Your Monthly Fix of Personality, People, & Passion By Terrence Chappell
Chicago, IL -
They're larger than life. They're energy transcends gravity. They're confidence - unshakable. They're tongue – quick and they're wit defies all. They're pure entertainment. They're drag queens.
However, it's not all about high heels, clothes that shimmer, lip-gloss, hair, makeup, and the stage's limelight. There are issues of acceptance, marginalization, balancing a day and evening job, and at times financial setbacks. Local personality and drag queen Robert Mitchell, famously known as Cyon Flare around town, has navigated through those same issues and more with a pair of six-inch thigh high heel boots.
Mitchell got his start in entertainment in Detroit, MI as a way to contribute to the LGBT community. In particular, during the late 80s and early 90s, the community was in an uproar over the AIDS epidemic. He remembers drag queens who were inspiring and as what he describes who "brought color" to the community dying from AIDS.
"There were a lot of people who brought the fabulous to the community who died or were dying. There were no more bright colors or sparkles," said Mitchell.
Even before his stage name Cyon Flare was born, back then solely known as Robert Mitchell, the budding entertainment personality knew he wanted to raise awareness around AIDS but at the same time make people smile. It started off in the streets and in the clubs; it was really about how he could bring back something that was lost. With a vision in mind, Michell packed his bags and moved to Ann Arbor, MI where you found himself hosting at The Necto nightclub. It wouldn't be until six years later that Mitchell would move to Chicago, grow into Cyon Flare and share his extended, vivacious personality with the community.
Mitchell started donating his time and love for entertainment with a team of local mentors, which included Joy McDonald, Gary Chichester, and RJ Chapman. He recalls performing at Mr. Olympus Leather and at the Eagle before it closed and still under the name Robert Mitchell. Circuit owner Mike Macharello reached out to book him for his nightclub but under a different and more marketable alias. Thus, Mitchell created the name Cyon Flare.
"While I'm not uncomfortable with using my legal name, Cyon has become legal in terms of a business and identifying the energy. So, it was really about me creating a name and something for the sake of promotion, something I could live with, something I could make love with. I didn't want people to think they couldn't call me Cyon when I'm not dressed up," said Mitchell.
Mitchell, now known as Cyon Flare, got his start in Chicago at Circuit Nightclub but would soon go on to perform at other Halsted Street mainstays that included Sidetrack and Hydrate Nightclub. In terms of favorite entertainment places, Flare's picks are Sidetrack's space and Circuit's stage. However, one stage that Mitchell has his eyes set on is the Pride stage. The entertainer would jump at the opportunity to perform at North Halsted's famous Pride Fest and is confident if given the chance then he could inspire and uplift audiences through his entertainment.
"I would love to be a part of Pride in terms of hosting, on the main stage, or performing, or just being someone who helps move the crowd's energy in terms of why we celebrate pride. In those moments, that's where my mind and spirit are really focused on how can I touch someone who has just gone to Pride the first time? How can I touch someone who has had so many horrible experiences at Pride and they often step back from Pride celebrations because of the madness but yet that year they happen to be in the crowd," he said.
One source of inspiration Flare feels that he can elicit to audiences, especially LGBT members of color, is the fact that he's an African American drag queen.
"As a black man who embraces being called a drag queen entertainer, it's really hard sometimes when I feel like I'm one of the few or the only one," he said.
In particular, Flare's United House in HIV event, one that would raise awareness and bring diverse minds over HIV, in the spring of 2011 was originally slated to take place at Hydrate but was moved to Sidetrack due to rising tensions over Shirley Q Liquor's promoted performance at the club that spring. Shirley Q Liquor is a drag queen that performs in black face. Taken back by the potential performance, Mitchell urged the club's management to reconsider the controversial performance. Initially the booking stood; however, Hydrate owner Mark Liberson later cancelled Liquor's appearance due to public outrage.
"While the promotions team had good intentions, the advice they received regarding the diversity of this entertainer's appeal was misguided," Liberson told Windy City Times. "I regret that this error in judgment was allowed to occur."
