SOMArts Hosts The Luminesce Ball: An Evening of Fashion, Runway, and Vogue A celebration of the Bay Area’s House and Ballroom Community

Photo by Randy Lucina; Voguer in the photo: Icon Meeka Alpha-Omega at 2024 Lover’s Revenge Ball

A celebration of the Bay Area’s House and Ballroom Community

Presented in collaboration with Oakland To All, Emergence Collective,
and California College of the Arts’ Fashion Design Program

Saturday, November 15, 5–11 PM PST

November 13, 2025, San Francisco, CA– SOMArts Cultural Center proudly announces The Luminesce Ball: An Evening of Fashion, Runway, and Vogue, on Saturday, November 15, from 5–11 PM. Made possible with generous support from The Svane Family Foundation and produced in partnership with Oakland To All (OTA), Emergence Collective, and California College of the Arts’ (CCA) Fashion Design Program, this all-ages first of its kind event at SOMArts celebrates the skill, brilliance, and artistry of the Bay Area’s Ballroom community.

Program highlights include a pre-show hosted by Aurris Garçon and culminating performances from SOMArts’ free, all-levels, six-week Vogue and Runway workshop series. Spinning throughout the night is Oakland’s own DJ Spiider, while commentator and current host of HBO Max’s LEGENDARY, Icon Dashaun Basquiat channels encouraging energy as seasoned and first-time performers sashay into the spotlight.

SOMArts’ team members are part of the artistic communities they serve, fostering meaningful and intentional partnerships. Luminesce co-collaborators, Creative & Executive Director Maria Jenson, Financial Director dre devis, and Events Coordinator Cris Santibañez’s, relationships to dance and fashion spaces paved the way towards an exciting and meaningful collaboration with Oakland To All. As the event’s culture bearers, OTA ensures that Luminesce honors and reflects Ballroom’s vibrant ecosystem, which, as stated in their mission statement, “predominantly comprises Black and Latino LGBTQ individuals, who often remain underserved.”

Jenson shares, “I’ve dreamed of hosting an event like this at SOMArts ever since I first walked into the space over nine years ago and saw a long runway set up for a fashion show. I thought, wouldn’t it be amazing to invite the community in to show off their style?”

Fashion is essential to Ballroom culture, as a tool of self-expression, empowerment, and fantasy. Rounding out Luminesce’s collaborating partners are Emergence Collective, which centers its work on a “vision of collective creative liberation,” and always on point students 934 Brannan Street San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 863-1414 // media@somarts.org from CCA’s Fashion Design Program– both serving as the evening’s stylists and creating awe-inspiring looks for Ball participants.

“Fashion is a personal visual art that allows people to express exactly how they feel, at any given moment, reflecting the collective imagination and cultural identity of communities, serving as a powerful means of representation, as well as celebrating the diversity of each individual,” says Jenson. “You can’t escape the fact that fashion is all around us. And our community is full of style icons.”

Luminesce arrives at a time when queer spaces in San Francisco are navigating closures, survival, and transformation post-pandemic, while nationally we continue to witness escalating attacks on LGBTQIA+ rights through state-level legislation and executive actions under the current administration. This event holds significance not only as a response to our contemporary moment, but as part of an ongoing legacy of joy, resistance, and the belief that creative expression and community can be an antidote to oppression and despair.

Financial Director dre devis says, “Seeds have been planted in the Bay, blossoming into a new generation of ballroom. Cultivating the energetic and physical spaces for this growth is vital—always, but especially now, when these spaces and our rights are under threat.”

“Ballroom creates a space where, no matter what is happening in the outside world, members of the queer community can exist in their full humanity and be celebrated for their creativity, craft, and talent,” expresses Event Coordinator, Cris Santibañez.

TICKETS
$15–$55 sliding scale Tickets are available at box office or can be purchased online by visiting: luminesceball.eventbrite.com

FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We extend our gratitude to our major contributing funder, The Svane Family Foundation, and to our supporters, the SF AIDS Foundation, SOMA West CBD, LYRIC Center for LGBTQQ+ Youth, and Thrive/What’s T.E.A. This event would not be possible without this support.

ACCESSIBILITY
SOMArts is wheelchair accessible and in proximity to several nearby public transportation stops. SOMArts does not have automatic doors at its Main Entrance. Restrooms are ADA-accessible, and low-scent cleaning products are used.

For more detailed information regarding accessibility at SOMArts, contact info@somarts.org with any related requests, questions, or concerns.

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ABOUT SOMARTS CULTURAL CENTER
SOMArts Cultural Center, founded in 1979, cultivates access to the arts within the Bay Area by collaborating with community-focused artists and organizations. Together, we engage the power of the arts to provoke just and fair inclusion, cultural respect, and civic participation.

SOMArts is located at 934 Brannan Street—between 8th and 9th—within 2 blocks of 101, I-80, Muni lines, and bike paths. For public information call 415-863-1414 or visit somarts.org. Stay connected by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

ABOUT OAKLAND TO ALL
Oakland to All is a collaborative initiative dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for the ballroom community in the Bay Area and nearby regions. This vibrant scene predominantly comprises Black and Latino LGBTQ individuals, who often remain underserved. Our collective aims to provide a welcoming atmosphere for LGBTQ+ black and brown individuals and their allies, encouraging self-expression in a fun, safe, and creative setting. We also focus on connecting people with vital resources and care through partnerships with local LGBTQ community organizations. Our vision is to establish a permanent safe haven for the ballroom community. We aspire to offer a wide range of programs, resources, advocacy, and outreach by organizing support groups, classes, and events. Our goal is to create a space where individuals can explore and express themselves freely, without fear of oppression. We envision an atmosphere rooted in love, where meaningful dialogue, constructive feedback, and supportive relationships contribute to growth and positive change. Ultimately, we aim to foster a safe, inviting space where the ballroom scene, especially its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer members, can thrive, free from homophobia, sexism, transmisogyny, and racism.

ABOUT EMERGENCE COLLECTIVE
EMERGENCE is an independent community fashion show centered around a unique vision of collective creative liberation. Each year, we feature a curated blend of local Bay Area designers, performers, models, stylists, and staff in a transdisciplinary orchestration of raw, innovative talent. Our shows create spaces for queer, trans, and BIPOC artists to bring new worlds into being through fashion and performance. Driven by both a need and love for each other, we foster community, networks of care, and economic resiliency by/for marginalized artists through our annual fashion show as well as gallery shows, art markets, co-working spaces, 934 Brannan Street San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 863-1414 // media@somarts.org community events, mutual aid, and more. This universe of radical creation is a prayer for our communities to emerge stronger and more bravely, together