Jack 08242016

tunning, Dazzling
abulous
The glamorous Dorae
The name Dorae Saunders is
synonymous with being nothing
less than “glamorous.” Hailing
from Colombia, S.C., the steady
Hamburger Mary’s performer
has been
entertaining since she was a
teenager.
“I saw my first drag show
at 15,” Saunders says. Quickly
Dorae
embracing her love of the stage,
she has been going nonstop ever
since, placing in the top 12 in
Miss Gay USofA 2016,
winning Miss Large
and Lovely 2014
and becoming
Miss Duval
2008.
“Entertaining is very fulfilling,”
she says. There’s nothing like “the
joy you bring to other people.”
Saunders also made it to the
Top 40 on NBC’s “America’s Got
Talent” in 2008 as a Tina Turner
impersonator (Seriously, Google
her right now and prepare to be
amazed).
When she stepped onto the
stage in all her glory, celebrity
judge Piers Morgan asked, “Do
you actually sing Tina Turner?”
She confidently replied, “I’m
actually going to lip-sync and
dance like you’ve never seen
before.”
Then she proceeded to shake
her ass just like the Queen of
Rock ‘n’ Roll. And the crowd
went wild.
Along with Jacksonville,
Saunders performs at venues
throughout Florida, the Carolinas
and parts of Georgia and Texas.
But the Jacksonville crowd is
unique.
“It’s more of a cabaret style
vs. night club. The majority [of
the crowd] is heterosexual. It’s a
first-timer audience.”
The scene is more made up of
open-minded and curious types
who have never been. “They see
RuPaul on television,” she says.
On show days, she follows
a routine to become her most
fabulous self.
MORNING
• Food. “You need the energy,”
she says.
• Last-minute costume
projects.
• Choosing outfits and making
her wigs.
AFTERNOON
• Practice.
• Saunders makes sure she
knows the lyrics and has
everything in order.
EVENING
• Makeup 1-2 hours before the
show starts.
• Camaraderie between
performers is a high point.
• Show time and “Off to the
races,” she says.
POST-SHOW
• More food. “You need the
energy… I perform highenergy
numbers.”
• Shower.
• And at last: “Go to sleep,
wake up, and do it all over
again.”
AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 | jack 5