Jennie Livingston’s cult documentary Paris is burning and – like it or not – the clip for Madonna’s spinoff anthem “Vogue” will appear in conversations about ballroom culture forever. But as famed critic Guy Trebay pointed out in a 2000 Village Voice story titled “Legends of the Ball”, these two 1990 works are essentially “station stops on a cultural continuum, affectionate but voyeuristic glimpses of ‘a tradition dating back to the 19th century and going strong in the 21. “

With roots in the underground masquerades started in Harlem by black and Latino LGBTQ + communities as early as 1869, balls as we now know them are dramatic events in which the building blocks of vogue – catwalk, manual performance, duck walk, floor performance, spins and dips – are on full display as houses compete in various categories for trophies, prizes or bragging rights. While some categories focus on appearance – face, body, etc.

In recent years, the ballroom has seen a cultural resurgence reflected in mainstream TV shows such as Ryan Murphy’s drama FX. Pose and the HBO Max Reality Competition Series Legendary. There’s a lot to be said for both shows: Pose made television history by having five transgender actors play in regular roles on the show; and Legendary explores the mechanics of dancing, teamwork, and some of the blood, sweat, and tears behind an acrobatic – and even dangerous – form of self-expression.

Raised on a ranch near Pleasanton, San Antonio native Antonio Padron didn’t start taking dancing seriously until 2009. Two key things left impressions on the South Side High School graduate that year. : see the Vogue Evolution troupe – with “Wonder Woman of Vogue” Leiomy Maldonado – participates in the MTV series America’s best dance team and meet his friend and mentor Karma Styles at the Street Beatz dance studio in San Antonio.

Over the years, Padron and Styles have worked together on choreography, auditioning for reality shows – including America’s best dance team and America has talent – and eventually became founding members of House of Kenzo, an ever-active troupe that fuses elements of fashion, avant-garde fashion and performance art.

In a fortuitous turn of events, Padron and Styles both landed on the second season of Legendary, although as members of opposing chambers. While Padron competed with the young Dallas company House of Luxe, New York-based Styles competed with the House of Oricci. Adding to the unusual circumstances, the two old friends were not allowed to socialize on or off the set. And sitting on the jury alongside Houston rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion, celebrity stylist Law Roach and esteemed actress Jameela Jamil was none other than Leiomy Maldonado, the transgender ballroom legend who presented Padron to his chosen performance style: vogue femme.

We recently caught up with Padron – who is better known these days as Akasha Luxe – to ask him about his Legendary, the origin of his new stage name and the recent dance incident that left him with a broken fibula.

How did you hurt yourself?

I was participating in a kiki ball in Dallas. Usually I dive with my right leg. But at the time, I really felt it, so I dove with my left leg. When I landed I didn’t catch up with my hands so all of my weight got absorbed into my fibula and it broke. I literally slipped [laughs]. I went out for a bit, then I came back because I wanted to watch the ball. So I stayed the whole time and went to the ER after that. They gave me a splint and told me to go see a pediatrician. I was operated on a week and a half later. They put three pins … and said it would heal, and I would be able to do anything … just not soak like a virgin.

Tell me about the name Akasha. What does this mean to you?

So Akasha simply means “space”. Akashic records are what really inspires me. It’s a concept that you can pretty much tap into that state of consciousness where you have access to everything that ever existed in the worlds. It is also associated with Queen of the damned … There is a feminine side to my performance and that’s who Akasha is. Before Akasha, I was going under Ynot, which is just Tony spelled backwards.

How did you end up on Legendary?

I met Nemo Luxe – the father of the House of Luxe – around 2018 at a ball in Dallas. It was my first mainstream prom, and I walked in the virgin category. I had been walking since 2015 but it was always at kiki balls – there is a kiki stage and there is a mainstream stage. The kiki scene isn’t as serious as the mainstream but it’s still part of the ballroom. I met Nemo at this ball, and he asked me to be in House Mizrahi. And so this was my first home. From there, I stayed in touch with Nemo. We would go to balls [and] compete. [The show producers] contacted him and said, “We want you to come on this show.” And he reached out to me and said, “Do you want to be a part of this?” Damn yeah.

How long have you been filming in Los Angeles and what was that experience like?

We started filming in February… and it was like a month and a half. It was so much fun. It was also different because of COVID. There were all these procedures and protocols. We had to get tested every day and we couldn’t really interact with the other houses either.

Weren’t you able to date Karma?

So I saw Karma when he got there… [From] my hotel room, I could see everyone getting there … [After that] the only time we saw each other was when we had to go get tested on one of the other floors, we passed the other houses… I had the opportunity to talk to Karma once [the House of Luxe] was eliminated [on the third episode].

Luxe was the most recent home to the competition and then lost a limb just before starting. What was it doing?

It was bad. And honestly, I cried. Because Jah Luxe is the youngest member of the group and for me it was so heartbreaking that he didn’t have the opportunity to be on stage with us. It hurts because I know what it feels like. I auditioned for TV shows for years trying to compete in a series of competitions and I wouldn’t make it. And that would suck. For me, it just hurt to know he had to go through this. It was just overwhelming for him. It was definitely something we had to adapt to very quickly. Because it happened just when we were going to film the first segment – the Great March. We had already done training and everything had to be changed.

Did he want to continue?

Yes. He had a broken arm, but he was still doing the routine with us. They just didn’t let it happen because it’s a handicap.

You have received constructive criticism from the judges on your level of confidence on stage. Did you like these remarks?

Yes they have. And yes, I took their reviews and on the next performance I really brought them in.

You also got compliments, like when Megan Thee Stallion said she thinks you are shit.

I was like, duh! [They may have called] me for sounding nervous, but the point is, I killed him anyway. I didn’t spoil anything or anything. It was really refreshing to hear Megan say [that]. Leiomy also gave me my 10 but a lot of [remarks] was not on the show. Sometimes the compliments [don’t make the cut].
How do you think Legendary compares to other reality shows?

I think he outperforms a lot of dance competitions. Because there are several components in the ballroom that amplify the production, the presentation of the dance. I just think the production level for this season of Legendary was the next level – the lights, the LED screens.

How authentic or true to the culture of the ballroom do you think the show is?

It doesn’t look like a ballroom at all. Because [the show focuses] on home productions. In the ballroom, you compete individually and try to earn trophies as a house. In our house we had Nemo, who makes the track and also the reality with a twist; Becky is a fashionable woman; Dizzy also makes reality with a twist; and Jah makes it reality with a twist and a vogue queen butch woman. So we were all fighting cats. We can really sail down, but we just haven’t had a chance to [show that].

Is the Luxury House still active afterLegendary?

Yes it is. Right now we are planning to attend balls and eventually we will be throwing our own balls. But we are currently working on recruiting people.

What is your horizon outside of House of Luxe? Are you planning to stay in San Antonio?

Yes. Because my family is here, I don’t want to get away from them. But I want to do more work as an artist. I don’t want a regular job, I’ve spent a lot of years doing nine-to-five and I need to try and become a freelance artist and try to make it work… the arts from the stage, getting out of the music, I also get booked as a DJ.

Do you feel like mentioning jobs nine to five?

I worked for VIA. I was a bus driver for a little over a year. I started when the pandemic started. … It was crazy. … It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had.