DiDa Ritz | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) DiDa Ritz atRuPaul's DragCon LA, 2018 | |
| Born | Xavier Hairston December 20[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Drag queen |
| Television | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 4) |
DiDa Ritz is the stage name ofXavier Hairston,[2] an Americandrag performer who competed onseason 4 ofRuPaul's Drag Race. Dida Ritz is based in Chicago, where she performs regularly and hostsDrag Race viewing parties. Her performance of "This Will Be" byNatalie Cole during alip-sync contest has been deemed among the show's best.
Xavier Hairston was raised by a pastor inLansing, Michigan.[1] He moved to Chicago after graduating from high school.[3]
Hairston performs indrag as DiDa Ritz. She competed onseason 4 (2012) ofRuPaul's Drag Race, and performed regularly at Chicago's Hydrate Nightclub at the time.[1] In 2017, DiDa Ritz attended the "Fashion Does Drag" Ball, hosted by formerDrag Race judgeMarc Jacobs duringNew York Fashion Week.[4] She performed in thedrag show "Black Girl Magic" withDrag Race contestantsAsia O'Hara,Mayhem Miller,Shea Couleé, andThe Vixen, in Detroit in 2018.[5]
In 2020, DiDa Ritz participated in RuPaul's Digital DragCon, which replacedRuPaul's DragCon LA because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[6] She also joined the thousands participating in the Drag March for Change, "[demanding] justice for the multiple black people who have died due to police brutality," emphasizing members of the LGBTQ+ community.[7] Additionally, she was in the line-up for an onlinebenefit concert, organized by the Chicago Artists' Relief Fund and Rattleback Records, for artists (especially those of color) unemployed due to COVID-19.[8] DiDa Ritz also performed regularly at Chicago's gay bar and nightclub Berlin; according toThe New York Times, in 2020, she helped lead a demonstration from the club along Halsted Avenue, demanding better pay and working conditions for drag performers.[9]
DiDa Ritz has continued to hostLGBT events and tour throughout the United States. In 2021,Out included her in a list of the top 30 "movers and shakers" inqueer nightlife.[10] As of 2021, she has hostedRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars viewing parties at Hydrate Nightclub.[11] In 2022, she performed at Pridefest inBloomington, Indiana,[12] and at the Official Unofficially Official Club Renaissance Party, which was organized the same weekend asBeyoncé'sRenaissance World Tour in Chicago.[13]
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OnDrag Race, DiDa Ritz did not win any main challenges and placed sixth overall. On the third episode, she placed in the bottom two of aninfomercial challenge[14] and defeatedThe Princess in alip-sync to "This Will Be" (1975) byNatalie Cole, who was serving as a guest judge. DiDa Ritz impersonatedWendy Williams for theSnatch Game challenge.[15] She was eliminated on the ninth episode,[3] which featured a comedy challenge in the form of a "Frock the Vote" debate. She placed in the bottom two and lost the lip-sync battle againstLatrice Royale to "I've Got to Use My Imagination" (1973) byGladys Knight & the Pips.[16]
DiDa Ritz was at times ostracized by judges and fellow contestants as "not perpetuating the hyper-glamorized look of professional drag", leading to her portrayal by editors as the antagonist within the context of the show.[17] Despite this, her high points within the season included the aforementioned rendition of "This Will Be", judged by Cole herself, who engaged in a call-and-response duet with DiDa Ritz. Her performance mimed Cole's wide-eyed expressions and rhythmic dancing as Cole ad-libbed along, gospel-style. According to author Jennifer O'Meara, Cole's response to the performance "can be read as a validation that such lip-synching, with its corresponding 'body talk', takes real skill".[18]
The "This Will Be" lip-sync has been described byPinkNews andPride.com as the best of the season and among the best of all time.[19][20][21]Pride.com said DiDa Ritz "gave her all to every single lyric and beat in the song. The Princess didn't do poorly, but DiDa Ritz gave us a legitimate lip sync masterclass!"[19] Latrice Royale described DiDa Ritz's performance as "high drag at its finest".[22] In 2018,Drag Race contestantAlyssa Edwards said the lip-sync was among her top five favorites from the show.[23][24] InThe Spinoff's 2019 "definitive ranking" ofDrag Race lip-syncs to date, Sam Brooks ranked DiDa Ritz's battles against Latrice Royale and The Princess numbers 35 and 20 out of 162, respectively. Brooks called the "This Will Be" lip-sync "one of the most joyous ... of all time" and wrote, "Not only does DiDa Ritz channel Natalie Cole in her prime, she confirmsherself as a contender here. It's a perfect match of song, energy and performer, only marred by the queen she has to share the stage with".[25]
InBustle's 2021 list of 17 lip-syncs "that left RuPaul and viewers gagged", Mary Kate McGrath said DiDa Ritz delivered "pure joy" and was the season's "lip-sync assassin".[22] In his 2021 list of the ten best "one-sided" lip-syncs,Screen Rant's Ben Orosz wrote:
The lovable queen from season 4 delivered one of the show's most seminal moments in this lip sync. She embodied the song through pure joy and enthusiasm and didn't rely on splits or dips to make an impression. The Princess certainly did a fine job and was far from a failure, but it was impossible not to be captivated by Dida. She made sure to make eye contact with the singer and her thousand-watt smile was infectious.[26]
In 2022, the website's Cailyn Szelinski said the performance "cemented her place as one of the most entertainingDrag Race queens who deserved more recognition on their season",[27] andOut included the lip-sync in a list of the show's seven best performances, according to judgeMichelle Visage.[28]
Hairston is based in Chicago,[12] and has also lived in Detroit.[10]
DiDa Ritz's name is inspired byDita Von Teese.[29] She is a member of the House of Hall, a drag "family" which also includes fellowDrag Race contestantsJaida Essence Hall,Kahmora Hall, andNaysha Lopez.[30]
