By Andrea Poteet
Like many young girls, Kelly Garcia grew up with an interest in makeup.
But for Garcia, the interest developed into a passion in an unlikely way – when the Detroit-area dancer was approached by friends who were in need of a third drag queen for their monthly drag show, Fiebra Latina.
"They said, 'How about we teach you the choreography and you do this show with us? We'll dress you up like a drag queen, we'll do your hair and makeup; you'll lip-synch and dance,'" Garcia says. "And that's where it started."
What began as a single gig turned into a passion, she says, and Garcia's performed with the group for the past eight months.
"It stuck with me since then," she says. "I love the hair, I love the makeup. I love the illusion and the choreography."
But when Garcia injured her knee during a performance with the group several months ago, she feared her dancing career was over. Instead of moping, Garcia said she used the injury as a catalyst to give back to the LGBT community that had given her so much. She began pooling her excess energy into creating a cosmetics line geared toward LGBTs.
"Whether it's a man, whether it's a woman – whether it's a half woman, half man – it doesn't matter who you are, what you are," Garcia says. "If you want to be creative, if you want to enhance your beauty, we should be able to provide something for them."
And to kick off her line, Top Secret Cosmetics, she's going back to her roots with a drag show and competition christened "Battle of the Dragons." She said she was inspired by the competitive spirit she sees among drag queens, the same spirit she sees in other mythological creatures.
"When I think of drag, I think of extravagance, I think 'fierce,'" Garcia says. "When you look at drag queens, everything is over the top, and they are very competitive. I want to take the whole typical pageant to another level. Let's make it a battle, let's make it a little more aggressive. Let's have a battle of the dragons."
The event, scheduled for 8 p.m. Jan 20 at the Majestic Theater in Detroit, will feature six drag queens battling it out for the chance to be the cosmetic line's new face and $1,000 in cash and prizes.
Four judges will pick from the contestants, scouted through two Detroit casting calls, as they model looks from Ivy's Corsets and their own designs.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, a cause the single mother says is close to her heart.
"I believe in my dream and I work hard to make my dreams come true," Garcia says, "but at the same time, I don't forget about the others. I want to help the LGBT community, and I want to help children that are in need. And I believe it's about time someone did that."
