Bhenji Ra was 18 years-old when she was first introduced to vogue ballroom culture. In New York City on a prestigious dance school scholarship, it didn't take long for the dedicated student to to be seduced by the city's vibrant nightlife and the sense of community that came with it.
"A friend suggested I go down to the pier with them to learn how to vogue," she recalls to SBS Sexuality.
"I didn't really understand what the dance form was, but seeing all these people, black and latino, gay and trans... there was a sense that voguing was what they did."
"I got immersed in it, but didn’t fully understand the history," she admits. "But then I started to get serious about it, got some voguing classes, became really involved in the local club culture - and soon got deported back to Australia."
That was when Bhenji watched the , which chronicles the lives of trans women and drag queens living in New York City in the 1980s, exploring their iconic "house" culture - the birthplace of much of our present-day queer language.
Sissy Ball will take place as part of the 2019 Mardi Gras festival program. Source: Mardi Gras
While the film brought some clarity to the culture's long and rich history, returning to Sydney came with a pervasive sense of disconnect for the young dancer.
"It’s so white," she explains. "Coming from being immersed in history and tradition, which had such strength... I needed to carve something out for myself or I was going to die."
This sense of isolation was the catalyst for Bhenji to create the now renowned House of Slé.
"I joined a hip hop group in Western Sydney and realised that a lot of the kids in the suburbs had an idea of what voguing was - they found it all on YouTube," she says.
"Then through one group in Liverpool, a giant group of hip hop dancers, we decided to create a side queer group and work towards occupying spaces and creating something for ourselves. It was really about bridging these gaps between the suburbs and metropolitan city. There were so many gaps, it wasn't intersectional."
Bhenji explains that the 'radical togetherness' inherent to house culture can be a lifeline for members of marginalised communities - particularly trans women of colour.
"Being a trans woman of colour in spaces that can be so dominated by other narratives, it can feel incredibly alienating," she tells SBS Sexuality.
"But when you have a collective, a family, it’s something for you to be affirmed in. There’s a real sense of needing it so i can survive and see myself and reckon with that."
With Bhenji’s history-making now entering its second year as part of the Sydney Mardi Gras festival program, the multidisciplinary artist is upping the ante, flying in two of the culture's biggest names: Leiomy Maldonado and Dashaun Wesley, known respectively as the wonder woman and king of voguing.
The significance of the event's success (tickets for this year's event had almost sold out at the time of interview) isn't lost on Bhenji.
"Subcultures are always going to be on trend, even though its something that’s so old," she says. "To see it emerge now is exciting, but it can be easily erased when the power is different."
"People are accessing it and want to be a part of it, people realise that so much queer language comes from voguing culture. I think it says that things are changing - hopefully with the right intent and acknowledgement."
It's also important, Bhenji says, because it’s one of the few Mardi Gras events that appeals to a mostly female audience.
"It feels like it's breaking down the idea that Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is just for gays and lesbians. We’re breaking down that acronym and showing that queer culture is diverse and it includes queer women."
And to those who have snapped up a Sissy Ball ticket, but not done their homework?
"I just say, watch and learn," Bhenji laughs.
"I think there’s so much in the power of performance that is so pure and tangible. It’s so loaded, when you watch a battle, you see it all. The reason why we are so intense is there's often a thing that drives us - we’ve got nothing to lose. We've been to the bottom and this is our time.
"You have to think deeper about why we vogue and do what we do, how we get to these spaces of fearlessness that are so athletic."
The Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras 2020: Live Stream will be available to watch from Saturday, 29th February 2020 at 07:30 PM.
