Shangela Talks ‘DWTS,’ ‘We’re Here,’ and More

Halleloo! Shangela is once again making herstory!

The RuPaul’s Drag Race alumnus became the first drag queen to compete in the U.S. version of the hit competition series Dancing with the Stars (DWTS), which premiered its 31st season last week. Shangela, whose real name is D.J. Pierce, uses he/him out of drag and is partnered with Russian-American dancer and choreographer Gleb Savchenko. They received a standing ovation after their dazzling salsa performance to the Pussycat Dolls’ song “When I Grow Up.”

The duo earned sevens from all four judges, the fourth-highest score of the 16 dance partners who performed. The crowd’s overwhelming response was even more meaningful since Shangela and Savchenko are also the first all-male pair to compete.

OFM caught up with the drag legend to talk more about DWTS, as well as the upcoming third season of HBO’s Emmy-winning series We’re Here, and her Fully Lit tour, which will kick off early 2023.

Can you begin by telling us how it feels to be the first-ever drag queen to compete on Dancing with the Stars?

It feels monumental, to be honest with you. It’s a dream come true for me because I’ve always wanted to be in this space. Looking at the U.S. version of Dancing with the Stars, there was never anyone like me, specifically a drag queen on the show, in 30 seasons. To be the first, and it’s Season 31, I’m like, halleloo!

What kind of message do you hope this sends in terms of LGBTQ representation?

I hope that people look at my experience and presence here and understand that no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, and no matter how you show up, there is always a place for you. You belong. Who you are is valid, and it can even be celebrated. It should be celebrated. That’s what I’m excited for. There’s so much talent in the drag world, and there’s so much creativity that deserves a space to be seen and visible. I’m excited that Dancing with the Stars is now one of those places as well.

Because you are such a high-profile drag queen, and you’re making history, do you feel like there’s an even bigger weight on your shoulders? Do you feel more pressured to do well?

I always feel pressured to do well. I’m Shangela! That’s the reason why I think I’m still around! I never won RuPaul’s Drag Race, but I always walked into every room as a winner because I feel that for myself. Any weight that I feel in this moment, it’s only because I want to give the people that I know who are looking at this moment, I want to give them what they deserve. A moment to cheer for, which is a representative of our community to root on. It’s not just about the moves. It is a movement. It’s a movement for visibility, a movement of representation, a movement for inclusion. A movement, honey!

And what are you personally hoping to take away from this experience?

A Mirrorball Trophy! (Laughs). No, what I really want to take away from this experience is a greater love for what I love doing, which is dancing, entertaining, and performing. This is one of the world’s largest stages for ballroom dance specifically, but also for entertainment performance. So, I just want to walk away from this experience going, “I had a good time, and I went in there and showed them what Shangela is all about.”

We’re still gagging over your debut performance. Who chose “When I Grow Up” by the Pussycat Dolls as the track?

I did! The theme was “premiere party,” and they wanted a song that makes you want to get up and dance, but also had a relationship with you. I thought, you know what, there’s a lot of songs I can pull from because, as you know, I love the divas. The Beyoncé’s, the J. Lo’s, the Gaga’s, there’s lots of songs, but when I think about me and my friends, “When I Grow Up” or anything from the Pussycat Dolls comes on in the club, honey, we get up! We go in and dance, and that’s what this was about.

It also spoke to me. Growing up in Paris, Texas, I always dreamed of being an entertainer in television or film. I wanted to be out there, and no matter where I went, I found a way to be seen. Whether it was me being the first male cheerleader at my high school or coming to class in what I call my drag at that time to do a project. I dressed up as Tina Turner for an English project. We got to do a creative project for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and I rewrote the words of “Proud Mary” to “Tom and Huck rolling down the river.” I showed up as Tina Turner back in the late 90s and turned the party!

So, even though I was never technically trained in dance, I’ve always loved to dance, and this is an opportunity for me to do that.

Who do you currently see as your biggest competition?

It’s funny because my answer to that question at the beginning of this experience was always myself, but that’s not true anymore (laughs). After the first night, I found out there are some amazing dancers. Wayne Brady, for example. I look up to him, and I didn’t know this beforehand, but he’s a five-time Emmy winner! I love him and he’s my friend, so I’m inspired by Wayne. I don’t see him as my biggest competition, but I definitely gain inspiration, and he makes me work harder. I’m like, if Wayne is out there putting in that much, Shangela is really going to show up.

Then there are some people in competition who are trained as dancers. Gabby, Charli, Heidi—They all have taken dance and technique a large part of their lives. I’ve never been in anybody’s formal dance class, but I have something I feel that maybe they don’t have, which is the experience in entertaining fans around the world for a decade. Now, I just have to catch up on the technique part. I’m laser focused on showing up as my best self.

