June 1, 2014
Dozens of Entertainers Perform During Gay Disney Week
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 6 MIN.
Every year, many entertainers come from all over the world to entertain the 150,000-plus partygoers who attend various Gay Days� and Gay Disney Week-related events. These entertainers run the gamut from DJs to singers to comedy acts. We'll do a rundown of the events in detail next week, but now let me tell you about the entertainers you'll be seeing and hearing from June 3 through June 8 in Orlando.
There are many events going on this weekend, whether they be fun in the sun or other exciting surprises indoors. These are the names of the DJs you'll be getting to know as they entertain you throughout this fun and eventful week.
At the Gay Days� official pool parties (at the Main Lagoon pool), you will hear the mixes and talents of DJs Frank-O, Joshua Atom and Charles (Wednesday); LeZ SpiN, Barney Philly and Vinny Venditto (Thursday); Burgos, Ryan Tiffin and Chris Adams (Friday); Jalil Z, Nancy Starr and Chi Chi LaRue (Saturday); and GRE3NMNKY, Edil Hernandez and Sinna-G (Sunday).
The following DJs will be performing at the Wet Bears official pool parties (at the Lakes pool): DJs Joshua Atom, Bret Law and D-Stu (Thursday); Sinna-G, Fierce Tease and Kooshie (Friday); Ryan Tiffin, GRE3NMNKY and Sean Michael (Saturday); and Chris Adams, Wendy Hunt and C-Rail (Sunday).
Friday is the start of the Girls at Gay Days� pool parties (at the Key West pool), with music in the disney_poolafternoon by DJ MK and in the evening by DJ Tee Rah (5 p.m. to 10 p.m.) and DJ Tess (10 p.m. to 3 a.m.). The entertainment on Saturday includes DJ Eve-E (afternoon) and DJs MK and Gabriel (evening). On Sunday music is provided by DJ Tee Rah (afternoon) and by DJs Tess and Gabriel (evening).
Don't forget the eye candy on hand at the UNZIPPED Black & Blue Ball (Great Lakes Ballroom, Friday), featuring an adult film star-themed dance party with a chance for you to mingle with some seriously hot men, including Jay Armstrong, Sean Duran, Nick Cross and Hunter Vance. There's also a fun comedy show on Saturday (also in the Ballroom) featuring the talents of Latina comedienne Mimi Gonzalez and self-described "comic-actor-singer-celesbian" Sandra Valls.
One Magical Weekend
Five hot internationally-renowned DJs are headlining the three events that make up One Magical Weekend.
Riptide at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon (Friday) welcomes DJs Brett Henrichsen and Twisted Dee. Brett Henrichsen, originally from Hollywood Hills, California, started out DJing and producing music while working days in the corporate world. Today, he can boast owning his own independent record label, producing music from up and coming artists, and DJing some of the hottest parties in the world. This year alone, he headlined at Rio's Carnival and Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, all in the same week! Twisted Dee (Dee Martello), originally from Long Island, now calls Central Florida her home. She started out DJing in her father's nightclub, later moving on to Fire Island, where she is still a resident DJ. She has headlined parties far and wide, from here in Florida to Rio, Montreal and even Shanghai. She also owns and operates her own music label, Hammer Music USA.
The WE Party: Vogue at EPCOT (Saturday) boasts headlining DJs Sr. Edu and Danny Verde. Sr. Edu, from Madrid, Spain, is well-known in the European scene, not only headlining the hottest parties in Madrid, Barcelona and Ibiza, but also on the gay Greek resort island of Mykonos, and in cities as far-flung as Brasilia and Panama City, Panama. He has also had the honor of playing the closing party at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2010. Danny Verde, from just outside Milan, Italy, is a DJ and producer who has been working with various artists from all over the world via his recording studio, Holab Studios. In the past year and a half, Danny Verde has seen eleven of his remixes hit #1 on the Billboard Dance Charts. Danny has been headlining events all over the world, including the first gay pride event in Vietnam in September of last year.
