Phot by Sklyer Dowd
Slayground dance party
Slayground dance party
Slayground is a queer dance party series that incorporates different themes and kinds of music into nights of self-celebration and community. Debuted earlier this year in January, Slayground has packed the house at esteemed venues such as This Is It and Cactus Club, quickly becoming a highly anticipated fixture within Milwaukee’s LGBTQ+ scene. Their motto is “Looks Demanded” so folks get creative with their outfits in accordance with each edition’s theme, all captured by a professional photographer throughout the night.
We spoke to organizers Audrey Simon, Yufie, Mazzi Pankiewicz and Shaula Garcia to learn more.
The concept for Slayground originated once Simon and Yufie—who are old friends—reconnected and expressed interest in throwing a new event in Milwaukee that loudly and proudly centers queer joy. Simon had moved to Chicago after high school and became immersed in the queer community and nightlife there, recalling, “I was nervous about finding that again once I moved back to Milwaukee last year, so Yufie and I thought about what it would look like if we created our own space with the right vibe and music and energy. I figured that if we weren’t finding it then we had to make it happen ourselves.”
We both like to dress up and it’s always fun to have a theme to go with it,” Yufie adds.
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Gap to be Filled
Photo by Leah Schlageter
Slayground Team
Slayground Team
Pankiewicz joined the conversation about Slayground soon after. “I’ve been going out in Milwaukee for a while and definitely felt there was a gap that needed to be filled,” they attest.
The first Slayground took place at High Dive in Riverwest and had an “Indie Sleeze” theme. The event exceeded the team’s expectations; Pankiewicz reflects, “It really showed us that we as queer people in Milwaukee needed something like this.”
Garcia became part of the team around the time of Slayground’s second event. “I came as a bystander and had never seen anything like it,” she said. “It’s a big party where queer people come dressed to the nines. It’s a whole new experience.”
Realizing that there was a real, dedicated audience for what they were doing, the organizers started moving Slayground to different queer-friendly venues across town such as This Is It, Cactus Club and even a friend’s basement. Themes are collectively agreed on, then Yufie and Pankiewicz create a Pinterest board and Spotify playlist for each one; the themes get matched to the venues with decorations and all.
“Yufie and Mazzi are really on about the hot new trends,” Simon remarks. “Over the summer the “Barbie” movie was coming out and we were throwing our next one at This Is It at the time; it’s Trixie Mattel’s bar and she loves dolls so we decided on ‘Life in Plastic’ which had that dollhouse-type theme. It’s been cool to see how the timing has worked some of them out.”
“With our time constraints, we try to figure out what will have the most impact while also being in our budget,” Yufie explains. “Sometimes we make stuff for the theme and sometimes we thrift items.”
Slayground always features an eclectic mix of queer DJs and artists as well. Performers in the past have included Delilac, Cyrus Chrome, T!ny, Phox, DJ Femme Noir and Liquid City Motors.
Bigger Spaces
The team hopes to host Slayground at bigger spaces as time goes on; Yufie elaborates, “The initial model was to do a new venue every time, but we quickly found that places are just limited in terms of what we can adapt to. Cactus Club and This is It have been working for us recently, but we’ve been getting lines all the way down the block, and as awesome as that is, I do want people to come and be able to move around.”
“We like having it at new places because it helps with the novelty,” Simon notes. “It’s a creative challenge for us in terms of setup and decorating. Some venues will let us come in and start decorating during the week of the event while at others everything goes up and comes down the same day. It’s easier to work with spaces we’ve already worked with because they know what to expect but we’re still looking for new ones also because we want to platform the venues and bars that are safe spaces for queer people.”
Slayground’s next party is coming up this Friday, October 27 at Cactus Club. The theme is “Ritual” just in time for Halloween; things kick off at 10 p.m. Auntie, XxUltravioletxX and Bonnie are DJing. Tickets will be limited at the door so Slayground suggests arriving early.
Beyond that, Slayground is planning a big New Year’s party next; folks are encouraged to pack their sleeping bags, the team says.
“When we started Slayground, we didn’t necessarily have the long-term ideas of where it was going,” Simon concludes. “It’s been really exciting to build our community and build friendships with the venues, the performers and the people who regularly show up and give us their feedback whether it’s positive or negative. It’s leading into new things for all of us that we never anticipated.”
Follow @slayground.mke on Instagram for updates.
