WHERE WILD THINGS GROW – Ball

In the organizer's words:

Despite all obstacles and changing seasons - Ballroom remains. Like an ancient forest whose roots have grown deep, visible only to those who are part of the forest itself - Ballroom remains. Resolute, resilient, protective, bringing forth the most beautiful and wild creatures in the process. Tonight we call ourselves to gather: Show yourselves in all your colors! Let's meet where wild things grow.

WHERE WILD THINGS GROW is a classic voguing ball: Ballroom culture is rooted in New York's queer, Black and LatinX community. A characteristic feature of Balls are the different categories in which the participants compete against each other. Since the Black and LatinX LGBTQIA+ community did not have access to Hollywood, the glamorous fashion world or more privileged social milieus at the time Ballroom was created, the categories mimic and perform these lifestyles. The categories of a ball have a high, creative and performative standard and can be divided into five main groups: Fashion, Face, Body & Sex, Realness and Performance.

Shapes&Shades is a collective of five artists and cultural producers from NRW. Since 2020, Shapes&Shades has been curating events in the form of balls, workshops, parties, conceptualized performances and discursive formats. From 2021, these will take place in cooperation with various cultural institutions such as tanzhaus nrw, Stadt:Kollektiv:Eden at Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf, Weltkunstzimmer and Schauspiel Köln. The collective brought together icons and legends from the USA with pioneers and trailblazers from Europe and Asia and organized cultural, educational and art events in various formats.

Duration: approx. 6 hours

Registration and information for participants: shapesundshades@gmail.com

Price information:

Members of the Ballroom Community pay the reduced price of €9. Admission for spectators only at the Box Office, only cash payment possible. No reservations possible in advance.