Life & Work with Cincy Vogue

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cincy Vogue.

Hello Cincy Vogue, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
What was then called Cincinnati Vogue Nights was started in 2013 at a local LGBT bar in downtown Cincinnati, OH called Main Event. This was a way for our local ballroom walkers, supporters, and LGBT to socialize, practice, and get ready for larger local or out-of-town balls. Cincinnati Vogue Nights was held weekly during the spring and summer months, which lasted for about 2 years.

Cash prizes and/or trophies were given out for the winners of their respective categories, out-of-town guests would come support and the local talent was hot! Life happened and Cincinnati Vogue Nights took a very long hiatus. After its hiatus, CincyVogue was relaunched in March 2021 at The Cellar Bar in Covington, KY, right across the river from Cincinnati, OH.

A lot of LGBT-friendly spots in the city were no longer and this relaunch helped our people stay in contact and proximity. This time, house music started the night and the vogue nights (balls) are what ended the night. Party first, perform later! Local LGBT artists were also invited to perform as a way to showcase even more of the talent within the community. This helped grow the audience and welcomed new interest from around the city.

The amount of new talent and new spectators of the ballroom scene (both from building a strong fan base, and externally, with shows like Legendary on HBO Max and POSE on FX) helped us realize that we needed to showcase the ballroom scene in more of a mainstream art form that everyone can participate in, divulge in and/or just support while having fun. Several successful events were held at this location, with the last one being held in July 2021.

Almost one year to the date, CincyVogue announced its return. We knew this time, CincyVogue would make an even bolder presence within the scene and would not be tied to a particular venue or schedule. October 7, 2022, CincyVogue’s Club Renaissance Party and Ball made a huge impression on the local scene. The reach of supporters and talent that were involved in making this event possible even we could have not imagined.

Two events in one, an album jam session for one of our greatest performers of this generation, Beyonce, as well as a ball awarding even more cash prizes and trophies. To some, this may sound like a third relaunch but it is the beginning of something bigger than even the two people organizing the event could have imagined. CincyVogue has truly become more about the Cincinnati LGBT community and all of the love that is present during our events.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been easy. We’ve gone through multiple venue changes, changing from weekly Thursdays to weekly Fridays and trying to pull the audience to change their schedule with us, having a packed event one week to having 5 people the next week, and event difficulties trying to find venues to welcome in the black LGBT crowd.

Although we welcome all supporters, our crowd is primarily Black, so that is another struggle that we have to face. From day one, we’ve always agreed that we would never bring our crowd to a bar that isn’t deserving of our communities presence, LGBT bar or otherwise.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We are always looking to expand! If you are a venue owner or supporter of the LGBT scene in or around Cincinnati, please reach out to us! We would love to grow our presence in and around Ohio.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
A lot of people may not know that CincyVogue was started in 2013. Although it was not on the same scale as it is today, it was originally formed back then.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @CincyVogue

Image Credits
@jhae1in, @sincerelycynsere, @bigbax and @aantwonnxo