Drake von Trapp is an interdisciplinary belly dance researcher and performer, recognized for his pioneering research about male belly dancers in the United States. Drake holds a B.A. and M.A. in Dance from Texas Woman’s University, along with a post-master’s in Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies, and he is currently a Ph.D. in Theatre candidate with a specialization in performance as public practice at The University of Texas at Austin. His research sits at the intersection(s) of men’s and masculinity studies, belly dance historiography and American studies, with an emphasis on oral history methodology and queer theory.
von Trapp's award-winning undergraduate thesis project, Masculinity in American Bellydance, was funded by the Experiential Student Scholars Program and earned both the Excellence in Undergraduate Writing and Outstanding Undergraduate Student awards. His master's thesis, From Bal Anat to Hahbi'Ru: An Oral History of John Compton, American Male Belly Dancer, analyzed several unexplored exigencies, such as how male belly dancers complicate discourses on masculinity, gender and embodiment and the way femmephobia, Orientalism and white fantasies of the Middle East constructed the aesthetics and trends in American belly dance.
Professionally, von Trapp is an internationally headlining belly dance performer, teacher and choreographer. He holds multiple professional dance certifications, including Stages 1, 2 and 3 "Trained Teacher" certifications in April Rose’s Dance Cohesion program and a Level 1 certification in Suhaila and Jamila Salimpour formats. He's headlined belly dance festivals in the United States, France, Germany, England and Mexico and currently tours with the international theatrical belly dance production The Return as a principal dancer and choreographer. He has toured with multiple belly dance productions as a principal cast member, including Bellydance Evolution, Confessions of a Belly Dancer and The Radiant Tarot. von Trapp also co-directs Arcanum Online, an online belly dance studio he owns with his dance and life partner, Kamrah.