On Sunday, I got off the D train in Harlem and followed a trail of feather and sequins to Rockland Palace. Once the stomping ground of the house ballroom community, today the venue is a bedraggled parking lot. But last weekend, its glitter-soaked glory was reawakened for one night only; The Mythology Ball—a project spearheaded by Swedish artist Sara Jordenö and legendary ball icon Twiggy Pucci Garçon—commemorated the site's rich history with a Kiki!
A large tent just about accommodated the growing number of spectators as the drama unfolded. If there was an aesthetic dictum to define the evening, sheer extravagance would be it. Ball participants came from nine Kiki houses and the runway competition was certainly heated at points, with hopefuls throwing angular shapes and carefully choreographed walks, in costumes of gargantuan proportion. My favorite category had to be Yum Caax—a team performance which saw participants reincarnate the God of wild nature. The sassy commentary handed out by Snookie added fuel to the fire as chant wars between rival houses broke out to a steady stream of Rihanna/Nicki Minaj mash-ups courtesy of Mike Q (Fade to Mind).
It was an evening that inspired and championed passion and energy, and showcased a wave of new, creative talent in a strong salute to the LGBT community. The event represented the very essence of house ballroom culture, offering a glimpse of the future whilst defining the Kiki movement as a creative collective sewn into Harlem's social fabric.
The Reincarnation of Rockland Palace is part of an in-progress documentary project called Gesture, produced by Sara Jordenö and Twiggy Pucci Garçon, directed by Sara Jordenö with cinematography by Lucas Millard and Naiti Gamez. Documentation from “The Reincarnation of Rockland Palace: The Mythology Ball” will be featured in an exhibition at THE KITCHEN until August 17, 2012. Click here to find out more about the reincarnation of Rockland Palace.
Photography by Marcus Ohlsson
Purchase Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene here.
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A large tent just about accommodated the growing number of spectators as the drama unfolded. If there was an aesthetic dictum to define the evening, sheer extravagance would be it. Ball participants came from nine Kiki houses and the runway competition was certainly heated at points, with hopefuls throwing angular shapes and carefully choreographed walks, in costumes of gargantuan proportion. My favorite category had to be Yum Caax—a team performance which saw participants reincarnate the God of wild nature. The sassy commentary handed out by Snookie added fuel to the fire as chant wars between rival houses broke out to a steady stream of Rihanna/Nicki Minaj mash-ups courtesy of Mike Q (Fade to Mind).
It was an evening that inspired and championed passion and energy, and showcased a wave of new, creative talent in a strong salute to the LGBT community. The event represented the very essence of house ballroom culture, offering a glimpse of the future whilst defining the Kiki movement as a creative collective sewn into Harlem's social fabric.
The Reincarnation of Rockland Palace is part of an in-progress documentary project called Gesture, produced by Sara Jordenö and Twiggy Pucci Garçon, directed by Sara Jordenö with cinematography by Lucas Millard and Naiti Gamez. Documentation from “The Reincarnation of Rockland Palace: The Mythology Ball” will be featured in an exhibition at THE KITCHEN until August 17, 2012. Click here to find out more about the reincarnation of Rockland Palace.
Photography by Marcus Ohlsson
Purchase Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene here.
