Performance - Ballroom Exhibition, Kiddy Smile & House of Gorgeous Gucci

This ballroom exhibition offers an immersion into the world of balls. Through a succession of iconic categories such as Vogue Femme, Runway, and other flagship ballroom disciplines the members of the house give audiences a glimpse of the artistic, aesthetic, and technical richness of this culture. Between performance, runway, and individual expression, this creation highlights the energy, creativity, and sense of community that define ballroom, while inviting audiences to discover the codes of a culture that is vibrant, demanding, and deeply inclusive.

This creation grew out of a desire to introduce audiences to the world of ballroom in an accessible and immersive format. Born within the African American and Latino LGBTQIA+ communities of Harlem over the course of the twentieth century, ballroom is a space for creation, competition, and empowerment, where participants gather at balls to compete in various categories blending fashion, dance, performance, and self-expression. Today, Paris has become one of the main epicentres of ballroom in Europe. This momentum was built through the commitment of many figures on the scene, among them Queen Mother Nikki Gorgeous Gucci, Up & Coming Icon, who has played a major role in passing on this culture and raising its profile in France and Europe, particularly after returning from New York in the early 2010s. This ballroom exhibition draws on the format of a ball, presenting several iconic categories so that audiences can discover its aesthetics, techniques, and different forms of expression. Without reproducing the competitive framework specific to balls, it captures their energy, artistic rigour, and cultural richness. It invites audiences to look upon a living culture that continues to offer a space of visibility, expression, transmission, and affirmation for the communities that founded it and those who keep it alive today.

Kiddy Smile:  

Kiddy Smile is a multifaceted artist. An award-winning DJ, dancer, and choreographer, he has appeared in music videos and films, shared the stage with Grace Jones and Madonna, walked the runway for Jean-Paul Gaultier, and performed at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. In 2025, he is an associate artist of the Nouveau Printemps festival in Toulouse.

From the ballroom scene to contemporary art, his practice moves across mediums and audiences, holding a singular place at the crossroads of underground and mainstream cultures. In his music, he reaffirms and revives the Black and queer roots of house, restoring its substance and its history. His projects celebrate the creativity and resilience of marginalized people, while questioning the structures of domination and the effects of discrimination.

House of Gorgeous Gucci:  

The House of Gorgeous Gucci is an international house on the ballroom scene, founded in 2019 by Jack, Kelly, Marlon, and Trace Gorgeous Gucci. It is now led internationally by Kiddy Smile, the House's International Mother and a Double Legend of ballroom. Present across Europe, the Americas, and many other countries, the House today brings together more than 300 members worldwide.

In Europe, its growth is driven by several leaders who work from Paris to pass on, structure, and amplify both the House and ballroom culture. More than an artistic collective, a house is a chosen family: a space for

creation, transmission, support, and empowerment. Recognized for its artistic rigour, its aesthetic, and the quality of its performances, the House of Gorgeous Gucci actively contributes to the visibility of ballroom culture on international stages.