The Winston Tabb Special Collections Research Center is proud to announce a two-day series of events affiliated with the Peabody Ballroom Experience, an arts & humanities collaboration between the Sheridan Libraries and Baltimore's ballroom scene: a performance-based culture composed primarily of gay, lesbian, transgender, and gender non-conforming people of color. These events, highlighting the collections of the historic George Peabody Library and the transnational publics created through ballroom, are presented in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Center for Advanced Media Studies, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and Baltimore's ballroom scene. We hope to see you there!

Screening: This is Ballroom

Thursday, February 26, 5:30- 8:00 p.m. 

Baltimore Museum of Art   

 

Step into the pulse of global ballroom: this immersive evening brings underground ballroom performance into dialogue with cinema through a screening of This Is Ballroom (2024)—a vibrant, celebratory portrait of Brazil's ballroom scene. Meet the Rio-based filmmakers Juru & Vitã in a post-screening Q&A and experience the energy live as the night opens and closes with electrifying ballroom performances by artists from Brazil and Baltimore including Vitã, Ciara West, Victoria Aisha, Icon Marquis Revlon, and more. More information at https://artbma.org/event/this-is-ballroom

Friday, February 27 | 5:30–7:00 p.m.

George Peabody Library

 

Experience the iconic George Peabody Library as it transforms into a living film gallery. Move freely between three film stations featuring Baltimore's ballroom scene and its dramatic collaboration with the Peabody Library: Baltimore Beautiful Symbols (2023), Into the Light (2021), and an immersive virtual-reality experience of the 2023 Peabody Ball, with VR headsets available on site. Directed by Jason Gray and executive produced by Joseph Plaster, these works bring ballroom histories and aesthetics into breathtaking focus.

Friday, February 27 | 7:00–9:00 p.m.

George Peabody Library

End the night in motion: ballroom icon Marquis Clanton leads an electrifying vogue workshop alongside Brazilian ballroom artists Vitã and Ciara West, bringing Baltimore and Brazil into embodied conversation. Open to all levels and all bodies, this workshop invites newcomers and seasoned performers alike to move, learn, and connect inside one of Baltimore's most iconic spaces.  All are welcome. Registration details coming soon.

60 people limit. Link at the RVSP event on https://partiful.com/e/Z242sO4neuGOAvyGc5JB?source=share or contact jplaster@jhu.edu for the waitlist

More about the Peabody Ballroom Experience: https://peabodyballroom.library.jhu.edu/

More about Brazil Meets Ballroom: https://krieger.jhu.edu/cams/2026/01/28/global-ballroom-baltimore-meets-brazil-february-26-27/