NAOMI LYNCH
Social Media Manager
“Fredonia! Let me hear you make some noise!” Kimmi Moore screamed into the microphone as the packed
Williams Center Multi-Purpose Room roared in response.
Last Friday, Pride Alliance held its Fall 2015 Drag Show: Dragapalooza, hosted by Moore, 2013 Drag Queen winner and Fredonia graduate.
This semester, Frostie Mocha, a four-time show participant, was crowned as Ms. Drag Fredonia with her riveting performance of an excellent Beyonce mashup.
“I never thought I had what it takes to win, but last year I came close, and I knew I had to go all-out for my last semester and be in it to win it!” Mocha gushed after the show.
Mocha was glamorously sickening from head to toe in a glittery black and gold number. “I’m so grateful for the opportunities that Fredonia gave me to perform. It’s a magical place, and I’ll really miss the energy from the crowd,” she said.
Another senior also wowed the judges: JP Makerquake, a three-time show participant, who was crowned as Mr. Drag Fredonia after his performance to a mix of Justin Timberlake and The Weeknd.
“[It feels] like an honor,” Makerquake said of his win. “Fredonia’s been a really great place for me to become myself. I was celebrated already, but this confirms I can be whoever I want to be and be myself.”
Both winners will be student-teaching in the Spring, so they will not return for the next semester’s show.
Moore started the show in a shimmery metallic number as she sashayed to Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” The blond singer is also the inspiration for Moore’s drag name. Toward the end of the number, Moore pulled a classic Spears move and pulled off her shimmery jumpsuit to reveal a translucent bodysuit covered in gems.
Following Moore’s electrifying performance, another Fredonia graduate took the stage — the seductively intoxicating Sinistra. She resembled an evil, more beautiful, Raggedy Ann as she crept across the stage, shocking the audience. After Sinistra graced the stage, it was time for the students to show their stuff.
First up was Expira Mentame — a new queen who paid homage to vintage Whitney Houston with “Queen of the Night.” Mentame looked like a golden Amazonian as she strutted about the stage.
Next up was another drag show favorite: Kyle Queerhart. Queerhart set the theme of mashups for the night — he performed a mix of Meghan Trainor’s “Lips are Movin’” and Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson’s smash hit “Uptown Funk.” This king drove the crowd wild with his moves; they were enthralled with the beginning of his number, in which he used a box of records as props while the song changed repeatedly.
Following Queerhart was another veteran queen: Daniella Diamonte. Her song was a mashup of Fergie’s “Fergalicious” and the Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps.” Her face was “beat to the gods” — meaning her makeup was flawless.
Rounding out the first half of the show was drag king Oliver Clothzoff, who had the ladies in the audience squealing with delight as he performed 3OH!3’s first single “Don’t Trust Me.”
During intermission, the Pride Alliance invited audience members on stage for a dance-off while the queens prepared themselves for the second half.
After the intermission, Moore performed for a final time to a pre-2013 Miley Cyrus mashup of “Nobody’s Perfect” and “Can’t Be Tamed.”
Following Moore was last fall’s winner, Claire Voyant. Decked out in an elegant fur coat, her platinum-blond curls flowed in the wind as she served a fabulous abstract performance. Onstage, Voyant mentioned that she thought her mother was Marilyn Monroe growing up. After the show, she discussed a little bit of her past and inspiration:
“I’m someone who grew up trying to express myself in a feminine way,” said Voyant. “I wanted to be a girl so bad — I wanted to do things that girls could do. Claire Voyant, for me, is an expression of my femininity; It’s an experiment of identity. It’s like … every time I put on the wig, the hair, the makeup, the clothes … it’s not just performing. I’m embodying this other identity.”
For Voyant, she’s embracing that beautiful Monroe persona that she saw so much of in her mother.
“I’m still [Jimmy], and [Voyant] lives inside of me, but when I’m Claire, I feel so much more free. It’s awesome to have this ability to transform, to be something completely out of this world. This is just another way for me to just express what’s inside. It’s finding my inner Madonna or inner Marilyn Monroe or my inner Beyonce … this other persona that’s so much more than I can be.”
After Voyant was a new king: Lord GayGay. He performed a tap routine and lip synch to Michael Buble’s cover of Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve Got the World on a String.” GayGay was very quick on his feet and even threw rainbow strings to the audience, which caught them with gleeful hands.
Directly after GayGay was a fellow vet queen: Ariana Grindr. Cinched to the gods in a red corset with luxurious ginger locks, Grindr used props and really played up audience interaction by whipping off her feather boa and throwing it into the audience.
Fran Dercha also served a sickeningly sensual performance, decked in lingerie and stockings to boot.
Tess Tickle was no stranger to the stage. This queen came out in a silver bodysuit and silver heels, which she eventually discarded to perform a split in the center of the stage. “You’ve got it, honey,” Sinistra commented after her performance.
Finally, our Mr. Drag Fredonia, JP Makerquake performed his crown-winning performance.
While the drag kings do an excellent job each year, there really isn’t a market for drag kings in the mainstream sphere, and Makerquake agrees:
“There’s RuPaul’s show that is centered on [drag queens]; I think there might have been a few male performers but honestly, it’s dominated by the queens.”
“For the most part, I would say a lot of kings do it for fun and self-expression, but the queens really rock it. It’s also easier to get the crowd hyped up a little more [as a queen],” Makerquake said.
Frostie had some advice for the remaining kings and queens: “Be brave and keep trying new things! The most important thing is to have fun and show the crowd how much fun you’re having. Always ask yourself ‘why not?’ And go for it. Use the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and become someone else to become a kick-ass performance!”
Is this the last appearance for Frostie Mocha?
“We’ll have to see!” Mocha said. “I don’t think Frostie really has any plans, but who knows what the future holds!”
[metaslider id=3698]