“Night of a Thousand Stars 2010” was the official label of the Coronation Ball this year, although the eyes of the audience were glued to only nine of these stars for the evening. The crowning of the Rag Queen took place on Friday the 29th of January at the Loch Logan Waterfront Mall, and the occasion certainly called for a highly extravagant setting.
With a guest list of more than five hundred people, the hall was adorned with wall-to-wall fairy lights, elegant candle holders and a menu which was sure to get your mouth watering. If the setting wasn’t already enough to impress you, then the guests certainly would. Members from the UFS’ Top Management were among some of the more accomplished guests, with Professor Jansen at the head, all of them showing their support for the event. Other guests included family and friends of the nine finalists, as well as some of the members of the SRC, and various other organizations.
As soon as everyone had had a chance to find their seats and admire the hard work that had gone into the decorating of the hall, the lights dimmed, and the music began as a vast amount of smoke covered the stage in a fluid motion. The first performance of the evening was an upbeat musical number which warmed the crowd up for the events to come. Carmen Miranda, a highly accomplished performer was the main highlight of the evening, and she and her back up dancers delivered the experience of a five star private performance with an old cabaret feel to it. Eye-catching costumes, talented singers and elaborate dance moves almost made it impossible to focus on one thing for too long, and it didn’t help matters when the nine finalists made their way onto the stage dressed in stunning cocktail wear. As spectacular as this wasm, it was merely the beginning of a breathtaking show, all leading up to the anticipated crowning of the 2010 Rag Queen.
While the finalists performed on stage it was almost impossible to miss the furious note-taking done by the judges. Some of the judges included Pieter Steyn from News24, as well as Vicky Fourie, who has been involved with beauty pageants such as Miss South Africa.
Other performances for the evening include a striking modern ballet performance which left the audience stunned and appreciative of the amazing talent that was present in the hall that evening.
One of the highlights of the evening was certainly when the girls took to the stage in red overalls…which were soon ripped off by their half-naked male escorts, starting off the swimwear section of the evening.
Izak Davel played host for the evening, and although it was unfortunate that he didn’t join in on the dancing that night, he did entertain us with the swing number ‘Mac the Knife’. He was a gracious host and seemed to add that extra touch of class to the evening.
Other highlights of the evening included a short film of the contestants’ holiday in Cape Town where photo-shoots, wine tasting and community work took place. A swing ensemble performed by Carmen Miranda introduced the 2009 Rag Queen, Steph-Marie Harmse, along with the evening wear section of the show, in which the finalists emerged in gorgeous ball gowns before the announcement of the winner was made.
Finally the time had arrived to announced the winners – Thobeka Shata, a quirky girl who also received the title of Ms. Photogenic was crowned 2nd Princess, while Kendell Daniell was crowned as the 1st Princess and will therefore fulfill the Rag Queen’s duties if she were unable to. Finally, the hall erupted into cheers as the crowd favourite, Celeste van Deunice was crowned the 2010 Rag Queen.
It was a memorable evening from every angle; a royal affair to mark the start of the new Rag queen’s reign.
By Nicole Heyns |