Sangria Salsipuedes takes home Drag Show crown
Sangria Salsipuedes takes home the crown as Drag Show winner
Sangria Salsipuedes, played by senior Daniel Preciado, was crowned winner of this year’s Pride Union drag show Thursday night.
“Winning was never my main goal as I wanted to have as much fun as possible, and I am glad to say that I did,” Salsipuedes said. “Getting to be there with the other queens and kings was amazing and I had such a blast. Personally, I am very proud of myself as well as being so incredibly grateful of everyone who helped me bring Sangria to life.”
The four finalists took to the stage for a second time in what were their most lavish performances yet. Interspersed throughout the show were performances from the judges – who are also professional drag queens – as well as performances from the two celebrity guest hosts of the night: drag queen Manila Luzon, a season three runner-up and recurring contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and drag king Landon Cider, the winner of season three of Dracula.
“I love dressing up. Who doesn’t love dressing up?” Manila asked the audience to kick off the show.
As the lights dimmed and the bass started thumping, flashed across the stage’s jumbo screen were the words “Pride Union stands in Solidarity with #NotAgainSU.” Enormous applause erupted across Goldstein Auditorium.
Sangria Salsipuedes mesmerized the audience from the minute she took the stage, wearing a fluffy pink bathrobe and singing into a hairbrush as a makeshift microphone. Her performance mirrored the trajectory of a woman’s experience after being dumped, transitioning from sad, to angry, to empowered, to seeking revenge.
Salsipuedes had the audience in fits of laughter and awe, as the physicality of her performance perfectly captured a woman scorned. At one point, she shed her bathroom and pink corset to reveal glittery nipple tassels underneath. Spreading fake blood over her body in both a cathartic and comical moment, she had the audience hooked on her every move, hysterical facial expressions and sassy hair flips.
“Remind me never to break up with Sangria,” Manila Luzon said after Sangria’s performance.
All of the finalists gave performances that dazzled – bringing their outfits, makeup, choreography and personalities from the preliminaries to the next level.