Even though the performance was eventually cancelled, Flare overall was still hurt over what he felt was a complete disregard for his feelings. But what Flare took from the situation was a better sense of his own spirit and how to channel that into entertaining people for the greater good of the community. Flare notes that he wishes Hydrate all the best and still supports the nightclub.
"I don't believe all of Boystown is racist. Now, there are people who are unconsciously racist and consciously racist. But, I'm not about smoking them out; I'm really not. I'm about making sure in the future that as a businessman, as Cyon Flare that there is a mutual respect. Rather you like me or not, can we do business together? Can we be respectful of race? Can we be respectful of different things? I just want to be respected," said Flare.
And Flare is taking steps to being taken more seriously as an entertainer and gaining the respect of the business community by going through the process of trademarking the Cyon Flare name and becoming an LLC. Flare is also working behind the scene on United House in HIV to make it a stronger and better organization that will not only raise awareness about HIV but also trigger a dialogue and normalize it.
"United in HIV needs to be respected because it's my baby. It's the first time I can say that I listened to people and that I challenged the community with the letters HIV. We struggle together and we are in this community together," said Flare.
Not only has Flare developed a stronger spirit but he also feels more connected with the community through even his own personal struggle. In 2006 Flare's mother became deathly ill and for health purposes he had to move her from Detroit to Chicago. His mother is in better health now, but Flare did experience significant financial setbacks as a result of the move. The drag queen shared his struggle on Facebook and people responded – positively.
"There were many people who responded. There were people asking me for my address. There were people who messaged me in private asking me how they can help. Rather the help was advice, just to listen, or to send money, people came to my aide," said Flare.
Flare attributes "that moment of exposing himself and becoming vulnerable" to the community as the "redefining moment" that connected him to Chicago's LGBT community on a human level. And that's just what the Cyon Flare brand is all about according to the personality. The Cyon Flare is not about some "drag queen with an ego" who comes out on stage to perform, to make people laugh, and to merely entertain the masses. Flare believes that his entertainment starts on a human level and with a goal to connect people spiritually while delivering key messages about a particular cause and mission. And of course, a pair heels, glitter, and colored wigs adds Flare.
"My brand is authentically human. As a human being, I respect life," concluded Flare.
However, it's not all about high heels, clothes that shimmer, lip-gloss, hair, makeup, and the stage's limelight. There are issues of acceptance, marginalization, balancing a day and evening job, and at times financial setbacks. Local personality and drag queen Robert Mitchell, famously known as Cyon Flare around town, has navigated through those same issues and more with a pair of six-inch thigh high heel boots.
Mitchell got his start in entertainment in Detroit, MI as a way to contribute to the LGBT community. In particular, during the late 80s and early 90s, the community was in an uproar over the AIDS epidemic. He remembers drag queens who were inspiring and as what he describes who "brought color" to the community dying from AIDS.
"There were a lot of people who brought the fabulous to the community who died or were dying. There were no more bright colors or sparkles," said Mitchell.
Even before his stage name Cyon Flare was born, back then solely known as Robert Mitchell, the budding entertainment personality knew he wanted to raise awareness around AIDS but at the same time make people smile. It started off in the streets and in the clubs; it was really about how he could bring back something that was lost. With a vision in mind, Michell packed his bags and moved to Ann Arbor, MI where you found himself hosting at The Necto nightclub. It wouldn't be until six years later that Mitchell would move to Chicago, grow into Cyon Flare and share his extended, vivacious personality with the community.
Mitchell started donating his time and love for entertainment with a team of local mentors, which included Joy McDonald, Gary Chichester, and RJ Chapman. He recalls performing at Mr. Olympus Leather and at the Eagle before it closed and still under the name Robert Mitchell. Circuit owner Mike Macharello reached out to book him for his nightclub but under a different and more marketable alias. Thus, Mitchell created the name Cyon Flare.
"While I'm not uncomfortable with using my legal name, Cyon has become legal in terms of a business and identifying the energy. So, it was really about me creating a name and something for the sake of promotion, something I could live with, something I could make love with. I didn't want people to think they couldn't call me Cyon when I'm not dressed up," said Mitchell.
