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House of Kenzo, Art Collective

A weekend in the life of the Texas-based underground dance collective, as they spread their message of radical self-expression across the traditionally conservative state.

House of Kenzo are the underground dance collective revolutionising Texan nightlife. We join Breezy, Roxy, Flo, Gemel and Toni over a weekend, as they perform at the opening of a queer film festival in Austin and in their hometown of San Antonio.

Each performance is a conceptual piece of artwork with built in messages of radical self-expression, body positivity, ecology and community. Constructing a DIY stage on the dancefloor, House of Kenzo blend jaw-dropping dance moves - voguing, krumping, break dancing in ten inch heels - with avant garde club music, shouting explicit mantras at the audience, inviting them to join in a communal, often cathartic, dance battle.

For local artist Ben Aqua, they represent the future of queer culture. Their volatile energy, flamboyant fashion, and total freedom of expression are inspiring a movement in Texas - a traditionally conservative state. Their events are often a springboard for other LGBT artists of colour in the underground nightlife scene.

Local journalist and DJ, Dan Gentile, believes House of Kenzo have a real future not in just music but in performance art, the type of higher end culture that would traditionally be difficult for an underground art collective to break into.

To date, they鈥檝e performed showcases at Austin鈥檚 SXSW, Day For Night Festival in Houston, and are beginning to tour all over the US, and will be travelling to Europe for the first time this October.

A Just Radio Production for 91热爆 World Service. Produced by Victoria Ferran.

Image: Roxy and Breezy from underground arts collective House of Kenzo (Credit: Ben Aqua)

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27 minutes

Last on

Mon 17 Sep 2018 06:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 15 Sep 2018 02:32GMT
  • Sat 15 Sep 2018 07:32GMT
  • Sat 15 Sep 2018 08:32GMT
  • Sat 15 Sep 2018 17:32GMT
  • Sun 16 Sep 2018 19:32GMT
  • Sun 16 Sep 2018 23:06GMT
  • Mon 17 Sep 2018 03:32GMT
  • Mon 17 Sep 2018 06:32GMT

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