The House | The House of Alexander
It’s a beautiful early spring night in Brisbane and Southbank is lit up by the various installations as part of BrisFest, offering a visual delight for passer-byers. I bump into Natano out the front and he’s welcoming Pasifika elders into the space with his usual heart-filled presence and reverent gesture. I give an air uma to him and walk through into the bar. There’s a vast selection of local beers and I go for the strongest and sit in the warmth with a moderate cool breeze. I continue on into the Southbank piazza space and the energy in the room is lively for a Wednesday night, all sorts in audience, old, young, brown, white and brindle, non-binary and binary. It’s a safe space for all, celebrating the diaspora of inner-city Brisbane.
The show begins and the speaker rings through with BrisFest’s acknowledgement to country. Lighting dims and the audience finish up their convos as Joshua leads out the beginning cast of performers; he stays standing as the rest lay down on the ground surrounding him. He plays the yidaki and he plays it well, and I’m yet again reminded of the layered talents and skills Joshua brings to the stage, every time. Joshua, I’ve learnt, is someone who operates with grace, humility, and approachableness offstage and throughout all their interactions with others, they are someone who has time for everyone who has time for them. A natural and true leader, understandably the chosen father to the House of Alexander.
Joshua finishes the piece, and a Maori member begins cultural dance with a recorded audio acknowledgement in Te Reo playing over the house speakers, I understand some of it and understand it as an acknowledgement of being on another’s land. Familiar words of tapu and marae as the words for sacred and for place are heard. Joshua beckons the Maori performer into the centre stage and onto ‘country’ as the two stand in solidarity together. Next comes the Tongan acknowledgement, offered up with the actions of Leki who demonstrates the pride of the Tongan people in his ta’olunga / dance, I understand all the words to this and too feel the pride of my heritage shoot out my chest as my shoulders roll back, and my chin raises hearing my mother tongue ask permission to country. He too is beckoned to the centre by Josh, onto ‘land’ and into the safe loving arms of protocol done well. Next the Sri Lankan offering, then the Phillipino offering, the Fijian and then lastly the Samoan offering, all a combined permission request of entering someone else’s land, and the protocols to ensue whenever this is the case. Respect. Each time Joshua Taliani beats clapsticks in their direction, beckoning and welcoming each guesting culture. What does the English one look like, I wondered? And would another day of mourning be declared for the first nations peoples of Australia if this English one was authentic?
Indeed, a beautiful commencement to the show tonight and one that gives the acknowledgement to country the time it deserves. The familiar sounds of contemporary Hip-Hop slice through the stillness of the previous act and Neesha and her entourage push out some voguing to bring the feel hundreds of years forward into the current movement happening in Queersland, which consists of productions provided from House of Alexander to the diaspora living in Brisbane. The House is the latest gift to Meanjin from these artists. I can tell that this crew have been busy behind the scenes working hard to grow and develop every iteration.
I don’t want to give too much away in this review. I want to talk about it all, but I’ll save that for my face-to-face reviews. It’s a very necessary thing though for everyone to get to a show these people do. The House to me spoke to Pasifika and Asian communities and the need for the creation of contemporary rituals, spaces and practice. Culture is a living thing. We need to evolve with the time and the needs of our people. In The House their cultural pride is on their sleeves and smiles, even from members who have been ousted by their families, still respectful of their roots. Work like this gives permission for all diaspora queer folk to know and believe that culture, gender and sexuality need not be mutually exclusive and can exist together in harmony, even in excellence.
At one point Ella Ganza, House of Alexander’s Mother addresses the crowd for a small segment of educational content, always generous in her explanation of ballroom to the newly anointed. She shares perspective of the importance of loving self as a transwoman of colour and the need for more protection and support, and where ballroom history weaves into the movement she leads here in Meanjin. I’ve never experienced someone speak so inspiringly as does the ever-eloquent Ella. She looks like a million pa’anga / dollars, holding herself high as she goes on to explain the term ‘Throwing Shade’ and Kaiyah and London help her deliver this through a roleplay of hard hitting one liners making for a harsh roasting session with each other. Ella acts as an adjudicator and they participate and demonstrate throwing shade playfully, still a pillory nonetheless. This showed me their relationships and resilience, a slice of what transwomen of colour receive just walking out the door. Giggling it off as they all exit stage, I see London collegially push Kaiyah playfully as they go just out of sight of audience.
For the rest of the show, I am speechless. Just under 2 hours, I sat in dazzled wonderment as each act came out. Never a dull moment. Literally. New choreography, new members, new delivery. This crew are not just about vogueing, and they want you to know it. A highlight was the cultural dance of the Tongan war dance, the Kailao, the Samoan Fa’ataupati, and the way the House played on gender roles within this often-binary framework of Culture, where, at least in the recordable histories, there were dances reserved for Men and others for Women. This re-interpretation shown tonight helps me see the beautiful femininity in all cultural dance. Dance for me defies gender stereotypes, allows more.
Once again, The House dances trade in sophisticated group work, eye-catching, well rehearsed compositions and well thought out musical selections. Each act coming out as hard hitting as the previous, staying in theme of empowerment and self sovereignty. I witnessed an act shedding light on the reality of finding love as a transwoman, often relationships that occur in secret, seemingly a love idealism reserved for others. I witnessed poetry that beckoned me to unravel my cultural amnesia and to transform it. I witnessed sharing from ‘old ways’ to old way vogueing, new age and inclusive cabaret, body positivity, lip-syncing, and production prowess. It’s an absolute must see for all.
The ending piece of tonight’s show a triumphant exaltation giving homage to Dance as Art, expressions too hard to just ………..say with words. So in the same vein as The House tonight, I’ll leave you with the inspiring words of the late Whitney Houston to bring you out of your head and into your body: dance proud and play it loud, people.
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me…..
The House of Alexander Ball book ends the BrisFest on the 24th of September, so be sure to get your tickets to this epic event. This year, the Ball will be grace by visits from houses interstate and abroad. Reserve your tickets soon, as it will sell out and check out Purple Carrot’s documentary of last years Ball, ‘The Alexander Ball: Curious Australia’, which is now streaming on SBS On Demand. Logins required.
