Celebrate Queer performance art with EgoPo for our Annual Gala

June 8th, 2025 at 6pm

Xi West Events @ Jane G’s Dim Sum House

Celebrate Pride Month with EgoPo as we wrap up our season by honoring the legacy of queer performance in Philadelphia. It wouldn’t be Pride without a party, so slap on your finest heels and brightest lipstick and get ready to dance the night away. Inspired by the famous 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, this special Pride Month gala will feature drag and ballroom-inspired performances from some of Philadelphia’s hottest LGBTQ+ and QTPOC performers. 


Exclusive to all EgoPo Memberships

  • Gold Members - One VIP ticket which includes a sit down dinner with an open bar and a seat for the performances

  • Silver Members - One ticket which includes a dinner and access to the performances

  • Bronze Members - One general admission ticket to the performances

Sponsored by Leslie Whipkey & Lee Hoffman

Venue

Xi West Events, Jane G’s Dim Sum House

3939 Chestnut St 1st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Parking/Public Transportation

In the heart of University City, there is a wide variety of Street parking (2 hours) and parking structures near by. Ride-share Transportation, Indego Bikes, or Public Transportation are encouraged. Xi West Events is about a 3 minute walk from the 40th Ave Market/Frankford Line subway stop!

 

What is Drag?

Drag is performance art that centers on the presentation and performance of gender, usually using exaggerated and sometimes absurd representations of gender. While many associate drag with drag queens, there is an infinite variety to how drag might be practiced. Drag queens and kings are the most common, with performers taking on the aesthetic of femininity and masculinity. Drag is known to challenge, mock, celebrate and deconstruct concepts of gender expression and gender roles.

Despite examples of drag being found around the globe throughout history in a variety of traditional cultural practices and beyond -such as original Shakespearean actors performing the female roles in “drag”- what we commonly understand about drag culture in the United States has it’s legacy in the Drag Ball culture coming from Harlem as early as the late 1800s, with a peak in the 1920s. Drag has long since been at the vanguard of US pop culture, and much of what starts in drag, finds its way into the mainstream.

What is Ballroom?

Ballroom culture, drag ball culture, the house-ballroom community, and similar terms describe an underground queer subculture, founded by black trans and queer folks, in which people "walk" (i.e., compete), perform, dance, lip-sync, and model in different categories, which are designed to simultaneously epitomize and satirize gender constructs, occupations, and social classes, while also offering an escape from reality.

Category participants are required to “walk” one by one to receive full approval from all judges, known as ‘receiving your 10s’. Competitors are judged on their abilities, “effect” (costumes, appearance, theatrics, presentation), and perceived “realness” (embodied and/or visual believability, authenticity). Those who make their 10s battle one on one against each other for trophies, prizes, and glory.

Credit to 'https://www.vanvoguejam.com/ballroom-history for the definition

Xi West Events @ Jane G's Dim Sum House

  • Xi West Events

    XI West Events is the banquet space of the renowned Jane G's Dim Sum House. Located on the first floor of the University City Dim Sum House location, this beautiful space features high tech AV services, beautiful banquet and buffet Catering and a stunning space capable of fitting several hundred!

  • Dim Sum House

    Dim Sum House located in the heart of University City provides a wonderful selection of Cantonese and Shanghai dim sum as well as wonderful dishes from the Jiang Nan region of China.

    Dim Sum literally means "touch the heart" in Chinese and is a dining tradition originating thousands of years ago in small tea houses lining heavily traveled roads. Focusing on small dishes meant for sharing, these small tea houses were meant to provide nourishment and sustenance for travel-weary guests, usually merchants and traders.