Recap of the Night: Gender is so Passé!
A wide-brimmed leather hat perched atop the ridiculously handsome head of DJ Orio as he prepared for his set. Panning down, you could see a lavender colored mandarin collar on a tight-fitting silk dress. This man knew how to rock a qipao, with the diva swagger of Naomi.
As Orio got our bodies moving to the rhythm of the first set inspired by the Prince, the Botanist Gin bar, manned by star bartender Vincent Ong (and provided by Octopus,) was clinking and shaking away... Guests sweetened their tongues against cocktail palettes named RuPaul and Ruby Rose, savoring the rainbow candy toppings.
Nearby, DJ AHD prepared his Ziggy Stardust inspired set, while distracting onlookers with his juicy backside. AHD was swathed in stretchy tight velour pants, with unapologetically-wide bell bottoms. The cotton candy man spun some sugar fluff for the kids of Rockstar mums, and our guests tried on our silk batik kimonos and fluttered about in their beautifully gender fluid attire.
Then, a piercingly beautiful voice cleared the air.... Poet, Deborah Emmanuel, had taken the stage. And with a slow exhale, she began to serenade us, shout with fury, and laugh with the endless humor and love of the universe. While Deborah performed her pieces, Performance Artist Alex Lim tore through the crowd with such elegance, and fluidity in his body. We watched her words ripple through Alex's taut masterful physique.
Meanwhile, a room set far in the corner, behind multiple veils of luminescent cloth, two tantric goddesses sat. They welcomed the long line of spiritual explorers, one by one, into a dimension of deep presence and touch. Christine from Space2b Studio in Singapore and Simona, who had just landed from Milan - powered through guest after guest without ever ebbing in their contagious loving energy. Profound, quiet moments unfolded in private in the middle of a bombastic party....
Finally, the Mediocre Haircut Crew and their incredible pianist took the stage. The crowd circled around them, heads bumping to the homegrown hip hop and syrupy smooth lyrics. Like moths to the flame, we vibed to their every word, until it culminated into a jumping chant of: "SCREW THE SYSTEM!" A cheekily empowering way to end a night that all but kissed old gender labels goodbye.