Technicolor lights placed in the corners of a large studio bounced from a
mirror wall onto the dancers’ bodies. Judges sat behind a table draped
in shiny black fabric and topped with tiny golden trophies and
inflatable pool accessories for the winners of each category. Tonight,
the theme was pool party, a pratice for a future ball in Denver.

 “Honestly, it’s cutthroat now. Let’s go!” said one of the judges.

The beat dropped, but it was a false start. The song started again. And
Aaron Cavazos, the first dancer, dressed in an black button-up shirt, a
tank and a cap, sat in a chair and moved only his hands and arms to the
rhythm. He was all sharp angles, each fluidly disappearing into the next
gesture. It looked like the poses of still models in a Vogue magazine,
or maybe the figures in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

His friends — and opponents in that night’s contest – laughed and whooped, urging him on.

“Judges?”

“Ten, 10, 10! Tens across the floor,” one called.

He passed through to the next round, in which he would battle other contestants until one person won in the “Hands” category.

The event was held by Tucson Vogue, a group of queer dancers and performers who, with the mentorship of the Kiki House of Paragon in Phoenix, are creating a space for LGBTQ+ culture in Southern Arizona. 

Continue reading at the Tucson Sentinel