Donyella Dupree was 18 years old when she bought her first pair of heels — cheetah print, chunky and 6 inches tall.

It was that pair of heels that Dupree was wearing when she won the title of Performer of the Hill at last year’s drag show — the first drag show she ever participated in. This year she will defend her title at the 13th Annual Totally Fabulous Drag Show, which will be held Friday at 10 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium and is hosted by Pride Union at Syracuse University.

Dupree, whose real name is Dante and is a second year student in the School of Architecture’s five-year undergraduate program, needed a pair of heels to wear for last year’s drag show. She couldn’t borrow from her friends because her feet were too large. So she walked into Charlotte Russe and bought her own.

“We explained our situation to the sales clerk at Charlotte Russe and she loved it,” Dupree said. “She was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to hook you up with this and that.’ She walked around the store and said, ‘This would be perfect. Make sure you come back with pictures.’”

Last year’s show was the first time Dupree was fully exposed to the world of drag, she said. Dupree added that she relies on her friends for help and support — a give-and-take relationship that goes beyond asking to borrow a dress or a pair of shoes.

Dupree said she first decided to participate in the drag show last year because of her friend, SU alumnus Anthony Wright, who she met at a party on campus. Wright, who graduated in May 2014, said the two of them were the only people dancing at the party, which is how he knew they would be good friends.

“It was super sassy, full of energy, lots of choreography and high energy,” said Wright of their performance to “Telephone” by Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. “Pretty much how (Dupree) and I are all the time.”

Unfortunately, Dupree said, Wright couldn’t do the finals with her. She proceeded to perform at the finals show by herself and won after dancing to a medley of Beyoncé songs.

“I wasn’t as nervous (the first time) because I had (Wright) with me, and we were such good friends that we played off each other’s energy,” Dupree said. “But knowing that our success would carry over to me doing finals by myself, constantly being surrounded by friends’ love and support and energy was so helpful.”

Dupree began acting and dancing when she was in fifth grade, and as she grew up, she became involved in a theater near her home in Long Island, New York. She almost went to SU for theater, but said organizations such as First Year Players allow her to stay in touch with her theatrical side while pursuing architecture.

Her drag persona, she said, is rooted in herself. Both are charismatic, fun-loving and bubbly, but hate drama and can be sassy “when the time calls for it.”

“I like to express myself through my body, and drag is sort of an outlet for that,” Dupree said. “I feel like in my drag persona, it’s a magnified personality of who I am.”

Though her heart still beats fast right as she starts a performance, Dupree said she takes a deep breath and reminds herself to trust in her abilities.

But then she begins her routine, and when she’s performing, Dupree forgets how nervous she is. She doesn’t think about her next move because she wants to be free onstage — no choreography to limit her actions.

“If I feel like I want to go to this side of the stage or go to the audience and interact with the audience, I’m free to do that,” Dupree said. “I put a lot of energy of it. By the end, I’m breathing really heavy, but I just keep powering through because I know I can keep going and it’ll be great.”

For the upcoming drag show finals, Dupree’s mindset the past week has revolved around one idea: “I need to get this done.” Dupree has been rehearsing with her backup dancers, preparing her outfit and getting finishing touches done.

Justin Cangiano, one of Dupree’s friends, did Dupree’s makeup when she did the drag show last year. Cangiano, who Dupree calls a perfectionist, will again do Dupree’s makeup for this year’s finals show. He said he’d need at least three hours to make Dupree’s makeup — or anyone’s — look exactly how he wants.

“You need time for the eyebrows to set in, to put on eye shadow — you basically have to reconstruct the face,” said Cangiano, a senior communications design major. “It’s like plastic surgery.”

Molly Mendenhall, president of Pride Union at SU, said she thinks the gender bending that happens in drag can disrupt some people’s perception of gender and cause them to realize that gender isn’t as static and binary as they might think.

“But I think this realization is a good thing,” said Mendenhall, a senior women’s and gender studies major. “I think drag can foster a sense of acceptance for those whose genders, or at least gender expressions, fall outside of the norm or the binary that society perceives gender as.”

In her four years watching and working for Pride Union’s drag show, Mendenhall has noticed it brings people together — both from around campus and around the city of Syracuse.

In Dupree’s eyes, the drag show is just another performance, and she loves being a part of an inclusive community with strong bonds.

“​Just being on stage knowing the audience is on the edge of their seats waiting what you’re going to do next — I love to feed off the energy of the crowd,” Dupree said. “And to share the experience with my friends on stage with me is exhilarating.”

Published on February 26, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu