Meet the house mothers gunning for the top at the CÎROC Iconic Ball
The last decade has been a journey for House Mothers, their children, and the ballrooms where their craft sits centre stage. “Instead of being laughed at and pointed at,” Devine, the west coast mother of the House of Gorgeous Gucci, says, “we are admired and revered for our beauty and talent to the point where people see the worth in it.” The public’s perception of these illuminating people has changed significantly.
Part of that boils down to how often, and where, we see them in contemporary society. With the reality competition show Legendary killing it on HBO, a house music resurgence underway, in which the voices of ball and voguing culture’s most prolific figures a la Paris is Burning are sampled (see: Fierce by Azealia Banks) and the mainstream success of FX’s Pose, our curiosity in the effervescent art form is greater than ever.
Those living in large cities might stumble into gay clubs quite often, but finding a ball – a far more energetic, impulsive setting with roots that stretch back decades – is rare.
To find them – and participate within them – requires a certain amount of knowhow and respect for the scene. Whether you’re a fresh-faced beginner or already have plenty of knowledge of how things go down on the ball scene, the CÎROC Ball, held this Thursday 30 June at London’s Koko, looks set to be a bombastic and exciting experience, as five Mothers from across the globe bring their houses to Camden for one night only.
