7/26/08 - OVAHNESS Ball 3 is a SUCCESS!
Battling Scarecrows… “Stephanie Mills Dorothy” vs. “Diana Ross Dorothy” were some of the battles that took place at OVAHNESS Ball 3 - Welcome to the Emerald City.” The festive green glow was highlighted by the yellow runway where 450 youth gathered to see the hottest voguing, twisting and posing on the westcoast. Jack Mizarhi shared the commentating with Enyce Chanel who encouraged all to just “ease on down, ease on down the road.” LA favorite DJ Ben provided the beats. Representatives LA, Oakland, Atlanta, and New York battled for $1,000 in prize money. REACH LA staff and volunteers provided one-on-one risk reduction counseling to 65 youth throughout the night while AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Bienestar and LA Gay and Lesbian Center’s POW program provided free HIV testing and STD screenings until midnight. Ovahness Program Manager Tyrone Carter said “WOW, this night was a great success! The Ovahness Leadership team should be proud - all their hard work in marketing and promoting really paid off. They did a great job in planning this thing and bringing all the elements together.”
The voguing competition was fierce among the favored LA houses - the Chanels and Mizrahis. “I was really amazed to see the voguing videos on YouTube the very next day” said Executive Director Martha Chono-Helsley, “to be able and see these performances again and again really adds to the excitement of the whole event.” A DVD of OVAHNESS 3 is being edited and should be available in August. Keep checking back for the release date. OVAHNESS 2 DVD is available for $15 by emailing sean_reachla@earthlink.net.