Cherdonna Shinatra

Born|

Jody Keuhner

1979 or 1980 (age 44–45)
Nationality| American
Education| University of South Florida (BA, BFA)
Years active| 2007–present
Website| cherdonna.com

Cherdonna Shinatra is the stage name of Jody Kuehner (born 1979),[1] a Seattle-based, American dancer, drag queen and performance artist.[2] Kuehner won the Stranger Genius Award in Performance in 2015.[3]

## Career

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### Performance style

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Kuehner has been called a "female impersonator impersonator"[1] and describes her own performance as Cherdonna as "a female-bodied person, presenting as a male-bodied person, presenting as a female".[4][5] She has been mistaken for a man by some audience members who don't expect to see the "exaggerat[ed] femininity" displayed by a drag persona to have a female body.[6] After a performance in Seattle she had her breasts grabbed by a person who expected to find a prosthetic,[6] and she performed onstage several times with a male partner before he realized she was not also male.[1]

Keuhner incorporates many elements into her performances, including dance, theater, drag, burlesque, glitter, celebrity impersonations, audience interaction, and clowning.[7]

### Dance instruction

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Kuehner was artist in residence and instructor at Velocity Dance Center in 2014.[8]

## Personal life

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Kuehner describes herself as queer.[2][6][9]

## References

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1. ^ a b c Frizzelle, Christopher (September 10, 2014). "The Inexplicable, Fascinating Cherdonna Shinatra, the Drag Queen Who's Not a Drag Queen". The Stranger. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
2. ^ a b Serinus, Jason Victor (June 2, 2016). "Cherdonna Shinatra does it her way: 'Gender fluid' performer shakes off expectations". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
3. ^ Frizzelle, Christopher (September 16, 2015). "Cherdonna, Winner of the 2015 Stranger Genius Award in Performance". The Stranger. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
4. ^ Aaron Scott (April 23, 2016). "Drag Through The Back Door With Wigs The Size Of Texas". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019.
5. ^ "Two NW Drag Queens Boldly Go Where No Queens Have Gone Before". Spreaker. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
6. ^ a b c Jacobson, Rebecca (April 27, 2016). "The Surprising Gender Bending of Drag Queen Cherdonna Shinatra". Portland Monthly. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
7. ^ O'Kane, Kyle (February 23, 2018). "The History of Cherdonna Shinatra: From Name to Fame". FringeArts. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
8. ^ "Class descriptions and faculty bios: Professional/Advanced Contemporary with Jody Kuehner". Velocity Dance Center. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016.
9. ^ Sommerfeld, Seth (October 13, 2014). "A Fiendish Conversation with Jody Kuehner (Cherdonna Shinatra)". Seattle Met. Retrieved September 8, 2021.

## Further reading

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* Kurtz, Katie (January 16, 2019). "Cherdonna Performs at the Frye Every Day for Three Months Straight". The Stranger. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
* Richards, Becs (February 27, 2019). "Cherdonna Shinatra takes her subversive clowning to Frye Art Museum with 'DITCH'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 3, 2019.

## External links

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* LGBTQ portal

* Official website
* Jody Kuehner at IMDb