MISS NUESTRA BELLEZA 2013 CONTESTANTS POSE at the conclusion of the event in the McNeil room.Sigma Delta held their 6th annual Nuestra Belleza this past Saturday. The event, a multicultural pageant, was held in the McNeil Room in the Union, and lasted from 6–8 pm. The sisters raised over $800 for the Invisible Girl Project, an organization working to end gendercide in India.
The show was hosted by the ever bright Elizabeth Ottman ’14 and energetic Eduardo Viscasillas ’15. The candidates were judged on qualities such as talent, beauty, and personality. A group of four judges, including Grand Marshal Chuck Carletta ’14 and Assistant Dean of Residence Life Randi Mogul, sat at a table in front to score the women in each category.
The hosts kicked the show off with an introduction to the candidates. They were Miss Scotland Emily Klaski ’16, Miss Greece Alexia Ioannou ‘16, Miss Philippines Dannah Laguitan ’16, Miss Mexico Janet Cortes ’17, and Miss Tibet Dede Dolkar ’16. The women were followed by a lively show by the Eighth Wonder dance crew, RPI’s hiphop/K-pop dance group. The team gave three entertaining and coordinated dances to those in the McNeil room.
After the short interlude by Eighth Wonder, every candidate wore their respective country’s clothing, and masters of ceremonies Ottman and Viscasillas gave descriptions of origins on their attires; they were each what common peoples from each culture would wear on a daily basis. Then, to give the women time to change clothing for their talent components, Sheer Idiocy went on stage and put on a few acts. Sheer Idiocy members present included consisting of Brandon McLear ’15, Fiona Kine ’16, Isabel Johnson ’16, and later, Kevin Turner ’14, the group played Three Way Dub, Bermuda Triangle, and Backwards Forwards.
Following the second interlude, Laguitan, Miss Philippines, with help, set up pads and mats for her parkour/gymnastics performance. She executed graceful flips and rolls around stage, truly the product of hard work and practice. After rearranging the mats, Miss Greece, Ioannou, presented a wrestling showcase with a partner that was both comedic and serious. Cortes, representing Mexico, gave a salsa dance recital with a partner, including multiple twists and twirls. A soothing rendition of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” was given by Klaski, Miss Scotland. Finally, Miss Tibet, Dolkar, covered Superbass by Nicki Minaj; she was joined mid-performance by the rest of the candidates, who all danced excitedly in the background. They really got jiggy with it.
The conclusion of Dolkar’s act ended the first part of Nuestra Belleza. Food and drink was served during intermission. For five dollars, audience members were able to try out multicultural food, homemade by the sisters of Sigma Delta. Also, during intermission, the audience were asked to vote for their favorite contestant; they shared a Googleform link through their website and Facebook event page. There were computers at the event for the audiences use.
The show continued with a Men’s Catwalk, which was comically entertaining. Featuring a line up of about six male students, including Grand Marshal Chuck Carletta ’14, each “model” walked across the stage in an exaggerated fashion, wooing the hearts of many in the audience. The winner was determined by the volume of applause.
After the Catwalk, the Miss Nuestra Belleza participants dressed up and indvidually answered political, social, or cultural questions about their respective countries. Their responses were scored by the judges and applauded after each one. When the questionaire was concluded, both the audience choice and Miss Nuestra Belleza winners were announced.
Congratulations to Emily Klaski for winning the audience’s choice and congratulations to Miss Nuestra Belleza 2013, Dannah Laguitan! Thanks to the sisters of Sigma Delta and all that contributed for throwing a wonderful charity event. It was a fantastic and fun-filled night.