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A Spooky Farewell to SchwuZ

photos: Frank R. Schröder.

Last weekend was a sad one for Berlin – after 48 years the city’s biggest queer club closed its doors forever following years of economic struggles. SchwuZ was a second home to many nightlife workers, DJs, drag queens, performers, and of course the queer community that came together here to celebrate in their own safe space. It’s a tragic loss for the community and the nightlife.

In the last year, I have visited the club at Rollberg more than ever. Our friends from Furiosa and Holy Karaoke started to make their parties here, Berlinale Talents hosted their closing party here, and Rebecca Black came for a concert. It was a place so diverse and lively – apart from being a queer space it was also just a really nice club.

The Whoriental Kiki Ball by Parisa Juicy

by Frank | Ballroom, Photos

Last month, the Berlin ballroom scene had another amazing event happening that gave me the opportunity to capture some exciting photos. The Whoriental Festival at Gretchen had many amazing performances and highlights, but one of the biggest one was the Kiki Ball hosted by German Overseer Parisa Juicy. It was the second edition of this ball and I think creating a special ball to empower ballroom participants from the SWANA region is a wonderful idea, especially since I felt they equally embraced people from several more cultures around the world that might not have their own spotlight on them.

With this concept, the ball had indeed a different vibe and aesthetic and I was so here for it! Thanks to Parisa for creating this space and also inviting me into it – it’s greatly appreciated! I hope my photos do the ball justice!

Transpride Festival: Workdatcvnt Kiki Ball by Calvin 007 & Mandrake 007

by Frank | Ballroom, Photos

Trans Masc community project Workdatcvnt hosted a Kiki Ball at SO36 celebrating their second anniversary and of course we were there to capture the action!

It was great to see so much trans masc representation on the runway – the community has grown so much – of course also thanks to the amazing work of Workdatcvnt. I remember that trans masc participants were practically nowhere to be seen when I started to capture balls all those years ago. And now this community is thriving and often the ones who make all the heads turn at the balls.

The Nostalgia Ball by David GG

by Frank | Ballroom, Photos

The Berlin Pride weekend was such an eventful weekend, and The Nostalgia Ball by David GG was an absolute highlight of it. This major scene ball was a follow-up to last year’s Superheroes 2 Ball that happened on the same day and same place at Holzmarkt’s Säälchen – only with a new theme for this year. And the turn-out was insane. I think I haven’t seen such a long line of spectators and ballroom members from wide and far outside of any ballroom venue. Of course, when David invite’s the people show up!

The night had so many special moments: The host David was welcomed into the House of Gorgeous Gucci, the wonderful Jamila got a special honor for her community work with the Ballroom Pier, and then there was one more special honor that I didn’t quite see coming.

Why Did Pride Feel Different This Year?

by Frank | Photos, Stories

The international Pride Month and the Berlin Pride Week are already behind us, but I’m still basking in the positive feeling especially its last weekend left in me. I did a couple of posts about it – it was a big weekend with lots of different events. I got a lot of love and of course also some comments and DMs to make me think. And I did.

The Colors of Pride II Kiki Ball by Mother Gina Angels & Papi 007

by Frank | Ballroom, Photos

The Berlin Pride weekend was a total blast and one of its major highlights was the second Colors of Pride Kiki Ball hosted once again by the wonderful mother Gina Angels and the charming Papi 007 at the colorful space of The Social Hub Berlin. Last year, the ball was a surprise smash success with such a wild turn-up of participants and spectators that hardly fit into the space. This year was no exception and the kiki was such a fun spectacle that will go into the ballroom history books. Gina and Papi just know how to put something like this together and bring in a crowd, congratulations!

The Social Hub is also such a perfect space for a ball, its colorful interior and exterior being a good match for the theme. And they all made sure that everyone was well fed and lubricated for the action. Special thanks to Hennessy who supported the ball and gave a couple of rounds of shots to everyone.

