Pulling out "every trick in the book" Miss Russia was the ultimate winner in last night's drag contest extravaganza Queen Of The Whole Pacific. Before a capacity Sky City Theatre audience in Auckland Miss Russia, represented by Miss Ivana Vodkashot, wowed the crowd with her dazzlintg costume featuring a Russian Orthodox Church minaret and endless tippling of her vodka martinis. MP Judith Tizard, the head judge, said Ivana "pulled out every trick in the book" to present her entertainment segment which included a send-up of olympic gymnastics events complete with accompanying young gymnasts. Second place-getter was Miss Aotearoa, Cheryl Moana Marie who presented an accomplished poi dance. The USA came in third represented by mature drag diva Miss Gloriousole capturing the crowd with humor and pathos and lots of red white and blue stars. Compere for the night was opera star Hellen Medlyn who dragged up in mens formal attire for the occasion and MPs Georgina Beyer and Tim Barnett were amongst the celebrities in the audience. 30 drag queens performed en masse and singly in sections designed to judge their creativity, intelligence and talent. Costumes ranged from the elegant to the extravagant, with Miss Canada's Mounted Police outfit and Miss Costa Rica's flourescent pink and black gown creating a stirr. Also evident were mile-high hair, sequinned camouflage (who knew there was such a thing!) and Easter Island statuary hair adornments. The event was a fundraiser for the NZ AIDS Foundation and as the evening drew to a close NZAF Chair Michael Stevens reminded the crowd that gay men are contracting HIV again in increasing numbers and should "learn to love each other and themselves."
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Sunday, 19th September 2004 - 12:00pm