Cosplay

Since starting their cosplay journey in 2012, Uptown Cosplay has found their passion in combining their skills to bring beloved characters to life.  With over a decade of training in costuming, dance, and acting, they have been entertaining audiences at conventions across the country and internationally with lively in-character stage work and renowned lip sync performances.  In addition to hosting a variety of live panels for both education and entertainment, Uptown shares their work and experiences online so that anyone can enjoy them.

Since their first cosplay in 2012, Uptown Cosplay found their community in cosplay, the happy marriage between all their creative passions.  Utilizing their education in costuming and apparel construction as well as honing their skills in wig styling and makeup artistry, they strive to embody characters through a variety of creative mediums.

Connecting with an audience took on a new meaning in 2014 when Uptown hosted their first in-character panels at their local convention.  They have continued bringing characters to life ever since, using their experience in acting and improv to immerse audiences in fun-filled skits where attendees can interact with beloved characters.

In 2016, they discovered another of their passions to tie into the hobby:  dance.  After winning one of the Pacific Northwest’s first cosplay lip sync battles Uptown Cosplay went on to spearhead lip sync main events at multiple conventions, including co-founding the area’s largest, the “Cosplay Lip Sync Showdown.”  Leveraging their 13+ years of dance training and experience hosting panels, Uptown not only performs both choreographed and improvised acts in their shows but also hosts as an immersive, in-character emcee to keep audiences both laughing and intrigued.

Uptown enjoys being rooted in the cosplay community and staying involved at conventions the same way they started so many years ago, meeting new people and spreading their love for the arts and all things creative.  They share their work online with their broad audience in the form of recorded performances, vlogs, and more so that others can enjoy what they do regardless of whether they can attend conventions.

YouTube @ Uptown Cosplay

Instagram @ uptown.cosplay

Blue Sky @ uptowncosplay

https://www.uptowncosplay.com/

Matthew “Maguma” Lewis is a 34 yr old cosplayer from Los Angeles, California. Since his very first convention at Anime Expo 2005, Maguma has found an overabundance of challenges, joy, & fulfillment in the world of cosplay! Through the years, he has participated in convention programming from award-winning Masquerade performances to hosting a variety of events & panels. Additionally, he has participated in cosplay centered TV shows, has worked with anime productions, video game companies, & volunteered at conventions from coast to coast, as well as being a member of the Executive Committee for Animé Los Angeles.

Outside of Cosplay, Maguma is a digital artist/character designer and very invested in the FGC. This has led him to begin developing his very own fighting game, Burning Souls, combining his love of art and fighting game classics.

Social Medias:

Hello- I’m Starfall Blade! I’m a cosplay artist based in Orlando, Florida and a master-level competitor, receiving awards in both craftsmanship and performance. I view each cosplay I make as a chance to expand my artistic skill set and bring my favorite characters to life. I specialize in fabrication, and especially love working with EVA foam to make props and armor. The “play” in cosplay is just as important as the costume: attending conventions, creating art through photoshoots, and traveling the world to meet fellow cosplayers are my greatest rewards as a creator. In college, I studied cosplay as fine art, graduating summa cum laude from the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design. My essay “Cosplay and Creating Identity: Building the Transgender Self” tells of my experience as a transgender cosplayer, and my award-winning senior thesis is an investigation into the artistic canon of cosplay and finding meaning in an inherently derivative medium. My skills developed through cosplay led me to my career in the themed entertainment industry, where I work as a professional scenic artist: painting attractions, fabricating props, and more, solving creative challenges in order to bring magic to reality at the world’s biggest theme parks. Being able to contribute my art to projects that will be enjoyed by millions of people is truly something special! Cosplay creates a space in which I can push my limits with both creative skill and boundaries of self, through the lens of characters and stories that have helped me become the person I am. I hope to share the joy of cosplay through my work, and inspire everyone to contribute their own magic to our community.

Website: https://www.starfallblade.com/

Rakumaroo performed at Tekko for the first time in 2016. After winning a Judge's Award, she continued to build her skills by competing at more conventions. She has earned Judge's Awards, First Place, and Best in Show prizes since then and has coached a handful of cosplayers on performance tips and tricks. After years of competing, she decided to make a change to further her cosplay career and become a guest performer. With the help of Tekko's staff, she had the opportunity to perform her first Masquerade Half-time Show in 2022 with a self-written musical parody, and she later performed more shows in 2023 and 2024.

Tekko has been a huge part of Rakumaroo's life, and she owes a lot of her opportunities and experiences to the staff and congoers. From becoming a cosplay guest, creating new friends, even meeting her spouse, she has found a home in Tekko and a new form of expression that she hopes others can also gain.

Rakumaroo will once again perform this year's Masquerade Halftime Show with a special guest and co-host Tekko Live alongside Laughing Mecha and Nancy Kepner. She is happy to share tips and tricks or meet new friends, so stop by one of her shows and say hello!

@Rakumaroo

Luluko (she/they) is a passionate cosplayer on a mission to share the joy of competing in masquerades and crafting killer performances. With over a decade of experience as a competition judge and many more years of competing and cosplaying, Lulu brings unmatched expertise and enthusiasm to the cosplay stage.

Lulu is a well-respected performer in the community, as proven by a Best Comedy win at Anime Los Angeles 2024 (alongside previous Tekko judge, Knovice Cosplay!) and invitations to judge performance from coast to coast. She also had the honor of being a juror and the chief of staff for Crunchyroll-Hime's Cosplay Cup.

Known for her love of cosplay and community, Lulu has hosted over 100 panels at conventions across the country, and was recently featured as a Community Guest at Holiday Matsuri 2024. Between conventions, she crafts content aimed at demystifying masquerades, creating 10 page build books, and making competitions approachable and fun for everyone. When not in cosplay, Lulu works as a social media manager in the video games industry (and has probably worked on a game you like). She would like to ask everyone reading this to please read Golden Kamuy.

luluko.net

[Photo Credits: Orange Slice Media]

Harveen is a veteran award winning cosplayer with 17 years of experience of building cosplay costumes for themselves and others. They enjoy pattern drafting, draping, fabric manipulation, dyeing, armor-making, and weapon-making. Harveen is thrilled to return to Tekkoshocon! Having attended college in Pittsburgh, they have very fond memories of this con while living there.

Harveen has been a costume technician professionally since 2008. They have a BFA in costume design from Point Park University and an MFA in Costume Technology from UNCSA. Their work has been featured at Washington National Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, and Signature Theatre. They also volunteer with the 501st and enjoy doing community outreach and charity work. They've been currently enjoying Record of Lodoss War and Dan Da Dan.

Cosplay has fueled the expansion of Harveen's technial skills. Its demand for innovation has keep things fresh, adding joy to work and life. Harveen has plans for more gravity-defying looks in the con seasons.

Instagram: Harveenia

facebook page : harv.cosplay

[Photo Credits: bearphotobuffalo)