Bodies speak volumes

CORRECTION

- Due to a reporting error, the March 10 story “Bodies speak volumes” states that professional troupe the Cuntry Kings performed a hate crime re-enactment at a drag show at UNC. It actually was performed by a five-member amateur group.

It also states that performers Veronica Steele and Jamocha Shake tied for the amateur prize at the event. Steele actually tied for the prize with a five-person group of which Shake is a member.

 

Attraction arises. The person in the spotlight becomes appealing. But confusion, awe and puzzlement take center stage.

“It messes with people’s minds and makes them think about the social constructs,” said Win Chesson, co-chairman of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender-Straight Alliance.

The GLBTSA capped its Celebration Week on Wednesday night with “Body Language,” a drag show that took place in a packed Great Hall. Event participants stressed the week’s overarching theme — breaking gender definitions and bringing the heterosexual community into the mix — all the while watching the cash, music and synthetic hair flow.

“(People) shouldn’t have to conform to these stupid gender stereotypes,” said Alex Ferrando, GLBTSA co-chairman. “Drag is not just entertainment. It’s a political statement.”

Amateur drag competition judge Kyle Yamakawa said gender is a mental construct.

“I feel like gender performance is something that everybody does,” he said.

Though the event was two months in the making, student reaction to an assault on an openly gay UNC junior about two weeks ago affected the evening’s activities.

“We did not try to cater a response to what happened,” Ferrando said.

But a message of frustration wove in and out of the acts, as the audience passed petitions lobbying for changes in the state’s treatment of such attacks. The tension culminated in a graphic portrayal of a streetside, hate-induced beating, performed by the Cuntry Kings, a 15-member Triangle troupe.

The group, which has performed throughout the United States and Western Europe, drew upon the personal experience of one of its members during a segment of the show that expressed distaste with the Iraq War and military crackdowns on gay soldiers.

The performers took on topics including militarism, sexism, racism, classism and homophobia in a variety of formats.

“This is an outlet for me, given that I have that sort of an alternate identity,” said Neeve Ehmi, a female member of the Cuntry Kings who was mistaken for a boy as a child. “I am a drag king because I think it’s an interesting way of commenting on the significant forces at work in our culture.”

Despite the social commentary, much of the show was about sheer entertainment.

“I’m nervous,” said John Jackson, an amateur performer. “This is my first drag experience in front of people.”

While affixing a set of pink nails and prepping with eyeliner, Jackson said he wanted to bring back a level of artistry that he thinks is missing from amateur performances.

“Look at my face,” he said. “I bear a pretty natural, striking resemblance to a one Miss Kelly Osbourne.”

But the amateur crown was jointly taken by Veronica Steele and Jamocha Shake, two performers who shared the spotlight by hooking the audience at two ends of the spectrum: pure strip tease and Madonna-style expression.

“I’ve been to drag shows before, but I’ve never seen drag queens as beautiful as these,” said Chapel Hill resident Aviana Alam.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.