Shea Couleé’s 2024 was full of love this year, thanks to The Love Ball.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race alum has made their name repping the cool chicness of Black drag, and The Love Ball was the epitome of her celebration of queer Blackness and the inclusiveness of drag.
The Love Ball took place earlier this year in Chicago, Atlanta, New York City and Los Angeles with queens and fellow Drag Race franchise alums Jaida Essence Hall, Luxx Noir London, LaLa Ri, Monet X Change, Tayce and several others in tow. Couleé told Shadow and Act that their ball was “an immersive concert experience that highlighted Black drag queens, specifically those who were creating songs that I feel have radio appeal.”
“I find it necessary to always amplify queer Black talent simply because we need the support,” they said. “And, who better to support us than ourselves? That’s why I always want to try and highlight and give space to Black talent as much as I can.”
The Love Ball has been critically acclaimed as a full-on explosion of drag excellence, and was described by Broadway World as “a true production–every number choreographed to perfection, faces beaten to the GODS, outstanding visuals, and unreal wardrobe.”
“Shea and [their] team created something very special, and it could become a benchmark for drag shows in the future, because it isn’t a drag show… it’s an experience,” Broadway World continued in its review. “The Love Ball is a spectacle of wigs, fashion, makeup, body, and talent. It’s part concert, part pageant, part Paris Fashion Week, part multimedia Broadway-level production, with first-class performers at the top of their game that needs to be seen to be believed.”
Couleé said that The Love Ball is “really about disrupting the formula of the typical drag show that we have become accustomed to and giving the fans an experience that they haven’t seen before.”
They also mentioned how the production is inspired by Beyonce’s Renaissance world tour. Beyoncé is Couleé’s muse when it comes to showcasing Black artistry.
“Where to even begin? To me, Beyoncé exemplifies Black excellence and that is something that I’m always trying to achieve for myself and help others achieve,” they said. “She has the ability to create such a well-rounded, polished production. And though I don’t have the funds and resources that Beyonce has, I wanted to try and achieve the same feeling that I had as a fan going to the Renaissance World Tour and give a little piece of that to our fans through The Love Ball.”
The Love Ball is a fun celebration of queer art. But it’s also a revolution. Couleé doesn’t shy away from talking about how The Love Ball is a continuation of drag’s disruption of societal oppression, something that’s become even more pressing in today’s political climate.
“I feel like Black queer joy is very revolutionary in and of itself,” they said. “To be able to create a safe space and showcase that is a direct revolt against the status quo that would otherwise seek to silence us and, honestly, remove us.”
Along with The Love Ball’s success, Couleé has also flexed their modeling talent by walking the runway at the RIO Sport show this summer. Couleé said that their love of fashion also plays a part in creating The Love Ball.
“Being able to walk the inaugural RIO show as someone who was a fan of the former namesake, it was really great to participate in this new chapter in their story,” they said. “Fashion is my second language, next to English. It is how I communicate non-verbally and loudly. I constantly try to immerse myself in different shows, editorials, and fantasies to really see what has an emotional impact on me, and the things that I connect with emotionally the strongest are the ones that I choose to reflect in my shows, like The Love Ball.”
So what’s next for Couleé and The Love Ball? They said that they want the production to continue inspiring others in the most organic way possible.
“I want to continue to keep the experience intimate and special,” they said. “However the experience expands, I want to ensure that it is organic and uplifting to everybody involved.”
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