The annual Northport Tea Dance, a celebration for all at the end of Up North Pride week, is set for next month on Sep. 29 from 2-6 p.m. Hosted by the Chetcuti Evans Foundation, the tea dance will be held at Faro, one of the village’s newest downtown restaurants, with new special guest performances from Monique Madison and The K***** Kittens and music by DJ Jay Harnish.
Michael Chetcuti, Northport resident and co-founder of the Chetcuti Evans Foundation, has been holding the beloved event in the village for the last four years, and noted how he’s seen it evolve every year since. The Chetcuti Evans Foundation provides financial assistance and networking power to individuals and organizations in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as to organizations that support educational opportunities for worthy low-income students.
“We’re so far north up in Northport and a lot of people don’t get exposure to the pride event in Traverse City because they don’t leave the county. We just want to make sure that we have a lot of diversity and inclusion for everybody in the community,” Chetcuti said. “We’re hoping for good weather and we’re the day after (Leelanau) UnCaged, so we have a lot of people in town.”
Madison and her performing arts company are headlining at the tea dance for the first time and will be managing the entire production. From the audio, technicians, gear, and entertainment from half a dozen drag queens, Chetcuti said the tea dance will be the most produced event they’ve put on in the last four years.
“I’m super excited about Monique and her crew, so this is the first time that Monique is heading up all of the production,” Chetcuti said. “We usually have to hire the DJ and the sound equipment and lighting, but Monique is bringing the whole production including the inhouse DJ… Normally, we would have one drag queen and a Michigan guest. This year, we decided we’d throw money more at talent, so it’s just been a great time anyway, but I just think if you have all of that acting going on, I think it’s going to be a really good time.”
Madison started doing drag in 1996 at the age of 18 in Kalamazoo. Since then, she has performed across the country and has been part of many entertainment projects, including now holding performances in 45 venues across the state with the group she started in 2016, The K**** Kittens. The group aims to do “drag with a purpose by not only being positive and professional representatives of the Michigan LGBTQIA+ community, but by also raising funds for organizations and nonprofits that are actively giving back to the community.”
“... We give back to the community as much as we possibly can because we get so much support, and we don’t just want to take, we also want to give,” Madison said. “We actually focus a little bit more on smaller towns — LGBTQIA+ and queer friendly spaces for people that don’t have it on a regular daily basis… A lot of times to be honest with you, we get a lot of push back because a lot of people in smaller communities — some are resistant to let obviously this kind of event come in to there, but unfortunately we don’t care because it’s not just about them, it’s about the people that need this in their town to be able to see other people that are like them, to feel safe for just even one evening, where they are embraced for exactly who they are.”
Madison is a staple in Northport, having performed for the last six years at chef Mario Batali’s Northport Promise fundraising event in November. The event, where she does a drag queen bingo, always sells out, Madison said, adding that she’s excited to bring her entire crew up this time for a bigger event supporting a good cause.
“I’m excited for them (the group) to see the love of this small community, I mean Northport is literally just a magical, almost fictional little town,” Madison said. “... For me, it doesn’t matter if it’s 20 people or 24,000 people, I know the people that are at that event are having a good time and are feeling a part of something and in today’s world as crazy as everything is, it is so great just to feel like you’re a part of something.”
For those that can’t make it to the tea dance but still want to show or need support, Madison said looking for a LGBTQIA+ resource center in a town closest to you is a good starting point for getting more information and connecting with others.
“I always say find your closest resource center because that’s why it’s called a resource center, you don’t have to be alone just because you feel alone,” she said.
Tickets for the Northport Tea Dance are $30 and can be purchased at https://upnorthpride. com/event/2024/9/29/northporttea- dance-2024.
