Name: The Chicago Renaissance Ball
Start: 2026-08-01T16:00:00-05:00
Location: Stan Mansion

CHICAGO! It is TIME!
During the Chicago Black Renaissance, our ancestors used art, music, poetry, fashion, and community to survive hostility, resist erasure, and imagine freedom in a city, and a country, that was not built for them.
Today, we stand in that same lineage.
✨ The Chicago Renaissance Ball ✨
An LGBTQ House Ballroom event hosted by the Chicago Ballroom Alliance, powered by the School of Opulence.
Ballroom is our art form.
Community is our resistance.
Visibility is our survival.
At a time when the current administration continues to attack LGBTQ people, especially Black and Brown queer and trans communities, spaces like this are not optional. They are necessary. They are where we protect our culture, circulate resources, affirm our brilliance, and remind the world that we are still here.
With $20,000 invested directly back into our community, this night marks more than a Ball, it marks a new era of Chicago Ballroom, rooted in legacy and elevated by excellence.
Just like before, we create anyway.
Just like before, we shine anyway.
Just like before, Chicago rises.
Legacy honored.
Future claimed.
Renaissance activated.
Chicago Renaissance Ball
August 1st, 2026
Stan Mansion
2408 N Kedzie Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60647
$20,000 in Grand Prizes
Grand Prize $5000 OTA Runway
Bronzeville Elite: Avant Garde Edition
During the Great Migration (1916–1930), more than 500,000 Black Southerners moved to Chicago, bringing Southern traditions and quickly embracing urban sophistication. In Bronzeville, known as the “Black Metropolis”, fashion became a symbol of dignity, self-determination, and modern Black identity. The streets themselves became runways for a rising Black middle class of doctors, lawyers, entertainers, and entrepreneurs.
Men wore tailored double-breasted suits with wide lapels, pocket watches, fedora hats, polished two-tone shoes, and overcoats with fur collars.
Women wore silk dresses, feathered hats, fox fur stoles, beaded evening gowns, gloves, and pearl necklaces.
Style communicated wealth, respectability, and political presence.
Runway Expectation
Embody the Bronzeville Elite. However, creativity is your capital tonight. We want to see the Bronzeville Elite Look, but with an AVANT GARDE edge! Every look must be sharply tailored from head to toe. We want to see custom fits, structured silhouettes, refined elegance, and experimental flair. Make sure you take it to the next level! Do your research. Understand the era. Feel the texture; hear the tone! Know the history. No half-stepping! Tonight you are the Bronzeville Elite: Avant Garde Edition. No costumes. ALL FASHION! (A printed picture reference is a MUST!)
For the gentlemen:
Double-breasted suits, sharp shoulders, silk pocket squares, and polished two-tone shoes—carrying the quiet confidence of men who own businesses, publish newspapers, and negotiate power.
For the ladies:
Silk gowns draped in elegance, fox fur stoles cascading from the shoulders, gloves that whisper refinement, and hats sculpted like crowns of Bronzeville royalty.
8 Trophies AA vs Tall vs Small vs Big vs FQ vs Drags vs Women vs Icon/Legend
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Grand Prize $5000 BQ Face
The Beautiful Bronzeville Dandy
Historically, a dandy is a man who elevates dress, grooming, and manner into an art form. For Black men in America, that meaning evolved. Elegance became resistance. Dressing impeccably challenged racist stereotypes and asserted dignity, confidence, and self-determination.
In Chicago’s Bronzeville, sharply dressed men gathered along 35th Street and South Parkway (now Martin Luther King Drive). This fashionable corridor became known as “the Stroll,” where style, presence, and pride were on full display; and the dandies ruled it.
Their look was defined by immaculate grooming:
• Slicked hair with pomade
• Precise part lines
• Thin mustaches
• Clean shaves
Tonight, embody the Black Dandy of the Chicago Renaissance. Slicked hair, precise parts, thin mustaches, and clean shaves. Bring it in a tuxedo, any color, but it must be perfectly tailored and flawlessly fitted. Your tuxedo must be Rhinestoned. How many stones is up to you, but you must shine, glisten, and bling as you serve the elegance, confidence, and presence of the Bronzeville Dandy.
