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Vogue in Progress is the creator of The Crystal Ball and Pinki Kiki Ball in Singapore, where its ballroom culture—rooted in fashion, art, dance, runway walks, and nightlife—primarily serves as a supportive space for marginalised members of the LGBTQ+ communities.
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what inspired you to actively create a safe and accepting space for the lgbtqia+ community in singapore?
R: Bobby from VIP has been creating safe spaces and events for the LGBTQIA+ community for years. He met Amin and me, who have been very active in the dance community. We then met Vanda Ms. Joaquim, an icon in the Drag scene, and Jess, who was exposed to Ballroom culture while living in Hong Kong. With that, VIP was born in 2017, and we've been working to grow Ballroom culture here in Singapore ever since! Ballroom has such a beautiful history and culture, and we wanted to invite the LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate with us. |
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why is it important to have safe spaces for the lgbtqia+ community like vogue in progress in singapore?
R: I personally believe it's important to have a collective that acts as a driving force to push things forward. We created initiatives, workshops, jams, and balls to spark interest and get things moving for people who have always been interested in Ballroom.
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what are some important steps everyone can take to help extend safe spaces and ensure the safety and acceptance of the lgbtqia+ community throughout singapore?
R: Openness to communicate. As a cisgender woman and ally to VIP and the LGBTQIA+ community, there's a lot for me to learn and understand from one another. The first step is to genuinely reach out and lend a helping hand whenever we can. |
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"The first step is to genuinely reach out and lend a helping hand whenever we can."
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what are your future goals and aspirations for continuing to support and enhance the safety and acceptance of the lgbtqia+ community?
R: With years of community building and growth, there are now more local Kiki houses and Ballroom enthusiasts. We would love to collaborate with everyone to create more safe spaces together in the future.
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over the years, what challenges or obstacles have you faced in establishing and maintaining this space to be safe for the lgbtqia+ community?
R: In the early years, there was uncertainty about whether everything would work out because the scene was still very young. We held our first successful ball, The Crystal Ball, in 2019, but couldn't continue with more initiatives due to COVID. We only came back with the second Crystal Ball in 2022, and even then, there were still restrictions in place. |
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r y e's pride campaign this year is titled 'people like us,' a term that has gained widespread use as slang for being queer among singapore's queer community. what does 'people like us' mean to you?
R: 'People Like Us' to me means we are proud to represent our beliefs and ideologies. We are happy to be us, whether people like us or we are just people like us. |
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"We are happy to be us, whether people like us or we are just people like us."
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Our ‘Love+’ scarves are available in a spectrum of colours to symbolise love, unity, and interconnections.All profits from the sale of the scarves go directly to The T Project, that proudly supports the transgender community in Singapore. Read more about their work here. |
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Illustrations Sarah Kelly Ng Interviewed by Shenali Wijesinghe Featuring Vogue in Progress Special Thanks Bessie Ye |
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