Last Saturday I attended the most fabulous event to ever hit The Pause. Hosted by the ever so gorgeous Augustina, “Everybody Say Love” was an inclusive, welcoming event to let loose and be yourself. The event included a number of performances including dances, lip-synching and a few skits. This glitter-filled event had everyone on their feet dancing to the music while admiring the fierce performances. Despite a low turn-out, it was definitely an event to attend. If you’re like me and enjoy professional drag shows, you would have enjoyed this event that had a similar vibe but took place in a smaller, more intimate environment. Knowing St. Olaf students worked hard to plan the event made it all the more special.
The event included many individual performers as well as a DJ, who was also in drag. The dancers were impressive, to say the least. One dancer brought the show to life by taking her dance moves to the floor amongst the audience. Another performer literally brought us back to life with her CPR skit on stage.
But, I think we can all agree that Bambi, one of the drag personas, stood out the most. Her performance included a fierce lipsync of Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.” Just when you thought her flawless look of black leather and big blonde hair was enough, she snatched all of our wigs when she removed her own, only to reveal another wig beneath it. This was immediately followed by an uproar from the crowd. All I can say is that I hope this isn’t the last time Bambi comes to St. Olaf.
While I have been to a number of drag shows in Minneapolis, I was still able to see something that I have never seen before: a male drag (a woman dressed in masculine clothing) performance. He gave a moving dance performance to Owl City’s “Fireflies.”
“Maybe it was Augustina’s beautiful messages about individuality between acts, or maybe it was Bambi’s wig snatching, but I can honestly say I was moved.” – Evie Slater ’22
The audience seemed taken aback by this act, as many of us stopped dancing. I think this is because Drag Kings are not as well-known as Drag Queens. I was surprised by how I have never seen a male drag performance, professionally. Because of this, I did not expect to see one on a college campus. For that, I thank St. Olaf and the organizers of the event for exposing us to another form of expression.
The “Everybody Say Love” drag show was a fun event, and I would highly recommend it to others. It had the potential of resembling a professional show, had there been more people. However, the intimate setting may have been an unexpected way of bringing us together.
Maybe it was Augustina’s beautiful messages about individuality between acts, or maybe it was Bambi’s wig snatching, but I can honestly say I was moved. I hope this campus hosts more drag shows in the future.
