By Stylish Team
The Philippine Ballroom Community mounts its biggest mainstream ball to date.
Manila trailblazers Mother Xyza Mizrahi and Father Misha De La Blanca are gathering ballroom leaders from across the world to celebrate drag ball culture tonight at The Podium Hall in Mandaluyong City for the much-anticipated The Rainbow Ball & Gala 2024.
The fantabulous event is dubbed as “The Rainbow Ball & Gala 2024” with drag personalities from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and the USA.
The 4th Annual Rainbow Ball and Gala is themed as “Pride of the Philippines” this year, an invitation for the world to immerse in the Filipino ballroom culture just in time for the Pride Month.
With origin in New York, the ballroom culture was born as a response to oppression, violence and discrimination by the Black and Latin queer and trans community in the 1960s. The ballroom’s House Culture provided care and support to displaced LGBTQIA+ youth, as parental figures tenderly called as mothers and fathers, taken them under their wing. Also called as “balls,” the ballroom community created a safe space for LGBT people to express their identities and essence by competing or “walking” in categories with performances often inspired by fashion and beauty.
The unmatched creativity in these balls birthed many popular sub-culture movements, such as Voguing, with terms like “realness,” “serving face,” and “10s across the boards” making it to the mainstream consciousness. The drag performances gave references to pop culture phenomenons such as Madonna’s Vogue in the 80s to current TV show ‘Pose‘ and Beyoncé’s Renaissance album.
Ballroom Culture in The Philippines
In 2016, the Ballroom Culture was brought to the Philippines by Mother Xyza Mizrahi, and has since grown in scale––drawing in dancers, artists, students, and many LGBTQIA+ people from all walks of life.
In 2021, the first Virtual Rainbow Ball was held, which has grown into a major annual on-ground event with fab walkers and guests not just from the local community, but from the international scene as well.
The Rainbow Ball and Gala 2024
The Rainbow Ball and Gala 2024 will kick-off at 1:00PM with fashion designer mini-collection showcases, as well as workshops about the ballroom culture.
The vision is to create an impactful platform for Filipino LGBTQIA+ members to express their creativity and advocacy through ballroom.
Designers Brit Tripudio, the first designer to feature Voguing in her Manila Fashion Fest show in 2017, is one of the featured fashion designers. Oz Go, also known as Ozkur Mizrahi of The House of Mizrahi, Dale Sarmiento a.k.a. Mother Dahlia Cleopatra of the Kiki House of Cleopatra, will also present their creations. Leather harness brand WOLFE+HUNTR is hightlighted too. The mini-fashion shows will feature models from The Philippine Ballroom Community.
The Gala segment will also feature mini lectures from Advocacy Partners Trans* Health Philippines, HASH, and Sail Clinic to talk about important topics in the LGBTQIA+ community: trans health, SOGIE, and HIV Awareness.
The Gala will end with an exclusive Ballroom 101 featuring important figures from the International Ballroom Scene. New York house ballroom stars from the 80s and early 90s such as Icon Founder Jack Mizrahi Gorgeous Gucci, Pioneer Iconic Founding Father André Mizrahi, and Legendary Founding Father Julian De La Blanca will rock the event.
At 5:00PM, The Rainbow Ball official begins with 15 categories: Face, Beginners Performance, Runway with an Abanico or Baston Prop, Hands Performance vs Arms Control, Lip Sync Performance, Realness, Cunt versus Cunt, Fashion Killa, Bizarre, All Styles to a Vogue Beat, Pop Dip and Spin Excalibur Performance, New Way Vogue, Vogue Fem, Body, and Sex Siren.
The Philippine scene is also privileged to have biggest panel of judges and talents flying in for The Rainbow Ball. Judges flying from New York are Pioneer Iconic Founding Father André Mizrahi, Legendary Founding Father Julian De La Blanca, and Legendary Founding Father Monster Babylon. Representing from South Korea are Juju Xtravaganza and Father K Milan, and from Hong Kong is Trailblazer Holie Ebony. From Australia is Trailblazer Mother Bhenji Ra.
Talents for the ball include DJ Legendary Overall Mother Koppi Mizrahi from Japan (with Philippine’s DJ Ayel); and MC Icon Founder Jack Mizrahi Gorgeous Gucci from New York (with Lakan Mizrahi from The Philippines) on the mic.
Tickets and tables to The Rainbow Ball and Gala are available on Helixpay at rainbowball.helixpay.ph, with tickets for Gala Only (“Araw” Pass), Ball Only (“Buwan” Pass), and Whole Day Pass (“Bahaghari” Pass) on sale now. Special merchandise in collaboration with artist JER DEE are also available on the Helixpay storefront, along with opportunities to donate to The Rainbow Ball Community Fund. Special Workshops with The Rainbow Ball’s international guests are also available at weareshapeshifters.com/rainbowball.
The Rainbow Ball and Gala 2024 presented by Trailblazer Mother Xyza Mizrahi and Father Misha De La Blanca, is Co-Presented by BYS Cosmetics and GOMO!, In Cooperation With Y.O.U. Beauty, and Black Box Collab Inc.; with Major Sponsors H&M, SIP Purified Water and Rosy Peel; Minor Sponsors Smart and Jagermeister; Official Media Partners IGotColors, ChristopherSyPhotographs, NYLON Magazine, Stylish Magazine, and ASIA TV. With Special Thanks to FIP, Events Co, HEER-o Curated, Prelude Philippines, Yellow Cab, Linden Suites and Balai Khaffa; LGBTQIA+ SME Partners We Are Shapeshifters, Barbierro, and Glorious Dias; and Advocacy Partners Trans* Health Philippines, SAIL Clinic, HASH, and Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
For more updates and information, follow The Rainbow Ball on Instagram at @therainbowball, or search for “The Rainbow Ball” event page on Facebook.