Bringing Vogue Back to Connecticut
June of 2024, Sky Casper Entertainment produced our first mini-ball alongside Xiomarie LaBeija, and started bringing ballroom culture back to Connecticut. Our mini-balls are sanctioned by the New England Kiki Scene, with grand prize winners entered into the Ball of the Year. We honor the queer pioneers and houses who built the culture, and we keep it moving by teaching the 5 elements of vogue and growing the Kiki scene here in Connecticut.
Rooted in Legacy.
Built on Community.
Ballroom culture was forged in Harlem in the 1960s and 70s by Black and Latino trans women and queer icons like Crystal LaBeija, who founded the legendary Royal House of LaBeija in 1968, the first house in ballroom history. As ballroom grew into a global competitive culture, the early 2000s gave rise to the Kiki scene, a vibrant, youth-led, and community-centered space where new performers can learn, practice, and shine.
For years, Connecticut had no ballroom events. Xiomarie LaBeija and Rodd Juicy have had a lot to do with bringing the ballroom scene back to life in Connecticut, each paving their own way, and it is with their help and support that we are able to create these authentic mini-balls. June of 2024, we produced our first mini-ball with Mother Xiomarie LaBeija, putting up $100 grand prizes for every category winner. Most of our mini-balls are rooted specifically in the Kiki Scene, giving Connecticut an authentic, welcoming space to experience the culture firsthand.
What Is a Ball?
Never been to a ballroom event? No judgment. Here is how the culture actually works, from the first beat to the final dip, so you can walk in knowing exactly what is happening on the floor.
A ball is a competitive showcase. Performers, called walkers, sign up to compete in categories in front of a panel of judges and a live crowd. The commentator calls the category, the DJ sets the energy, and each walker steps onto the floor to serve their category and battle for the grand prize. It is part runway, part dance battle, part family reunion, and it is one of the most electric rooms you can stand in.
The Roles on the Floor
Every ball runs on a cast of roles. Knowing who is who makes the whole night click.
The Walker
The performer. A walker signs up for a category, steps on the floor, and serves their category for the judges. Walkers can represent a House or walk unaffiliated.
The Judges
A panel of respected community members who score each walker. They award your 10s to let you advance, or chop you from the category. Their calls shape the battle.
The Commentator
The voice of the ball. The commentator calls the categories, hypes the crowd, and narrates the floor in real time, turning every walk into a moment.
The DJ
The DJ controls the energy, dropping the ballroom beats, ha's, and house tracks that drive vogue performance, duckwalks, spins, and dramatic dips.
The Houses
Families in ballroom. A House is a chosen family that walks together, mentors newer members, and represents at balls. You can also walk unaffiliated.
The Crowd
The heartbeat of the room. The crowd hypes every walker, calls out the moments, and carries the energy from the first beat to the final dip.
How a Category Actually Runs
- 1The Commentator Calls the Category
The commentator announces the category and what the judges are looking for. Walkers line up, ready to step on the floor.
- 2Walkers Serve Their Category
Each walker takes the floor one at a time to serve their category, whether it is Face, Runway, Sex Siren, or Performance.
- 3Judges Give 10s or Chop
The judges score each walker. Get your 10s across the board and you advance. Anything less and you get chopped from the category.
- 4The Battle Round
Walkers who get their 10s face off in head-to-head battles, trading moments on the floor until the judges crown a grand prize winner.
- 5The Grand Prize
One walker takes the category and the $100 grand prize. Winners of our sanctioned mini-balls are entered into the Ball of the Year (OTY).
What to Expect When You Walk
A Sky Casper mini-ball is loud, joyful, and welcoming. The room is dark, the beats are heavy, and the crowd hypes every walker who steps up. You do not need to know anyone, you do not need a house, and you do not need experience to come watch. Cheer, learn the calls, and when you are ready, sign up for a category and walk to receive your 10s. Come as you are, represent who you are, and feel the floor move with you.
Never vogue'd before? That is exactly who the Kiki Scene is built for. Head to the free vogue workshops at A Place To Nourish Your Health, learn the 5 elements, and build the confidence to walk your first ball.
Our Home in the New England Kiki Scene
The Kiki Scene is the community-centered, youth-led heart of ballroom, focused on practice, mentorship, and accessibility. It is where new performers learn, build confidence, and earn their 10s. Most of our mini-balls are Kiki balls, creating a supportive floor where emerging dancers can walk, battle, and represent Houses or walk unaffiliated.
Our mini-balls are officially sanctioned by the New England Kiki Scene. That means they are recognized by the regional ballroom community, judged by authentic standards, and count toward real ballroom records. Grand prize winners in each category are entered to win awards at the Ball of the Year (OTY) at the New England Kiki Scene People's Choice Awards Ball.
