2008 Woodie Awards
STL royalty mingle with students at Drag Ball
11th annual extravaganza features 'Fire and Ice' theme, costume contest
By: James Chilton and Alexandra Smith
Issue date: 4/5/07 Section: LifeStyle
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Dressed in a long, navy blue skirt and sweater chosen by his mom, Student Government Association Vice President Dee Goines performed a rousing rendition of Jennifer Hudson's "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from the movie "Dreamgirls" at the 11th Annual Drag Ball. Goines, performing as "Dee-licious," received a standing ovation from most of the crowd and $30 in tips.
"Dee-licious" was only one of 27 lip-synching performances March 31 in the Grant Gymnasium. In addition to Webster students, there were acts by prominent drag kings and queens from the St. Louis area and two kings from Cincinnati. Quinn Gardner, LGBTQ Alliance president and Drag Ball coordinator, said more than 300 people attended the event over the course of the night.
In a nod to the evening's theme, "Fire and Ice," the W-shaped stage was decorated in red and blue flashing lights. Two papier mache volcanoes erupted with red and orange streamers. Smoke rose from the stage in dramatic fashion as the show began with a performance by Siren, "The Diva of Darkness" and emcee for the evening.
"How many straight people am I talking to?" Siren asked as she paraded through balloons that covered the area in front of the stage and aisles. "I'm going to give you a sexual 'edumacation.'"
Wearing a short, multi-colored sequined dress and black fishnet tights, Siren explained the logistics of homosexual sex and offered advice on various topics.
"Smoking is bad," she said. "Drinking's OK - if you're old enough. If you're underage and you drink, you'll die."
Siren introduced each of the performers, whose song choices included the likes of Barbara Streisand, N'Sync and The Pussycat Dolls. Performances were not limited to the stage - stairs allowed the kings and queens access to the floor in front of the stage as well as the two aisles, which gave them a chance to interact with the audience.
Throughout the evening, Siren made jokes about lesbians, Helen Keller and Anne Frank. She said virtually no topic was off limits.
"I don't have a PC bone in my body," she said.
Under the Foam Padding
Sucil and Ashtin, two besuited members of the FuckHers, a Cincinnati-based drag king troupe, discussed the difficulties of being kings in a queen's world.
"There've always been kings, but it's never been a big following," Ashtin said. "The kings movement is picking up in a big way."
Sucil said kings often act and dress the same in their everyday lives as they do on stage, which is a sharp contrast to the extravagant outfits, hairstyles and makeup associated with queens.
"(Queens) themselves are a show to watch," Sucil said.
In contrast, the FuckHers deliberately strive for the effect sexual ambiguity has on their audience.
"I love the androgyny," Sucil said. "I love people to be a little bit confused."
Another king, Rydyr, said Drag Ball gives audience members the glimpse of a lifestyle they may never have been exposed to before, demystifying the concept for many.
"It's a very eye-opening experience," Rydyr said. "It's educational entertainment."
Siren agreed with this assessment.
"(Drag Ball) brings the show to them without the scary gay bar-ness," she said.
But for other performers, it's not just entertainment - it's their life. St. Louis-born Alexis Principle has been a drag performer for 22 years and has been to five of Webster's Drag Balls, including this year. She identifies as a woman and has undergone hormone therapy to develop as such, but has no plans for sex reassignment surgery.
"Why would you get a sex change to be a drag queen?" she asked. "This is no illusion; this is me."
For Alexis, being a drag queen is a full-time commitment. She works six different clubs in St. Louis six nights a week and left Drag Ball late in the evening to perform elsewhere. Throughout her career, Alexis has seen drag performers gain increasing acceptance among mainstream society, though the progress has been gradual, and there is still much to be made.
"It took a while before we started doing colleges and straight clubs," she said. "People should open their minds up and realize that everybody isn't the same."
Dragging to a Close
As the evening drew to an end, an audience-wide costume contest was held for the best drag queen and king costumes. The contestants who received the loudest response from the audience via applause, screaming and balloon popping were determined the winners.
Freshman creative writing major Matthias Muutuki as "Maddy" was crowned queen for the teal and white skirt ensemble he borrowed from a female friend. Junior photography major Krista Rose Breece, sporting a camouflage vest and toy shotgun as "Chris," was voted king.
"It'd be nice if I could win a photo contest once in a while, but Drag Ball will do," Breece said.
As a freshman, Muutuki said he had no idea what to expect when he decided to attend Drag Ball.
"The best part was winning," Muutuki said.
Gardner and LGBTQ Alliance secretary Amy Farfan agreed the event is a significant experience for Webster students, as it is many students' first drag experience. Gardner said this year's attendance included more Webster students than community members, like in the past.
Farfan said students come to Drag Ball because they see it as a Webster tradition.
"It's one thing that really does happen every year, the only huge tradition this school really has," Farfan said. "A lot of schools have traditions around sports. We have to find other things to have traditions about."
DRAG BALL - BY THE NUMBERS
-Number of chairs: 300
-Number of tables: 12
-Number of chairs reserved by University
President Richard Meyers: 4
-Number of university presidents in attendance: 0
-Number of people who got an HIV test: 10
-Approximate funds raised at the door: $300, to go back in SGA pool fund
-Number of student groups that organized the event: 3 (LGBTQ
Alliance, Webster Undefined and the Audio Engineering Society)
-Amount of money requested from SGA pool fund: $3,900
-Approximate costs of:
Staging: $1,100
Sound: $450
Paying Performers: $900
-Number of performances: 27
-Number of kings: 10
-Number of queens: 7
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