The Retro Tea Dance from last year has been renamed and is now the E-Tea Dance at EPCOT (Sunday). The E-Tea Dance will be headlined by DJ Andy Ajar. He started his DJ career in South Florida in 1985, and then moved to Southwest Florida, where he was the resident DJ for eighteen years at TBL, the largest gay club in Fort Myers. His first Gay Days week appearance was in 2008 as a guest DJ, and last year he was the opening DJ at Riptide at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. He is currently the resident DJ at Rumors in Fort Lauderdale.
One Mighty Weekend
The One Mighty Weekend events consist of Ignite at House of Blues (Friday), the Reunion Pool Parties at the Buena Vista Palace at Walt Disney World (Friday-Sunday), and Magic Journeys at Arabian Nights (Friday-Sunday).
The DJs that will be playing at the Ignite party are Roland Belmares and Wayne G. Roland Belmares, from Austin, Texas, has been a highly sought-after club DJ for nearly 20 years. Wayne G. has spun in North America, Australia and China in the last year.
The DJ lineup for the Reunion Pool Parties is as follows: Shane Stiel (Friday), Lydia Sanz (Saturday), and Phil B. (Sunday). Shane Stiel is a resident DJ at clubs in Denver, San Francisco and San Diego. Lydia Sanz currently has residencies in Barcelona, Ibiza and Sitges. San Francisco native Phil B. is well-known for performing at MASS and Aftershock.
The Magic Journeys lineup at Arabian Nights consists of Gustavo Scorpio and Alain Jackinsky (Friday), Rosabel (Saturday) and Joe Gauthreaux and Dani Toro (Sunday). Gustavo Scorpio, from Rio, is a DJ who loves mixing house sounds with tribal percussion. Alain Jackinsky is a resident DJ at Apollon Nightclub in Montr�al and at VIVA Saturday night in New York City. Rosabel is the DJ duo Ralphi Rosario and Abel Aguilera. They have been friends for many years and have produced #1 hit remixes for Jennifer Holliday and Jeanie Tracy. Joe Gauthreaux, from New Orleans, was a White Party Miami headliner last year. Dani Toro has made a name for himself by headlining Madrid Pride and Barcelona Pride.
Parliament House
Parliament House is ready for the week with entertainment scheduled nearly every night. The disney_phouseentertainment includes performances by Da Brat (Tuesday), M�a (Friday), LeAnn Rimes (Saturday), En Vogue and Dev (Sunday).
Shawntae Harris, better known as Da Brat, was one of the first female rappers to enjoy mainstream success, starting in the early 1990s. She earned six Top 40 hits on the pop charts and five Top 5 hits on the rap charts. Her first album, Funkdafied, sold over one million copies. Da Brat has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and won three Billboard Music Awards.
M�a achieved worldwide success with the release of the million-selling single "Case of the Ex," off her album Fear of Flying. The song was a #2 hit in the U.S. in 2000-01 and made the top ten in half a dozen countries. She earned a Grammy Award for her participation in the song "Lady Marmalade," off the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. Five of her singles have reached the top twenty on the pop charts, including "It's All About Me" and "My Love is Like...Wo."
LeAnn Rimes rose to the top of the charts at the age of 13 in 1996 with the song "Blue," cementing her as a crossover artist in the pop and country music genres. She has won 12 Billboard Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and three Academy of Country Music Awards. In the United States alone, LeAnn Rimes has sold over 20 million albums, with a greatest hits remix compilation forthcoming in 2014. Four of her singles have reached the Top 20 on the pop charts and fourteen have reached similar positions on the country charts.
Singer/songwriter and rapper Dev first gained widespread appeal when her song "Booty Bounce" was sampled in the #1 single "Like a G6? by Far East Movement. Her first single, "Bass Down Low," was released in 2010. Her single "In the Dark" made it to #11 on the pop charts and is her highest-selling single to date, having been certified platinum.
En Vogue currently consists of original members Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron with Rhona Bennett. They released their first studio album in 1990 and quickly scored a #2 hit with the single "Hold On." The group scored five more top ten singles: "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)", "Giving Him Something He Can Feel", "Free Your Mind", "Whatta Man" (with Salt-N-Pepa), and "Don't Let Go (Love)". En Vogue was nominated for seven Grammy Awards and has won more MTV Music Video Awards than any other female group in history (also seven).
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.