Loud music. Bright lights. Emphatic cheering. I might as well follow these descriptions with an astute exclamation of “Oh my!” To my reticent self, these things are just as intimidating as lions, tigers, and bears. Feeling quite like a frightened Dorothy did I observe this new world created in Cro’s 1962 room. It was a world of rainbow colors and flashy costumes, and music that vibrated into the air while shouts competed for ear space. The Second Annual Pride Rally and Lip Sync Battle was as much like Connecticut College as Kansas was like the land of Oz.
And like in The Wizard of Oz, the Lip-sync Battle was presided over by two powerful beings, each vying for the attention of the viewer. Only, in this circumstance, the duo of rulers were not witches at all, but drag queens. These individuals bewitched attendees not with charms or spells but with gaudy, extravagant costumes and snazzy dance moves. While the intended main focus of the evening was for the lip-syncing competition, the queens had audiences laughing from one act to the next, enraptured by the allure of their pizzazz.
The witches of the West and South at this event, Ivanna Riggie and Bella Daleadho (read that last name out loud: you’ll figure it out), performed lip-sync numbers and dances to multiple popular songs whilst exiting and returning in different, increasingly superfluous costumes. At one point, as Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” began to play, Ivanna made a dramatic entrance in a gigantic scarlet gown, twirling for the audience to marvel at the bright red fabric.
The duo’s witty banter was also humorous. The little digs and stabs they took at the other’s expenses were brought delight to the viewers who seemed to feed into the queens’ energy and grew more excited as the evening drew on. A near-impossible feat, the queens’ egos and personalities were even bigger than their hair, making them the perfect hosts for the ensuing lip-sync battle.
Three student groups competed in the battle, each performing a total of three times. The first grouping consisted of five young women who excelled in dancing, particularly hip hop. In a notable number, they performed to the song “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani. The second contestant was a sole challenger who wooed the audience with 80s throwbacks and aviator sunglasses. Lastly, there was a competing trio who put on a hilarious rendition of “Barbie Girl” by Aqua and performed a dramatic interpretation of “Never Enough” from the movie The Greatest Showman featuring glitter and rose petals.
In the end, the trio took home the prize of $500, with the soloist in second and the large group coming in third. The contest was judged not by the two queens of Oz but rather by the women behind the curtain: three of Connecticut College’s own faculty members, who sat at a table taking notes to evaluate which competitor was worthy of the prize money. In my mind, they made the right choice; the trio’s over-dramatic numbers drew many positive reactions from the crowd.
The event was most certainly a success. While it could have been a bit more highly attended, the group of people there fully embraced the evening and made the most of the atmosphere. There were lots of laughs, lots of shouting, and, at points, the vibe was very much like that of a concert. The beloved contestants quickly became rockstars once stepping on stage, inciting the audience to cheer and call out their names. The crowd got the most wild when the contestants occasionally stepped off the stage to grab the hand of an audience member or to include a random viewer in the dance number. The drag queens? They weren’t made rock stars by stepping onto the stage: they were proclaimed stars by the crowd upon their very entrance into the room. Their larger-than-life flare setting fire to the student audience, which engaged vivaciously with them, bouncing their energy right back and matching their rambunctious behavior in spirit and in voice.
The Second Annual Pride Rally and Lip Sync Battle, which was organized by Student Engagement, the Student Activities Council, and the LGBTQIA Center will make a return in future years based on the reaction of the exuberant crowd. The event added a vibrant splash of color to student’s lives that might just stand out among the monotony of coursework like a pair of ruby slippers in a drab Kansas town.
