A Night To Remember: Mosaic Hosts Its Third Annual BallCampus

By: Kalorra Smith

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

Mosaic,  alongside The Wise Org, Defenders, and the LGBTQ+ Caucus , held its third Annual Ball themed “Night of the Elements”on April 11 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Dressed to impress, attendees added a touch of creativity to their outfits based on elements like fire, water, and air prior to stepping on the dance floor. 

“I hope everyone who attends this ball can feel the sense of community with our organization, and feel free to be themselves,” said Carlen Kwakye, a third-year psychology major and Co-Event Coordinator of Mosaic.

Kwakye was one of the members of the Executive Board responsible for planning the ball. President Katelyn Flowers kept Executive Board members on track by leaving Treasurer Collin Richardson up to finding a reasonable budget, having Secretary Koryo Tetteh find a venue and having Social Media Coordinator Olivia Cherry promote creative posts to boost attendance. 

“We chose the Night of the Elements because we thought queer Avatar would be so cool to bring to life, but also giving attendees the freedom to take whatever interpretation they wanted from the theme,” said Kwakye.

To make this a night to remember, vogue workshops were hosted on April 2 and 4 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m in the Student Center Lounge to ensure students were ready to walk in a ball.

In the late 1960s, drag queens Crystal LaBeija and Lottie LaBeija, who grew tired of anti-Blackness in the ballroom world, established the House of LaBeija, and began hosting their own balls. From then on emerged the ballroom that we know today, with ball contestants walking in different categories and battling for prizes, according to Vogue Magazine. 

Although prizes weren’t given at this year’s ball, the focus primarily relied on embracing your “element” with confidence. 

“I haven’t had much experience with ballroom culture, but I know that it’s a space for people to express themselves safely,” said Miranda Moore, a second-year journalism major, whose first ball was the Night of the Elements. 

For students who are new to the ballroom scene, categories give ball contestants a chance to express their identities through fashion that add character to the chosen theme. Some of the categories Mosaic chose for students were feminine and masculine body, feminine and masculine face, elemental embodiment, and voguing. 

“The outfit I wore today was supposed to be the embodiment of darkness, but in an intergalactic way. I wanted to portray that there is always a little light in complete darkness which is why I heavily incorporated moon and sun themes into my outfit,” said Moore, who walked the feminine body and face categories. 

Many students share similar thoughts on how Mosaic provided a non judgemental space for Hampton’s queer students to express themselves freely. 

“I know personally that it’s hard to find these queer spaces on campus. And as things grow increasingly unaccepting nationwide, it’s essential that we come together to celebrate our existence,” said Moore. 

For those in attendance of previous Mosaic balls, it was clear this year’s ball heavily  promoted engagement and participation while providing an inviting space for students who may or may not be familiar with ballroom culture. 

“Validity of identity is very important to me,” said Kwakye. “I  feel that is what ballroom culture truly stands for, and I hope that shines through our own ball.”