Meet Julai, the musician and artist leading Melbourne’s Ballroom scene

“There are some of us in the community who come from broken families… and this could be linked to not being accepted for one’s gender or identity, queerness, skin colour or culture.”

As an underground subculture created by African-American and Latin American LGBTQIA+ people, Ballroom was and is an act of resistance. Julai, also known as Christian Stewart, is a New Zealand-born musician, artist and member of the Converse All Star community committed to honouring the existence and magic of Ballroom here in Melbourne. 

From being part of the Australian Ballroom house House of Dévine in 2019 to walking Australia’s biggest ball, Sissy Ball, in 2022, Julai has become a guiding figure in Melbourne’s local Ballroom scene. Today, Julai is a Ballroom father to five kids (more on this later) who are part of his chosen family. On the music front, his recent single ‘Sugar and Spice’ is a high-energy track that “represents the fashion baddies from the area that grew up with little money.”   

Interested to hear how others navigate the world? Head to our Life section.

As part of Converse’s Proud to Be campaign, we’re celebrating and spotlighting the diverse members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including artists like Julai. Below, he speaks about his experience within the Ballroom scene, as well as the systems of kinship that have long existed as part of its culture. 

What does Ballroom mean to you? 

When I think of Ballroom as an umbrella term, the words that come to mind are community, heritage, chosen family, love, survival and liberation. 

As a leader in the Naarm Ballroom scene, has being part of the community shaped your understanding and expression of your own identity? 

Being a leader in the Naarm Ballroom scene has definitely helped shape my understanding and expression in many ways. Being a leader in Ballroom and an artist who is a QPOC comes with similar community responsibilities. In both my expression in ballroom (being vogue femme) and music, I learn how to take up space and create [a] safe space for my community and both are supported from my experience being queer. 

What experiences or moments in Ballroom have had a big impact on your journey?

I would say taking out [the] grand prize for [the] Open to All performance at Sissy Ball 2022 at Town Hall in Sydney. I really feel that the battle between myself and Tony Cartier Revlon will be one for the books for Ballroom Australia. 

From then onwards, I’ve been inspired to make the most of what I know, how to train and prepare myself to apply it to my Ballroom kids and community through workshops and private training/kis [smaller or less competitive functions]. 

What’s the importance of a ‘chosen family’ and how is this fostered and celebrated within the Ballroom community? 

The importance of a chosen family is beneficial in many, many ways. There are some of us in the community who come from broken families, grow up in spaces or areas where we are not made to feel welcome, and this could be linked to not being accepted for one’s gender or identity, queerness, skin colour or culture. With these experiences, we share a mutual understanding and in sharing these experiences we build connections… that have a family-like essence, which we classify as a chosen family. 

Chosen families take shape in house culture. In Ballroom, we have houses that play on the topic and concept of chosen family, and these houses consist of a mother and father (usually older members who have actively been in Ballroom and have knowledge under their belt), who provide guidance and support for their house children in all areas of life. These houses compete at balls in their categories, in hopes to take home a grand prize for themselves and the house they represent. 

Your latest single ‘Sugar and Spice’ recently dropped! Can you tell us a bit about it? 

‘Sugar and Spice’ is an upbeat, unapologetic and high energy single produced by my favourite [producer] Tomdahomie that speaks and represents the fashion baddies from the area that grew up with little money and invested in op shop pieces, developed, learnt and lived off the mindset of, ‘It’s not what you wear, but the essence you wear it with’. The girls that get it, get it. 

How has music influenced your experience within the Ballroom community? 

Being a leader in the Naarm Ballroom scene and holding community training sessions/ki and kiki balls, I’ve had to learn and am still learning to commentate. And commentating/chanting is key for a ball, especially during the performance categories. I feel [like] being a rapper and understanding not only the use of words and melody, but also how my voice transfers through the mic makes it easy for me to play this role in my community and our events. 

If you want an example of commentating, you should search up my favourites, Kevin Jz Prodigy, Precious and Matyouz The Harajukunt. 

Check out Converse’s Proud to Be campaign here.