From Outcasts to Icons
Vogue Fridays and Drag Saturdays
Let's bring Ballroom to Kortrijk!
About From Outcasts to Icons
From Outcasts to Icons is organizing workshops where queer people are invited to learn more about Vogueing and Drag. By doing so we want to create a space where people all can share knowledge and learn from people that have been building a ballroom community in different cities. The ambition is to bring Ballroom to Kortrijk. Because we notice that the Ballroom scene in Kortrijk could use a boost and has the potential to become a place where Icons can rise. And so, we are not only involving the scene of Kortrijk but also experienced communities from Lille and Brussels will be present.
To achieve this we are organizing Vogue Fridays, where the focus will be on performance and the history of Ballroom culture. Next to that LouLou Pogi is helping us to organize Drag Saturdays to dive deeper in the world of drag, performance, looks and make-up.
Kickoff From Outcasts to Icons
The project was launched on February 6, 2026 at the Textielhuis in Kortrijk. We hosted a crowd of 53 people with participants from Kortrijk and surroundings, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Lille, Valenciennes, Basel and Frankfurt.
We welcomed the attendees with snacks and drinks, in a warm setting where we created space for meeting, exchange, and insight into the trajectory of the project. The project was presented by Lee Blomme and Maarten Vandecaveye.
We held a panel discussion withe representatives of the scene that was moderated by Amin Saint Alaïa. The panel consisted of Mother Destiny Gabbana & Angel Bodega (Pussacademy), European Mother / Mother of the North Soraya Alaïa (Lille Ballroom Scene) and Valenciaga.
We concluded the evening by screening the film 'Paris is Burning'.
Safe(r) space
We strive to create a space that is as safe as possible for everyone, with particular care for queer people of color. There is no room for racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or any other form of violence.
All our workshops are free for participants!
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Our Safe(r) Space principles
- Approach us in case of boundary-crossing / uncomfortable situations
- Zero tolerance for racism, discrimination, and other forms of hate
Be an active bystander
direct - respond to the situation immediately
distract - distract the person involved
delegate - reach out to someone who can help you
delay - stay present until the situation is under controlSpace for discovery and development
Space for discovery and development
Vogue Fridays
From Outcasts to Icons is organizing a series of workshops focused on performance styles in voguing (Old Way en Vogue Fem). Before every workshop there is going to be an introduction on elements and performance by Pussacademy.
After that a masterclass will be held on a specific performance style.
27/03/26 ~ 19u-21u ~ Legendary Overall Founding Mother / Noa Angels 007
03/04/26 ~ 19u-21u ~ Onyx Prodigy 007
10/04/26 ~ 19u-21u ~ Michael Alpha Omega / Godfather Bodega
17/04/26 ~ 19u-21u ~ Luluh 007
More info? Click here.
Drag Saturdays
From Outcasts to Icons is organizing a series of workshops given by experienced drag queens who will give classes focused on drag, make-up, your drag persona and wigs.
Valenciaga will organise 2 makeup workshops. They will take you into the wonderful world of drag, glitter, glamour, and self-expression. Bring your own makeup if you have it, but if you don’t, we will provide some makeup.
Haas will organize the ‘create your drag persona’ workshop together with LouLou Pogi. And lastly Luluh is organizing a wig workshop with our house resident LouLou Pogi. Bring your own wig if you have it, but if you don’t, we will provide some wigs.
28/03/26 ~ 14u-17u ~ Make-up
04/04/26 ~ 14u-17u ~ Drag Persona
11/04/26 ~ 14u-17u ~ Make-up
18/04/26 ~ 14u-17u ~ Wigs
More info? Click here.
Elefsina & Kortrijk
For the project 'From Disruptive Places to Hidden Gems' young people from Kortrijk and Greece collaborated on their own artistic ideas. Together, they explored how to transform empty, forgotten places into creative hotspots. A collaboration between the Greek organization 'Cultterra' and the Kortrijk-based 'Durf Jij'. Through Bolwerk, a partner of 'Durf Jij', 2 young people participated in the project.
In early April 2025, a group of 10 young people and youth workers traveled to Elefsina, a small town near Athens in Greece. Through workshops, tours, and an event, they got to know the dynamics of the city. At the end of August 2025, the Greek partner Cultterra made the reverse move: 10 young people headed to Kortrijk to get acquainted with the Kortrijk youth work landscape. From August 27 to 31 2025, the two groups moved into DAM71 together to temporarily turn the vacant hotel into a creative hub.
The entire project concluded in and around the vacant hotel DAM71. From Wednesday to Sunday, the inhabitans of Kortrijk could enjoy a creative program featuring artistic interventions and activist statements, entirely shaped by the young people who participated in the exchange.
On August 30, 2025 Lee Blomme and Maarten Vandecaveye closed the program by organising a 'Dare to Party' at DAM71. A closing party combined with exchanging experiences regarding safer spaces.
Artist talk met Gleb(s) Maiboroda
Gļeb(s) Maiboroda (1994) is a multidisciplinary visual artist with a background in weaving, who works with diverse media such as textiles, installation, performance, icon painting, and experimental pedagogies. With the exhibition ‘We Already Have Enough’, Gleb(s) invites you to silence and resistance in a world of overproduction.
To achieve this, Gleb(s) weaves together tradition and queer ideas of radical care and attention in intimate paintings and an immersive textile installation. The work reframes art as presence and restoration, where slowness becomes a gesture towards another possible world.
Together with the initiators of The Wrong House and Schouwburg Kortrijk, we gave visitors the unique opportunity on Friday, November 28, 2025, to discover their vision, process, and ideas up close through an inspiring artist talk.
FICHE
| Periode | 2025 - 2026 |
| Dankzij | Jint vzw, het European Solidarity Corps-programma van de Europese Unie & de Vlaamse Overheid |