Yes, you read that right. Colonel Sanders made an appearance at DragWU on Oct. 21 to the cheering applause and screams of the audience.
Well, not exactly the restaurant chain mascot but “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 14 contestant, Maddy Morphosis’ rendition of the KFC King, fried expectations at DragWu 2022.
Drag racing is the art of elevating hair, makeup, and costume and turning it into a performance. This art medium is believed to predate the Shakespearean era when men were preferred as actors for playing both male and female roles in performances.
“Drag is about expression and remaining true to yourself,” the coordinator of DragWU and assistant director of DSU, Willie Bush stated.
After an emergency, the planned host of the DragWU, Jaida Essence Hall was unable to attend, and in the nick of time, Maddy Morphosis was able to attend and lead the event.
Winthrop is proud to have hosted this event and to carry on the promotion of expression and art, key ideals of the Winthrop community.
“It’s an event students look forward to,” Bush said.
This is the fourth year that DragWU has taken place but it was only last year that the popularity took off. DragWU, like most events, suffered attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year was the first time that DragWU was able to take on full attendance with few limitations.
And it doesn’t seem like DragWU will be slowing down anytime soon.
The event has become so popular on campus that it has become a highlight of the Winthrop culture.
This is evident by the overall enthusiasm both before, during, and after the event.
Hundreds of students attended the event. But due to limited seating and the mass popularity of the event, tickets were restricted to being either sold online or through DSU during the weeks prior.
Tickets sold at $10 for students and $25 for the general public. There were also t-shirts sold that included front-row access and a meet-n-greet with the Queens. The check-in lines were long but were well worth it for the DragWU experience.
The line-up included six queens, two being Winthrop students, including DragWU alumni Rebecca Stardust.
Rebecca Stardust made their debut at DragWU last year, which was not only their first DragWU but also their first public drag event.
Other Queens that attended the event included: Ariana Venti, Azreil Starr (another Winthrop student), Seveene Eleveene, and Kristy Darling.
DragWU hosted Drag King, Corey Caleb Chanel Iman, proving that anyone and everyone is welcome to participate in the drag culture.
Glitter, sequins, and even a banana costume rocked the Winthrop runaway in Richardson Ballroom.
One of the songs performed was “Shine Bright Like A Diamond” by pop star Rihanna, and DragWU did exactly that.
Maddy Morphosis kept the audience laughing with their humor and used their platform to promote positivity.
DragWU isn’t a contest to see who is better. It’s a celebration through the power of performance. It brought people together in the promotion of creativity, art, and freedom of expression for the drag community and beyond.
With so much negativity and stress going on in the world today, it is good to come together to promote others and their talents. And DragWU does exactly that.
