Southern Brooklyn’s grandmothers graced the stage in their glitziest gowns at the annual Your Highness Grandmother pageant in Brighton Beach on Oct. 27 to show, once again, that age is just a number.
Almost a dozen women competed in two categories — “Queen Grandmother,” for those age 77 and up, and “Grandmother,” for everyone else. The contestants sang, answered trivia questions, and showed off their talents in front of a panel of local judges for a host of prizes.
Many are immigrants — Brighton Beach is home to a large Russian population, but the pageant prides itself on its diversity.
Founder Raisa Chernina told Brooklyn Paper in 2014 that she founded the contest to pay homage to her mother.
Two grandmothers, Meiying Yan and Jenny Huang, performed a slice of an opera, “Liang Zhu,” or “Butterfly Lovers,” and Nellie Ivankova brought up her pooch for a spin on the dance floor. Others serenaded the crowds — Galina Baturina, competing in the “Queen Grandmother” category, showed off her pipes in a tango-inspired outfit, complete with a fan, and Anna Malkina Shumayeva played a tune on the violin.
In the end, Malkina Shumayeva was crowned winner of the Queen Grandmother category, and Margarita Mordukhayeva was awarded first place in the Grandmother category. Jenni Davudzade and Raisa Shukarova were awarded “Best Talent,” and Baturina and Yalta Yusufova were chosen as the People’s Choice winners.
Many of the grandmothers took to the dance floor with encouraging handmade signs — “You Are a Star,” “Our Annushka, the Best Babushka,” and “You Are World’s Best Grandmother.” One encapsulated the feeling of the day: “Age is just a number, and life is what you make it.”
