BenDeLaCreme
| BenDeLaCreme | |
|---|---|
BenDeLaCreme performing in April 2014
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| Born |
Benjamin Putnam September 24, 1981 |
| Occupation | |
| Website | bendelacreme |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
BenDeLaCreme is an American burlesque and drag performer from Seattle, Washington. She is known for being a contestant on Season 6 of RuPaul's Drag Race, for her solo shows Terminally Delightful and Cosmos, and as co-creator and host of burlesque revues Freedom Fantasia and Homo for the Holidays.
BenDeLaCreme's birth name is Benjamin Putnam. Her stage name is a play off the French term crème de la crème, which, translated, means "Cream of The Cream" or "The Very Best", as well as a play off of her given first name.
He commonly refers to himself as either "Ben" or "DeLa" to distinguish between the private, male persona (Ben) and public, female one (DeLa). In an interview with Artes Magazine, he explained "I consider BenDeLaCreme to be the very best of Ben which is the name of the gentleman that I share a body with. DeLa is how I refer to the lady part of me. If you say Ben you’re talking to that guy. If you say DeLa you are talking to me."
BenDeLaCreme credits his interest in drag and burlesque to seeing Varla Jean Merman's Holiday Ham in Boston in 2001. He was inspired by Merman's theatrical, character-driven approach to drag performance. His own career began in Chicago in 2002, while he was pursuing a BFA degree at the Art Institute of Chicago. Although his course of study focused on painting, he found himself more interested in performance art. DeLa's first opportunities to perform came at drag revues at Chicago-area gay bars. Early on, he was exposed to a more explicitly feminist, message-driven side of drag culture by the Chicago Kings, a drag king troupe with which he frequently performed as the token "queen". At the same time, DeLa made a conscious decision to present a more positive, cheerful persona during his shows, even when addressing serious subject matter such as prejudice, death, and depression. DeLa considers drag to be "an inherently political act", an opportunity to encourage people to thinking about complex issues related to gender and sexuality through humor and theatre.
DeLa's solo shows combines comedy, song, burlesque, dance, and video clips (often DeLa himself in other roles). DeLa's costume style is reminiscent of iconic 1950's pin-up girl. He cites dancer and actress Ann Miller as an early influence.
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