Life of Cosplay
Above: William Moskaluk (Cyclops) and Brie Danas (Black Widow) walk with a young boy at Autism Speaks in Waterbury, CT. Photo courtesy of Briezerker Cosplay.
Brie Danas was volunteering at the Walk Now for Autism Speaks fundraiser in Waterbury, CT when she saw a young boy with autism struggling to complete the race. She approached him and asked him if he would finish the walk with her. When he looked up, he saw not Danas but the Marvel super heroine Black Widow, in flesh and blood, holding out her hand to help him.
The young boy calmed down and crossed the finish line with his favorite super heroine. His mother looked on with tears in her eyes, proud of her son but also grateful for the kindness Black Widow had shown her son.
“It’s honestly one of the best moments of my life,” Danas said.
Brie Danas is a cosplayer, a person who dresses up as characters from comic books, television, anime and more. For Danas, cosplaying is a way of escaping into the role of someone fantastic and making other people excited to see the character come to life.
“It’s one of the most freeing experiences I’ve ever gone through,” Danas said. “When you cosplay, you’re becoming the character and bringing joy to the faces of other fans.”
Above: Brie Danas cosplaying as Petra Quill, a female version of Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy. Photo courtesy of Briezerker Cosplay.
Danas’ love for cosplay began at a young age when she partook in the craft for the first time-cosplaying as Cinderella for Halloween at age five.
“I always loved to dress-up when I was little,” Danas said.
Danas initially wanted to become a character performer at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida. However, when Danas discovered that there was a community devoted to portraying characters and a name for it, she dove headfirst into the art form.
“Seeing the reactions on everyone’s faces when I brought characters to life with my own spin on them just made it even better,” Danas said.
Danas began cosplaying in 2011 and quickly took on the title of “Briezerker Cosplay,” a name that was bestowed upon her a few years back by Erick Yacko, founder of Connecticut’s ComiCONN.
Regarding the process of cosplaying, Danas locates a character she relates to and has similarities with and simply becomes the character. She uses the facts that most people know, perhaps delving slightly deeper into their background, but not aiming to memorize every fact about the character. “I find a character that I can relate to in some form of media, on any level-understanding a character in some way is important when you’re portraying them in such an immersive experience,” Danas said.
“I don’t have much of an issue getting into character, personally. It’s all about having fun and making a positive impact at the end of the day,” Danas said.
All is not well within the industry, however. Danas noted that sexualization is an idea frequently associated with cosplaying by many people, and it’s something Danas fears that harms the community as whole, especially when most just want to have fun portraying a character.
“Oversexualization and creativity aren’t synonymous, and the fact that that’s being tied to the title ‘cosplayer’ by some of the bigger names in cosplay, in one sense or another, is hurting the community image,” Danas said.
Above: Brie Danas portraying Harley Quinn of Batman fame. Photo courtesy of Briezerker Cosplay.
Danas stated that the community as a whole is supporting of other cosplayers, especially those that have suffered harsh criticism from other people.
“The community works together to make you feel better,” Danas said. “Some of the best friends that I’ve ever made, that I consider my family, I’ve met from cosplaying.”
Danas’ favorite character to cosplay is Black Widow of Avengers’ fame “because she’s so iconic and the first character I ever portrayed,” Danas said.
Cosplayers attend conventions, such as New York Comic Con or PAX, but Danas has found volunteering at conventions or events to be much more rewarding than going to bigger conventions.
“Volunteering allows you to meet some great people and make some greater memories,” Danas said.
“We recently volunteered at Florida Supercon and let me tell you: there is nothing better than having a dance off with Karen Gillan and Hayley Atwell.”
Danas sees a bright future for her cosplaying, believing that as long as she does it for the right reasons, she will always love it.
“I have fun when I suit up, and I like to think I make a difference because I can suit up for Autism Speaks and other charities,” Danas said.
Above:Brie Danas as Black Cat from Spider-Man canon. Photo courtesy of Vander Photography.
“In the end, it all works out in my eyes.”
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