The Eleganza Extravaganza Ball and the Origins of Nairobi’s Ballroom Culture
I have never before felt such a strong sense of community and freedom as I have as an attendee at the most recent edition of Ashton Laurence’s Wunderlust Party, “The Eleganza Extravaganza Ball''. Upon immediate arrival I was engulfed into the crowd of extravagantly dressed and brilliantly made-up party-goers. The event was being held at Moov Café and Bistro, a spot usually known for its calm and quiet vibe, but that night was buzzing to the brim with activity from excited guests ready to get into the night’s events.
The Extravaganza Eleganza Ball is the first of its kind in Nairobi. Ashton Laurence (he/they), commonly known as the eyelinermonarch, has been running the Wunderlust Party for the last 3 years, each time garnering more and more attendees, and quickly becoming a household name in Nairobi’s party scene. Ashton and their partner in the running of this particular event Andeti (he/him), of Nairobi’s first ballroom House, “The Haus of Andeti”, saw it fit to introduce their city of Nairobi to the ballroom scene that they had so fallen in love with.
Ashton Laurence at the Eleganza Extravaganza Ball
House ballroom culture began in the U.S in opposition to what had been extremely racist and prejudiced drag balls of the time. Black and Latinx folk, spearheaded by one of the first House Mothers, Crystal Labeija, needed free and safe environments to participate in what would become the global phenomenon of Ballroom. Early stage ball culture ran more as a pageant than what we see today. With the expansion and inclusion of other races and identities, the nature of the competitions changed with it. Participants compete or “walk” in a show of talent, beauty, and skill, displaying their personality and character through the various categories. Participants might dance showcasing their skill in popular styles like “vogueing” or “whacking”, made popular in the 80s by Madonna but originated in ballroom culture. These dances are recognised by their quick, deliberate hand movements, sharp poses and rhythmic low to the ground footwork. Ball participants might also compete in categories of beauty and “realness” showing off their ability to embody a certain masculine or feminine attribute. Ballroom culture has since grown from the underground becoming more and more popular and accessible to all, not only the queer community. Through television series like HBO’s “Legendary” and Netflix’s “Pose” a desire to see bold expressions of queerness and community people existing outside queer spaces are beginning to see and experience this extravagant space.
As frequent party and night-club goers, Ashton and Andeti often found themselves lost in their own world on the dance floor. Speaking of their passion for all things dance and ballroom Ashton told me about how Andeti and them would regularly find themselves smack in the middle of the club having a vogue off. When the music was just right and the DJ played their favourite dance music the two vogue enthusiasts took over the floor. And it was the less than favourable reactions to their expressions that brought about the desire to create the Extravaganza Eleganza Ball. Ashton and Andeti wanted to see a version of queerness expressed that had been actively repressed in their city for a long time. In the club spaces and events where their dancing was cheered on and encouraged, they recognised a need within the community for free spaces to explore their artistic interpretation of queer Kenyan culture.
As Africans we are no stranger to the extravagant. From tribal markings to body-painting, across Africa we have examples of culture celebrating beauty and boldness. Our expression is an integral part of our culture, a constant that doesn’t discriminate against gender. Ashton and Andeti have used their platform to continue a tradition of fearless self-expression despite the possibility of backlash from what has become a very intolerant modern African society. Through the Wunderlust Parties, Ashton Laurence has offered the modern youth of Nairobi a chance to participate in traditions that have actually existed amongst many of our cultures for centuries. Spaces like the Wunderlust Parties, are inclusive of everyone; queer folk and allies alike come together for a moment to celebrate community. In September of 2022, they held their first space dedicated to celebrating ballroom culture, house, dance music, disco and pop with Beyonce’s 7th album “Renaissance”. “Club Renaissance '' as it is known was a hit, and proof of concept that Nairobi was ready for more open assertions of queerness.
On the night of February 11th 2023, hosted by young Nairobi R&B maestro Maali, the Ball opened up with a performance from up-coming artist and singer Nessy. However due to some unfortunate technical difficulties her set was slightly overshadowed. This didn't slow the young singer down, as she kept her show going, with the crowd cheering her on every step of the way. This display of support set the tone for the rest of the night. The ball’s competition categories opened up and the energy in the room increased exponentially. The categories are Face, Sirens, Cat Walk, Duck Walk, Femme Queen, Spins & Dips, Old Way Vogue, Butch Realness, Hair Performance, and Hand Performance. The night saw people who’d signed up before the event ready to strut their stuff and werk it for the judges, with the aim of getting the highly desired 10s across the board. Our judges for the night were Andeti, Majic Dyke, Flower Akaliza, Xenia Manasseh, and Ashton Laurence.
With House Ballroom culture being so new to the scene, some of the performances of the Extravaganza Eleganza Ball, held a certain level of inexperience. Ball is full of history and requires finesse to execute well and with precision, especially in regards to vogue and hand performance. While many did their best and came with the desire to have fun and enjoy the evening, from a purely technical perspective we could use a little more practice when it comes to execution. Not all the signed up performers wow’d the judges or the crowd, but all were met with overwhelming support.
Though the night did have some stand out performances, and moments that will be remembered, The Extravaganza can be viewed as a moment for community and collaboration. The highlights of any performance was when judges and performers alike would compete against each other, showing off their moves to the audience and highlighting the different aspects of their personalities. We had a show stopping performance from Andeti joined by surprise guest Maya Amolo. We had a Vogue-off between a performer that made an appearance in every category, the fabulous drag queen, Miss Royale (they/them) and the reigning authority on Vogue execution, Andeti again. The night had a marvellous unifying moment during the Femme Queen category from the beautiful Sisi Chaunt (she/her). Kelvin put on a wonderful lip-sync performance that had the whole crowd singing along with the track. The space was electric with the sheer force of voices belting out some of their favourite songs.
Attendees at the Eleganza Extravaganza Ball
A provocative dance piece performed by Ashley captivated both the audience and judges and kept the attention of all involved as she worked her way through a medley of songs. Her movements were controlled and precise and completely emulated the precision needed to compete. But she was simply there to amaze us. And amazed we were. Another jaw-dropping dance performance was put on by an excited crowd member, who had not signed up to compete beforehand but tore up the stage with a perfectly executed vogue performance. They moved across the space commanding attention, working with the audience, and keeping the judges engaged with their performance. But upon striking their final pose, they were disqualified for two reasons. They weren’t already signed up, and they unfortunately performed in the wrong category. But they went home, a crowd favourite.
This first Extravaganza Eleganza Ball has been cemented as a moment in Nairobi’s history. As time moves on and Nairobi becomes more and more exposed to events and spaces like these, we will have bigger and grander opportunities to create free spaces for not only Nairobi’s queer community but anyone who is looking to find a culture that welcomes them.
The Ashton Laurence Wunderlust Party is only growing bigger. Inside sources say the next event will be coming to you April 8th, this time paying homage to a pop-culture icon who has greatly shaped rap music, the illustrious, Nicki Minaj.
