Put on by Oakland To All, a local ballroom collective that creates inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ+ community, the annual Hella Hyphy Ball took place on Sept. 7 this year at the Lake Merritt Amphitheater. The ball is a creative, community-driven experience outside of the corporate Pride scene.
Beyond dips, spins, and epic duck walks, the event combines elements of the Bay Area hyphy moment of the early aughts with queer culture in a way that is just SO Bay Area. In other words it’s fun, sassy, full of culture–and just hella gay.
Competition categories included a “Merritt Bakery” sex siren show down, a “Bizarre Lives Matter” ensemble contest, and “Dancing prancing supastarz of Vogue,” which offered several power-packed performances and included a $2,000 cash prize.
Two contestants strike their final poses in the “Dancing Prancing Supastarz of Vogue” contest during the third annual Hella Hyphy Ball at Lake Merritt in Oakland on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez
Prizes are just a small portion of what entices contestants to complete. For Rome Ebony, West Coast Prince of The House of Ebony and father of the House of Telfar, who traveled from Los Angeles and won the final competition of the night, one of the biggest perks was seeing his Bay Area house children. Ebony plans to use the cash to fund an event called Safe Haus, which combines artistry with community.
Tyler-Avery Lewis, also known as Butterfly Bodega, compete in the “Merritt Bakery” sex siren category during the third annual Hella Hyphy Ball at Lake Merritt in Oakland on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez
“Any opportunity to engage in community is spectacular and profound. To make art and to uplift people is my duty in this world. So I feel fulfilled at this moment,” Rome Ebony told The Oaklandside.
Roy Golingan, who attended with friends Maribelle Abatayo and Tahja Stevenson, cheered on each battle from a blanket in the grass. Golingan has followed Oakland to All since the organizers hosted outdoor “vogue sessions” next to The Pergola at Lake Merritt in 2021. He found a sense of community through the events and they inspired him to take dance classes at In the Groove Studios with dancer SoHo Tisci and Shireen Rahimi, a.k.a. Hype Kitty, one of the Oakland to All organizers.
“I’ve always loved ballroom culture and I’m expressing myself, my queerness through this scene,” Roy Golingan said. “It’s been really freeing.”
Kimberly Wright (center) cheers for a contestant during the third annual Hella Hyphy Ball at Lake Merritt in Oakland on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. Wright, who attended the ball with her daughters, is one the the several people in the audiance who brought their family members to the event. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez
From left: Roy Golingan, Maribelle Abatayo and Tahja Stevenson watch performances from a picnic blanket during the third annual Hella Hyphy Ball at Lake Merritt in Oakland on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez
