SHADES, an organization for LGBTQ+ students of color, hosted their fourth-annual Vogue Ball this past Saturday in Old Union Hall. This year’s theme, “Haunted Ball,” embraced the spirit of Halloween with spider webs and skeleton decorations and E-Board members, performers and attendees alike dressed in extravagant costumes.

The organization’s Vogue Ball celebrates the Ballroom-Drag culture created by Black and Latine individuals. Originally founded by a Black, formerly enslaved man named William Dorsey Swann in the 1880s, the balls provided a space for free expression through performance and fashion throughout the early 20th century.

Between the ‘60s and ‘80s in Harlem, voguing became part of the New York Ballroom scene. The dance style drew inspiration from the poses of models in fashion magazines like Vogue and has become a symbol of self-expression and representation for the LGBTQ+ community. Widad Ibrahim, a SHADES general intern and a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, emphasized the importance of the culture that was created.

“It was made as a way to spark defiance between the cis and heteronormative standards of society,” Ibrahim said. “When people can finally come to a place to express themselves through clothing and dance, which is such a sacred art, they learn community and they learn how to be proud of who they are while expressing themselves.”

“Haunted Ball” was emceed by Luis Hernandez ‘24 and Nashaan Howard ‘24. The two SHADES alumni introduced this year’s E-Board, ramped up the audience for each performance and gave entertaining commentary throughout the night. Eshi Choi, the organization’s president and a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, explained the purpose of the Vogue Balls.

“It’s our major event that we throw every fall semester,” Choi said. “It’s really just to highlight queer voices of color, predominantly Black and brown voices, who have fought in the face of adversity and oppression to express themselves and show their true selves regardless of fear, or objection or the backlash they receive.”

The ball commenced with a performance by MajorNoir, BU’s Black majorette dance team. Dressed in black and red leotards, their performance began with an eerie melody, especially playing into the theme when the song transitioned into Beyonce’s “Haunted.” Their performance ended with “Crazy” by Doechii, where they exited the room in a single-file line. The dancers received cheering and applause from the audience throughout their routine.

A performance by professional voguers Evie Birkin and Jay Valentino followed, making this year’s Vogue Ball especially memorable. With four total performances throughout the night, the professional performers were a testament to the event’s popularity at BU. Alex Clarin, SHADES’ senior advisor majoring in biology, said that the event has continued to grow from previous years.

This year drew a large audience as well, with almost every seat full of attendees dressed in Halloween costumes and cheering for the performers and contestants. It featured four categories where audience members could walk and compete for trophies. They included “Femme Realness,” “Butch Realness,” “OTA” — open to all — and lip sync performance.

Ayman Habib, a general intern for SHADES and a sophomore majoring in computer science, performed for the second year in a row at “Haunted Ball.” While he had previously performed in the lip sync category, he was invited to be a featured performer this year and danced to “Haunted” by Beyonce, making for a full circle moment from the event’s first performance before a brief intermission.

“Last year for me, at least, it was a little scarier because I was putting myself out there,” Habib said. “Whereas this year, it feels like I’m just coming back to do what I know. Last year I found the space, this year I know it’s a safe space.”

A new dance team on campus, “Collision,” made their debut at the event and danced to “Gangsta” by Kehlani and “Calling All the Monsters” by China Anne McClain.

Jessica Guerrier, a sophomore majoring in musical theatre, performed in the lip sync category this year to “MONTERO” by Lil Nas X and was met with applause throughout her performance. They discussed the importance of the annual Vogue Ball.

“It’s hard for a marginalized group to come together — on a campus like this, it’s pretty hard,” Guerrier said. “It’s nice that SHADES is able to throw an event like this every year. You don’t have to have any experience, you don’t have to actually be in it, but just being able to go and see people perform and interact with the people I relate to on such a personal level is really nice.”

After a night full of performances and competitions, the “Haunted Ball” came to an end. Many attendees and E-Board members stayed long after the event to enjoy the music and dance with one another. Choi expressed her gratitude for SHADES as a whole.

“I think that the multicultural community and the queer community here at Binghamton are what make life so beautiful and allow for us to experience things that we might not have been able to experience at this predominantly white institution,” Choi said. “That we as an organization are able to provide the student body with opportunities that they might not have faced going to a university like this is something that makes us really special. Especially when our E-Board is comprised of so many different people of so many different backgrounds and identities, it’s really just a beautiful amalgamation of what I think makes life and existence as a whole beautiful in this special bubble that I get to exist in here.”