Seasoned leaders and aspiring youth of the ballroom community gathered Dec. 5 at the Ballroom and Youth Leadership Conference, which gave this semi-underground population a chance to formally discuss serious issues, including HIV. p>Around 50 people attended the event, which was free to the public and hosted by the Community Empowerment Coalition.
Ballroom performing, which has been around in some form in the United States for nearly a century, is a type of performance that mixes costume, makeup, dancing and persona into a competitive show it has been popularized by mainstream artists such as Madonna, whose song, "Vogue," references the culture. Performers are divided into "houses," which are, basically, families. Each house has a mother or father, who is a mentor and advisor to those in the house.
The conference—which took place at the Little Black Pearl, 1060 E. 47th—began at noon and featured four different workshops throughout the afternoon. Their separate focuses involved being transgender in the ballroom community; maintaining personal wellness in and out of performing; the culture of balling and substance; and alcohol abuse in ballroom culture. The day finished with a panel discussion featuring prominent members of the community.
Many leaders within the Chicago ballroom community were present, including Mauren Avant Garde, Tommy Avant Garde and Symon Infiniti, among many other house mothers, fathers and performers.
A big focus of the conference was HIV prevention and treatment, as the conference coincided with World AIDS week. Condoms and lube were abundant on the tables in the common area, and free HIV testing was advertised, with participants getting $5 gift cards.
"When it comes to houses, the reality of it is that most houses do not [ discuss HIV ] ," said Meena Evisu, a house mother. "I'm guilty of it as well. I think that as time goes on with workshops and seminars like this, this is going to enlighten me. This is thought-provoking. I would like the ballroom community to now incorporate HIV awareness and prevention into our meetings, and into [ the ] way of life we call the ballroom scene."
This is the first event of its kind in Chicago. Tommy Avant Garde, one of the organizers, feels that this may be just the first step.
"As we have come together in Chicago to do this, providers from each state [ should ] all come together and discuss these issues in the ballroom," Avant Garde said. "We [ should ] have a national conference to do the same things that we've done now but on a very larger scale."
