By Kyle Winslow
Apathetic to the nasty weather, over 75 people accumulated in the Red Barn at the University of Louisville on Sept. 22 to watch a variety of burlesque and drag show performances in the “Night of Mayhem.”
The event was sponsored by CommonGround and Student Government Association (SGA), and was held to benefit the AIDS Walk on Sept. 24.
On Sept. 21, federal health officials warned the nation of the importance in checking all Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 for HIV, and multiple professional performers halted their busy schedules to help raise money for the city of Louisville’s 14th annual AIDS Walk.
Among the performers were Adaysha Skye, the Grotesque Burlesque, Hurricane Summers, Jolene Andrews, Krystal Decanter, Mohka Montrese and Phoenix Skye.
Jessica Smith, a junior English major and the President of CommonGround, mentioned this was the second year of “Night of Mayhem.”
“Last year we raised $1,000 for the House of Ruth, but this year we chose to raise money for the entire AIDS Walk, which contributes money to multiple AIDS organizations,” Smith said.
“Most of the people that will attend are from outside the campus because most of the promotion for the event was done off campus.” said Smith. There were a variety of crowds that converged to the event, ranging from younger to older aged adults.
The “Night of Mayhem” was highly anticipated by many of the attendees.
“I didn’t get to see it last year, so I’m looking forward to seeing it this year,” said sophomore psychology major, Laura Olliges. “I’ve seen many of the acts before and I really enjoy them.”
Although it was her first time seeing these performers, Shannon Cornette, a freshman biology major, was excited, because she said she really enjoys drag shows. During the show, Cornette mentioned that these performers were among the best she’s seen.
Voted by the readers of the Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO) as the “Best Performing Arts Group in Louisville,” the Grotesque Burlesque, led by Vyxsin, the founder and director, are very active in contributing to charities for the House of Ruth and the Louisville AIDS walk.
“We did this event last year and we will be coming back in December. We really enjoy performing for such a great benefit,” said Vyxsin.
The show began with performances by the Grotesque Burlesque followed by a drag show.
Along with the Grotesque Burlesque, the drag performers were very popular among the attendees.
Krystal Decanter, a drag performer, was an audience favorite and received multiple tips during her act.
“One hundred percent of the proceeds go to charity and all of the professional performers are donating their time,” said Smith.
According to AVERT, a national AIDS charity, “It is thought that more than one million people are living with HIV in the U.S.A. and that more than half a million have died after developing AIDS.”
The Louisville AIDS Walk Web site stated that in Kentucky alone, over 4,300 people have been diagnosed with AIDS. However, there was not an available statistic for Kentuckians with HIV.
On Sept. 24, the Louisville AIDS Walk celebrated 14 years of HIV/AIDS awareness and fundraising.
The teams began the walk at the Belvedere and crossed the Second Street bridge into Indiana. The participants returned back to the Belvedere where many booths with information and merchandise were set up.