4 Trophies- 1 Cash: Dark vs Brown vs Light vs White
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$2500 BQVF vs FF Performance
Renaissance in Motion – The Vogue Ascension.
Walk and embody the brilliance of the Black Renaissance. From Bronzeville royalty to Harlem after dark — bring us precision, presence, and performance.
We want jazz in your hands.
We want poetry in your dips.
We want legacy in your lines.
Female Figures-Josephine Baker, don’t forget your Banana Skirt!
Male Figure-Bojangles, do your research!
We don’t want to see costumes, we want to see authenticity!
5 Trophies BQVF Soft vs BQVF Drama vs Drags vs FQ vs Women
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$2500 OTA Best Dressed
An homage to the brilliance of the Black Renaissance — where intellect was power, style was rebellion, and excellence was intentional. Contestants must embody the spirit of 1920s–1940s Black achievement while reinterpreting it through a modern couture lens.
Expect elevated tailoring. Decadent textures. Architectural silhouettes. Narrative detail.
This is not theatrical imitation.
This is historical influence transformed into high couture!
Do your research and bring one of these categories to fashion life!
Bronzeville Royalty
Inspired by Chicago’s Black elite and the sophistication of South Side high society. Think velvet tuxedos, opera coats, beaded gowns, structured silhouettes, and commanding elegance.
Harlem After Dark
A celebration of jazz culture and nightlife glamour. Liquid movement, fringe and feathers, metallic accents, dramatic capes, and silhouettes that move like music.
The Literary Salon
Rooted in intellectual refinement and artistic thought. Tailored suiting, rich neutral palettes, embroidered poetry, subtle opulence, and storytelling craftsmanship.
Jazz Prophet
The future imagined through ancestral rhythm. Sculptural couture, exaggerated forms, musical symbolism, and visionary interpretation that honors sound as revolution.
We ask that whichever fashion category you decide you bring a *SICKENING ACCESSORY/ACCESSORIES*. During this time accessories represented a symbol of wealth/success.
Serve legacy.
Serve luxury.
Serve Renaissance.
3 Trophies (MF vs FF vs GNC)
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$1000 RWT
“Black Bottom – Ma Rainey & Her Boys”
The blues are heavy and the band is warming up. The year is the 1925 in Chicago and the stage belongs to the Mother of the Blues. Tonight the ballroom becomes the rehearsal room where the band prepares before the queen herself takes the spotlight.
This is a 2-Part category. Contestants must embody both the musician and the legend.
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PART I – The Band Boy Realness
Before the blues diva arrives, her band must be ready. Walk as one of Ma Rainey’s band members and serve 1920s musician realness.
You must represent ONE of the following musicians and bring a prop or picture (no phones) of the instrument they play:
• Levee – the ambitious trumpet player
• Toledo – the intellectual pianist
• Cutler – the steady guitar player
• Slow Drag – the laid-back bass player
Dress the part and sell it. The judges must believe you belong in Ma Rainey’s band and are ready to play the blues. You will battle for realness!!!
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PART II – The Ma Rainey Twist
The band steps aside… now the star arrives.
For the twist, transform and give your interpretation of Ma Rainey—bold, dramatic, and larger than life. Channel the blues diva energy and command the stage like the queen herself.
Requirement:
A headband with a feather is mandatory.
Bring the band boy realness first… then bring the blues legend. The stage is yours. 🎺🪶
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$1000 OTA Sex Siren
During the Chicago Black Renaissance, Chicago’s South Side was alive with nightlife, jazz clubs, cabarets, and theatrical performances where sensuality, glamour, and confidence ruled the stage. The entertainers of the era knew how to captivate a crowd with style, charisma, and undeniable sex appeal. Tonight we celebrate that legacy of seduction and showmanship.
This is Sex Siren, so your body, confidence, and allure must take center stage.
