- Title: UNITED STATES: DRAG AEROBICS
- Date: 26th December 1995
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. AEROBICS INSTRUCTOR ANTHONY TRULY ENTERS FITNESS CENTRE 2. TRULY'S WIG WITH OSTRICH FEATHER NECK WRAP 3. TRULY, PUTTING ON FACE MAKE-UP, SAYING, "I REALLY LIKE TO GO FOR A SUBTLE LAS VEGAS SHOWGIRL TYPE OF LOOK. SOMETIMES I DRESS UP LIKE A STREETWALKER. IT'S LIKE THE FUNNEST PART OF MY JOB. I CAN BE EVERY WOMAN I WANT TO BE (ENGLISH) 4. CUTAWAY FACE MAKE-UP 5. TRULY PUTS ON HIS WIG AND SAYS, "THERE YOU ARE MY DARLING, I'M ALIVE AGAIN." (ENGLISH) 6. TRULY, DRESSED IN WORK-OUT COSTUME, GESTURES TO CAMERA "VOILA, READY?" 7. PAN FROM STEREO BLARING MUSIC TO WIDE VIEW OF TRULY LEADING CLASS IN WORK-OUT 8. VARIOUS OF TRULY AND CLASS MEMBERS WORKING-OUT 9. PUPIL SAYS,"I THINK IT'S REALLY INTERESTING THAT HE'S A DRAG QUEEN AND HE'S TEACHING US, INSPIRING US TO BE SEXY, TO BE POWERFUL, IN OUR OWN BODIES, TO LOVE OUR OWN BODIES. REALLY, IT'S TOTALLY EMPOWERING. HE'S BRINGING US STYLE THAT PEOPLE DON'T NORMALLY SEE (ENGLISH) 10. CLASSMATE SAYING, "BECAUSE HE'S IN DRAG I DO HIS CLASSES. IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. HE KEEPS YOU LAUGHING, AMAZED AND LIKE, WOW."(ENGLISH) 11. CLASSMATE (MAN) ANSWERS QUESTION, IS IT ANY DIFFERENT TO HAVE AN INSTRUCTOR IN DRAG?, "WELL IT'S MORE AMUSING, YOU KNOW. IT NEVER GETS IN MY WAY." (ENGLISH) 12. MORE OF TRULY LEADING HIS CLASS TO ITS CONCLUSION Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 10th January 1996 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAD8HPUTBI34YBRD5C3BOXLPUYR
- Story Text: It takes a lot to stand out from the crowd in New York City, but an aerobic exercise instructor has managed it, dressing in drag to keep his class interested in working out.
Anthony Truly is an anonymous figure as he enters the gym, dressed in jeans, t-shirt and baseball hat. However, within half an hour he has transformed himself into "Truly," a drag queen in blonde wig, black fish-net stockings, black shorts, platform exercise sneakers, and red sports bra.
Truly teaches "Aerobics with Attitude" at Crunch on Manhattan's lower east side, one of New York City's hippest places to exercise.
His classes are attended mostly by women -- he considers himself "one of the girls" -- with a sprinkling of men.
Truly says his first goal is to give his students a good workout. And then he wants to "empower" them, especially the women.
"If you're not a dominant person, usually you are when we do the class ... You get a feeling like you're in a Paula Abdul video or a Madonna video, and you're the star." The superstar, of course, is Truly. He shouts the usually sexually suggestive lyrics to the music he has selected for the class. On one day, it was a heavy dose of the new Prince album. At the same time he coaches his students to find the steps and work themselves harder.
The reviews are raves. One female class member said, "He's teaching us to be sexy and powerful in our own bodies, to love our own bodies. Really, It's totally empowering." A man in the class chuckled that Truly's drag queen style "never gets in my way."
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