Phantom Ball Comes to Baltimore
In 1990 we had "Paris is Burning" today we have it live. Saturday October 30th Juan Allure's Saturday Slayfest will hold "The Phantom Ball" at the Paradox in Baltimore.
(PRWEB) September 3, 2004 -- In 1990 we had Paris is Burning", the film that structured around NYCs underground ballroom scene--tightly organized, highly ritualized, extremely competitive events in which participants are judged on costume, attitude and an ever-elusive quality called "Realness." The judges are rude, funny, shrewd and pitiless, flashing their scorecards like judges at the Olympics. The contestants have their own version of teams, called "Houses," which are, more to the point, a non-violent alternative to the street gangs they might otherwise end up in. These balls are their rumbles: ironic parodies of savagery, with attitude and spiked witticisms as their weapons.
On October 30th, Baltimore comes alive as Juan Allures Saturday Slayfest premiers at the Paradox, 1310 Russell Street in Baltimore, bringing a part of NYC history to Baltimore, and its live and in color, bright color. Opening nights theme, The Phantom Ball is a full-fledged Masquerade Ball and Party complete with three DJs, 2 Dance Floors, and indoor basketball court, and the ball". The Ball will consist of twenty-five categories where contestants will compete for cash and prizes.
Mind you, this is not the typical ball you might expect; this is a joyous anthem of alternative lifestyles--the real life NYC Underground scene brought here for us to experience. Expect drama amidst dazzling costumes, spectacular faces, and extraordinary personalities. During the day they may be messengers, welfare recipients, salespeople, or prostitutes. But by night they are Crystal and Blake Carrington. As Black and Hispanic gay men, women, and transgender "Children" inhabit two worlds -- an everyday world of discrimination and poverty, and the world of "Realness," where through costume and competition, dance and inspired performance, they imitate and transcend the powerful fantasy media that excludes them. "It's like going through the Looking Glass," says one. "It's how being gay should be." This is definitely an event not to be missed.
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