Joyce Maynge: Lights, camera, troll dance

Another week, another film shoot, another starring role and another broken heel. This week I was cast in a video as part of promotion for New Mardi Gras's Big Gay Weekend. Some people just think of me an actress/dancer and hand model; while others see me as a modern-day, bigger-boned, Brigitte Bardot.

Well let me take you behind the scenes of a day-in-the-life of a modest, movie star going about her business, keeping it real.

One of the biggest challenges I faced in the opening scene was balancing precariously on two wheels of a chair before falling backwards.  Due to budget cuts and fears of Greece defaulting on their loan, I also had to play the part of my own stunt double.  Balancing on two wheels was the easy part. Falling backwards on a chair was the hard part but it was in the can and solid gold.
 
Battered and bruised it was time to pick myself up for Scene 2. This required some tabletop dancing.  I felt like I was in Pretty Woman again. So battling big hair, big boobs and some Executive realness, I found my motivation and started giving it some Hips Don’t Lie meets Call on Me on the boardroom table. I was in the zone, lost in dance. Then it happened. Primordial cave woman dance moves overtook my body and once again I was moving backwards with little control.
SLAM!

This time my back hit the table with an almighty WHACK! and legs were splayed for everyone to see. Then, drawing inspiration from something Crystal Carrington once said, “Don’t worry about Alexis, she always lands on her feet….or her back”. And so with cat-like reflexes I sprung back onto my haunches.

It was time to push the boundaries so I asked the Director, Mikey if I could “improv with a glitter curtain”. Unwittingly, this then unearthed my latest dance move. A move that will no doubt become a dance craze to sweep across the globe and be bigger than Zumba and become even more riveting than ‘planking’. So I began stomping around, while leaning backwards with both mouth and legs agape. “A TROLL DANCE!” Lewis correctly guessed and thus the dance phenomenon was born.

The ensemble cast of emerging drag talents such as Tora Hyman, Marie Claire, Decoda Secret and Dallas something or other, were exceptional in whatever they were doing in the background. Tora did an incredible crazy TV face that resembled a cute Oompa Loompa. Her look was completed with beautiful trout lips and a short wig. The most surprising thing is that she was disguised as a MAN! Unsure of what man wig to wear she brought about a dozen of them and shared them with the ensemble.  Diva committee need to keep an eye out for these girls as there is no doubt there is a Rising Star among them.