Before she truly arrived in the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Texan performer Kennedy Davenport had already made a name for herself, competing on America’s Got Talent in 2013 and winning numerous titles on the drag pageant circuit (Miss Gay Black USofA, Miss Queen of Illusions and Miss Female Impersonator of the Year among them). Davenport, who took her stage surname from Divine’s character (Dawn Davenport) in the raunchy John Waters classic Female Trouble, also served three years in the Navy.
“It made me a self-motivator… it taught me how to talk to people. I did a lot of healing in the Navy,” Davenport told the YouTube series Hey Qween in 2016.
An energetic dancer known for impossibly high kicks, jump-splits, cartwheels and high-speed ponytail spins, the self-proclaimed “Dancing Diva of Texas” came in fourth on season seven but won over scores of fans with forays into acting, songwriting and improv, not to mention a memorable impersonation of pioneering peacock Little Richard.
Returning triumphantly to the small screen this year on the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Davenport set out to show audiences a new-and-improved version of herself. Energized with a sharper focus, head-turning costumes and the asset of competing and collaborating with queens she’d worked with back in 2015, Davenport ultimately came in second behind Barbie-inspired drag star Trixie Mattel.
Hot on the heels of the release of her debut single “Moving Up,” Davenport arrives in San Antonio for two performances with local support from hostess Tencha la Jefa and Rey Lopez Entertainment Showgirls Jessica Marxx, Sephwhora 51, Kooder Parker, Chyna Cravens, Alayna Marquez, Amerie Parker and Nilaya Milan Mathews.
$10-$25, Wed March 28, 10:30pm & midnight, Heat Nightclub, 1500 N. Main Ave., (210) 227-2600, reylopezentertainment.com.
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