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THE OL' BALLS AND CHAINS: Diabolique Ball at Shampoo
A leather and fetish party might not be the first place you think to look for holiday spirit.
THE OL' BALLS AND CHAINS: Diabolique Ball at Shampoo
A leather and fetish party might not be the first place you think to look for holiday spirit, but the Diabolique Ball, a 15-year-old community event, is all about giving back and giving thanks. A mecca for the local leather and fetish community, the ball is a chance for the community to come together, celebrate the lifestyle and meet and mingle with like-minded — and clothed — others. This year, the party profits are going to several local organizations, including the GALAEI (Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative) Youth Food Cupboard.
“One of the things you may not know about the Fetish/BDSM community, especially here in Philly, is they really come out and support each other,” says Aphrodite Gallery booking agent Eric Zonk. “They support each other's causes, and do a lot of charity/fundraising for the communities.” Aphrodite is currently hosting fetish and bondage works by Hugh Meade, a shoe and furniture woodworker from Oklahoma City who has been creating intricate wooden shoes and a slew of bondage furniture for the fetish communities for some time. (His Aphrodite show, “Artifacts of Desire,” runs through the end of the year). The show explores the eroticism of objects and how we sexualize the things around us. “From the fetishizing of shoes to furniture designed for bondage, the pieces are not explicit depictions of sex,” notes Meade. “Yet each piece is unmistakably sexual in nature.” While the Diabolique Ball might not be everyone’s cup of tea, Hugh Meade’s show can offer a tame, and beautiful, glimpse into that world.
For those who are interested in attending the ball, celebrity guest Domina Irene Boss will be selling and signing copies of her award winning Fem-Dom DVDs, and the popular Leather Clubs: Parade of Colors award ceremony will be back for another year. This year’s music will be provided by Philadelphia Freedom Band, an LGBT-supportive group of musicians. Other highlights include “play stations” in “the brig,” dungeon parlors and charity booths. While the Diabolique Ball is an open and inviting event, there is a very strict dress code. The sky’s the limit on your costuming, but all guests must have some type of costume — no streetwear allowed! So grab your hottest leather, your tightest corset, or your best military-style costume and get into that charitable holiday spirit.
Sat, Dec. 3, 9 p.m.-2 a.m., $50, Shampoo Nightclub, 417 N. Eighth St., phillyfetishball.com
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