Dragging in Wong Chuk Hang

What’s in a show? Better yet, what's in a Drag Show? I really had no idea until I had showed up at this event, and boy was I pleasantly surprised. Nestled in between two high rise buildings in the industrial heart of Wong Chuk Hang was one of the last places I expected to find myself waiting excitedly to watch a Drag Show.

I am sure I saw something being advertised on Facebook about a Drag Show and quickly put the word out there to see who might be interested in joining me to watch my first professional drag show. Sure, I had watched some casual ones at a gay bar from time to time but these were never the main event and just an added complement to the night out.

Luckily I managed to rope in the likes of our other volunteers Winnie and Ania and we found ourselves in this brand new office building where a fancy Italian Grocer had situated itself called Tipico. I honestly thought that this was a strange place to put a Grocery store but found out it was actually an amazing venue to have a fabulous rooftop and do private events, if there is another event there, I highly recommend it. The free flow drinks were certainly flowing and it was not in short supply, the cocktails were a highlight with sprigs of rosemary and yummy liqueurs. Tipico did a fantastic job at keeping us boozed and enthused and even gave us a sample of nibbles from their ‘meat market’.

However, the real highlight of the evening was the two Drag Queens that were going to put on an amazing show for us. Check out the amazing performers on their Instagram pages Frida Cox & Mocha Diva. They had grouped together to make sure that a portion of tickets were going to a much-needed charity in the Philippines that supports the LGBTQ+ community. Being veterans of the industry, it was clear that these girls were no amateurs and we were in for a real treat.

I had not realised how much of a painstaking process these girls went through, but it quickly became clear after they went on stage how many hours of preparation time actually went into it. The makeup must have taken hours prior to the actual event. Watching them perform really made me think of the countless hours they had put into rehearsing their routines and putting together costumes that worked with the whole event, the vibe and most importantly with their songs. Between performances they would even make costume changes which added even another layer of complexity as these were no simple pieces, some had extravagant headpieces and even skin tight costumes that must have taken quite a bit of assistance to get into.

Both Queens strutted their stuff along the runway putting on multiple performances lip syncing to some of the greats such as Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga. The crowd was certainly whipped up into a frenzy and for good reason, some of the dances were so professional you were wondering why these girls were not more recognised for their talents and performing at bigger venues to bigger crowds.

Some of the acrobatics and death drops were out of this world and I had no idea that I would be picked to be part of this truly gravity defying show! I was just sitting in my seat by the runway enjoying my time when one of the queens decided to do a backflip on me, surprising me to no end (as I quite enjoy being the centre of attention at times). If you are unsure of how to picture what I am describing check it out right here on my Instagram “Djbeatsster”, thanks to the quick thinking from my friend Ania who took this video for me.

One hiccup they did not account for was that their heels kept getting stuck in the slated gapped floors, however as true performers do, they took it in their stride and made it part of the show.

All in all, it was an excellent way to spend a Saturday night, I was truly amazed and so happy to have seen this performance. I think this may have ignited my Drag Show buzz and I now want to see more!