The front door handles of Ullsvik Hall were covered with rainbow ribbon. I walked in and saw the same type of ribbon cover the railings of the stairs and the railing of the balcony. I decided to wait outside the Robert I. Velzy Commons before I went in.

Photograph by Emily Yttri
Chanel Cavalier performs at the Robert I. Velzy Commons during the Rainbow Rave April 19.

Two guys and a woman walked out of Velzy Commons and I thought how cute her outfit was. Then the butterflies in my stomach started up again, thinking I was at my first drag show.

Arriving a half-hour earlier than I should have, I saw a friend who is part of the Alliance, the organization that hosts the Rainbow Rave, and I followed her into the room.

Before I knew it, I was meeting Jake Cournoyer, the treasurer of the Alliance, Bobby Plude, the secretary and Dan Jendrzejewski, the social chair. All three were supporting the event by dressing up in drag, even though Bobby didn’t stay long in his dress.

“I feel very constricted,’ Cournoyer said about his dress and padded bra, but he toughed it out.

They all talked for a while and I watched everyone else continue to get ready for the event. One of the performers, Madison Cavalier, came over to talk with us. It made me jealous how pretty he was as a man dressed like a woman.

“I have many stories to tell about being in drag,’ Madison Cavalier said.

The show started after 8:30 p.m. and Alycia Starr Cavalier was first to perform. She was in a flashy silver outfit and sang to “Don’t Stop the Music’ by Rihanna.

Marissa Grey Cavalier was next in a black and pink dress, singing “Bleeding Love’ by Leona Lewis. Chanel Cavalier sang next and she was followed by Madison Cavalier, singing what I thought the theme song for the evening shoud be, “I Am What I Am’ by Gloria Gaynor.

Jendrzejewski and Cournoyer, two of the many co-hosts of the show, asked the crowd to do the Pledge of Allegiance. It consisted of putting your hand out and flopping it over, and then Jendrzejewksi and Cournoyer laughed when everyone did it.

“Wow, they actually did it,’ Cournoyer said.

“Losers,’ Jendrzejewski said.

While the women did a second set, it was Marrissa who got the crowd going. She sang a collage of songs that included some Pussycat Dolls hits and a hip-hop version of “Tainted Love.’

I had a good laugh watching Madison perform again. She did a wonderful Whitney Houston song collage. She was dressed in a fluffy layer dress with a big, Diana Ross hairdo with blond and brown highlights. Watching her, she reminded me of someone that I couldn’t put my finger on right away. Then it hit me halfway through the performance; she reminded me of my cousin Heather.

Half way through the show, they took a break. I had time to talk with Devine Nzegwu, diversity director for Student Senate.

“I recommend this to everyone,’ Nzegwu said. “The event doesn’t seem like too much for a person. It’s just enough for people to get that culture.’

Mary Rose Williams, faculty adviser for the Alliance, was also in attendance at the event.

Photograph by Emily Yttri
Madison Cavalier sings, “I Am What I Am” by Gloria Gaynor. Will Mroch, left, returns to his seat after tipping Cavalier.

“I’m loving it; I look forward to it every year,’ Williams said.

After the last set, UW-P students were allowed to do amateur drag performances. Local “drag queens’ Betsy Mae Nucho and Elle Fabula (Jendrzejewski) performed.

The Alliance wanted to put on a performance like the Rainbow Rave to help promote diversity and acceptance on the campus.

“Not only is drag fun, but it allows for men and women to blur the lines of societal-defined gender and test sexuality limits as well,’ Zachary Strehlow, president of the Alliance, said.

The performers sure showed how to test their sexuality limits. They all interacted with the crowd well, accepting tips and dancing with not only students but also academic staff. Talking with Marrissa and Madison after the show, I remembered that they are everyday people who enjoy doing this as a part-time job.

“No matter who you are you can be whoever you are and still be worthy, accepted and a riot,’ Strewhlow said.