As Ballroom customs have it, the kiki began with the LSS and special honors, and those were especially gratifying for me, as two of my favorite ballroom personalities received legendary status this evening. One was the amazing Bree who is not only a fantastic performer, but also my favorite ballroom DJ. Congratulations, diva! The second honor went to David who has been somewhat of a guiding light into the ballroom scene for me. Just a day before I was contemplating with a friend why David of all people hasn’t gotten the legendary title before many others around him – and bam! – a day later after his own ball on Friday he received his title. Finally! Congratulations, David! (The coverage of David’s Nostalgia Ball will follow shortly…)

The Revolution Ball by the Iconic House of Saint Laurent

by Frank | Ballroom, Photos

Earlier this month, the Revolution Ball hosted by the Iconic House of Saint Laurent took place at Hebbel am Ufer HAU2 theater. This was a Major Ball, and those have become kind of rare here since the Kiki Scene has been on the rise for the past years and host balls more regularly. So the more reason for us to appreciate the Revolution Ball as it brought a lot of international ballroom members to Berlin to be judges, MCs and special guests. The line-up was stacked with Icons, Legends and stars: European Catalyst Grandfather Archie Burnett Ninja, Icon Arnold Saint Laurent, Icon Arturo Miyake-Mugler, Icon Founding Father Michael Margiela, Icon Queen Tempress, Tabytha Maison-Margiela, Legendary Overall Mother Asia Allure, Legendary Mother Fujiko Ninja, Legendary NYC Mother Jonovia Lanvin, Legendary Mother Lasseindra Lanvin, Legendary Father Suave Saint Laurent, Legendary Naïmah 007, Legendary Father Typhoon Basquiat, and newly crowned Legend Zoe 007. This was not a typical judges board for Berlin, never have we seen so many important, influential and founding members of the international scene here in town. And the high energy during the LSS call really showed that.

The Doechii Kiki Ball by Mother Dream and Everston Louboutin

by Frank | Ballroom, Photos

The Ballroom summer season in Berlin is open and the Doechii Kiki Ball by mother Dream and Everston Louboutin was just the perfect function to kick things off. I’m still gagged by how amazing the kiki was – definitely one of my favorites in a long time. There were so many stunning new talents on the runway I have never seen before. All the ballroom community projects and families have been cooking up fresh members left and right and my camera didn’t even know where to look first. Rarely have the beginner categories looked so advanced. The faces were facing, the outfits were fire and the dips went hard.

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NAKED SOLIDARITY

by vicky | Art, Photos

photos: Mascha Leskien.

Naked Solidarity has slipped into our DMs and we asked a few questions on the occasion of the release party for their new calendar.

But who and what is behind Naked Solidarity?

Naked Solidarity, founded by activist Mascha Leskien, started in 2021 as a solidarity and photography project. Triggered by feminist literature, the questioning of her own privileges and the confrontation with sexist structures, inspired Mascha to combine her feminism with activism, she explained.

Alina Rudya: Empowering The Female Photographer Community

by Frank | Photos, Stories

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Whenever a new post by Alina Rudya a.k.a. rrrudya pops up in my social media feed my heart gets filled with warm thoughts about Berlin. Like no other photographer that I follow, Alina has a way of capturing the city in such a charming, beautiful, often tongue-in-cheek, and always authentic way – it makes me feel really connected, not just with the city, but with her as a fellow Berlin content creator.

For iHeartBerlin’s new feature series in collaboration with Squarespace – the iconic all-in-one website and commerce building platform – we get to meet some outstanding talents in Berlin showcasing the limitless creativity that the city harbors and the endless potential of a strong online presence.

For our interview I meet Alina in one of the most beloved places of the neighborhood we both live in: the famous Mauerpark. It’s a really popular spot to capture good Berlin vibes, but also a beautiful backdrop for portraits. Usually, it’s Alina behind the camera, but today it’s two photographers pointing their cameras at each other while chatting about the job in process.

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