Seatavern

This October, the Colosseum rises again. In honour of our fallen gladiator Rowan Roman, step into the arena for a kiki ball of myth, battle, and glory. Clash in five legendary categories: Best Dressed OTA: Inside the Colosseum, Runway OTA: Gladiator’s Walk, Bizarre OTA: Myths & Monsters, Shake That Ass OTA: Victory Dance, and Vogue OTA: Hands of Rome. The floor is the arena, the crowd your empire—tell your story in armour or laurel, fire or marble. Part proceeds aid the fight against cancer in Rowan’s memory. Stay for a divine halftime show and DJ lineup worthy of Olympus.
Ballroom Culture Overview

Ballroom culture was born in New York City’s Black and Latinx queer communities in the 20th century. Facing racism and exclusion in mainstream drag pageants, Black and Latina drag queens and trans women created their own underground balls where they could celebrate their authentic selves. At these events, known as balls, participants “walk” or compete in categories from vogue to runway fashion to “realness” (embodying specific genders or social archetypes). They organise into houses, essentially chosen families of friends led by “mothers” or “fathers”, that provide support, mentorship and a sense of belonging outside traditional family structures. Over the decades, ballroom became a vital safe space of resistance, expression, and community for LGBTQIA+ people of colour, especially for trans and gender-nonconforming individuals. It offered a world of glamour, family and freedom where they could be themselves without fear. This influence has spilt into mainstream culture (from dance and slang to fashion), but balls remain a proudly underground tradition forged in resilience and creativity.

In South Africa, ballroom culture is blossoming in its own vibrant way. Cape Town’s scene began taking root in the late 2010s, sparked by trailblazers like the late Kirvan Fortuin – a dancer-activist who founded the House of Le Cap (the country’s first ballroom house) in 2017 and hosted South Africa’s first vogue balls. Since then, the local ballroom community has grown into a tight- knit, dynamic family. Regular functions, such as the Legacy Ball and annual Kewpie balls, have emerged, where Cape Town’s houses and performers come together to showcase incredible style, music and dance with a uniquely South African twist. Today, the ballroom scene in Cape Town is thriving and ever- evolving, driven by a spirit of inclusivity, defiance and joy. It offers queer and trans Capetonians a joyful, empowering space to express themselves freely, a celebratory arena of fashion, fierceness and solidarity that continues to grow and reinvent the city’s nightlife.