Exclusive | Brooklyn Grandmas take center stage at the 25th annual Your Highness, Grandmother pageant

It’s not every day that 12 grandmothers from across NYC, representing a range of backgrounds and boasting a combined 33 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren, sing and dance together on a small thrust stage, dressed to the nines in pearls, feather boas and finery.But at Sunday’s 25th annual “Your Highness, Grandmother” pageant, Brooklyn’s most vivacious matriarchs took center stage at Brighton Beach’s Tatiana Restaurant, singing, dancing and dazzling some 100 guests.The glitzy, family-friendly tradition celebrates the women at the heart of the community — and the culture that brings them together.“A grandmother is the head of the family,” Raisa Chernina, the pageant founder who immigrated to the US from Minsk, Belarus, in 1979 and is a proud babushka to 6 grandchildren, told The Post.“It was the tradition in former Soviet Russia and Jewish tradition.

If it’s good in the family, it’s good in the country.”Yesterday’s silver-anniversary pageant featured contestants ranging in age from 47 to 90, with women under 80 competing for the “Your Highness, Grandmother” title and those 80 and older vying for “Your Highness, Queen Grandmother.”Throughout the ticketed event — the crown jewel of Chernina’s nonprofit, Be Proud, which supports NYC’s Russian-speaking community — the saucy seniors performed an array of songs, dances and comedy skits, all judged by a jury composed entirely of, you guessed it, grandfathers.This year’s pageant queens had three chances to shine: a “Secret” round that put their smarts to the test (including naming the first US president), a “Homework” portion built around the theme “We’re 25!” and a “Talent” round that let them show off their stuff through themed songs and dances.Awards were handed out in each age category for Most Creative, Best Talent, Most Inspiring, Best Appearance and the coveted People’s Choice. But taking home the top tiaras of the day were Nelli Ivankova, 75, crow...