Could you imagine going sober-raving with a bunch of alien-like drag queens in Oberschöneweide? Neither did I until I went to the Pyramid Party.
I have had my fair share of strange things in Berlin in the last couple of years. Approximately 16 years ago I came to this city as a young and curious psychology student and did not imagine what a rollercoaster ride was expecting me and my body. Yet last February one particular event became one of the top special experiences: the Pyramid Party. Before this particular event repeats itself this weekend I would like to share with you my experience of the last time I went there.
photo: Ralph Schmerberg
Far away in the Niemandsland of Oberschöneweide, something is cooking. The new art space Mahalla that just opened last summer led by the director Ralf Schmerberg is a place worth checking out. Inside this giant warehouse, several artists have their showrooms, and lots of exhibitions and concerts are happening there. Here I had the chance to experience my first Pyramid Party last February. The word “party” is maybe misleading. Since it is more like a full-blown ritual created by drag queens that will guide you to your spirit self (if you believe in it or not).
photo: Sebastiaan Lefuce
photo: Sebastiaan Letuce
photo: Sebastiaan Lefuce
The organizer of the Pyramid Party is the drag queen Marlena Shiva also called Boto. The Berlin-based Australian musician* with Japanese roots is already playing didgeridoo as the guests enter the space. Before the dancing starts, Shiva leads a so-called Kundalini breathing meditation. In her outfit, she looks like a mixture of a Japanese schoolgirl and an indigenous shaman. Her attitude, on the other hand, is a remix of the high priestess and annoyed lady at the Ausländerbehörde. Other drag princesses dance around her while Shiva plays instruments from various cultures and leads one meditation technique after another. I remember how the question “Is this cultural appropriation?” pops up in my head. But this is such a clash of cultures, habits, and ideas that nothing culturally original seems to be misinterpreted.
photo: Sebastiaan Lefuce
photo: Sebastiaan Lefuce
After about an hour of various meditation exercises such as holding the thumb in the sky, sticking out the tongue, painting waves with the hands, and inhaling in a special rhythm, everything leads to the dance meditation called Dose of Pleasure by Filipino-Canadian dancer Alvin Collantes, also in drag here today. And now we all start shaking and dancing around the fire of this cathedral-like space and I remember how it felt like my body was shooting energy balls in all directions. Around 9 pm I left the space while others stayed until midnight when the pyramid party ended.
photo: Sebastiaan Lefuce
This Sunday, May 8th starting around 5 pm, the Pyramid Party is coming back to Mahalla. Check out all the info in our event guide or here at their website.
