Clad in everything from black patent leather pumps and a blonde wig to Daisy Dukes and a Budweiser tank top, drag performer Milk warned people to stay in school.

“Don’t drop out of school or you’ll become a drag queen,” said Milk, a former contestant of RuPaul’s Drag Race. “It’s all fun and games until you have to tuck your balls up inside yourself.”

Milk, who is also a Syracuse native, hosted the 13th annual Totally Fabulous Drag Show preliminaries at Schine Underground Thursday night. The event was produced by Pride Union, Syracuse University’s LGBTQA undergraduate organization.

The preliminary show serves as a precursor to the finals show, which will take place Feb. 27. The preliminaries serve as a point to eliminate contestants, but the judges at Thursday’s show let all the contestants through to finals.

Angela Diaz, a junior sport management major and director of public relations for Pride Union, started the show by saying the performers will be based on the following: Lip syncing skills, coordination and charisma.

At the beginning of the performances, Milk stormed the stage dressed as a flight attendant, showing spectators how to fasten their seatbelts and secure their life vests before mouthing, “Thank you for flying Virgin America,” giving the audience a glimpse of all the raunchiness to come.

Contestants Bape Suavé and AJ maintained the energy with Usher and R. Kelly’s “Same Girl,” dressed as none other than Usher and R. Kelly. Penciled-on goatees and body rolls characterized the performance, and it paid off for the judges, one of whom said, “Talk about throwback Thursday.”

Levantá, dressed in thigh-high black leather boots and a floral body-con romper, interacted with the crowd and even went as far as bringing an audience member onstage. Karess Gillespie, residence director for the First Year Experience and one of the night’s judges, asked Levantá whether or not the girl consented to being brought to the stage.

“I hope so. Wait…are you 17?” Levantá later asked the girl to check if she was a minor.

“She’s young, she’s hung and she clearly marches to the beat of her own drum,” Milk said about Levantá.

Contestant Lance Cacao incorporated Bruce Lee-esque choreography and lip syncing to Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks.” E Millz and SB performed to Justin Bieber’s “Somebody to Love.” Their performance prompted Sarah Cappella, the associate director of the Office of Student Activities and one of the judges, to say, “I think Bieber owes you two a lot of money.”

But it was reining champion Donyella Dupree who caused an uproar in the audience with a performance to Meghan Trainor’s “Lips Are Movin.” Sporting a tight black mini dress and velvet heels with a Dolly Parton-esque wig, Dupree’s tight choreography interspersed with pirouettes floored the judges.

“All I can say is, yaaasssss,” Gillespie said about Dupree’s performance.

Sophomore television, radio and film major Abby Schwartz, who was unfamiliar with drag, said she enjoyed the show.

“It was f*cking fabulous in every way,” Schwartz said.

Published on February 13, 2015 at 12:56 am

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