The DJ and founder of the Let’s Have a Kiki ball is running the climactic bash of this year’s Dance Umbrella – and he’s bringing his cats
‘I want you to get out of this quarantine feeling and believe this is a party,” says Jay Jay Revlon, DJ, vogue dancer, father of the House of Revlon, and founder of London ball Let’s Have a Kiki. Revlon’s been running his club for two years and this Friday he’s hosting an online version as the finale to Dance Umbrella’s digital festival. It’s a chance to shake off lockdown malaise, get glammed up and brush up your moves – hands, floor, catwalk, duckwalk and dips, the five elements of vogueing – or just watch Revlon and fellow dancers Bam Bam 007 and Armani 007 perform.
Originating in the Harlem drag balls that can be traced back to the 1920s, vogueing and ballroom culture reached a peak in late-80s New York (as seen in the Emmy-winning TV series Pose). Black and Latino gay men and trans women, ostracised from the mainstream, found alternative families, forming “houses” who competed on the catwalk, dressed in extravagant outfits and inspired by fashion imagery. Vogueing tipped into the mainstream thanks to Madonna’s 1990 hit Vogue, and it’s still thriving 30 years later, with a growing scene in the UK.
An online ball sounds fun, but being alone at home in front of a screen surely can’t match the heat and noise of a club. How is Revlon going to get us in the mood? “The energy of the party and of the DJs is going to be enough,” he says. “It’s like the pre-drink on a normal night out, when you’re getting ready. I’m going to dress up and I’ll have my cats with me and I’m going to have fun. It’s just a pre-drink that you never leave.” But there’s no pressure to dress up, or even have your camera on, says Revlon. “Just come and be you.”