Before Tuesday night, I had only dared to dream about attending a New York City underground ball.
But at the Lower East Side burlesque hall and trendy lounge the Box, I lived out my fantasy. And oh, was it beyond amazing. Fingers were wagging, screams of work bitch! filled my ears. There were shows, there was drama and real life danger. And most of all, there were looks, honey.
Derived from the celebrated “Paris is Burning” (a viewing of this 1990 documentary is obligatory for understanding the magnitude of this event) the apt-named “New York is Burning,” was hosted by the House of Xtravaganza, one of the most popular and collectively talented groups on the ball circuit. It was, most simply, a high-fashion, do-it-yourself runway competition where scores of folks dressed in ways that purposefully defy written description. To use the vernacular of this queendom, before you say anything, you would want to get into the look.
