Carnaval King and Queen strip down for crown

It's also about fun and lots of flesh at Carnaval, the Mission Neighborhood Centers' wild festival and parade celebrating the traditions of Latin America - and beyond - on Memorial Day weekend in the Mission District. And this year, as the event gears up for its 30th anniversary, the pressure to deliver was on for the eight finalists vying to shake it as Carnaval King and Queen. The contestants Saturday were all fierce competitors, having gyrated and shimmied their way through a field of 24 at the February preliminaries. But the real test awaited them in the cleared center of a packed dance floor, where seven judges seated on the balcony above would score them not just for authenticity and skill but also for pure excitement. Each competitor had three minutes to get the crowd roaring, six minutes if performing with a partner, though dancers would be judged individually. As 2001 King Theo Williams surveyed the talent, the self-proclaimed Livest King of All said, "It's not the dance steps, not the choreography, not the costume, though that all plays a role. It's the ability to connect with the crowd and energize that Carnaval spirit." This year, stripping also helped. Brother-and-sister act Jorge and Yereiza Fong went first, clearly at a disadvantage in their demure Panamanian togs. Yereiza waved her long red skirt as Jorge doffed his straw hat while his feet shuffled sweetly below. This being the wild mix of cultures that is Carnaval, the other acts didn't worry much about authenticity. Brazilian-style finalist Weaver mixed samba shuffles with West African lunges, in tribute to his deceased teacher, Oakland's beloved Carlos Aceituno. Caribbean-style finalists Oscar Davis Jr. and Merissa Lyons crossed his salsa skills with her Trinidadian heritage, sashaying through ballroom-like moves before flapping their gold capes, letting loose high kicks and even tossing in cheerleader toe-touch jumps. Elias, the female Brazilian finalist, went for the slow tease, strutting to "The Girl From Ipanema" before ripping off her sarong and going all-out samba, hips rocking above fiercely fast feet. But her pretty face and pelvic grinds were no match for the reckless disrobing of contemporary/fusion finalists Everett Harper and Garton, whose routine relied on samba, flamenco and North Brazilian styles - and lots and lots of Velcro. Purple capes were soon discarded, revealing red-and-black chaps for him, a swishing skirt that got shorter - and shorter - and shorter - with each yank for her. Finally, Garton ripped off Harper's shirt, leaving him in just a white collar to flex his six-pack Chippendale style. Then he returned the favor by pulling the last shred of cloth from her hips, her derriere jiggling artfully in a thong as gold chains bounced across her glutes. The crowd loved it. SOURCE OF THIS STORY