Follow Vanessa T Demornay on Facebook and @vanessademornay on Instagram.
Vanessa DeMornay BY DAWN ANDERSON COURTESY PHOTOS
H
ow do you recognize the definitive moment an entertainer is born? For Vanessa Demornay, the answer is at once simple and emotionally, wonderfully complicated. Perhaps a lip-syncing Britney Spears impersonator started it all? “Oh, I can do that!” Vanessa says to herself as show host Taylor Demornay takes her under her wing. “She was so sweet and kind. She took me backstage and introduced me to the scene. I was fascinated, impressed, and enamored.” Vanessa was experiencing a difficult transitional phase of life when Taylor quite literally took her in, providing Vanessa a place to stay and a new family, the House of Demornay. Houses serve as families of choice in drag culture, giving “shelter, solace, and safety” to those whose families may be less than accepting of their lifestyle. Desiree Demornay started House of Demornay, and her encouragement and approval were significant to Vanessa.
Vanessa packs some makeup, a wig, and an outfit to the club at Taylor’s insistence. Her first performance is Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls and Cher’s Strong Enough. “I was hooked!” Taylor also taught Vanessa “how to be a good person, to be appreciative and humble.” Vanessa met Terri Vanessa Coleman, whom she affectionately calls “Mommie Dearest,” in Louisville in 2006. “She taught me how to
124 TOPS LOUISVILLE | June 2021
portray myself, aesthetically and visually as a work of art, and how to conduct business offstage.” The 2009 National Entertainer of the Year contest at the Palace Theater in Louisville was a defining moment for Vanessa. She had helped backstage and was a backup dancer since EOY 2005 when a friend who
