Presented by United Black Ellument
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT
Weekly, local Kiki house members get together for extravagant competitions known as balls: joyous, raucous affairs where house members go toe-to-toe for trophies and cash prizes in a series of runway competitions and performance-art battles.
Life can be tough for LGBTQ youth of color, who are frequent targets of racial discrimination and harassment. Disparities put these kids at higher risk for HIV, homelessness, survival sex work, and run-ins with the police. In the face of life’s challenges, members of the Kiki scene turn to one another for support, forging a surrogate-family structure that promises radical acceptance.
The Kiki scene traces its roots to 1920s ballroom culture, an underground community that emerged in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance as a safe space for queer people of color. In the 1980s, ballroom culture gained broader national attention when the HIV/AIDS crisis led its members to start advocating for greater visibility, acceptance, and support. Today, ballroom culture is best known for the voguing dance style.
However, what many outsiders may not immediately take away is that voguing is more than a form of expression for the performers. When one steps onto the floor to compete, he, she, or they are selling their true self—a unique identity in a heteronormative world that does not fully understand or accept them. In that moment, for that one night, they vogue and they strut to relieve themselves from the often-harsh realities society places on people who are different than the conventional norms.
Following the screening, join director Devin Hulsey and cast members for a Q&A.
View the trailer for Make 'em Know It and check out the full Pride Party+ schedule of events here.