Pump, Create, Elevate: International Pathways of Community

• Haunani-Kay Trask Hall

In English and German with consecutive interpretation

• 15:00 Hangout
• 15:30 Chanting workshop
• 17:00 Panel discussion
• 7.00 pm Performances, DJ set, hangout

As a continuation of the Pump, Create, Elevate series, this event explores how ballroom culture is connected to other artistic practices through community-building, advocacy and collective care.

In the first half of the session, Lucca will lead a chanting workshop aimed at beginners as well as anyone wishing to expand their knowledge and skills in this practice. Ballroom chanting, also known as commentating or MCing, is a central element of the scene. Commentators frequently use chants, rhymes and repeated calls. With quick-witted humour, rhythm and a powerful voice, they get the audience in the mood, announce performers and guide them through the competition.

The subsequent panel discussion forms the centrepiece of the event. Stand-up comedian Naya de Souza (aka Bundaskanzlerin), dancer and performance artist Black Pearl de Almeida, MC and commentator Lucca, and DJ Sirenessa will discuss the day-to-day work involved in creating safer spaces, building networks of solidarity and mutual support, and making space for new voices. The discussion will also address the international reach of these activities and explore how artists can build communities across geographical borders, and what it means to create spaces of belonging whilst facing the realities of migration, diaspora and new beginnings.

In the final part of the event, a short performance by Black Pearl de Almeida and a comedy set by Naya de Souza, aka Bundaskanzlerin, offer different perspectives on identity, belonging, solidarity and the power of communities. The event concludes with a DJ set by Sirenessa, inviting everyone to come together on the dance floor.

Before and after the workshop, the ‘Hang-Out Space’ – a lounge area with beanbags and chairs – will be available for participants to relax, chat and move about.

You’ll also find a range of audiovisual, audio and printed materials on the topic of ballroom there. The relaxed atmosphere focuses on active learning through hands-on experience. Simple language will be used, which may occasionally contain explicit expressions not suitable for young people. The room has a level floor and is accessible to wheelchair users.

The workshops welcome anyone wishing to expand their knowledge, skills or network. As ballroom culture was founded by trans women of African, Central and South American, and Caribbean descent, and continues to centre the lives and resilience of racialised and sexually diverse people, their participation is particularly encouraged. A prerequisite for participation is to be mindful of the space one occupies, to respect the dynamics of the space, and to give priority to the groups in focus. In this environment and in any connection with the HKW, there is no place for, nor tolerance of, hate speech or hateful actions of any kind.

Co-production, co-curation: the House of St. Laurent, Georgina Philp and Litchi Ly Friedrich

On Sunday 25 October from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm, House of St. Laurent invites you to a children’s disco special celebrating ballroom culture, featuring a costume workshop and a runway show.