Dressed in a skin-tight, see-through black top, something like a jean skirt and a dirty pair of white Nikes, House Mother Valentino Valentine instructs members of Denver's Kiki House of Flora to face the full-body mirror. In this studio they are practicing their in-sync walks, moving fiercely with the booming ballroom music that bounces throughout the room.
The group of creatives are getting ready to host "The Night We MET" this Saturday, November 18. Themed after the world famous MET Gala, members of the ballroom community will "walk" in the categories of best dressed, runway, nails, face and many more for trophies and cash prizes.
"When I first started the house in 2018, a lot of the finances were coming out of my own pocket," Valentine said.
The house is part of Portland-based Kiki House of Flora, founded by Passa Flora in the 2010s. Valentine and other founding members had hosted events called "Denver Kiki Sessions" for people who wanted to learn more about ballroom. Word got to Passa Flora, who encouraged them to start a full-fledged chapter here.
Ballroom as it is known today goes back to the work of trans drag queen Crystal LaBeija who began hosting balls in the late 1960s specifically for Black people as a response to racism in New York's larger drag scene. For many years it has served as an underground subculture led particularly by LGBTQ+ people of color. The scene has had its mainstream moment in recent years and Valentine has worked to help bring that same energy to Denver.
"I started therapy around the same time that I started a ballroom house here," Valentine said. "Both of those things were pushing me to dig deeper into who I was and I was kind of falling in love, discovering deeper parts of my creative expression and who I was."
House of Flora is part of the "kiki" subset of ball culture. Kiki balls are known to be less competitive than traditional balls, they're more youth-centric and meant to be more economically accessible.
Parisse Flora is one of the only founding members still with the house alongside Valentine. The two were part of the early days when sessions were held at Valentine's apartment until they were large enough to rent out studio spaces to rehearse.
"Finding people to participate was a little bit of a struggle at first," Parisse said. "Now you see people who are still in the scene when we first started have their own houses or be part of a house. That's a beautiful thing that came out of that."
When they're not working as a systems engineer or supporting an IT help desk, Parisse pours into a community that's grown since the house's first Kiki ball back in December 2019.
"I no longer am afraid to express who I am as a person," Parisse said. "I know that I have my community who will always support me no matter what."
For both Michael Board II, who goes by Boo Daddy Flora in the ballroom world, and Faizon, who goes by Fai Flora, their introductions to the scene was watching dance group Vogue Evolution compete on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew.
"I've loved ballroom since I was in middle school. I remember voguing in my basement," said Boo Daddy. "Being part of the house is a dream come true and that is what keeps me coming back."
Boo Daddy, Prince of the house and a member for the past two years, got their name from Valentine.
"That's actually what I used to call straight men who I thought were handsome but I didn't want to make them nervous," Boo Daddy jokes. "It's like you're my friend but you're my handsome friend."
Fai, originally from Houston, Texas, was inducted into the house this September and, just like his passion for tennis, leans into the competitive nature of ballroom.
"I love the camera, I love the noise, the applause, I love the moment," Fai said. "I just really enjoy being able to express my femininity. Coming from the South and being a Black man... they feel like being feminine is making someone less of a man. And I feel like it's powerful."
Fatima Manning, who goes by Freedom Flora Saint Laurent, is celebrating one year as a Flora and Denver ballroom member. The name Freedom came from Boo Daddy.
"I think it's just because I'm free as hell," Freedom said. "I love that about me and [Boo Daddy] saw that in me. I've been striving for freedom for a long time and I feel like I've arrived."
When she's not working as a senior project manager or raising a teenager, Freedom works as a part-time bottle girl to help fund her passion for ballroom.
"They're not shocked at all," Freedom said when asked how her family feels about her love for ballroom. "Just to be around the energy makes you want to be better and that's a very addictive feeling."
Thaiara Keoninh, who goes by Unique Flora, first met members of the House of Flora at Cheesman Park back in 2020. Shortly after moving from New York, Unique was looking for a community in a city that felt much less diverse than what she grew up in. Three years later, Unique now helps organize events for the house.
"It's just really refreshing to have them in my life because I don't think I would've stayed in Denver for as long as I have if it weren't for them," Unique said. "It's very healing. It's a home that you didn't know you had."
Members of the House talk a lot about this being their chosen family. Monday rehearsals feel like a weekly reset and on Tuesday's are their weekly check-ins. For Malibu Flora, who joined February this year, ballroom is about coming for the community.
"These are people that I really feel that I can be totally and truly vulnerable with," Malibu said.
"The people in there, that's my real family for real," Boo Daddy said. "I would give my life for the people in that room. I came from a really heavy Christian family and being gay in my family was not a cool thing. I didn't get a lot of love and acceptance but I am able to get that through this house."
Valentine, who works as a software engineer when they're not voguing, believes in creating a space for members of his chosen family to convene in the name of creative expression.
"Ballroom is a space of healing and transformation because it is so self-celebratory," Valentine said. "You are pulling from within to get out there, compete and show up for yourself. That is medicine in itself."
