The trailblazing Kiki House of Marama will be hosting the Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball at Te Papa on Saturday 4 October. The House goes into detail about the history of the Ballroom scene internationally and in Aotearoa New Zealand, who the Kiki House of Marama are, and what to expect at a Ballroom event.
The Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball will commemorate five years of Marama excellence and the legacy of the growing Wellington Ballroom scene. With a fabulous lineup of judges, commentators, and DJs, including major local and international Ballroom figures, expect a mesmerising display of Black and Brown queer and trans joy, liberation, artistry and self-expression.
What is Ballroom?
Ballroom is a queer subculture. The Ballroom scene known today was created by Black and Latinx trans women in the late 1960s in Harlem, New York. Initially started as an act of resistance against racism experienced in the local drag pageantry scene, the community grew quickly with pioneering Black and Latin Trans women establishing houses which were spaces of shelter, resistance and love for queer children, and considered one’s chosen family.
Since then, ballroom has taken over the world with scenes in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania.
The Aotearoa Ballroom scene was ignited by Māori and MVPFAFF+ youth in Tāmaki Makaurau over 10 years ago, and has since inspired other leaders across the motu to forge their own Ballroom communities in their respective cities.
Who is the Kiki House of Marama?
The Kiki House of Marama is the first Ballroom House in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Established after the city’s first Ballroom event hosted by Tāmaki Makaurau-based House of Aitu, the early days of the House were spent pumping beats through a portable speaker and kikiing at the Civic Square.
Since then, they have grown into a whānau consisting of 16 Māori, Pasifika, Black, Asian, queer, and trans individuals who collectively have competed and won Grand Prizes in Aotearoa, Australia, Asia and Europe.
They are trailblazers of the Ballroom scene in Te Whanganui-a-Tara and have brought Ballroom culture to various festivals, including Fringe Festival, Kia Mau Festival, CubaDupa, 121 Festival and Nest Fest (Napier) hosting numerous events such as the Fictional Ball, the Bluest Ball, the CubaDupa Ball, Vogue Nights, community workshops and fundraisers.
The ‘Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball’ will be the House’s first Grand ball.
What is a Ball?
A ‘ball’ is a competitive event where participants ‘walk’ (perform) in front of a judging panel who will approve their performance by giving them ‘10s across the board’. If the walker doesn’t meet the judges’ standards, they are given a ‘chop’ indicating the walker did not meet the measure – either in performance, ‘effect’ (outfit) or rule. Those who receive their 10s will battle until one is left to claim the grand prize.
Walkers can be affiliated to a House or compete as a ‘007’.
The Ballroom Aotearoa YouTube page offers great footage of previous balls held in Aotearoa.
The Categories
In each ball, walkers compete in different categories spanning performance, fashion, beauty and realness. Categories will often have a theme which describes what the walkers’ effects should showcase.
The official categories for the Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball are:
- Virgin Vogue – focusing on the five elements of vogue (catwalk, hands performance, duckwalk, floor performance, spins and dips), specifically for beginner voguers
- Bizarre – creating an effect that is out of the box and otherworldly
- Realness – showing how one can ‘pass’ in a heteronormative society, specifically for Fem Queens (trans women), trans men and Butch Queens (gay men)
- Hands Performance – performing with just your hands to tell a story, focusing on musicality, movement and precision
- Body – showing off one’s bodily shape with flattering movements and revealing effects, specific to slim, thicc and luscious bodies
- Butch Queen Vogue Fem – focusing on the five elements of vogue, specific to Butch Queens (gay men)
- Face – showing off one’s beauty with the five elements of face (skin, teeth, eyes, nose & structure)
- Best Dressed – selling the most fashionable garments and accessories from head to toe
- Commentator vs. Commentator – delivering the best chants that combine musicality and creativity
- Fem Queen Performance – focusing on the five elements of vogue, specific to Fem Queens (trans women)
- Runway – delivering a dynamic strut and pose like a supermodel, whilst serving fashion and throwing shade
- House of the Night – awarded to the House which wins the most trophies of the night.
The official themes for these categories can be found on the event page: The Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball.
What to do as a spectator?
- Check your privileges – remind yourself that you are entering a space as a guest and it is everyone’s duty to keep it safe, especially for our black, brown, trans and queer communities. There will be no tolerance for racism, transphobia, homophobia or any form of hate.
- Bring the energy – it takes a lot of courage to walk a ball so make a lot of noise, chant for all of the walkers and give them their flowers.
- Enjoy the night – get dressed up and enjoy the show. It will be a night filled with entertainment, competition, fashion, talent and drama.
- Participate – if you are interested in ballroom but are not ready to walk a ball just yet, there will be workshops facilitated by the House of Marama leading up to the ‘Grand Kiki House of Marama Ball’. These are great opportunities to learn more about ballroom and prepare you for future balls:
Ballroom Terminology
- FQ – Femme Queen, a trans woman with Ballroom experience
- BQ – Butch Queen, a gay man with Ballroom experience
- TM – Trans man
- Womens – Queer-identifying cis-gendered women with Ballroom experience
- GNC/NB – Gender Non-Conforming/Non-Binary identifying people.
- FF – Category expression and aesthetic for walkers presenting in the figure and manner of a female (FQ, Womens, Drag Queens)
- MF – Category expression and aesthetic for walkers presenting in the figure and manner of a male (BQ, TM, Drag Kings)
- Commentator – A person who chants on a mic, combining musicality and creativity in order to hype up the walker and audience
- Walker – The person performing/competing within a category
- 10s – Tens, the approval from judges based on your performance in a category. You must earn all judges’ tens in order to progress into battles.
- Chop – Issued by a judge, this means you did not meet the mark for a category and the judges would like to see you practice more and bring it harder next time.
- Effect – The outfit a walker wears during their performance
- GP – Grand Prize, the prize for the winner of a category
- House – A collective of members who compete together at Ballroom events under the same House name, and support each other in everyday life; considered one’s chosen family within & outside of Ballroom.
- 007 – Somebody without a House affiliation and competes in Ballroom events as themselves.
