Award-winning queer Canadian-Filipinx choreographer Ralph Escamillan will gleefully celebrate ballroom culture with his newest work. MY HOUSE boldly transports the ball from the runway to the stage in its world premiere on Friday (June 19) and Saturday (June 20) at The Dance Centre (677 Davie Street).
Escamillan will also perform in the production along with fellow voguers Brian Mendez (Kiki Legend Besos 007), Jocelyne Cajamarca (Father Jaws Siriano Balenciaga), and Matthew ‘Snoopy’ Cuff (Kiki Icon Snoopy Fubu Basquiat). Their joyfully stylized moves will be accompanied by the beats of DJ Simone Chnarakis (Simone Gvasalia), with Max Morales (Princess Pegasus Pink Lady) as the commentator.
“The House structure is central to Ballroom culture,” Escamillan explained in a statement about the show. “It’s where LGBTQ+ youth can be in a safe space with their chosen families, and also where they train for Ballroom’s competitive events, called Balls. MY HOUSE celebrates that familial bond, love and support, and brings Ball culture to the stage.”
MY HOUSE is part of this year’s Queer Arts Festival, which continues at various venues until June 30.
Escamillan—a.k.a. Kiki Legend Posh Gvasalia Basquiat—received the inaugural RBC Emerging Artist Award at the 2023 Governor General Performing Arts Award gala in Ottawa. In addition to ballroom and voguing, he has extensive background in street dance, contemporary dance, and flamenco.
“I would like to think I’m a pretty humble person in my life,” Escamillan told Pancouver in 2024. “I think what keeps me humble and grounded is actually my ballroom community.”
Ballroom culture developed in Harlem in the 1960s within Black Latinx, Trans, and Queer communities.
Escamillan’s previous works have challenged colonial narratives and offered a platform for underrepresented artists. He has won widespread acclaim for his costumes and fabrics, as well as for his choreography.
In Croquis, for example, Escamillan designed garments made entirely of recyclable paper. In PIÑA, Escamillan presented a see-through, lace-like fabric made from pineapple leaves, which shrouded the performers. He made this in collaboration with Aklan-based pina weavers.
For MY HOUSE, Escamillan and Robyn Jill Laxamana are responsible for costumes and styling. Justine A. Chambers is the show’s Black dance vernacular/decolonising practice consultant. Nancy Lee oversees video and production design; Andie Lloyd serves as lighting designer and technical director.
FakeKnot, which Escamillan founded and leads as artistic director, produced MY HOUSE. The National Arts Centre, Urban Ink, and the Dance Centre are credited as co-producers of the show.
For tickets and more information on MY HOUSE, visit the Dance Centre website.
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