Just then, a soundtrack featuring Doja Cat, Katy Perry, and Cardi B blasts from the speakers, and Jozea and Los make their way onto the floor. They begin by circling one another like two territorial lions in the wild before linking hands and commencing an intense tug of war with their interlocking arms. Then, Christian prowls to the center of the duo, where they all form a line and sway their hips in sync to the beat of the music. Shortly after, Zahara and Hazel each make their way to join the trio, performing a curated series of hair flicks, facial gestures, and arm movements. After Lola weaves her way through to take her place center stage, the group—now six strong—rearranges into their final pose.
While ballroom may have its roots in 19th-century drag balls—evolving in reaction to the racism within those spaces, into a subculture for Black and brown queer people—it’s found its way into outsiders’ living rooms via documentaries such as Paris Is Burning and contemporary series including Legendary and Pose. Yet the intensive preparations that precede a ball are often overlooked.
“Whenever someone does a TV show or an interview about ballroom, this is the part that always gets missed. Here is where we show we’re more than just what’s on the ballroom floor,” says Kelly.
Echoing that idea, Mizrahi adds, “What you’re seeing here is where the magic is. The build-up to a ball is the inception of our creativity.”
It feels true enough: in a single day, I’ve witnessed a cross-fertilization of ideas and talent, a collision of craft and concepts, and countless hours of work coupled with generational insights. If the balls are the finished recipe, then this is where the ingredients come together.
As the day winds down, garment bags brimming with kaleidoscopic outfits are zipped up, boxes of impossibly high heels are packed away, and house members share their final notes with each other. I finish by asking Lola, the overall house mother, what she thinks the house’s biggest strength is. “The cornerstone of ballroom is a chosen family, which is exactly what our house is: a family,” she says. The House of Gorgeous Gucci may only be in its first decade, but it and its members are destined for 10s across the board.
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