Mitchell, now known as Cyon Flare, got his start in Chicago at Circuit Nightclub but would soon go on to perform at other Halsted Street mainstays that included Sidetrack and Hydrate Nightclub. In terms of favorite entertainment places, Flare's picks are Sidetrack's space and Circuit's stage. However, one stage that Mitchell has his eyes set on is the Pride stage. The entertainer would jump at the opportunity to perform at North Halsted's famous Pride Fest and is confident if given the chance then he could inspire and uplift audiences through his entertainment.
"I would love to be a part of Pride in terms of hosting, on the main stage, or performing, or just being someone who helps move the crowd's energy in terms of why we celebrate pride. In those moments, that's where my mind and spirit are really focused on how can I touch someone who has just gone to Pride the first time? How can I touch someone who has had so many horrible experiences at Pride and they often step back from Pride celebrations because of the madness but yet that year they happen to be in the crowd," he said.
One source of inspiration Flare feels that he can elicit to audiences, especially LGBT members of color, is the fact that he's an African American drag queen.
"As a black man who embraces being called a drag queen entertainer, it's really hard sometimes when I feel like I'm one of the few or the only one," he said.
In particular, Flare's United House in HIV event, one that would raise awareness and bring diverse minds over HIV, in the spring of 2011 was originally slated to take place at Hydrate but was moved to Sidetrack due to rising tensions over Shirley Q Liquor's promoted performance at the club that spring. Shirley Q Liquor is a drag queen that performs in black face. Taken back by the potential performance, Mitchell urged the club's management to reconsider the controversial performance. Initially the booking stood; however, Hydrate owner Mark Liberson later cancelled Liquor's appearance due to public outrage.
"While the promotions team had good intentions, the advice they received regarding the diversity of this entertainer's appeal was misguided," Liberson told Windy City Times. "I regret that this error in judgment was allowed to occur."
Even though the performance was eventually cancelled, Flare overall was still hurt over what he felt was a complete disregard for his feelings. But what Flare took from the situation was a better sense of his own spirit and how to channel that into entertaining people for the greater good of the community. Flare notes that he wishes Hydrate all the best and still supports the nightclub.
"I don't believe all of Boystown is racist. Now, there are people who are unconsciously racist and consciously racist. But, I'm not about smoking them out; I'm really not. I'm about making sure in the future that as a businessman, as Cyon Flare that there is a mutual respect. Rather you like me or not, can we do business together? Can we be respectful of race? Can we be respectful of different things? I just want to be respected," said Flare.
And Flare is taking steps to being taken more seriously as an entertainer and gaining the respect of the business community by going through the process of trademarking the Cyon Flare name and becoming an LLC. Flare is also working behind the scene on United House in HIV to make it a stronger and better organization that will not only raise awareness about HIV but also trigger a dialogue and normalize it.
"United in HIV needs to be respected because it's my baby. It's the first time I can say that I listened to people and that I challenged the community with the letters HIV. We struggle together and we are in this community together," said Flare.
Not only has Flare developed a stronger spirit but he also feels more connected with the community through even his own personal struggle. In 2006 Flare's mother became deathly ill and for health purposes he had to move her from Detroit to Chicago. His mother is in better health now, but Flare did experience significant financial setbacks as a result of the move. The drag queen shared his struggle on Facebook and people responded – positively.
"There were many people who responded. There were people asking me for my address. There were people who messaged me in private asking me how they can help. Rather the help was advice, just to listen, or to send money, people came to my aide," said Flare.
Flare attributes "that moment of exposing himself and becoming vulnerable" to the community as the "redefining moment" that connected him to Chicago's LGBT community on a human level. And that's just what the Cyon Flare brand is all about according to the personality. The Cyon Flare is not about some "drag queen with an ego" who comes out on stage to perform, to make people laugh, and to merely entertain the masses. Flare believes that his entertainment starts on a human level and with a goal to connect people spiritually while delivering key messages about a particular cause and mission. And of course, a pair heels, glitter, and colored wigs adds Flare.
"My brand is authentically human. As a human being, I respect life," concluded Flare.
