A Guide for Where to See People Vogue During WorldPride in NYC
| 06/06/19
MikelleStreet
With ballroom and voguing at seemingly a fever pitch in the mainstream, there's a hell of a lot of it going on this month in New York City. Already we've seen the Pier Ball at Youth Fest and the drop of the Equinox campaign, featuring members of the community. But if you're one of six million visitors headed into New York for the festivities, there's a whole slew of events (some of which are available to you no matter where you are) where you can experience ballroom culture.
Pro-tip: if you're going to a ball or a mini-ball, they rarely start on time.
All Month
Reviewing the Pose: If you haven't seen the landmark show Pose yet, it's streaming on Netflix.
June 6 - 8
Love Out Loud: $15,00 in cash prizes are on the line at W Hotels (as well as a possible 2-night stay at the chain) for this min-ball. Get ready for your categories by dressing to represent a category of your choice and get ready to compete in performance, realness, runway, and best dressed. Tickets are $10.
Life's A Ball Masterclass: In association with House Lives Matter, Equinox is putting on a voguing masterclass in New York. The class features the talent of the Pride campaign (Sinia Alaia, Tamiyah Miyake-Mugler, Amazon Leiomy, Brielle "Tati 007" Rhemes, Asia Balenciaga, and Veronika Prodigy) as well as Pony Zion. Sadly, it's sold out.
The Big, The Bold & The Beautiful Ball 2: This ball, hosted by Kelly Mizrahi and MC Debra, is the second of its kind. The grand prize (top prize) category is transmen realness for $1,000 but old way -- the vogue style of pop, dip, and spin -- also promises to be hot, written in the name of MC Debra for $500. Tickets are $35.
June 11
Battles at the Met: While not a ball, this set of battles promises to go down in history. In the plaza of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Asia Balenciaga, Bootz Prodigy, Dashaun Lanvin, Omari Mizrahi, Tamiyah Miyake-Mugler, and Ty Ebony will go head to head for the tile of "Legend Slayer" as well as cash money. The event is free and open to the public.
Back to Posing: Pose returns for its second season, now delving into the early 1990s for members of the ballroom scene. Expect Act Up activism, Patti Lupone as a recurring member, and of course voguing. The show will air on FX.
June 14 - 23
Paris Burns Again: The seminal film returns to theaters newly restored. Paris Is Burning will have a two week run at New York's Film Forum and then be followed by a national theater rollout on June 14. Tickets are $15.
House of Vogue: This recurring vogue night is in a club setting on June 19. Expect dancing and a bit of fun before a handful of categories get started. A commentator versus commentator category, which has proven to be a rarity these days, should inject something new into the event. Tickets are $10.
S & M Ball: Combining two subcultures, The House of Yes is hosting a kiki ball featuring ballroom categories themed with the aesthetics and ideas of the leather community on June 23. For the top prize of Tag Team Big Girls Performance, female figures are expected to wear an identical latex or vinyl looks where "skin must be shown." If they win the category they take home $800. Tickets are $10.
Latex Ball Weekend
The Latex Ball: The iconic event returns with the theme of Heavenly Bodies on June 22. This year, expect the runway category to be the hottest. For butch queen runway, competitors are expected to recreate a look from the late Hector Xtravaganza, who once had an adjustable tuxedo dress moment -- Billy Porter's much discussed Oscars look was initially thought to be an homage to it. But also in performance categories, butch queens are expected to bring it in the spirit of Kassandra Ebony while fem queens are expected to celebrate Yolanda Jourdan-Zion. All three categories have $1,000 on the line apiece. Tickets are free.
The Rumble Ball 90: Functioning as an aftermath for the Latex Ball, this June 23 ball is the best place to see those who may not have won at Latex attempt to reclaim their glory. The highlights will certainly be the team face category with $2,000 up for grabs. The team who wins will represent MAC at The Love Ball. But outside of that, the main event will be in line with the format of rumbles: teams of five will compete in a selected category (runway) for $1,000. Tickets are $20.
June 25 - 27
The Love Ball III: Susanne Bartsch and the Council of Fashion Designers of America are bringing this exhibition ball and fundraiser back, 30 years after the first one. With a celebrity-packed judging panel (Dita Von Teese, Andre Leon Talley, Marc Jacobs, Janet Mock) this June 25 ball will feature both ballroom legends as well as names from the fashion and art worlds. Proceeds will benefit the CFDA / Vogue HIV/AIDS Initiative at the New York Community Trust. Tickets for non-members of the ballroom community begin at $1,000.
DiscoVogue: If you wanted to learn a few basic voguing moves and then try them out for yourself, this June 27 dance party that features club and disco music will host an hour of lessons by Darrell Martin who appeared in Paris is Burning, and then two and a half hours of music. Mike Q and the Qween Beat collective will be mixed in amongst other DJs spinning club and house beats. At 10PM, the party will turn into a silent disco, with disco music provided in individualized headphones. Tickets are $18.
June 28
Where Stars Are Born: The first ball ever thrown at The Apollo was put on by Pepper LaBeija. Now, generations later, Honey LaBeija will be putting on a kiki ball at the venue with performance, face, runway and best-dressed categories. If you're planning on walking, bring it in black, red, or white! Entry is free.
