Taki Watanga was conceived on the Paris Metro. A simple conversation that rapidly turned into a dare. “Be brave and take hold of your obvious and quite frankly unique talents”.
In 2019 Mark Hedges, the director of London’s West End production of Phantom of the Opera, presented a challenge to Chrissy: develop a drag queen persona for cabaret and burlesque shows. She seized the opportunity and immediately began collaborating with him to create her alter ego: Taki Watanga.
To create this unique personality Chrissy would draw on her own fascinating life as a performer, a curious seeker, experienced yoga practitioner and adventures…. Growing up in the aftermath of the civil rights movement, the Atlanta native was immersed in the soulful oratory of the African-American community.
Melding that experience with her Scottish and Native American ancestry contributed to her unique cross-cultural perspective. While still a teenager Chrissy earned the opportunity to perform with Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass.Soon after she moved to Nashville, Tennessee where she was a singer and dancer for
Opryland U.S.A. During her residency in the Home of County Music’, she recorded background vocals for Grammy-winning country artists Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette.