On September 1st , Denison was graced with the #professional presence of Miss Shangela Laquifa Wadely. This fierce Drag Diva was on both Season Two and Three of Rupaul’s Drag Race. She performed some of her greatest hits, including “WERQIN’ GIRL” and “Uptown Fish” (a parody of Bruno Mars’ iconic dance hit “Uptown Funk”. After that, she told us her life story through standup- from before Drag Race, to her new film A Star Is Born, out September 28th , 2017, alongside Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. As a longtime fan of hers, I really appreciated that she tailored her show to the collegiate experience. Miss. Wadely talked to us about self-confidence, and pursuing what we love.
Later in the show, she told us about her onstage injury, where she broke multiple bones in her leg while executing one of her iconic “death drops”- a move where the performer lets their weight free fall into a fierce pose. However, she got a double Beyoncé experience out of it! Not only did she get treated in the same hospital where Blue Ivy was born, she got special seats when she went to the concert months later. Due to a case of mistaken identity, Miss. Wadely got to sit in the Make a Wish ™ area, which was really close to the stage. When the Queen Bee used a towel to dry off, she handed it to Miss. Wadely herself! (Cue well timed CoverGirl true-match cosmetics joke). In the spirit of the stories that Miss. Wadely ha told us, she closed out the show with a Beyoncé tribute mashup that had everybody moving in their seats, and some of us (or just me. Just me) were even in tears. She wasn’t the first Drag Queen to come to Denison, but she’s the one I will remember forever.