Ball x Ball
Do you know ball?
Ball x Ball is a celebration of the evolution of Black queer ballroom - from drag balls in 1880s DC, Cake walks in Paris to Hamilton Lodge in Harlem to Crystal LaBeija and the birth of ballroom as we know it today.
The official after-party ball for "Queer Thinking On...The Gilded Age" opens at 9pm at Saint James Libations - vogue meets Vanderbilt, with categories like the Peggy Scott-inspired "Belle of the Ball." Co-curated with Luna Luis Ortiz.
DJ Brown Liquah
Special Guest Performance by Lady Jasmin Van Wales
The competition:
Each category is open to interpretation, allowing you the freedom to bring your own vision through costume, fashion, and overall look.
We encourage you to be creative, imaginative, and inspired by the era while making the category uniquely your own.
And the categories are:
Belle of the Ball: Showcase a look inspired by our beloved Peggy. Recognized for her iconic style in the series The Gilded Age, Peggy Scott famously enters rooms with elegance, sophistication, ambition, and in beautifully tailored late-19th-century fashion. Show up in your finest rendition and give us Belle of the Ball!
The Gilded Faces: With Ward McAllister's help, Mrs. Astor was known for hosting elegant soirées. We invite you to step into their vainglorious positions and claim the most beautiful in the room. Give face with a Gilded Age accessory. Adorn that beautiful mug and set it off in your contemporary attire. It’s all about face, skin, smile, and presence.
Ruler of Vogue: In the late 1880s, William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved Black man, organized private gatherings in Washington, D.C., where Black men dressed in women’s clothing, danced, and freely expressed themselves. Swann’s gatherings are now recognized as an important early chapter in the history of drag, queer expression, and Black LGBTQ+ community spaces. We're looking for a colorful costume that captures the vibrancy of voguing. It is perfectly acceptable if you are not an expert at voguing, as the priority is self-expression.
3 Winners, 1 Grand Prize Winner - gifts and cash grand prize!
Deneé Benton (Peggy Scott on HBO's The Gilded Age) will join us a special guest judge.
Join us for a night of ballroom competition, dancing, surprise performances, and more!
In partnership with Da Gild, BLK MKT Vintage, Lesbian Herstory Archives, Lambda Literary, and ZestyWorld.
Note: This ticket is for the Ball x Ball only, if you want to attend BOTH the podcast recording AND Ball x Ball, buy tickets here: http://bit.ly/queering-ga