Bring It From The Back – Showcase Ball Palermo–Düsseldorf

Showcase Ball as part of the Art:walk Festival 2026 - presented by ZOE, HAUS MAWU & TMD

Ballroom meets Hofgarten: At the Showcase Ball, performers from Düsseldorf and Palermo compete against each other in categories such as Vogue and Realness. An energetic exchange between the scene, dance and community - with an open finale on the dance floor.

With Bring It From The Back - Showcase Ball Palermo-Düsseldorf, the music pavilion in the Hofgarten will become a stage for ballroom culture as part of the Art:walk festival. Initiated by ZOE & HAUS MAWU and in collaboration with the TMD Theatermuseum, a format is being created that combines performance, competition and community. The occasion is the tenth anniversary of the city partnership between Düsseldorf and Palermo. Building on a joint performance at the Sicilia Queer Filmfest, the exchange between the two cities is now being continued. Performers from both ballroom scenes will come together and present their skills in various categories such as Vogue and Realness. Ballroom has its roots in New York's Black and Latinx LGBTQI+ community. Since the 1960s, so-called "balls" have served as places of artistic expression, competition and mutual recognition. Categories such as fashion, runway, performance or realness structure the performances and open up a wide range of expressive possibilities between dance, pose and staging. The showcase format brings these elements together in a concentrated form. Eight selected performers show their individual styles and enter into a direct artistic dialog. Afterwards, the space opens up: the music pavilion becomes a dance floor and invites you to share the energy of the evening.

Supported as part of the 10th anniversary of the Düsseldorf-Palermo city partnership