Male Figures: Bring it inspired by the smooth, irresistible charm of a classic Chippendales-style performer. Think bowtie tuxedo fantasy—bowtie, cuffs, suspenders, or tuxedo-inspired elements paired with boxers, briefs, or minimal garments that show off the body. You should look like the main attraction of the night: confident, polished, and undeniably sexy.
Female Figures: Bring it as a Burlesque showstopper, inspired by the glamorous cabaret performers who lit up the nightlife of the era. Think corsets, lingerie, garters, stockings, feathers, and sparkling burlesque-inspired undergarments that highlight your curves and silhouette. Your presentation should be alluring, theatrical, and dripping with seduction.
Both divisions must emphasize body, confidence, and sex appeal. Make the judges feel your presence the moment you hit the floor.
7 Trophies (Jr. vs Sr. vs Cat Boy vs TM vs FQ vs Big Girls vs Womens)
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$1000 MF Realness
Chicago Black mobsters, held significant power, particularly in the Southsides "Black Belt" Bronzeville. They ran highly profitable illegal "policy" (numbers) rackets and vice operations, often operating independently or in uneasy tension with the white Chicago Outfit. Key figures like ( Dan Jackson, the Jones brothers, Theodore Roe & John "Mushmouth" Johnson), Controlled gambling and policy rackets on the South Side for decades. Controlled these lucrative, community-based operations, sometimes earning thousands daily, before the Outfit moved to extort them in the 1940s.
• Dan Jackson: A major figure in the 1920s who managed large gambling houses on the South Side and operated with significant autonomy from white syndicates.
• The Jones Brothers "policy kings" (Edward and George) & John "Mushmouth" Johnson: Controlled gambling and policy rackets in the South Side for decades.Controlled a massive policy wheel (lottery) racket in the 1930s and 40s, earning upwards of $10,000 a day. They were targets of the Chicago Outfit's, particularly Sam Giancana's, efforts to extort "street tax".
• Theodore "Teddy" Roe: A defiant policy kingpin who refused to pay tribute to the Chicago Outfit after the Jones brothers fled to Mexico. Roe was notable for shooting and killing an Outfit gunman sent to kidnap him.
* Pay tribute to any of these key figures of choice while showing us your MODERN take on who was the boss "policy" mobster of the Chicago. *Must have Props*
6 Trophies Thug vs Executive vs School Boy vs Transmen vs Everyday vs Prettyboy

*DO YOUR RESEARCH*
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$1000 FF Realness
Church Lady Realness
During the era of the Black Chicago Renaissance, Chicago became a powerful center for Black culture, creativity, faith, and community. In the midst of the hardships of the Great Depression, the church stood as one of the few places where Black communities could gather, find strength, and hold onto hope. It was during this time that a young Mahalia Jackson began building her gospel legacy in Chicago, singing in churches and uplifting people with a voice that would eventually help define Gospel music for generations.
In those years, the church was more than a place of worship — it was a cultural institution and a pillar of the community. And the women of the church represented dignity, grace, and respectability. The “church lady” was known for her polished appearance, her strong presence, and her unmistakable Sunday elegance. Hats sat perfectly atop pressed hair, gloves matched the outfit, dresses were structured and refined, and every detail reflected pride, faith, and class.
For this category, we honor that era and the women who carried that presence.
Bring it as a Church Lady from the time of the Black Chicago Renaissance. Think Sunday Service in the 1930s–1940s — elegant church hats, gloves, tailored dresses, modest but fashionable silhouettes, polished heels, and the kind of grace that commands respect the moment you walk into the room.
This is FF REALNESS, so the illusion must be undeniable. From head to toe, you should look like you are truly that church woman stepping out after Sunday service — respectable, refined, and full of presence.
4 Trophies Drags vs Jr FQ vs FQ vs Big Girls
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$250 New Performance
Step Into Your Power
The Black Renaissance celebrated bold art, refined style, and unapologetic Black brilliance. This category invites beginners to channel that energy—discovering grace, building confidence, and rebirthing themselves on the floor.
