Ceduxion, Sienna Mann, Kalexus Karmikal Carrington and three others will all be on campus, performing back flips and front flips – all in 4-inch heels.

They are part of “Diva,” a drag show hosted by EIU Pride. The show is today from 8 p.m. to midnight in the Grand Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

This year’s show has a Hollywood glam theme and will feature other differences from previous years.

Pride used to find performers from Terre Haute. But in the past two years, Pride has hired professional drag queens from Chester Street Bar in Champaign.

Justin Sudkamp, vice president of Pride and coordinator of the drag show, said there are six drag queens this year and of those six, two are new to Eastern.

Sudkamp, senior English major, said each performer is paid $100 plus any tips received.

However, contrary to last year, no kings will appear in the drag show.

Dan Koteski, Action director of Pride, said Pride experimented with drag kings last year – but the kings were bad for business.

“Kings appeal to a very select demographic,” he said. “They’re not as universally appealing as queens are, and for that reason, we chose not to have kings in this year’s show.”

The name of the show has returned to Diva after a brief hiatus from the usual name last year.

The name changed to “Saddle Up” last year because Koteski, senior history and journalism major, said Diva was perceived as “overtly feminine,” which would not go well with the kings.

Changing the name may have confused those looking for Diva.

“I’d say that from a publicity aspect, a lot of people may have been looking for Diva and couldn’t find it and they weren’t sure if Saddle Up was put on by the same organization,” Koteski said.

This may have caused the drop in attendance the drag show experienced last year.

By an observer’s standpoint, Koteski said, last year’s drag show may have seemed well attended because not many campus events have more than 200 spectators.

However, by Diva’s standards, there was a decline in attendance; it was the first time Pride lost money from the show.

In the 2005 show, Koteski said all the seats were filled, and audience members were up against the wall. Koteski said this show is estimated at having 700 attendees.

Koteski said Diva distinguishes itself from other drag shows because the performers have more room to move around.

“Typically, (at) a drag show at a bar, the stage is much smaller, and they don’t have nearly as much room to flip or gyrate or dance,” Koteski said. “Performers have a lot more room to move around, and they definitely took advantage of it.”

For these reasons, Koteski said his first drag show at Eastern in 2005 was the best he has ever been to.

Sudkamp said the drag show at Eastern provides an opportunity to expose some people who would not otherwise have the chance to see a drag show.

“There are drag shows in Champaign and Terre Haute and larger areas but, you know, that’s still a good 45-minute drive, at least. So why not bring one down here a semester and have some fun?” Sudkamp said.

The drag show is also a major source of income for Pride, he said.

Koteski said without a successful drag show, Pride cannot sponsor outreach programs or speakers on campus.

Pride’s operation relies on the show, he said.

Fact box:

$3 at the door

$5 reserved email: divadragshowtickets@yahoo.com

People reserving tickets should arrive 10 minutes early to claim their seats.

50 percent of proceeds go to National Center for Transgender Equality.