Drag show Hostess Janessa Jaye Champagne entertains the crowd on Saturday at the VFW in East Grand Forks. Photo by Chester Beltowski/The Dakota Student.

The venue was a little different Saturday for UND Ten Percent Society’s monthly drag show.

For more than ten years, drag shows have been held at Sensations Nightclub on the last Saturday of every month during the UND school year. Due to the closing and remodeling of Sensations, the shows have been moved to the VFW in East Grand Forks. The new venue allows people 18 and older to attend, whereas Sensations was 21 and older.

“There’s usually more glitter, but we didn’t want the VFW getting mad at us on our first night,” drag show coordinator Jorja Petersen said. “The audience mostly consists of the LGBT community, coworkers and friends of the performers and venue regulars.”

The shows are presented by UND’s Ten Percent Society — an organization that provides a safer environment for the LGBTQ community on campus and throughout the greater Grand Forks area.

Drag refers to the act of wearing clothes associated with the opposite gender role. It is practiced by people of many gender identities.

Non-LGBTQ community members and UND students also attended the shows, which are themed to coordinate with holiday’s. This Saturday featured a Mardis Gras themed show.

The show’s hostess — Miss Janessa Jaye Champagne — kept the audience entertained with sassy comedy and multiple performances.

“The United States Armed Forces and drag queens have a lot in common,” she said. “We’re both looking for men.”

Miss Champagne kept the audience roaring with hilarious and sexual Craigslist listings she read to the audience between performances. She also held “lap dance-offs” in which members from the audience were given lap dances from other members in the audience.

The songs Miss Champagne chose for these “lap dance-offs” were “Story of My Life” by One Direction, “One Less Lonely Girl” by Justin Beiber and “22” by Taylor Swift.

During a different awkward moment, Miss Champagne came on the stage to tell the audience, “This awkward moment is brought to you by Summer’s Eve.”

The variation of acts is all part of the show.

“The individual performers can decide what they want to do,” Petersen said.

Experienced performers such as Janessa Jaye Champagne, B.J. Armani and Isabella Heart design their own acts based on crowd response. Saturday’s show featured lip syncing, dancing, sexual comedy and audience interaction.

Performer Sexton Your Mom Valentine — a drag king from Sioux Falls, S.D. — used his sexual comedy to entertain the crowd.

“My favorite part about dressing in drag is that I can be somebody else for the night,” Valentine said.

Trevor Warzecha, LGBTQ project coordinator for UND’s Student Involvement Office, does much of the behind-the-scenes work for the shows and puts on monthly LGBTQ related programs and events at UND.

“I also help other student organizations that want to discuss queer issues,” Warzecha said.

Warzecha started working in the relatively new position in the Student Involvement Office as LGBTQ project coordinator three years ago.

“It’s always good to bring friends, go with the flow and get into the show as much as possible,” Warzecha said. “Audience members always end up having a lot of fun.”

Adele Kieger is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].