DATE
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 | 6PM
LOCATION
Midtown Loft & Terrace
267 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10016
CONTACT
For more information, please contact Cora Hyatt at
cora(at)baadbronx.org or 718-568-9780
Get ready to shine at the BAAD!25 Bling Ball! Join us for a dazzling evening celebrating the 25th anniversary of BAAD!–The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance!
To honor our rich history of empowering women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ communities through cutting-edge art, we're putting the spotlight on some incredible individuals who have inspired us along our 25-year journey. Honorees include Young Lords activist Iris Morales, Pose star Jason A. Rodriguez, ballroom legend, Javier Madrid and Pose creator Steven Canals.
Our MC for the evening will be none other than the legendary and iconic entertainer, Egyptt LaBeija, while the fabulous DJs, The Illustrious Blacks will keep us grooving all night long. Plus, opera singer Jay Saint Flono, dancers Antonio Ramos & José Lapaz-Rodriguez & more will take the stage for mesmerizing performances!
Be sure to bring your best bling as we celebrate 25 years of artistic excellence and welcome the sparkling future of BAAD!
HONOREES
Iris Morales is a lifelong activist, educator, and feminist in movements for economic, gender, and racial justice, and the decolonization of Puerto Rico. Her love of community led her to form Red Sugarcane Press to document the Puerto Rican and Black diasporas in the Americas. She was a leading member of the revolutionary civil rights group, the Young Lords Party.
IRIS MORALES
BAAD!Ass Woman Icon
Jason A. Rodriguez is a Dominican-American actor and dancer who was born and raised in Washington Heights. He was trained in voguing by Benny Ninja, Dorit Koppel, and Kevin Wynn. Jason starred as Lamar in Ryan Murphy and Steven Canals’ Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated series Pose.
JASON A. RODRIGUEZ
Out Like That Icon
Javier Madrid, a.k.a. the ICONIC father Javier Ninja of The Legendary House of Ninja, is a globally-renowned dancer recognized for his unique body contortions. He is a three-time House Dance International Festival Vogue Champion. Other career highlights include choreographing for "Magic Mike XXL" and performing alongside Madonna at the 2012 Super Bowl.
JAVIER MADRID
Boogie Down Dance Icon
Steven Canals is the Emmy®-nominated and Peabody Award-winning co-creator, executive producer, director and writer of FX’s groundbreaking drama series Pose. In 2020, he was named one of the “50 Most Powerful LGBTQ Players in Hollywood” by the Hollywood Reporter.
STEVEN CANALS
Get Tough! Get BAAD! Icon
ENTERTAINMENT
THE ILLUSTRIOUS BLACKS
DJs
Afro-Electro-Disco-Space-Punks The Illustrious Blacks are a DJ/music duo inspired by artists like Prince, David Bowie, Grace Jones, Depeche Mode and George Clinton. The Illustrious Blacks fuse futuristic funk, hypnotic house, space disco and synth-pop into pulsating positivity for the planet. The real life married couple are not only co-pilots on their artistic voyage, but are united in their fantastical journey through life.
EGYPTT LABEIJA
MC
Legendary and iconic entertainer Egyptt LaBeija began her entertainment career in NYC in 1981, gracing iconic venues including Sally’s, Midtown 43 and Limelight. She became a respected figure in the ballroom community, known for her signature walk that collected countless trophies for Runway. Her commitment to the LGBTQ+ community has led her to work for the Audre Lorde Project as a Coordinator for Trans Justice, and as Trans Relations Educator for the NYC Human Resources Administration.
PERFORMANCES BY
JAY SAINT FLONO
Singer
Jay St. Flono (sopranist) is a classical singer, actor, librettist and author from Brooklyn, New York. Having performed in both avant-garde and traditional productions, Jay has worked with artists such as Bill T. Jones in “Deep Blue Sea” (2021) and has appeared with NYC Opera, the Unsung Collective at Lincoln Center, and in concert as a soloist with the Grace Chorale of Brooklyn and SugarHill Salon.
ANTONIO RAMOS
Dancer
Antonio Ramos is a dancer, choreographer, and certified body work practitioner and artistic director for Antonio Ramos and the Gang Bangers. His work focuses on broader emotional and social themes as they manifest through his identity and histories as a queer artist, an HIV+ artist, and a Puerto Rican artist who was born on the island. He confronts audiences with challenging themes full of darkness and difficulty, and creates joyous, celebratory choreography that harnesses the beauty in life.
JOSÉ LAPAZ-RODRIGUEZ
Dancer
José Lapaz-Rodriguez is a movement artist and model from the Dominican Republic currently residing in Harlem. José is a Hanya Holm award recipient and graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University with a BFA in Dance performance. José researches the interconnection of contemporary dance and voguing in concert dance in queer bodies as he is part of the ballroom scene. He has performed across concert stages, music videos, Off-Broadway, and recently debuted in his first feature film , ‘Playland’ by Georden West.