The look is on you, but should be representative of the Era!
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$250 New Face
Bronzeville Youth
During the Chicago Renaissance, children in Bronzeville were dressed with the same pride and polish as adults. Clothing reflected family values of dignity, discipline, and respectability. Parents believed that well-dressed children represented aspiration and progress.
Boys wore neat, structured outfits such as knickerbockers, button-up shirts, suspenders, sweater vests or cardigans, knee-high socks, and leather lace-up shoes.
For church and special occasions, boys appeared in short or knicker suits with blazers, crisp white shirts, bow ties, and polished oxford shoes.
Girls typically wore simple but carefully made dresses, often featuring cotton or wool fabrics, Peter Pan collars, pleated skirts, puff sleeves, and button details. Dresses usually fell just below the knee.
For church and formal gatherings, girls wore lace or satin dresses with ribbon sashes, white gloves, patent leather shoes, and frilly socks or tights. Decorative hats or hair bows completed the look.
Children’s fashion reflected the elegance, pride, and refinement of Bronzeville families during the Chicago Renaissance.
Tonight, for New Face, you are the babies in the room. Use the information above to put together a clean, pressed, polished, and tailored look. Know your place and earn your spot. Show us who’s up next!
2 Trophies- 1 Cash: Male Figure vs Female Figure
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$250 New Runway
The Classic Turnabout
During the era of the Black Renaissance, nightlife, music, and art pushed the boundaries of expression. Figures like Gladys Bentley were known for challenging gender norms, performing in sharp tuxedos and top hats while commanding the stage with confidence and style. In spaces shaped by blues icons like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, queer expression quietly thrived through fashion, nightlife, and performance.
Tonight we celebrate that spirit of rebellion and style.
We want a CLASSIC TURNABOUT.
Male Figures — push the binary and serve high fashion in garments traditionally associated with women.
Female Figures — push the binary and serve sharp masculine tailoring and menswear elegance.
Think 1920s–1930s Harlem nightlife, blues and jazz clubs, and cabarets.
Bring it with confidence, elegance, and a clean runway walk.
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$250 New Realness
The Jones Brothers Affiliates
During the height of Chicago’s Black Metropolis in Bronzeville, power and influence moved through the South Side streets. Among the figures connected to Chicago’s policy gambling scene were the Jones Brothers — Dan Jones, Theodore “Teddy” Jones, and Mushmouth Jones.
Men with that level of reputation moved with style, presence, and protection close by. Where there is power, there is always a circle around it — the women who carried themselves with elegance and the men who made sure nobody crossed the line.
Tonight we bring that world to the ballroom.
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FEMALE FIGURE (FF) – THE JONES BROTHERS’ WOMEN
You are the stylish woman connected to power on the South Side.
Bring it in Bronzeville mob-era girlfriend realness.
Think:
• Tailored dresses or glamorous evening wear
• Fur stoles or coats
• Feathered or dramatic hats
• Gloves, pearls, and luxury accessories
Hair and makeup should give 1930s–1940s Chicago glamour — finger waves, curls, bold lipstick, and polished elegance.
You should look like the woman sitting VIP in the nightclub while the band plays and everyone knows not to disrespect you.
Serve Bronzeville mob girlfriend realness.
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MALE FIGURE (MF) – THE BODYGUARDS
Every powerful man moved with protection.
Bring it as the trusted bodyguards of the Jones Brothers, the men making sure business runs smoothly and nobody steps out of line.
Think:
• Sharp suits or long overcoats
• Fedora hats
• Leather gloves
• Strong, intimidating presence
You should look like the man standing by the club door or walking two steps behind the boss keeping everything in order.
Serve Chicago mob protection realness.
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More details such as remaining categories, table sales, and weekend itinerary will be announced soon
For more information please reach out to:
Chicago Ballroom Alliance Executive Board
President: Legendary Vance Tisci
Vice President: Legendary Mitch Lanvin
Secretary: Legendary Meghan Ebony
Treasurer: Icon Kiddy Balenciaga
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