Who's Reviving the Scene
The people reviving ballroom in Connecticut and keeping the floor moving.
Xiomarie LaBeija
Mother and founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the iconic Royal House of LaBeija. A body-positive force, plus-size AfroLatina, and drag artist, Mother Xiomarie is a long-time friend. We produce our mini-balls alongside her, bringing authentic ballroom culture back to Connecticut.
Rodd Juicy
Holding the title of Monarch of Connecticut, Rodd Juicy is one of the two people who revived the ballroom scene in Connecticut after years with no ballroom events. Rodd is someone Sky Casper recently met, but he has quickly supported what we are trying to do. An official judge at most of our mini-balls, he revived ballroom on his own separate path, helping lay the groundwork for the scene we are building today.
Sky Casper
Founder of Sky Casper Entertainment and the producer behind Connecticut's first New England Kiki Scene sanctioned mini-ball. June of 2024, Sky Casper partnered with Mother Xiomarie LaBeija to bring authentic ballroom culture back to Connecticut, putting up $100 grand prizes for every category winner. He produces the mini-balls, gives ballroom a platform and opportunities to grow and educate the queer scene in Connecticut, and keeps the floor moving.
Categories at
Our Mini-Balls
Sky Casper's mini-balls feature four core categories, each with a $100 grand prize.
Face
The judges take a close look at facial structure, teeth, lips, eyes, and nose. Serve face and prove you were born for the camera.
Runway
The catwalk. Confidence, rhythm, and presence from one end of the floor to the other, judged on walk and presentation.
Sex Siren
Sensual performance and magnetism. Command the floor with body, energy, and undeniable appeal.
Performance
Vogue Fem performance judged across the 5 elements: hands, catwalk, duckwalk, floor, and spins & dips. Walk to get your 10s.
The 3 Styles of Vogue
Vogue has evolved into three distinct performance styles over ballroom history. In the Kiki Scene, dancers explore and practice across all three.
Old Way
Characterized by graceful, fluid lines, precision formations, posing, popping, and dabbing inspired by fashion magazines, martial arts, and Egyptian hieroglyphs. Traditionally a symmetrical duel between two rivals.
New Way
Defined by sharp, geometric arm control, tutting, wrist illusions, clicks (joint contortions), and intense flexibility. Dancers create imaginary geometric boxes and shapes with their arms and bodies.
Vogue Fem
An exaggerated, hyper-feminine style birthed by trans women (femme queens). It centers on 5 core elements: hands performance, catwalk, duckwalk, floor performance, and dramatic spins & dips.
The 5 Elements of Vogue Fem
Vogue Fem performance is judged across five core elements. New to the scene? Learn them all at free workshops at A Place To Nourish Your Health.
1Hands Performance
Sharp, controlled hand and arm work. The storytelling of vogue, where every finger, wrist, and line carries meaning and throws shade.
2Catwalk
An exaggerated runway walk. Legs crossed over each other, hips thrust side to side, hands thrown in opposition to the legs.
3Duckwalk
The signature low-to-the-ground shuffle. Squatting on the heels and kicking the feet out while moving forward on the beat.
4Floor Performance
Groundwork that shows control and creativity, rolling and twisting across the floor to capture the judges' attention.
5Spins & Dips
The exclamation point. Fast spins and the iconic vogue dip, a sudden, dramatic drop to the floor on the HA. Dips are not death drops.
Free Vogue Workshops at
A Place To Nourish Your Health
The free vogue workshops are run by A Place To Nourish Your Health (APNH), and they are where Sky Casper first fell in love with ballroom. Thanks to Xiomarie LaBeija, APNH brings in big names from New York City to teach vogue classes, giving the Connecticut community a real on-ramp into the culture. We are not involved in running the workshops, but we will always point people their way.
New to the scene? The free workshops at APNH are the best way in. Come learn the 5 elements, meet the community, and build the confidence to walk a mini-ball.
Visit APNH for WorkshopsBallroom Terminology
A quick glossary for anyone stepping into the culture for the first time.
10s Across the Board
All judges give you a 10. You get your 10s and advance to the head-to-head battle. Anything less and you get chopped.
Chopped
Eliminated. A judge cuts you from the category. The opposite of getting your 10s.
The HA
The loud metallic crash in ballroom music that signals the dip. You dip on the HA, not before, not after.
Walking a Ball
Competing in a category. You walk for the judges, serve your category, and battle for the grand prize.
No Mini-Balls on the Calendar Yet
We do not have any ballroom events scheduled right now. In the meantime, check out the free vogue workshops at A Place To Nourish Your Health to learn the craft and meet the community. Be the first to know when we announce our next New England Kiki Scene sanctioned mini-ball.
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