Bayleigh Katch (they/them) is a student at Western Carolina University who performs drag in the Sylva area. They are a junior double majoring in criminal justice and emergency/disaster management.
Katch’s first performance happened at Sylva Pride this past September. They performed alongside other drag queens in the area like Beulah Land, Ida Carolina, and Calcutta.
“To be able to perform at the first ever pride that Sylva had is an experience that I will never forget, because you are making history for the generations of queer individuals that come after you,” Katch said with pride in their voice. “In Jackson county, there isn’t really a rich amount of queer history, so it was more than I could ever ask for to be a part of that with my first performance.”
Drag is the art of performing gender expression. Drag can be feminine, masculine, or gender non-conforming. Anyone can be a drag queen or king.
Katch was first introduced to drag in sixth grade watching Rupaul’s Drag Race. Katch also has a background in theatre. What interested Katch the most is how queens express their femininity through performing. Katch says their favorite part about drag is the confidence it has given them outside of drag.
“You are able to take the skills you have in drag and apply it to your persona out of drag. Bayleigh has the confidence that I don’t, but I am slowly staring to apply it now.”
Katch takes the time to make their own costumes, make their own soundtracks because of copy-right laws, and do their own makeup and hair for the performance.
The process of getting into drag is very intensive, and can take hours of preparation for one show. “If I’m in a rush to do my makeup it usually takes like two hours. If I wasn’t in a rush probably like four hours,” Katch said.
Austin Rasmussen, a senior hospitality and tourism major at WCU, said that Sylva pride was his first pride event and his favorite part was the drag show. “How they sort of involve the audience, and you see they truly enjoy what they are doing, it’s a form of self-expression for them,” Rasmussen said.
You can see Katch and other queens perform at The Wine Bar and Cellar in Sylva on Sunday, March 27. The admission fee is $10 per person, and all ages are welcome. The show starts at 3 p.m.
