Biggest Event of the Year

The Infamous Drag Show

This event is a big deal on campus and has been a big event for years. It's a time to come together and enjoy some live entertainment. From the colorful dresses to the dramatic make up it was nothing less of a good time. The Drag Queens interacted so well with the crowd and vise versa, everyone was in good spirits that night.

It was shocking to me that the Queens didn't run out of stamina mid way because of how much energy they were giving in the first half of the show, but they had just as much (if not more) energy in the second half. There were also Drag Kings who were apart of the show, one of whom I work closely with.

The dynamics that night was so uplifting and powerful, it was a safe space for the queens and kings to show off their skills without any judgement. This was my first ever Drag Show and I loved the attitudes possessed throughout the night, I've never felt more empowered than in that very room.  

Soul Stepping

Soul Steps

I attended a soul step performance right here on campus. Not only did the steppers perform, but they gave background on where the "step" came from and it's country of origin. I learned that the art of step originated from early Africa, where it was first recognized as the "gumboot" dance. 

The steppers also did a gumboot dance number using the wellington boots that were specifically rooted to the dance. They explained that it was a form of expression used by black mines back in the day since they were deprived of conversation. 

It was a great experience and I learned a lot, even though I knew about step beforehand, I did not know how deep into my roots it went. It has always been something I wanted to learn as I saw it was apart of my culture, and one day I still might. 

Kicking off the Spring

March 7th-27th

In the midst of the Spring semester fun, we held some pretty awesome events. Since this is the middle of the semester, we kept it simple and fun as far as events go. We started off this month with Coffeehouse, which is exactly how it sounds.

Coffeehouse 

This was an event that gave students the opportunity to get on stage to share their poetry, music, etc while enjoying some coffee. Not only did we provide our own coffee brewer, but we also chose the venue (Rams Den) that provided Starbucks. It was a calm event that students enjoyed. 

Like a lot of our events, this one required some sound set up which we have a special guy for. That was no different for our next event which was Karaoke Night. 

Karaoke Night 

This event was a really good time, again, I was lead programmer for this so I was in charge of gathering all the materials needed which required me to create sign in sheets for contestants. We also had a special guest, Araya Sparx, who is a drag queen that participates in our annual drag show every year. She hosted the night, which was a form of cross promotion as our Drag Show was coming up next. 

What I Learned

I learned that it is important to place events, especially when working with a specific audience, on days that people are available and are more likely to come out. We also have to take time into account, it can't be too late of an event (when people are home and in bed) or too early of an event (when people are still in class). This is specifically for events that require you to show up, and not a walk through event.