How has Gleb Savchenko been as a partner?

A dream come true! When I came into this experience, I was thinking, Lord, please give me someone that is nice, kind, and doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable. This is the first male-on-male partnership in the history of Dancing with the Stars, and not only is he going to be dancing with a male, but he’s going to be dancing with a doll. A drag queen! He’s going to have to flip it from rehearsal to the show, and I was like, please don’t let him be uncomfortable, and Gleb has been so comfortable.

He put me completely at ease, and that way, I can just show up and be Shangela. He goes, “I can see when there’s a little switch, but it’s when they call actions and places. That’s when the doll is on!” So, he’s been a lot of fun, and now, I have to keep him out of my drag. He’s like, I wonder what I would look like with a blonde wig. I’m like, stay out of my clothes, Gleb! Get out of my wigs!

You may have a new drag daughter!

Look, in We’re Here, I pick them up all across the country. This is no different.

Speaking of We’re Here, we will soon see you back alongside Bob the Drag Queen and Eureka O’Hara for Season 3. What can audiences expect?

I’m going to tell you the truth, Denny. Season 3 is the best season of We’re Here, and I’ll tell you why. We are still somehow able to find some of the most unique and heart-wrenching stories across America. Our drag daughters are amazing, but also, it’s about where we are in America right now. Right now, in America, we are facing some of the stiffest opposition to the LGBTQ community we’ve ever faced, and that is reflected in the show.

Our show is a real-life docu-series, and what’s happening in real-life places like Florida, Texas, and really all over our country, the ways our community is being attacked, our show does not shy away from showing exactly what the status quo in America is right now and how we are going to not back down. Drag queens have been under attack, whether it’s legislation or conversation, they’ve been coming for us. Jennifer Lewis once told me, ‘When you’re hardest hit, you must not quit.’ That’s why our show is so relevant and needed right now.

When you started We’re Here, were you at all surprised by how much of an impact the show made?

Yes and no. No, because I grew up in a small town, so I know what it’s like to not have this type of visibility, and I also know the impact on someone that this type of visibility and presence can have. I’ve lived it, so I wasn’t surprised to see what an impact this show could have because I knew what it would have had in my own personal life if I’d had this show around when I was growing up in my small town.

Now, the surprise comes with the amount of support that we found in a lot of these relatively conservative spaces. Growing up in a small town, I’m thinking, if we would have had this show, maybe six people would have come. I don’t know who would come out and support, but we somehow always found a way to unearth support in the most unlikely places, and that’s where it really gets you.

Do you still keep in touch with a lot of your drag daughters from these different towns?

Oh, yes! Stay tuned because you never know when a family reunion might happen! I love my kids, and they’re still doing amazing things. Bruno from Del Rio, Texas, he’s a former mayor now, but he recently did an interview with Fox News, which is not very loving to the LGBTQ community, and spoke about the importance of immigration reform and the importance of presence in the LGBTQ community.

My kids sometimes come to each other’s shows, they connect with each other online, and I still keep in touch with them. I always tell them, look baby, I’m a mother, but I’m a working mom. You’re going to have to reach out to me sometimes if I don’t reach out to you. Just let me know that you’re doing OK, and they do. It’s wonderful.

Another venture you are working on is your upcoming Fully Lit tour. What can you tell us about this?

Oh, I’m so excited about this! In early 2023, the Fully Lit tour is happening, and all the excitement, energy, and performance that you see right now on Dancing with the Stars, get ready, baby. I’m bringing that and more to the Fully Lit tour in 2023!

Is this your first solo tour?

This is not my first solo tour, but it will be my biggest yet.

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your career and platform?

As I continue moving forward, I hope to open even more doors like the doors that have been opened for me. I’m always so grateful that people like RuPaul, World of Wonder, my friend and mentor Jennifer Lewis, as well as the creators of We’re Here and HBO, they have opened so many doors and have given us drag queens a place to showcase all the breadth of our talent.

We’re Here, for example, I’m not only a co-host with Bob and Eureka, but I’m also a producer on the show. We get to work both in front and behind the camera, and that has allowed me to create and write new projects that will hopefully give opportunities to not only create more space for myself, but also give space for other amazing drag entertainers.

I know what kind of talent lives in our community, and more queer stories need to be showcased. That’s where I want my career to go, and I hope my career continues to inspire people. I want them to be like, I saw Miss Shanglea, and she never gave up. She kept on going. That’s what I want.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Shangela by following her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @itsshangela, or follow her official website, shangela.com. DWTS now streams live Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET on Disney+.

Photos courtesy of Davide Laffe, Disney+, and HBO