Babaylans On The Runway? Tens Across The Board!
The first-ever Oblation Ball was a kiki indeed, bolstering the up-and-coming Ballroom Scene in the Philippines through cultural reverence and queer liberation.
Words Randolf Maala-Resueño
Photo courtesy of Randolf Maala-Resueño
May 24, 2025
When different queer cultures collide, the result is an opulent display of communities coming together for a night of celebration—just like the Oblation Ball. Just like its namesake, the Oblation Ball: Babaylan Kiki Edition was a vision for the Filipino Ballroom Scene to expand its horizons for the liberation of Filipino queer futures.
In line with the continuous fight and celebration of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), Oblation Ball aims to bring the art form into academic institutions while creating a safe and accessible space for the culture and community.
With the UP Babaylan at the forefront, diverse ballroom factions called ‘Houses’ flocked the runway of the Gimenez Gallery in UP Diliman, walking for categories like Sex Siren, Bakla VS. Bakla, and Femme Queen Realness—all the while representing the historical symbolism of the ‘babaylan’ and the overall UP diaspora.
Just what is “Ballroom”?
No, it’s not the kind where two people dance cha-cha or tango. For the queer community, Ballroom Culture is an underground phenomenon that emerged in New York City in the 1970s, blending Trans-queer collective resistance and competitive celebration.
It highlights voguing—among many other catergories in of Ballroom—which draws inspiration from fashion poses and catwalks with fluid, precise movements, as well as the transcendence of Fem Queens that pioneered the art form.
Initially dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ African Americans and Latinx, the Ballroom scene became a space where houses, with members spread around the globe, battled each other on the runway to win trophies and burnish the legacy of their names and houses.
In a world that denies recognition of the larger BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) and underprivileged trans and queer individuals, the Ballroom scene serves as a lifeline to empower them despite oppression from the outside world.
Houses—led by “mothers” or “fathers”—nurture identity, creativity, and community. Essentially, the Ballroom is both therapy and protest: a space to defy oppression, celebrate differences, and turn fashion, dance, and performance into acts of joy, healing, and resistance.
Acts of Filipino ‘Pride’
And now, on Filipino soil, the stage for ballroom’s global domination is only getting even bigger and more inclusive than before.
In hopes to expand ballroom outside its usual setting, Filipino ballroom luminary and Oblation Ball co-organizer Nova Mendonça said that opening the ballroom space in academic institutions may bring the queer community’s call to action closer to the masses and expand possibilities for Ballroom community members in the country.
“And using this platform in UP Diliman, we have a way to expand that network. And also to further our advocacies and find allies that will support us and help us in these trying times. And especially, we want it to be a legacy that we can continue, where it is possible to do an Oblation Ball every year,” Nova said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The Filipino ballroom scene can also keep up with its Western counterparts, said Oblation Ball co-organizer Mother Dahlia Cleopatra Labeija, lamenting ballroom’s status in remaining underground.
“We want to showcase with this ball that US ballroom can be done with a Filipino twist. So we’re using US standards, but we’re creating our own Filipino twist with the themes, with different ‘categories.’”
“There is magic and power in being Bakla [queer] and by integrating Filipino-ness into the rich culture of Ballroom,” Nova added.
Art+ Magazine: Do you have any message to the up-and-coming identities in ballroom? Any tips on how to start, where they can find their tribe?
Nova Mendonça: There is a community out there that you will find is for you. Know that authenticity comes from knowing yourself. Then, once you figure that out, once you’ve done the work, it’s going to be heavenly because you’re going to be assured with who you are. Coming into Ballroom will not be easy since it is a community that’s simultaneously trying to heal while celebrating itself.
Therefore, it is important to have a strong sense of self and direction. And despite all of society’s prescriptions of you—the standards, the normative, whatever they want to impose on you—if you know yourself, nothing can beat that. You’re going to get through so much. But again, there is a community out there that you’ll find. I’m not saying that it is guaranteed to be Ballroom, but you have to go into Ballroom to find out.
Enter with intention. Reflect on your bigger purpose as a Pinoy queer individual. And most importantly, hold space and don’t be afraid to try; have those hard dialogues with everyone in the community. There is a bigger fight for us to live through and a bigger purpose to fulfill.
Mother Dahlia Cleopatra Labeija: To the girls of tomorrow, you just need to show up and show out! What I mean by that is, as long as you enter the space with respect, the ballroom scene will also show you respect. Brush up on the history and the culture. Connect with people from the ballroom scene through social media. I promise you, they don’t bite in real life, haha! Check your intention in entering the space. Ballroom might be intimidating, scary even. Yet Ballroom also has the capability to give life back to you. It’s magical and special. Just show up and see for yourself!
Ready to snatch a trophy?
And now: a PSA. This coming Pride Month, attend at least one ballroom gathering. Feel electrified, walk if you have the nerve, and revel in the liberating spirit of Ballroom’s glamour, tenacity, and community.
