PROGRAM ART OF DRAG SEMINAR
Welcome to art of drag seminar 27th September at Oslo Metropolitan University!
Photo: Karina Rønning
Model: Diana Dior from Draguation 2022 at Elsker bar and club
The art of drag Seminar 2025
WHEN: 27th September 2025
WHERE:
0900 - 1700: Oslo Metropolitan University (seminar)
2100 - 2300: SALT Art & Musić (drag show)
PURPOSE: The drag scene in Norway has grown tremendously over the past 10–15 years, from just a few dozen performers to around 300 individual artists. This rapid growth has created a need for a forum dedicated to skill development, open discussion, and the strengthening of diversity.
Our aim is to create a seminar from which the drag community can learn — and through which others can learn from the drag community.
This is the motivation behind the seminar: to raise awareness, challenge attitudes, and support the development of drag in a more inclusive direction.
MORE INFO TO BE ANNOUNCED! Stay tuned and sign up for our Newsletter for more information!
The program is listed below!
0930 - 1000: Official opening of the seminar, with a welcome by the seminar manager, followed by an introduction of today’s host and an overview of the seminar topics.
0845 - 0930: Registration at Oslo Metropolitan University (adress: Pilestredet 32 - Andrea Arntzen Hus)
WELCOME AND REGISTRATION:
SESSION 1: Drag as an art form in society
1000 - 1200
In this session, Drag as an Art Form in Society, we explore the consequences of drag appearing in spaces beyond the traditional drag stage, and the reactions it provokes. Here, drag is used to convey personal stories, telling stories with a queer twists, as a way to mirror the audience in order to create recognition and connection.
SHLOMI RUIMI / MIMI DEVINE
A drag artist starting in the underground and worked her way to the top!
In our opening session, Session 1: Drag as art form in society, Shlomi Ruimi, the artist behind the sensational Mimi Devine, shares insights from the performances `It’s About Mimi`, `Spilling the T to the D`, and other artistic work she has done as a drag artist, dancer and choreographer. With a focus on ballroom culture and contemporary dance, Ruimi explores how deeply personal stories shape drag as an evolving art form.
Shlomi is a well known choreographer in Norway and has been a dancer and instructor for the company, Carte Blanche. In addition, she is a make up artist and hairdresser, and also produced many drag shows, dance performances and more.
Photo: From private Collection
Poster: Alvar Aronija
BLAND DRAKAR OCH DRAG QUEENS
A drag group, traveling all over Sweden and the North to have drag shows, storytelling and educational program for children and youth.
The world can be a tough place — but luckily, some people are here to make it brighter. One of those is the fantastic and inspiring drag collective Bland drakar oct Drag Queens.
They’re joining us for The Art of Drag seminar to talk about their powerful work bringing drag, storytelling, and joy to children and families. As the Nordic region’s largest drag theatre troupe, they create books, stage storytimes, theatre performances, and musicals for audiences of all ages. Since 2017, they’ve been touring nonstop across Sweden and Finland, performing over 200 shows a year.
They’ve even published their own book, Bland drakar och dragqueens: Sagobok, and are on a mission to make the world a happier, more inspiring, and more inclusive place — one glittering fairytale at a time.
Joining us are Petter Wallenberg, founder of the troupe and lead author of the storybook, and Inga Tvivel, beloved drag artist and performer. Together, they’ll share their creative journey, the impact of their work, and why drag storytelling matters.
While their project has faced criticism and backlash from some groups, the response from families tells a different story: children adore them. Their work sparks joy, encourages imagination, and inspires social change.
Website: https://blanddrakarochdragqueens.se
Poster: Alvar Aronija
Photo: Johannes Helje
LUNCH BREAK
LUNCH BREAK
1200 - 1245
We will be serving a simple lunch with coffee, tea and more!
Perfect time to clear your head and talk with others!
SESSION 2: Drag as an Inclusive Practice
1245 - 1500
In this session, Drag as an Inclusive Practice, we explore how drag can become a space that welcomes broader participation and fosters social change. This includes embracing neurodivergent individuals and using drag as a pedagogical tool. Here, drag becomes a practice for inclusion and a catalyst for social transformation.
KATINKA STEENSGAARD / ELEKTRA PUZZZ
Norwegian drag artist
Katinka Steensgaard is a trained drama and theatre educator and goes under the drag persona, Elektra Puzzz. Under The art of drag seminar, she will share her insights, experience and knowledge about how drag can be used in educational contexts. Drawing from the performance Masculinity in Question, which toured high schools 2024, she will explore how drag can spark meaningful conversations about gender and identity among young people.
Katinka is one of the producers behind Norwegian Drag Productions / Open Drag Stage, the creator of Oslo Drag Skole (Oslo Drag School) and Bois Night, and one of the pioneers of Oslo Drag Festival. She is a member of the drag collective Princessilicious, and has been performing drag since the early 2000s in various forms (drag shows, theatre, workshops, popups evt.). In other words, she has done a lot for the Norwegian drag community as an artist, producer and educator.
In a world where drag kings and bio Queens are looked down, Katinka has fought to elevate their status within the drag community in Norway with great success. In addition, she inspires new drag artists and giving them the tools to be amazing.
Katinka is also a
Homepage: www.oslodragskole.com
Photo: @karinathedragphotographer
Poster: @alvar.aronija
DRAGSYNDROME v/ Lady Francesca and Daniel Vais (UK)
A drag group from UK breaking all expectations
Welcome to Invisible Superheroes – an inspiring and groundbreaking talk with producer Daniel Vais and drag artist Lady Francesca from the UK-based collective Drag Syndrome.
