On Feb. 16 in the University Rooms, the Kennesaw Pride Alliance held its fourth Annual Charity Drag Show to raise money for the Pets Are Loving Support Atlanta chapter.
KPA members Tamisha Askew and Shonquita (Shon Gillis) organized the event and the latter of the two dressed in drag for the first time.
All entertainers’ tips and money raised from the show were donated to PALS Atlanta.
In case you are unaware of what a drag show entails, it consists of performers of one gender, dressing up as the opposite gender and lip-synching a popular song for the entertainment of the audience.
Many students filled the rooms to see the show, and a lot of them, much like freshmen students Jordan Tucker, Jeremy Timson and Bradley Bryan, had never seen a drag show and were excited and curious about how it would play out.
Other students, like sophomore Caitlyn Kelen, a KPA volunteer who assisted with makeup, had been to drag shows before, but shared the same level of excitement as the ones that were new to the experience.
Many of the entertainers of the evening had never performedin drag.
“I’ve always wanted to do it,” said Jess Johnson, who performed under the moniker of Oliver Johnson.
The 11 performer show opened with drag king (a woman who dresses as a man) Ashton Cooter (Ashley Eye), giving a performance to a Chris Brown megamix. This included “Beautiful People” and “Turn Up The Music”, similar to his performance at the 2012 Grammy’s, complete with flashing lights, glowsticks and smooth dancing.
The musical buffet of the evening had flavors for anyone to enjoy, from radio hits such as “Stereo Love” by Gym Class Heroes and Adam Levine, to Lea Michele’s “Don’t Rain On My Parade” as seen on Glee and of course a drag show would not be complete without a little Trina and “The Baddest Bitch”, among many other songs.
Drag was not the only form of entertainment offered that night, as KPA members Terry Finson and his assistant Katherine, came to the stage in between numbers and asked audience members racy trivia questions centering on gay culture and lifestyle, while offering random prizes for correct answers.
From high energy dance numbers, to radio hits and songs from Broadway, trivia and raffle drawings, the KPA PALS Benefit show was a sight to see, and, according to Finson, they plan on performing more at KSU in the future. KPA will be holding another PALS Benefit Show on March 23 at LeBuzz in Marietta at 8 p.m.
