Bridging the past and present of our diverse our communities.
The highlight of BAM’s FLUXX program was Having a Ball! with the House of Avant Garde (1992). The film stood out not just as an important archival work, but also because of a live discussion with director Stephanie Coleman and House founder Aaron Avant Garde, which showed the film as both a historical record and a living story.
FLUXX, curated by Osadolor, was presented as a one-night “TV special” of short films centering Blackqueer creatives working in Lo-Fi and DIY aesthetics. The screening took place October 23, 2025 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.
The program stitched together works across decades, situating them in the continuum of the Black Diaspora and emphasizing audiovisual experimentation.
Within this lineup, Having a Ball! carried a unique weight: a 30-minute 1992 film that captured the vibrancy of ballroom culture through the lens of the House of Avant Garde, one of the pioneering collectives in Black queer performance.
Directed by Stephanie Coleman in collaboration with the House of Avant Garde, the film documents a ballroom event with an intimacy that feels both celebratory and archival.
Unlike later mainstream depictions of ballroom, Coleman’s work is raw, unfiltered, and deeply embedded in community. The camera lingers on gestures, costumes, and the joy of performance, emphasizing ballroom as a site of self-invention and survival.
The film’s Lo-Fi aesthetic—grainy textures, handheld shots—underscores its authenticity. Rather than polish, it offers immediacy, situating viewers inside the energy of the room.
Photos by Karon Sanders
The post-screening discussion with Stephanie Coleman and Aaron Avant Garde was as vital as the film itself. Coleman reflected on the urgency of documenting ballroom at a time when mainstream visibility was minimal, stressing the film’s role as a community archive.
Aaron Avant Garde spoke to the ethos of the House: ballroom as a space of chosen family, artistry, and resilience against systemic erasure. Together, they emphasized how the film was not just entertainment but a political act of preservation, ensuring that Black queer creativity was recorded and remembered.
In the context of Osadolor’s program, Having a Ball! bridged past and present. While newer works leaned into digital experimentation, Coleman’s film reminded audiences of the DIY roots that continue to inspire. The juxtaposition highlighted ballroom’s enduring influence on Black queer aesthetics, from fashion to performance to film.
Audience response was palpable—applause not only for the film but for the panelists, whose presence made the screening feel like a reunion across generations.
Having a Ball! was more than a film; it was a living archive brought to life by Coleman and Avant Garde’s testimony. In a program dedicated to flux and transformation, this work grounded the evening in legacy, reminding us that the experimental futures of Black queer cinema are built upon the resilience and brilliance of communities like the House of Avant Garde.
Watch the full video, Having a Ball! with the House of Avant Garde, at mediaburn.org/video/having-a-ball-with-the-house-of-avant-garde.
