According to its cofounder Jeff Cowart, or as he’s best known DJ Dlux, If Halsey and Beyonce had a queer baby, that would be Girl the Party. Being someone who had the pleasure of experiencing Girl the Party on a recent steamy July night, that is exactly what it was.
Every Saturday night at Southern Nights Orlando located on the corner of Bumby and South street this beautiful city transforms thanks to the unstoppable force that is one of the nation's most successful queer parties-Girl The Party and their incomparable Les Vixens dancers. With a ton of sweat equity and a modern twist on burlesque, Girl the Party brings something to the queer party table we’ve never seen before.
To date Girl the Party is the largest and most consistently packed queer night in the country. It's a party for queer women, put on by queer women, with an open-door policy to the entire LGBTQ community. GTP brings in crowds that wrap around the building every week. But to be very clear, GTP is beyond a party, it's an experience, thanks to the Les Vixens.
The Les Vixens are a one of a kind postmodern neo-burlesque and go-go group. They are not your mama's burlesque dancers. They have taken the old school style of burlesque and turned it completely on its head. With their bass bending performances, and go-go stamina it's no surprise they are getting booked all over the US. The Vixens are made up of 18 unrivaled women who are as diverse as they are fierce. Representation is one point that is near and dear to the heart of their unparalleled fearless femme leader Eveleena, or as her thousands of followers know her, Ivy. She has a few requirements for being a Vixen, they must be women with an indescribable x-factor, who own their on-stage character, who are empowered and empower others, and who represent or support the queer community with pride. Ivy’s Vixens can flat out put on a show.
Southern Nights- the heart of the queer Saturday scene
Ivy ( @Eveleena ) has been starting the party and keeping them going for well over a decade, and Girl The Party is no different. She, with the help of her partner in crime DJ Dlux, has demolished your usual queer party and made it an event that people from all over the country are interested in experiencing. When you walk in the door, they want every person who comes to GTP to see themselves represented on stage. Women from all backgrounds, women with tattoos and piercings, women who play with fire, or do aerial work, are all represented. As Ivy puts it, “It’s all the tease without the sleaze”.
Once you hit the guts of Southern Nights you realize Girl The party is the spark that ignites the flames of empowerment. It’s a safe space where everyone can be exactly who they are, no matter how they identify. Mix the talented and aesthetically pleasing Vixens with the bass pounding beats of DJ DLux it's no wonder security has to chase people out of the venue at closing time every Saturday.
In a city that has felt the beat of a broken heart in our LGBTQ community so harshly, safety is paramount at Southern Nights. Ivy's main goal for Girl The Party is to provide a safe space for queer women and their LGBTQ community. “Our world is really harsh, there is a lot of hate, there is a lot of sadness, a lot of negativity, there is a lot that we face walking out our doors not just as queer people but as people in general. This world is a scary place so what Girl The Party gives is a distraction or time away from that.” Safety, acceptance, and entertainment is GTP personified. When the lights go off, the Vixens turn on and tear the packed house down.
Women from all over come to witness what the Les Vixens have to offer
This is so much more than your average burlesque show, Ivy explains,
“We’ve created this space that is fantastical, it’s fun, it’s beautiful, you can forget about the hate, and forget about the worries, forget about everything. I think it’s important for people to have a positive, happy place to go, especially with how heavy the world is right now. I’m probably most proud of that, to offer an escape where everyone feels accepted.”
Acceptance, entertainment and a young, cool vibe are a few reasons Girl The Party has been packing the house every Saturday night, for over four years. With an avid fan base, a constant ear to the ground on new and upcoming trends, innovative social media use like being the first party in Orlando to use location-based Snapchat filters, and an ever-evolving marketing strategy, it is no wonder GTP has consistently been the best queer party on the east coast, and possibly the nation.
Although Dlux takes great pride in his part in GTP, he is very strong in his feeling about the Les Vixens, “Let me make this clear – there would be no Girl The Party without the Les Vixens. Yes, I handle all the promotion, flyers, website but those women are the workhorses of it all. They come to see them and everything else is secondary.”
Girl The Party is more than an epic night out to see beautiful women dance. It is the finger on the pulse of what our LGBTQ community needs. With their ever-evolving themes, branding, social media vigilance, and of course the Vixens, GTP is quickly becoming the benchmark for queer nights out. Although to Ivy, no matter how much success GTP or her Les Vixens have, there is a deeper reasoning for having safe queer spaces, “This is for the people who have never felt this level of acceptance for who they are. I want people to know they are loved, they are worthy, they have places to go, they have a community. Girl the Party at face value is a Saturday night club event but it’s so much more than that. We are connecting, we are creating, we are bonding with people to make them feel confident in who they are. Maybe people give that energy back out to the world. Maybe we change the world, who knows.”
Lady Bri making sure the crowd is engaged
That Saturday night in the heart of Orlando felt like a fresh take on the outdated queer parties of old. They are on the brink of something big, and we should all take notice. Make no doubt about it, Girl the Party and the Les Vixens have no intention in taking part in the lesbian and queer party scene, they plan to take it over. If you've ever met Ivy, or watched her perform, you know the Vixen's world dominance is surely next on her list."
More info www.LesVixen.com and www.GirltheParty.com