Annual non-profit show benefiting local support group welcomes full house
Watching a group of drag queens dance around in a flurry of glitter and vibrantly-colored polyester is one way to spend a weekend evening.
The Boulder County AIDS Project presented “Absolute! Fabulous! Gorgeous!,” its second annual men’s drag and fashion show Saturday night at The Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder.
This sold-out performance benefited and was organized by BCAP’s HIV Prevention Program, Atlas.
The event featured a variety of drag models, dolled up in elaborate costumes of fringe and feather boas, in a combination of dancing, music and even some acrobatic stunts. Yet, behind the short skirts and dazzling eye makeup, BCAP’s performance carried a greater message.
Frank O’Cana, director of “Absolute! Fabulous! Gorgeous!,” described the event as a way to communicate the seriousness of HIV in a fun and innovative way. It is his belief that performance art is a timeless way to get the community involved, thus improving HIV education.
“I think it’s wonderful because it allows people who have not been involved with BCAP to gain HIV awareness” Ann Goldstein, mother of the headline performer Miguel Goldstein, said.
O’Cana also described the event as a spectrum of voice and experience, for many performers are directly or indirectly affected by HIV.
Miguel Goldstein, stage name Angel de Luna, entertained the audience by performing a song from the movie “Dream Girls” while adorned in a gold and teal dress that he personally designed. He said he had personally seen the effects of HIV.
“It strikes home a little bit. I knew people who had (HIV) and passed away,” Goldstein said.
“Absolute! Fabulous! Gorgeous!” drew in a full house that not only shared awareness about HIV, but also created a sense of connection and community.
“It brings about a really, really diverse group of people and shows a different dimension of Boulder,” Rachel Cassity, a freshman biochemistry major at CU, said.
For more information about BCAP and how to get involved, visit the Boulder County Aids Project online.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Sara Fossum at sara.fossum@colorado.edu
