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It might have been the weekend that Storm Brian raged through Liverpool, but it did not dampen the spirits of party-goers as many braved the terrible weather to attend The House of Suarez Annual Vogue Ball and it didn’t disappoint.
It was hosted by “The House of Suarez” at the Invisible Wind Factory, which is an arts centre on the docks. This year’s theme was Seven Deadly sins, and each year a new theme is announced, with past themes such as God and Monsters and Space Oddity, ensuring that each year brings something new and exciting.
The dancing was theatrical and the costumes even more so, and it was reminiscent of a New York catwalk, embodying the true spirit of Vogue dancing.
Vogue dancing originated in Harlem within the ballroom dancing scene of the 60’s, later becoming a dance craze in the LGBT community in the 80’s. It consisted of “Houses”, often considered families by the dancers at the time, competing against each other in battles with set category titles.
The houses were a nod to the high fashion houses. It took inspiration from the poses of Vogue magazine models and a number of other influences including ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics.
It gained mainstream popularity after Madonna’s famous Vogue song and the 1990 documentary “Paris is burning.” It continues to be popular to this day with many artists like Beyoncé and Ariana Grande taking inspiration from the popular dance craze and incorporating it into their music videos.
This year’s Vogue ball was a chance to see this glamorous and high drama dance craze up close. The dance houses went all out this year, some of the choreography and the creativity of the costumes blended together to make an exciting and dramatic performance.
One notable participant was that of talented host Rikki Beadle-Blair who introduced all the acts, and made audience participation a key factor. He used the breaks between dancers to pull up people from the audience, who wore outfits that were as flamboyant as the dancers, getting them to strut their stuff down the catwalk. Not only was his hosting fabulous, but so were his costume changes.
A welcome addition to this year was “The Unlimited House of Krip” which is a house made up deaf and disabled dancers. A sign language interpreter was on stage at all times, making this a more inclusive event and “The unlimited House of Krip” proved just how talented they were.
Other houses Included “The House of Lipa”, which got a really good cheer from the crowd, “The house of Decay” and “The House of Cards”.
We also couldn’t fail to mention Darren Suarez, who is the Artistic Director of the House of Suarez dance company which produces the annual Vogue ball.
The only criticism of the night was that it was difficult to hear the judges sometimes, which is a minor detail.
If you are looking for New York on a budget, or you just want to a good night out with your friends, then you could do worse than attend next year. For £21 a ticket standing and £30 for a guaranteed runway ticket, it is a chance to see something original. It’s worth it just to see the costumes.