(Courtsey of the Drag Show event page)
MOLLY VANDENBERG
Staff Writer
The line for this Fall’s drag show, held on Oct. 14 wrapped around the circular hallway of the Williams Center as everyone waited for the doors to open.
The drag show is put on every semester by Fredonia’s Pride Alliance. Whether it was your first show or you’re a drag show veteran, the excitement could be felt in the air.
Doors opened at 7:30 p.m. which allowed an enthusiastic crowd to form around the catwalk that transformed the middle of the Williams Center Multipurpose Room.
The host of this semester’s show was Ariel Versace, reigning from South Jersey, who started the show off with a rendition of the Pussycat Doll’s “When I Grow Up.” She rocked the stage with her pink teased hair, large fur coat and pink lightening bolt earrings.
Versace also did another medley later on in the show including songs that all had to do with calling or talking to someone on the phone.
The show moved quickly, with Blanca Diablo shocking the crowd with a heavy metal performance of Britney Spear’s “Oops! . . . I Did It Again.”
Claire Voyant made her first appearance of the night with Lady Gaga’s “Perfect Illusion,” while Abby Truax wowed with a “glam-rock” style sprinkled with some fake blood.
Usually intermissions are a time for people to relax and take a little break, but not at this drag show. The audience kept things going with more dancing and fun during the little break. There was a contest that allowed audience members to come up on stage and strut their stuff.
The drag kings had a great turn out as well with Ricky MoraLess and Oliver Clozoff.
Oliver Clozoff had the crowd involved with Bruno Mar’s “That’s What I Like,” while Ricky MoraLess was dubbed by Ariel Versace “a lovechild between Justin Bieber and Cruella Devill.”
Lady Anál was a huge crowd favorite as she walked through the audience to take the stage with a medley of songs including Lorde’s “Homemade Dynamite” and Lady Gaga’s “Scheiße.”
A lot of planning went into this show, from not only picking a date and booking the room, but also picking a host.
“Each show has to be planned months in advance. We started planning since our first e-board meeting which was during the first week of classes,” said Parker Leounis, a junior women and gender studies major. He is also the president of Pride Alliance.
There was a sing-off at the end of the show to determine the king and queen winners. Ricky MoraLess took the crown for king, while Lady Anál took the crown for queen.
The drag show is a repeat event on campus for a reason.
“Drag is really important to me because it’s a way for people to express themselves however they want without judgment. It’s a fun way to let loose and be free,” said Leounis. “I think it’s important to [have this] on campus because it’s a great way to bring our community together and show what a great group of people we are. We just want to have fun and show support for anyone who needs it.”