
Lez Stand Up with Kupp! – One of the funniest ladies I know is Kirsten Kuppenbender, with just enough energy to be entertaining without seeming like many ADD-addled comedians. And when do you need a little humor more than the eve before a day of family gathering with wine-induced arguments and narcoleptic tryptophan napping. With 7 or 8 performers including Nicole Georges and Whitney Streed along with the smooth stylings of DJ Party Martyr this is a night of jokes and stories that will be way better than Grandpa’s.
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  Chi Chi and Chonga at September's Disco Miss Thing. Photos courtesy Just Out Emerging from an occasionally painful adolescence Portland is finally enjoying the freedom of young adulthood (and college parties, whew!) and there’s no better example of this than our catty but loving drag scene. This year saw one the introduction of a truly well crafted drag competition called Miss Thing and this Friday brings its outrageous finale.
“I think drag has gotten somewhat of a bad name in Portland because there is so much sameness and traditional drag going on,” Co-creator Heklina Heklina has said. “Audiences and performers want to be challenged by ideas—another great thing about Miss Thing. There are no rules—no rules as to gender, what you need to look like or how you dress. All that matters is what you do onstage.”
Not that we’ve ever cared about a bad reputation, but we’re happy that now it’s a thematic, originally bad rep. And it’s all coming to a climax when the year’s best of the best take the stage to win 500 dollars and a trip to San Fran to perform with Trannyshack. And competition is fierce.
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  Kaj-Anne Pepper is ':Shorn' Local avant-garde dragster Kaj-Anne Pepper has been all over town this year winning top-homo at Homo’s Got Talent, the Gagadonna edition of Miss Thing, and generally being an all-around drag superstar. In reflection Kaj-Anne has thought of himself as taking over Portland until ChiChi and Chonga burst onto the scene, but I think he can still claim some monarchy over our alterna-drag loving community.
Is is this balance of confidence and humbleness that compliment his amazing works of art. His upcoming installation and performance art work :Shorn – Cuts, Guts and Glamour at Half/Dozen Gallery (625 NE Everett #111) should be quite a feat of hair and amazement. With collaboration from Eric Sellers, Dallas Oliver and Nandi LaSophia this staged ritual will be nothing short of queer art religion.
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