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Music

Meet the Stars of New York's Ballroom Community in THUMP's New Documentary

Our first episode of Night Visions, made possible by AXE.

If you've ever been to a club, you'll know that getting ready is just as important as going out, that your clothes matter just as much as the music does. Nightclubs allow us to explore our sense of identity in ways that not many other places can. We dress to be seen, to be noticed—we dress like the people we want the world to see us as. Maybe that's why these days, the worlds of clubbing and fashion are edging ever closer.

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In the first episode of Night Visions, a three-part series made possible by AXE, we travel to the US to catch up with some of the stars of New York's bustling ballroom community. Along the way, we meet the likes of DJ MikeQ and Gisele Xtravaganza, shop for the perfect ball outfit with Leggo "Old Navy" Labeija, and head to one of the city's legendary Vogue Knights, where performers from houses all over New York gather to square off across multiple categories every Monday.

Finally, we check out Symba McQueen's Red Ball in Manhattan, where we get to experience the artistry and communal spirit of the subculture in full flow. Vogue Nights is an insight into a subculture that thrives on freedom and acceptance. As Gisele Xtravaganza puts it, the ballroom is "a place to discover yourself, and discover who you are."