Vogue Sessions with Van Vogue Jam
Dates:
Saturday, March 21, 2020, 8:30 pm to Saturday, May 30, 2020, 10:00 pm
Open Space and Van Vogue Jam invite you to join us in the ballroom for a series of vogue workshops and gatherings! Starting February 22 at Fernwood Community Centre, unceded Lekwungen territory, these monthly events will offer the chance to work directly with Ralph Escamillan, founder of Van Vogue Jam, and other established performers, to learn the history of the ballroom, practice the elements of Vogue, and explore the competition categories that make up a ball.
Session dates (UPDATED):
Feb 22, 7:00-9:00pm
Mar 21, 8:30-10:30pm
Apr 18, 7:00-9:00pm
May 30, 7:00-9:00pm
More about Van Vogue Jam: Facebook. Instagram.
Ballroom Culture:
Although it is now practiced internationally, vogue and ballroom culture emerged out of New York’s queer and trans Black and Latinx communities from the 1970s onward, who responded to the hostility and racism of white America by forming their own inclusive spaces. Balls were and continue to be a safe space among urban nightlife where QTBIPoC folks can gather. As such, these sessions will prioritize the safety, comfort, and presence of QTBIPoC participants.
These sessions are FREE and open to people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexualities, and ethnicities. No dance experience necessary!
Expectations:
In working to make this a safe space, we will not tolerate harassment, including expressions of racism, ableism, homoantagonism, transantagonism, transmisogyny, whorephobia, and body-shaming. We ask that participants reflect on their position and the space they take up, practice consent in all interactions, and please contact us either during or after an event if anything comes up that concerns them.
Accessibility:
- The session will take place in the gym at the Fernwood Community Centre, 1240 Gladstone.
- The gym is wheelchair accessible by ramp from the main entrance or around the back of the building. The main entrance has an automatic open feature.
- Two accessible single-stall gender-inclusive washrooms available (on the upper and lower floors) and fitted with baby change tables. The doors do not have an automatic open feature.
- The gym is lit by both overhead lights and skylights.
- Bikes can be locked to the bike rack outside the main entrance.
- Parking space may be available across the road at the Vic High parking lot, depending on traffic from other events.
- This is a scent-reduced event; please refrain from wearing perfume, hairspray, and other scented products.
- There will be water and snacks available at the event, including dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan options. We cannot guarantee that there will be no cross-contamination.
- Fernwood Community Centre does not provide public wifi.
The community centre is accessible via the 22 bus route, stopping at the corner of Gladstone Ave & Fernwood Ave. Other buses that stop nearby include: 2, 27, 28, 24, 25, 10. Bus tickets are available upon request to assist with travel to and from the event. Please contact office@openspace.ca to request bus tickets, or to inquire about any other accessibility information. If you are facing other barriers to participating in this event, we are happy to hear from you, and will do what we can to meet your needs.
Land acknowledgement:
Open Space and Van Vogue Jam respectfully acknowledge that this event is located on the unceded territories of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples, now known as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. We seek to honour and uphold these ongoing relationships to the land and its stewards as we work on these territories.