Z and the Universe

Four years ago, I wrote this about going to the Dallas Fetish Ball:

The Church is too small for the event; you can’t walk around or talk to people. The stage is hard to see unless you’re upstairs on the balcony. They’d moved the “play space” outside to the porch, which meant the place you could go if it was too noisy was unavailable unless you wanted to climb up to the rooftop-which was freezing. And the “energy” was…not there. Sure there’s a lot of people dressing up, but you kind of felt like that’s what it was-dress up. The people who I knew were seriously into the lifestyle who were there sort of stood out. Am I being jaded? Maybe? We left about 12:30-and people were still waiting to get in.

I know this is a big event in Dallas-between this and the Black and Blue Ball (done by the same people) there’s no other open fetish events. It’s a professional event, with lots of performers (though they seem to be the same ones every year). So they should know what they are doing. And considering the state of fetish/bdsm in Dallas, I shouldn’t be critical. But do you support something because it’s there, or do it because it’s worth your time?

 

So, what’s changed? The venue is still too small-by 11 PM it was nearly impossible to get around and once the show starts forget about moving. They put in a larger stage that’s higher so you can see things a bit better but if you’re not in  one of the reserved seats on the balcony you it’s difficult. They got rid of the outside play space years ago, and the indoor space is taken over by a vendor’s area.

There was a new twist this year-every seat in the Church was reserved. Including the benches in the front bar area. So there was no place to sit down until after 11 PM when they opened the rooftop, and if you got lucky you could grab a seat on one of the couches. Fortunately it was not a cold night, and there was no bar open.

The show? Well, if you’ve seen one fetish show…

At least this year they maintained the dress code most of the time I was there. And I got to see a couple of people from Twitter who were fabulous. But by midnight, I was ready to go.

I really want to like the Fetish Ball unreservedly, but I just can’t. Maybe I am getting too old for this…

Comments Off on Same as it ever was

Not as much as I’d hoped, I’m afraid. Busy with life, but not really getting out lately. I went to the GEAR mixer a couple of weeks ago; it’s their monthly meeting and I had not been there in a while. It’s at The Bronx in the gayborhood, which is always a nice place to go to. Unfortunately the turnout was a bit light-about ten people, and there really wasn’t a meeting as such. I did get to chat with some people I didn’t know, and afterward was introduced to Red Mango yogurt. It’s like Pinkberry but I think it tastes better. A very short evening…

The Dallas Fetish Ball at The Church was a week ago. And as always, it’s a mixed bag. I did find out that if you show up early-like when the doors open-you have a few hours before the place gets so crowded you can’t see anything or move around. Between 10:30 PM-12:30 AM it’s so packed you just kind of flow with the traffic inside. You’ll be able to talk to people, see the outfits and enjoy things. I hate the fact that the “dress code” is very loosely interpreted. They don’t bother to enforce it, so the crowd ends up with a mix of people who actually make an effort and the jeans/trainers/polo shirt crowd who look out of place. And to me it affects the whole mood.

I did meet some new people, which was great. But a friend had a bad experience at a nearby hotel. She’d parked in the garage and came back late Friday night-and was harassed by some homophobes. Fortunately she wasn’t alone, but it was her first experience with being in real physical danger. I can totally understand how she felt, but I also think that you have to remember that when you are dressed en femme you need to think like a woman and take the same kinds of precautions.

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