Drag Syndrome is the world’s first professional drag group made up of performers with Down syndrome. Since its founding in 2018, the group has captivated audiences across the globe with their unmistakable style, explosive energy, and unapologetic presence. They don’t just challenge what drag can be – they redefine who gets to take the stage and be seen in the world of art and performance.
Through Invisible Superheroes, audiences are invited into the powerful work of Drag Syndrome: promoting inclusion, breaking down prejudice, and opening new spaces for representation within the drag and LGBTQ+ communities. With stories, reflections, and lived experiences from both stage and life, Daniel and Lady Francesca offer a moving and thought-provoking journey.
Experience how art can change perspectives – and the world.
Learn more about Drag Syndrome: www.dragsyndrome.com
IG: @dragsyndrome
Photo: Damien Frost
Poster: Alvar Aronija
1500 - 1530
Time to fill up your cups, talk with people and more!
SHORT BREAK
SHORT BREAK
1530 - 1630
In this session, Drag from an Academic Perspective, we aim to elevate drag to an academic level of discussion, offering tools to critically explore and articulate the potential of drag as an art form for the future
SESSION 3: Drag in an Academic Perspective
KAREEM KHUBCHANDANI
Key speaker and author of `Decolonize Drag`
How has the Western drag scene been shaped by commercial and colonial structures? And how can we expand our understanding of drag to make it more inclusive, diverse, and rich?
In this thought-provoking lecture, Kareem Khubchandani highlights key perspectives from his book Decolonize Drag!
Kareem is an educator, researcher, and performer deeply engaged with feminist, queer, and trans aesthetics of everyday life, particularly in South Asia. He works to shed light on the creative ways marginalized communities live within oppressive systems, focusing on how dance, fashion, and language are used to build beauty and belonging. Kareem is an Associate Professor of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at Tufts University, and also performs as LaWhore Vagistan – everyone’s favorite Desi drag aunty.
In this lecture, Khubchandani will share his perspective on the intersections of drag, gender, and colonialism, and explore how drag can challenge the narrow frameworks of Western drag traditions. He will examine how today’s dominant drag culture is shaped by commercialization and media, limiting who gets to define and participate in drag.
Through a critical lens, Khubchandani proposes new ways of thinking about drag — where more expressions, bodies, and aesthetic traditions are welcomed.
Website: www.kareemkhubchandani.com
Poster: Alvar Aornija
Photo: Davide Laffe
Additional program that you can attend before or after the seminar
ADDITIONAL PROGRAM
ADDITIONAL PROGRAM
DRAG SHOW - TBA
2030 - 2100: Doors open
2100 - 2300: Drag show at SALT Art & Music
To conclude the all day, we invite all seminar participants to a drag show at SALT Art & Music. Here there will be a broad of performers for the Norwegian Drag Community.
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Fritt Ord
The Fritt Ord Foundation is a non-profit private foundation that works to promote freedom of expression, public debate, art, and culture.
We were granted NOK 50,000 by the foundation to carry out this project! And are so happy and gratful for this.
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Oslo MEtropolitan University
For more than 200 years, Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet) has contributed to building knowledge and expertise for the Norwegian welfare society. Today, OsloMet is a modern and urban university who are especially known for its robust and expansive academic communities within teacher education, health and social care, social sciences, design, and technology. We are collaboration with OsloMet on the location and the implementation of the seminar.
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Oslo drag Festival
Oslo Drag Festival is Norway´s first and only festival for the art of drag!
With over 90 drag artists, both professional and amateur, the festival features performances, concerts, comedy, children’s shows, workshops, lectures, and panel discussions.It aims to promote queer art, foster cultural exchange, and create inclusive spaces for all. Organized by the volunteer-run, non-profit association Foreningen Oslo Drag Festival, the event is rooted in community, idealism, and the belief that drag matters.
We collaborate with Oslo Drag Festival through joint marketing efforts, networking opportunities, and volunteer engagement -
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SALT Art & Music
SALT Art & Music is a cultural arena located next to the fjord in the heart of Oslo, overlooking the Oslo Opera House and the Munch Museum. With 12 saunas and six stages, as well as both indoor and outdoor serving areas offering food and drinks. SALT is a vibrant area where everyone is welcome!
The collaboration with SALT consists of realizing the drag show, marketing and low renting of the stage. SALT has been a very important cultural stage for the Norwegian Drag Art since 2020. -
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Kulturdirektoratet
The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Affairs (Kulturdirektoratet) provides state funding for arts and culture across the country, supports development work, and advises the government on cultural matters. It also serves as the secretariat for the Arts Council Norway, the Government Grants for Artists, and the Audio and Visual Fund — all operating at arm’s length from political authorities.
By supporting professional artists, organizers, publishers, and cultural institutions, the Directorate helps ensure that art and culture are created, preserved, and made accessible to as many people as possible.
We have been awarded NOK 100,000 from Kulturdirektoratet through their funding scheme for performing arts initiatives and publications to carry out this project.
Producer: Remi Johansen Hovda
Marketing: Sivert Bjørkøu Woie
Graphic: Alvar Aronija
Photographer: Karina Rønning
Videographer: Martin Wiik
Hospitality: Students from drag in society and Introduction to drama and stageproduction.