Girl, you better get on the dance floor and werk. (That's werk, not twerk.) It's time to vogue.
There's a vogue ball going down this weekend, and you're invited. Vogue balls are competitions of sort where dancers get together and, quite literally, strut their stuff. Most balls are done in secret among Miami's Drag Houses, and are more popular up north than down south. But this Sunday, you'll have the rare opportunity to experience a night full of vogue, ballroom, and house.
The Catwalk Vogue Night is calling all you fabulous and fierce people to "bring your best moves and your freshest looks" for an unforgettable evening.
See also: Beyond Drag Race: Miami's Drag Queen Culture Runs Deeper Than RuPaul
We spoke with the organizers of the event, Brenda Bonnie and Adrianna Moschides, two ladies who also happen to be spinning that night. Since Bonnie and Moschides responded to our email interview with their stage names, they will hereafter be referred to by their DJ alter egos: Bonnie Beats and Gooddroid.
Putting together a vogue ball is all sorts of crazy, Bonnie Beats says: it was "a little nerve wrecking." For Beats, "the idea is to throw a respectable Vogue Night; one that will honor the craft, its dancers, the music, and all closeted fans."
"This is more of a 'Vogue Night' than a Ball," says Gooddroid. The event, she says, is based on a "Vogue Knights" party that happens every Monday night at the New York club Escuelita. Vogue Knights are hosted by Jack Mizrahi and Overall Father Luna Khan, with MikeQ as resident DJ, says Gooddroid, adding, "The party attracts not only members of [drag] houses, but professional dancers as well." She and Bonnie wanted their Catwalk Vogue Night to share a similar concept, but heavy on the music, please.
Since vogueing is very much an underground dance style, spectators will be in awe of that they will be seeing. Gooddroid says it will be an "eye-opener for someone who's never been to a ball before, especially if they've never seen proper vogueing." She goes on to say how Sunday night's event will be like next-level Madonna, and though some people might not fully understand vogueing at first, they will soon enough: "It's pretty infectious."
Agreeing with Gooddroid, Bonnie Beats adds that vogueing will definitely inspire those who know little about it to learn more; Vogue Nights will "be a night they'll be talking about for a while." Beats won't be competing -- she says she's too shy -- but she is a "really huge enthusiast, [and] I've been a fan of the movement and spectator for quite some time." She couldn't be happier to be organizing a Vogue Night and have the opportunity to include a prominent DJ of the scene, she says.
Gooddroid, on the other hand, grew up surrounded by all things Ballroom culture in NYC - her mother's best friend was a Ninja! (That's a pretty big deal/House in New York City). She's also DJ-ed some vogue balls up north, so Sunday's Catwalk will be almost like a (cat)walk in the park for Gooddroid.
A common misconception about vogueing is that it is only done by drag queens, when in reality anyone can vogue. "Catwalk is open to everyone, as long as they can bring it," says Gooddroid.
"That's the beauty behind vogueing. There are so many dancers, gay, straight, male, and female alike that practice it," says Bonnie Beats. "What Adrianna and I are doing is creating a night that encourages everyone to come out in their Sunday best - both fans of the music and the performances alike."
The competition, which has a handsome $200 payout to the winner, will be judged by Bonnie Beats and Gooddroid according to competitors' form, creativity, style, presence, nerve, and flair. Bonnie Beats says they can be pretty picky, so she's expecting everyone to, as they say, BRING IT.
Catwalk Vogue Night will take place at the Garret at Grand Central on Sunday, November 10, starting at 11 p.m. Headlining DJ MikeQ will spin during the vogueing main event, followed by Gooddroid, Bonnie Beats, and CHALK playing music until the wee hours of the morning (that means 5 a.m.). There's no cover charge, so you have no excuse. Gooddroid wants to remind everyone that Monday is Veterans Day (which might mean no work for some people), so it's "double the excuse to come and drink yourself to oblivion!"
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