Glitter pop is no drag

Drag queens from Tech, Emory and the Youth Pride organization paraded the stage of Amsterdam Avenue’s Red Chair Restaurant last Friday. Sponsored by the Pride Alliance, the Glitter Pop Amateur Drag Show raised nearly $2,000, most of which will go to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transvestite and questioning (GLBTQ) children without homes.

After subtracting out the event’s costs, Pride Alliance will donate the proceeds to the Rainbow Program of CHRIS Kids, a local charity that cares for homeless youth.

What exactly is a drag show? More than just a fancy-dress party, drag shows feature contestants dressed in clothing usually worn by the opposite sex.

They perform dances to music, competing for the approval of the audience and judges.

The contestants are introduced on stage by their drag names, which indicate the sex they are impersonating. The two major judging categories at the Glitter Pop were appearance (makeup, hairstyle, poise, smile) and performance (choreography and coordination).

The event featured a total of six different acts, one of which was performed by a duo from Emory and five of which were solos. Four Tech students participated in the show, including Jason Berg, a second-year Management major, and Matt Johnson, a third-year Public Policy major.

The boys from Emory took first place, the contestant from Youth Pride took second place, and Berg, whose stage name was Alana Kellie, placed third. Berg danced to “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” a song by Jessica Simpson.

“For me, this was the first time I ever did a drag show. I was really nervous the whole time,” Berg said. “Once it was over, once everything was done, I really enjoyed it a lot. I got a lot of praise and good compliments.”

Berg described his experience as nerve-racking. Without any previously choreographed moves, he stepped onto the stage at the Red Chair.

“I didn’t know exactly what I was doing,” he said. “I didn’t really have much prepared, so I kind of winged it. I was actually a little late, so I ran from the dressing room right onto the stage.”

Although he was unsure of what to expect going into the night, Berg said performing for charity felt great.

“I’ll probably do this again because it was really fun,” he said.

Johnson, dressed as Ginger Snap during the show, performed to “Today 4 U,” a song by the transvestite Angel from the movie Rent.

“It was definitely my first time [performing]. It was fun doing it, but getting ready for it involved a lot of stress,” Johnson said. “You can’t imagine how difficult it is to shop for lady’s shoes in Target—you get a lot of weird looks.”

Although preparation for the show was difficult, Johnson said the experience was worthwhile.

“The show was great; it was fun to watch and perform. I’m glad I was able to help raise the money [for CHRIS Kids],” he said.

Local businesses and organizations, including the James Madison Salon, the Flying Biscuit Café, Twelve and Youth Pride, sponsored the event. About 225 people—students and faculty from Tech and other members of the community—packed into the Red Chair last Friday, according to Sarabrynn Hudgins, recently elected vice president of Pride Alliance.

“From a money standpoint, it was definitely successful,” Hudgins said. “We raised a lot of money, considering [the organizers were] just the members of the Pride Alliance executive board—a small group of students.”

This year’s show was the third that Pride Alliance had organized. Hudgins said that it was a significant improvement over last year’s show, which faced some problems due to organization.

“We knew that we wanted the show to be more organized than last year,” Hudgins said. “Last year, the venue canceled on us with a few hours left. The goal for this year was to have everything run more smoothly, and this year we brought a lot more people in.”

“In terms of whether people had fun or not, they said they had a lot of fun,” Hudgins said. “We did an awesome job.”