As part of the PERIFEERIA cycle, MansA continues the France-Brazil Season with the screening of the documentary Salão de BaileThis is Ballroom, a radical immersion in Rio de Janeiro's queer ballroom scene. A rare film, presented in its French premiere at Dock B.
On May 22, 2025, MansA presents the French premiere at Dock B of Salão de Baile: This is Ballroom, a performative documentary by Juru and Vitã. This CinéMansA is part of the PERIFEERIA cycle, developed as part of the France-Brazil Season, and continues the reflection on forms of artistic expression from the urban margins.
In the vibrant city of Rio and its outskirts, Salão de Baile offers a glimpse of a scene in full effervescence: the Brazilian ballroom scene. Inherited from the African-American and queer counterculture born in New York in the 1970s, this scene is now being reappropriated, hijacked and tropicalized by young black Brazilian LGBTQIA+. The film follows members of various houses (artistic and family collectives), at the heart of a ball organized especially for the shoot, while capturing their intimate trajectories, their performances and the political issues that run through their lives.
In a sensitive mise en abyme, the directors also address the internal tensions that run through the scene: conflicts linked to class relations, gender identities and the difficult transposition of an American cultural heritage into a Brazilian context marked by structural racism and social violence.
To close the screening, a round-table discussion will bring together four major figures from the ballroom and Afro-queer scenes.
The speakers
Legendary Imperatriz Lua Brainer. A central figure on the Brazilian ballroom scene, Lua Brainer is a trans woman, activist and popular educator. She runs the House of Imperatriz and founded Ballroom na Maré, a cultural project based in Rio's Complexo da Maré. Lua is renowned for her emblematic performances and has been praised by the city of Rio for her artistic and social commitment.
André DB. A Rio-based dancer and choreographer, André DB is known for his fusion of voguing and Carioca funk. He has won several dance competitions, collaborated with major artists and created the VOGUE FUNK show in 2024. A rising figure on the urban scene, he performs both in Brazil and internationally.
Legendary Mother Keiona Revlon. A Franco-Ivorian drag artist, Keiona is a Parisian ballroom icon and member of the House of Revlon. She won Drag Race France in 2023 and took part in Danse avec les stars in 2024. Keiona maintains a strong link with Brazil and Rio's voguing scene.
Moderator: Marcelo Porto. Journalist and Afro LGBTQIA+ activist, Marcelo Porto is the founder of Casa di Mare, a cultural center in Salvador. He has organized artistic residencies focusing on dissident bodies, Afro-Brazilian cuisine and exhibitions celebrating Afro-Brazilianity in all its living force.
Salão de Baile: This is Ballroom
Documentary by Vitã & Juru
Brazil / 2024 / 92′ / VOSTFR
